Can we all Say, “Thank You”?
When is the last time you said thank you? Sending and supporting churches make church planting a reality. But the support they give can quickly become expected or taken for granted. Planters and Missionaries can fall into a sense of entitlement, believing we deserve support for our ministry efforts and sacrifice in reaching the lost. Do not let this be true of you! Take the initiative and make an effort to thank those who support you.
"I will go down it if you will hold the rope."
— William Carey to Andrew Fuller
MAKE WRITING THANK YOU CARDS ROUTINE.
There is a former church plant, now self-sustaining, that consistently writes me thank you cards for my ministry investment in New Orleans. I am always encouraged and grateful to find their handwritten note in my mailbox. Keep a running to-do list for "Thank You" cards and carve out time on your calendar to write them. Taking time to send a handwritten thank-you note is an expression of gratitude. Keep a list, mark out time on your calendar, and buy some stamps. Writing "Thank You" notes should be a routine ministry discipline if you are a church planter.
PROVIDE PARTNERS WITH SOMETHING THAT CONNECTS THEM TO YOUR CITY AND CHURCH.
Church planting coffee cups and shirts are a tangible gift church planters can give to their partners. Every morning when I drink coffee from one of my church planting mugs or when I wear a gifted church planting shirt, I am reminded to pray for the church and their work. Don't miss out on the little ways you can connect your partners to your church and say thank you. Each city has something unique planters can leverage to say, "thank you." In New Orleans, everyone has the privilege of experiencing Mardi-Gras and "King Cake." Only after eating a Cream Cheese filled King Cake will you fully appreciate what I am saying. The church re-plant I serve at Lakeshore Church sends out King Cakes in January and February to thank partners for their support.
TEXT A PICTURE AND THANK YOU.
Ministry is fast-paced, and we can quickly lose sight of all the support that made it possible. The next time you host a block party, community event, or see someone saved and baptized. Take a picture and send a text to your partners with a little note that says, "thank you for making this possible." Something that might take you 5 minutes to accomplish can be a huge blessing to your partners and turn into a partnership that lasts for years.
SEND A BOOK AND THANK YOU.
Each Christmas, I get an excellent pastoral leadership book, with a lengthy personal handwritten note of encouragement from a church planter. These are special gifts that not only reflect gratitude for my investment but minister to my soul immensely.
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."
— Philippians 1:3–5
These are practical and tangible ways to show your partners that you are grateful for their support and covet their partnership. It saddens me to hear a support church share experiences of ingratitude and entitlement from partnerships. Church planters make it a priority to show your gratitude for how God has provided for your ministry by intentionally thanking those who support your ministry.
