Some old-school habits are worth keeping. Handwritten notes are a quick way to make a significant impact on your congregation. But when should you write these notes?

Understanding the Context

And to whom? Josh and Sam discuss seven opportunities to handwrite a note. The hosts give some advice on what to include in these notes and how often to send them. Handwritten notes are a lost art for many.

Key Insights

Today, we discuss why they are so important and how you can use them to boost encouragement in your church and ministry. Handwritten and hand-written are both adjectives which mean written using a pen or pencil, instead of being printed or typed. The former version (handwritten) is the correct spelling but hand-written isn't incorrect too (alternative spelling). One note: "Cursive" can be an adjective: "The cursive writing in the letter was legible," but "handwriting" is always a noun. There's the adjective "handwritten." But both are more about the fact that a human is writing than the style.

Final Thoughts

That is, there is such a thing as "cursive handwriting." Or a "handwritten" letter that is not in cursive. I believe every leader—especially pastors—should write handwritten notes. There are good leadership principles found in a handwritten note. A handwritten note is great, but a phone call could be even better – especially in today’s world where few people use their phone to actually talk! A few verbalized words of appreciation can go a long way.