Acceptance Speech For Church Position

Thank you for this amazing opportunity. I am honored to serve the parish as the new Director of Music. I will work hard to ensure that our music program is vibrant and supportive, and that we honor at Mass the Lord’s presence with us in worship. I am grateful for your confidence in me.

Steps to start an Acceptance Speech For Church Position



1. Begin by thanking the audience for their support and trust in your leadership abilities.
2. Express gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the leadership role.
3. Share your vision and goals for the organization or group.
4. Emphasize the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving success.
5. Conclude with a commitment to working diligently and effectively in the leadership position.

Humble Acceptance Speech


1. Start by expressing humility and gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the leadership role.
2. Acknowledge the contributions of others and express appreciation for their support.
3. Share your commitment to leading with integrity and humility.
4. Emphasize the importance of listening to others and valuing their input.
5. Conclude with a humble expression of dedication to the organization or group.

Sample of an Acceptance Speech For Church Position.

Today, I accept the position of CEO of the business. To be honest, the thought scared the hell out of me. The past two years have not been easy. I watched my grandfather struggle with dementia and my father try to handle the new responsibilities and deal with his stress. Since my parents never had to worry about money, they never had to plan for an emergency expense; they never practiced these skills themselves. So while they took care of our needs quickly when we were young, when it came time to learn how to plan for retirement or handle an illness or other financial issues, they didn’t know what to do. Now that I own a home and am living on my own, it has become even more important for me to have some experience in this area.

Dear friends, co-workers and members of the church: I am so thankful to be your pastor. I am happy to report that you have always been the best role model and person whom I could hope to be with in the work place. Your example of excellence should never be lost on me. You are a shining example for all who seek God’s great plan for them

I would like to thank you for considering me as the next CEO of your company. I am honored to have been selected and would love the opportunity to continue leading our growing organization. Dear friends, co-workers and members of the church: I am so thankful to be your pastor. I am happy to report that you have always been the best role model and person whom I could hope to be with in the work place. Your example of excellence should never be lost on me. You are a shining example for all who seek God’s great plan for them

I am accepting this position because I want to help the church grow, and move in a positive direction for the betterment of our community. I believe that with your support and guidance, together we can make a difference. Dear friends, co-workers and members of the church: I am so thankful to be your pastor. I am happy to report that you have always been the best role model and person whom I could hope to be with in the work place. Your example of excellence should never be lost on me. You are a shining example for all who seek God’s great plan for them

Additional Resources:

– Tips for delivering a powerful and impactful acceptance speech
– Inspirational quotes to include in your acceptance speech
– Examples of successful acceptance speeches from past leaders

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Acceptance Speech as President of ‌an Organization

​Wayne Schmidt acceptance speech

​Wayne Schmidt acceptance speech

Dr. Wayne Schmidt delivered an acceptance speech filled with humility and vision.

Newly-elected General Superintendent Dr. Wayne Schmidt was welcomed to the platform with a standing ovation following the announcement of his election as leader of the North American General Conference. The other primary candidate, Rev. Isaac Smith, district superintendent of Northwest District, spoke first, delivering very appropriate and kind remarks and expressed his unqualified support for Dr. Schmidt.

Dr. Schmidt then stepped to the microphone. He delivered his acceptance speech with humility, yet with a visionary spirit. He noted that leadership requires a community and that one cannot be successful without depending on the body of Christ for strength and support. He has experienced that through many relationships, especially an accountability partner of 31 years, mentors, a prayer partner, and his wife, Jan.

Dr. Schmidt commented on the legacy Dr. Lyon has left as his predecessor. “Only God is omnipotent, but Dr. Lyon has been with Him in most of those places,” said Dr. Schmidt, which brought appreciative laughter from the assembly. “Some of you might be wondering what I am doing. I am following a living legend in Dr. Lyon. But she is not fading away. In fact, we desire that she continue to be available because of the connections she has made along the way in her ministry and legacy. Consequently, I am pleased to announce that she has been named our first official Ambassador of The Wesleyan Church.

He also named a new chief development officerfor The Wesleyan Church. Rev. Scott Rhyno, currently of Kingswood University, will serve in this role, providing leadership in the Generous Living Office.

In closing, Dr. Schmidt noted his life verse as he views it now in relation to God’s calling for him as General Superintendent. “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4, NIV).

Another high point of the morning, following Dr. Schmidt’s acceptance speech, was a powerful prayer of enduement by General Superintendent Emeritus Dr. Earle Wilson.

Short Acceptance Speech Sample


In this article, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to write a short acceptance speech sample. Acceptance speeches are common in various settings such as award ceremonies, graduations, or promotions. Crafting a poignant and concise acceptance speech is crucial to effectively communicate gratitude and appreciation.

Key Elements of a Short Acceptance Speech

1.Expressing Gratitude: The foundation of any acceptance speech is expressing gratitude towards the individual or organization offering the recognition.
2.Acknowledging Support: It’s important to acknowledge and thank those who have supported you throughout your journey.
3. Brief Reflection: Including a brief reflection on what the recognition means to you can add depth to your speech.
4. Staying Concise: Keeping your speech short and to the point is essential to maintain the audience’s attention.
5. Closing Remark: Ending your speech with a memorable closing remark leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Sample Short Acceptance Speech

Thank you all for this incredible honor. I am truly grateful to [Name of organization/individual] for this recognition. I want to express my sincere appreciation to my family, friends, and colleagues for their unwavering support. This award means the world to me and serves as a reminder to continue striving for excellence in my work. Thank you once again for this opportunity.

Writing Style and Tone

– **Writing Style**: Informative and instructional.
– **Writing Tone**: Professional and informative.

Crafting a short acceptance speech sample involves incorporating key elements such as expressing gratitude, acknowledging support, brief reflection, staying concise, and closing remarks. By following these guidelines, you can deliver a memorable and impactful acceptance speech.

Your Holiness, Moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, officers of the Council, honorable members of the Central Committee, guests, my fellow colleagues and all other colleagues in the Ecumenical Centre:
I want to say that for me, this is a very humbling affair. I am deeply humbled by this great honour of being elected the general secretary of the World Council of Churches. My wife, Ruth, and our daughter Nkatha, who is also here, and the rest of the family want to join me in thanking you, Moderator, and the Central Committee, for showing confidence that you believe I will be able to serve the Council as the next general secretary.

Trond Bakkevig and I are friends. We have been friends for a long time. He served in the Commission of Justice Peace and Creation when I was director of that Unit III. Trond and I have spent a lot of time together, even in Norway. His commitment to the ecumenical movement, as you, Your Holiness, have said in your remarks, is there for everyone to see. We have said since our time together in Tirana when we went for the interviews, that whatever happens at the end of this process should in no way come between us, and this is how I would like it to be.

I come from a culture where this is considered not as a victory of the individual. It is our victory, belonging to all of us together, because I believe it is God’s will that I be asked to assume this responsibility within my calling in ecumenical ministry. It is in that spirit that I accept this appointment because, together, we can not fail.

Our diversity is our strength. That is why we must safeguard the multilateral space that WCC provides for churches around the world. This is a unique multilateral space that brings people from churches of different traditions and histories together in a way that no other organization in the world can. It is therefore with profound thanksgiving to God and to this movement of the churches that I will serve with dedication and with all my strength, and with God helping me.

The Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC provides us with a model that turns a problem into a possibility. We have already begun to taste the first fruits of this process. Already we know that it has been accepted that decision by consensus is going to be written in our books, and that it will become common practice here at ecumenical meetings in the future. Moderator, I am very well aware that this Central Committee has made the decision to accept the recommendations that have been made by the Special Commission. I want to assure you and the whole of this august body that we will faithfully implement all the recommendations of the Special Commission.

Today, we live in a world we recognize as a broken world; a world searching for meaning in life and for security, yet a world in which many lead meaningless and insecure lives. The answer is neither in politics nor in economics. Nor is the answer to be found in military might. The problem humankind is facing today is deeply spiritual and moral. This therefore is a huge challenge to the WCC. We will work tirelessly towards the healing of the world, and the restoration of the human dignity of all the people of God.

The challenge the world is facing today is how to relate to one another as human beings and not merely as consumers and sellers, or as powerful and powerless. The historical injustices of preceding centuries have come back to haunt us in the twenty-first century. Unless and until these underlying historical injustices are resolved, it will be difficult for everyone to feel safe in this world. As a council of churches, we commit ourselves to advocate for non-violent ways of attaining justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

For the WCC to gain the capacity to inspire the world, we need inner strength. Our strength lies also in our unity. As we reiterate that WCC is first and foremost a fellowship of churches whose primary purpose is to call one another to visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship, and “to advance to that unity so that the world may believe”, we must work together and be seen to be working together. The Common Understanding and Vision (CUV) document provided a framework within which the members of the WCC are enabled to reaffirm their ecumenical vocation.

Moderator, I wish to pay tribute to the outgoing general secretary, my colleague and dear friend, Dr Konrad Raiser. Konrad has provided strong and insightful leadership during very difficult times, especially in a period when we have been facing financial problems. But, thanks to his resolve and determination, he leaves the Council at a time when we begin to see signs of economic recovery for the Council. I want to assure you, Konrad, that I have taken keen note of what you said in your report to the Central Committee – that the ecumenical calling has become an integral part of your ministry, and that your commitment shall not end when you leave your present task.

Friends, you all know that, in the last seven years, the Council’s income has steadily declined – dropping from CHF 82.4 million in 1996 to CHF 44.1 million in 2002. As I have already said in 2003, the report of the Finance Committee of this Central Committee has shown that our income is being held. We will spare no efforts to ensure that this trend continues to maturity. The Council’s dire financial situation, as the general secretary and colleagues will agree with me, became a source of great anxiety and emotional stress for all of us. I am one of the members of staff. I have gone through the pain of what it means to work under such financial constraints. I think it will be our major responsibility to try to see this come to an end. We can do this if we join hands. And it is my vision that we will try and have financial security for the coming years. What I plan to do, in the short term during the period leading to the general assembly (2006), is to deepen our engagement with specialized ministries who contribute up to 80% of our programmatic work. We cannot go through the kind of stress that we have gone through in the next two to three years when we are preparing for the assembly, and be able to go through the assembly, unless we have stability of income. This is my hope, and I will appeal to our specialized ministries to help us with that.

For the longer term, I would want to call on this Central Committee to appoint a small party to work with the general secretary to begin to put together ideas that will help us to generate funds to endow the most essential core work of the WCC. This is a tall order, but I believe that we have to do it, and we will, God willing.

As general secretary, I shall consider myself to be the captain of the team. Every member of the team is valuable, because we can succeed only with the participation of all. The welfare of staff will be a high priority for me. The work of the general secretary is not just programme and financial management. Even more critically, it is spiritual leadership. We must seek ways of deepening the spiritual life even in the Ecumenical Centre community. And because this is not going to be easy, we would want to call on the Central Committee to accompany us in this effort to deepen our spirituality in our lives here in this community.

As general secretary, I particularly want to believe, and to call on this Central Committee not just to appoint me and leave me alone. I want you to accompany me. It is very easy to leave leaders alone. I know this because I have been at the helm before – as general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. I know that the higher you go, the colder it gets. Very often, people come to you as general secretary and expect you to support them in every way, including emotionally and spiritually. But where does the general secretary go? Therefore, I propose that we find a mechanism, a way to be in contact with each and every one of you, starting with you, Moderator, and the officers, so that we shall walk together. Because this is a journey that we must walk together.

I believe that the twenty-first century will be a century where spirituality will take centre stage in our lives. Spiritual accompaniment, therefore, should be what social solidarity was in the twentieth century. My intention is to find ways of deepening and broadening spiritual accompaniment among the WCC member churches as well as others. It could be as simple as churches in the Pacific or anywhere else going down on their knees to pray and to give prayerful support for other churches in the US or Europe, or other places when they find themselves in need of that. And we will endeavour to send “living letters”, who can be there so that it will be people to people – heart to heart, and not just institution to institution.

Moderator, I wish to conclude these acceptance remarks with an African saying: “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to go far, walk together with others.” My prayer is that in this ecumenical movement, we shall go very far, walking together, strengthening each other to fulfill that prayer of our Lord – that all may be one – to the glory of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Acceptance Speech for Leadership Position

1. Start With Thanks

Begin writing an acceptance speech by thanking the people who helped you in achieving your goals. It includes those individuals who introduced you to the organization that nominated and granted you the award.

2. Talk About the Organization

Express how thankful you are after receiving the honor from an organization. Moreover, talk further about the organization itself and describe why it is good for the community.

Also, discuss how being a part of it has impacted your life.

3. Acknowledge the Supportive People

In this step, acknowledge all the supportive people who helped you in this journey. It can be your family and friends, along with the mentors who gave you a chance to showcase your talent.

Make sure you recognize even the small efforts made by the people who helped you the way. Be sincere and genuine while expressing your gratitude and appreciating them.

4. Avoid Thanking Too Many People

Avoid thanking too many people individually in your acceptance speech. As it will take a lot of time and will eventually bore the audience. Moreover, it may also cause disappointment if you forget to mention someone. Thus, it is better to thank everyone collectively.

5. Add Humor to Your Speech

Award ceremonies can be boring. Therefore, you can add humor to the acceptance speech to make it sound entertaining.

However, do not focus solely on making the speech humorous as it will lose the real expression. Also, try to avoid sarcasm or joking about someone or the award itself.

If your paper matters, we own all the good words.

6. Tell a Story

The last step is to make your speech memorable by telling a brief personal story. Here, you can share your struggles and successes in achieving the main goal. It is the best way to entertain and inspire the audience that may share the same path as yours.

How to End an Acceptance Speech?

Below given are the steps that you should follow to end your acceptance speech perfectly.

  1. Conclude your speech with something that makes a great impact on the audience.
  2. Summarize the group of people who have helped you in accomplishing the goal.
  3. Make a closing statement that would give a solid impression of your speech.
  4. End it with a lighthearted and positive note to maintain the atmosphere.
  5. Thank the organization again and highlight their valuable contribution to the community and your life.
  6. You can also suggest a call to action to inspire the audience. It can be a financial donation or practical efforts to make it a powerful institution.
  7. Make a final thank you to the audience in your last line.
  8. Read the speech thoroughly to make notes of the sections and sentences that may sound wrong or confusing.
  9. Remove all the words and phrases that you cannot pronounce correctly.
  10. Ask a friend or colleague to proofread it for you. Make changes according to their criticism or feedback.

Acceptance Speech Writing Tips

Here are some useful tips for you to write a perfect speech.

  • Take enough time to brainstorm what you want to include and who you want to thank in the speech.
  • Use a polite and courteous tone while writing an acceptance speech.
  • Keep it short and to the point, as the maximum time limit is three to five minutes.
  • The language and writing style must perfectly fit the dignity of the occasion.
  • Create an outline to guide you throughout the writing process. It will also give a direction to your speech.
  • It is better to ask the hosting organization about any special requirements and codes.
  • Plan ahead of time to prepare a good speech.
  • Make sure to talk about the organization and not about yourself and appreciate them honestly.
  • Thank a group of people collectively instead of thanking each one individually.
  • Briefly mention the goals and accomplishments.
  • Do not apologize or mention the mistakes of the past. Instead, focus on the present and positive prospects of the future.
  • Do not use your speech as a platform to address any political or social issues.
  • Include humor in the speech to make it entertaining. However, never make fun of anyone.
  • Always end the speech with a strong emotional appeal to inspire the audience.

humble acceptance speech

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