The Significance Behind Recruiting One More Volunteer

by: Bryan Rose

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Without that backup volunteer in place, conversations that change everything are hard to have. To stop and talk means that a welcoming task will likely not be done. Gospel opportunities exist on your church campus every weekend, but your hospitality team may not be ready to recognize and respond to them. As the leader, it is up to you to recruit that “one more” volunteer to help provide the warmest welcome possible. Here are five holes in your hospitality to fill asap.

This weekend, put someone else…

…on the sidewalk.  The gap between your front doors and your guest parking spaces can feel like a long walk to the first time guest. Playing zone in your hospitality means that someone minds that gap, ready to receive a warm handoff from your parking lot team and walk alongside your guests into the front doors. Do you have anyone smiling on the sidewalk?

…in the parking lot.   The parking lot typically contains the most transactional hospitality moments every weekend. Everyone wearing a vest will necessarily be correctly positioned and focused, to keep every car moving and every pedestrian safe. Do you have anyone else out there who can engage in a relational moment if needed?

…at the back doors.  The invitation to return next Sunday may be more critical than the welcome this Sunday. It is easy to think of hospitality as merely a “before the service” need. However, the questions a first-time guest might have after worship could be much more important than those they have prior. Do you have people at the doors as everyone exits the service?

…in front of a counter.   The worst place for a hospitality leader is behind a desk. It is too easy to hide behind a table, to carry on a conversation with another volunteer behind a counter, and to forget that their first priority is to serve the guest. Do you have anyone positioned out in front of the counter, focused and poised to help?

…in the church office.  The office phone rings all week, and there is typically an operator or receptionist ready to give a warm welcome and connect callers to the appropriate extension. But on Sunday mornings, callers are likely looking for information or maybe even just reaching out for help. Do you have someone answering the phones on Sundays or will callers get an impersonal recording?

Tags: Bryan Rose, Church Guest Experiences, Danny Franks, Guest Experiences, Volunteers

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5 Pillars of Every Strong Volunteer Culture

by: Dan Reiland

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People want to volunteer and be a part of what they love and are passionate about.

There are over 10 million volunteers in only these seven organizations: Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. And there are hundreds of volunteer organizations.

The majority of the people who attend your church love your church. They believe in the vision and want to help expand your reach so that more people can know Jesus.

They may not know exactly what to do or how, or may not be ready today, but it’s in them to support what they believe in.

It’s up to us as leaders to help them do that.

Leading volunteers isn’t always easy, but it’s one of the most rewarding and truly enjoyable endeavors imaginable. It creates the best team ever!

This all starts with a clear mission, and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is unmistakable. We are called to make disciples of Jesus.

Further, Ephesians 4:11-16 makes it clear that we (pastors, staff, and leaders) are to equip the people to do the work of ministry that God called them to do.

“. . . so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (vs. 12-13)

As I’ve written in the past, the local church cannot function without the loyal and dedicated volunteers who carry on the leadership and mission of the church. I’m amazed at how hard volunteers work. Their passion humbles me and their contribution to the Kingdom is a blessing that stirs my soul.

The following is a practical framework to help you build a culture in which both staff and volunteers thrive.

5 foundations to build a strong volunteer culture:

1) Your vision is inspiring.

Vision helps people believe bigger than they can think or imagine possible. A great vision is bold enough to inspire and challenge, but not so “out there” that it’s not believable.

A great vision is also big enough to require faith and compelling enough to cause people to move to action. The bottom line is that a great vision is always in the best interest of people, and helps them change their lives for the good.

2) Your relationships are strong.

Your volunteers want to connect in a community where they are loved and appreciated.

Very few things trump the importance of healthy and productive relationships with your volunteer teams. If you are the senior pastor or on staff, think about how much you want to enjoy the people you work with. Your volunteers want that just as much as you do.

The elements of connection, appreciation, and encouragement cannot be overestimated!

3) Your training is practical.

Your volunteers want a sense of personal competence to feel good about what they do.

A great training program includes three elements: Equipping, developing and coaching.

Equipping focuses on the specific skills needed to accomplish a particular ministry. It can be anything from a workshop or two to online video training.

Development is more about investing in a person’s overall personal growth, usually in leadership or spiritual life.

Coaching can be for anyone but is usually focused more on the leaders.

4) Your expectations are clear.

It’s easy to mix and blur being appreciative and flexible with lowering standards. And high standards inspire!

I’m not suggesting “command and control,” far from it, but a simple, brief and clear job description for each ministry is essential. It can be as simple as an overall objective, and 5-7 bullets that take up no more than a half page.

These descriptions of responsibility are written to reflect the cultural values and ministry philosophy of your church.

5) Your organizational systems are helpful.

Your volunteers want structure to prevent chaos and enjoy good teamwork.

You might be tempted to think that “organization” is boring, dull and an administrative hassle. Well, that can be true. But if done correctly, being organized sets your teams free from the red tape and helps things run smoothly so they can do their ministry with relative ease!

Don’t make your volunteers serve the structures and systems, the structures and systems should serve the ministries and volunteers.

Good communication is essential for your church organization to function well. And always follow up and do what you say you will do.

> Read more from Dan.

Tags: Leadership Development, Volunteers, leading volunteers

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Are You Placing Your Volunteers?

by: Church Community Builder

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Ministry strategy hasn’t changed much over the past millennia. And nothing can propel your ministry further and faster than thriving, healthy volunteerism and ensure the long-term health and vitality of your church.

And thankfully, people are the one resource every church has more than anything else.

Healthy volunteers are those in our pews who are growing in their relationship with God. And those people who are growing in their relationship with God naturally desire to serve.

As Chris Mavity explains in his ebook, ‘Your Volunteers: Place,’ healthy volunteerism isn’t about staffing a team of random people; it’s about knowing enough about each individual to offer a customized volunteer opportunity to fit their specific interests, skills, passions and gifts.

His ebook guides church leaders through the process of connecting people with the work in which they will thrive and equips them with the strategies and tools required to effectively steward the Church’s number one resource – people.

So then how, exactly, do we really get to know so many people in order to place them according to their innermost passions and gifts?

Getting to know a lot of people intimately is much like completing a jigsaw puzzle, Mavity explains. A jigsaw puzzle has a grand picture on the outside, but inside there are hundreds or thousands of pieces that make up the complete picture – and the same is true for your church.

The key is looking at the placement of a volunteer the same way you’d start to assemble a jigsaw puzzle – by learning the basics about them (placing corners and edges) – and creating your puzzle’s ‘frame.’ Only then will you get a sense of who the person is and in time through observation, feedback and results, you will be able to place various inside pieces, allowing you to see and understand even more about the person.

And much like fitting puzzle pieces together, you’ll find that your initial impressions and approaches to placement won’t always be the best fit. No problem. Just adjust a corner piece and some of the edge pieces to make it work.

Volunteers are a precious component of church life. When the purpose of each puzzle piece is made clear, volunteers can do amazing work to grow the Kingdom. And when you get the right person in the right place at the right time, your volunteers will grow and evolve, and you’ll become more adept at fitting more pieces into the jigsaw puzzle.

And as your church implements the ideas in ‘Your Volunteers: Place,’ you will also see discipleship-level growth that naturally multiplies.

Read more from Church Community Builder.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Church Volunteers, Volunteers

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Your Volunteers: Training Your Greatest Ministry Asset

by: Church Community Builder

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Once you have recruited a volunteer – moving them from a come-and-see to a come-and-serve mindset – you’ll need to train them.

In the follow-up to ‘Your Volunteers: Recruit,’ Chris Mavity’s ‘Your Volunteers: Train’ addresses three critical components to training: the differences between training and equipping, training for the long term, and the four characteristics of healthy training – but what, exactly, does each mean and entail?

Training v. Equipping: As Mavity puts it, “Training is providing input, in various forms, to influence a person’s future actions, attitudes, and behaviors. You’ll need to train your volunteers so that they achieve the specific ministry outcomes you desire. Equipping is about providing the resources a person needs to perform the duties associated with the roles and responsibilities for which they have been selected. For example, a custodian needs a vacuum cleaner, a data entry volunteer needs a computer, and a Sunday school teacher needs a classroom and supplies.”

Training for the Long Term: There are two types of training: orientation and ongoing training. Orientation training helps your volunteers understand the role, responsibilities,and expected outcomes of the assignment. It also gives your volunteers enough guidance, information and instruction necessary to complete the assignment while helping them gain confidence. Ongoing training is focused on life-skills development by helping your volunteers become a better version of themselves and communicating that you care about them as people – not just in a ministry capacity – and that you will pour into them to make them better in all aspects of their lives.

Four Characteristics of Healthy Training: As you develop your training, keep it …

… simple. Understand the purpose or scope of your meetings and tailor your information and activities to that single purpose.

… spreadable. Volunteer training that works in one department of your church will likely be useful – with a few modifications – in others.

… scalable. As you grow, your processes will need to be able to adjust to account for the number of volunteers you have.

… scrappable. If something isn’t working, scrap it. Keep the focus on outcomes, engagement, participation and productivity.

Training your volunteers takes commitment, time, effort and energy – but it’s so worth it. When you make a commitment to training your volunteers, you’ll find that your training will keep everyone focused on growth, your volunteers will become influential members of your congregation, and you’ll better be able to anticipate what’s next.

> Read more from Church Community Builder.

Tags: Church Community Builder, Volunteer training, Volunteers, training volunteers

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Every Weekend Matters: 6 Strategies for Holiday Hospitality

by: Danny Franks

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We’re barely ankle deep into the summer season around these parts. The mountains and beaches are calling, and people are responding. (Side note: mountain people? I love you. Let’s hang out more. Beach people? I pray for you. And for your sunburned, dehydrated, squinty, sweaty, sand-covered bodies. Maybe we can be better friends at heaven where there’s no more beach.)

But I digress. If you’re in charge of the hospitality or guest services team at your church, chances are good that you are already feeling the pinch of summer. Whether your volunteers have fled to high ground or sandy shores or Disney or Great Wolf Lodge, you’re worried that there won’t be adequate coverage to make it to September. The only problem is that while your volunteers may take some down time, your guests won’t. Their version of down time will likely be checking out your church for the first time.

So how do you balance the drought of vols with the influx of guests? Here are six strategies to cope:

1. Refuse to relax your standards. The easiest thing to do is to clock out of excellence for the summer. Drop a team here. Do without a volunteer there. However, that leaves your guests with a less-than-ideal experience. While your overall team numbers might be down, your campus coverage shouldn’t be. As you start the summer season, continue to think from the perspective of your guests and fight for their comfort. Related posts: Four Ways to Stay Alert. Why Outside Greeters Are More Important Than Inside Greeters.

2. Get on your vols’ schedule. True, there are some people who decide to head out for a weekend getaway at the very last minute. But for the majority of people on your team, they’ve had vacation on their schedules for months. That makes it easy for them to get their vacation on your schedule, as well. Shoot a quick email to your team and ask them to let you know the weekends they’ll be out of town. That quick memory jog will keep you from a lot of surprises later this summer.

3. Go after your one-offs. Summer is a great time to ask people to serve who normally don’t. Ask people to fill in for a couple of weekends with no pressure to do anything else. Give them an easy win – mixed with low commitment – and watch the gaps get filled in. (And who knows? You might just end up with a new vol who didn’t know how much they loved serving others.)

4. Make it a team effort. Go after your Sunday School classes and small groups and encourage them to take one Sunday out of class to serve as a team. This can be a healthy break in their normal routine and help them have an others-focus.

5. Help them beat the heat. For those who are serving, keep in mind the uncomfortable conditions they’ll endure. Send reminders to your outdoor people to bring caps and sunglasses. Provide water, Gatorade, and sunscreen. Surprise them at summer’s end with a visit from the ice cream truck. Rotate them often so they’re not in the elements too long.

6. Send them off with a smile. Do not. I repeat: do not make your vols feel guilty for taking a break. In fact, you should make sure that everyone has at least a couple of weekends off during the summer, even if they’re not traveling anywhere. We don’t do our teams any favors when we lord over them like taskmasters. Rather, push them to enjoy some Sabbath time. That’ll pay off in long-term loyalty.

> Read more from Danny.

Tags: Danny Franks, Hospitality Team, Volunteers, guest services team, summer pinch

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12 Strategic Summer Activities to Keep Volunteers Connected to Ministry Vision

by: Bryan Rose

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Summer scatters your congregation and is typically a season of lessened activity, with groups on hiatus or a simplified service schedule. Most leaders surrender to the summer and count on one to two weeks of furious activity in late August to prepare their leaders for the high-impact season of ministry in the fall.

But what if there was a better way? What if we did not have to surrender to the summer scatter, but instead strengthen the support system of ministry with super-focused activity? What if the true foundation for fall is formed by fellowship in foundry-like heat of June, July and August?

Here are 12 strategic summer activities to keep volunteers connected and excited about your ministry vision:

1. 
The After-Church Cookout – Dinner on the grounds is an idea as old as the church… in fact, I am sure that some translations of Acts 13 include the first potluck dinner after the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. After the fasting of course, there had to be some feasting for the send-off. Everyone signed up to bring their favorite olive, hummus or lentil side and the church supplied the fish. Whether you exercise your modern-day grill skill or grab some finger-lickin’ chicken, take advantage of your fellowship hall or front lawn for some food and fun after church one Sunday.

2. The Community Treasure Hunt – If you really want people to pay attention to your emails, find a way to make them engaging. I know it might be hard to imagine how your hastily copy/pasted list of announcements might not completely captivate your ministry team… but they don’t. So spice up your communication this summer by hiding a gift card somewhere in your community. Don’t cheap out… pony up at least $100 and drop hints and clues to it’s location in every email you send. The “oh I missed that email” moments will decrease dramatically, guaranteed. The craftier among us can drag this adventure out over the whole summer.

3. The Weekly Devotional – Leverage your upcoming theme for the fall season of ministry – you do have a theme for each season or ministry-year, right? Create a weekly devotion that prepares your leaders spiritually for the ministry work ahead. These devotions are a great way to reinforce the actions of ministry in the word of God while keeping your leaders connected to the vision. You also have the opportunity to exercise spiritual leadership above the weekly crush of organizational leadership. Inject personal stories and moments of imperfection that reveal your humanity and personal growth in Christ.

4. The Home Visit – Get to know your team on a completely new level by visiting them at home. In other cultures, pastors rely on visiting their congregation’s home to cut through the “everything is awesome” facade of Sunday worship attendance. Of course, make sure you schedule well ahead of time and clearly define the purpose of your visit; nobody likes surprise visitors, especially from a pastor. Be sure to also bring something with you, maybe a potted plant or other thoughtful household gift that says thank you for spending the last two days scrubbing and cleaning the whole house for this 45 minute social call.

5. The Dinner Gathering – This is the excuse to clean your house. In groups or as a whole, invite the team into your domain for dinner and a chance to connect with you as a person and a leader. Make it fun with a sundae bar, everyone bring your favorite topping, or play timeless games like Pictionary or charades that fuel extrovert interaction and introvert annoyance – even though they will probably win. The team that laughs together and eats together, well they may do the same ministry, but not in the same way. Your home becomes the great equalizer.

6. The Planning Party – Instead of just planning, make it a party. The number of great ideas is directly proportional to the amount of sugar, caffeine and chocolate ingested whilst conceiving of said ideas. It’s science… look it up. Unless you live in Texas or South Florida, get out of the typical class or conference room planning location and take advantage of summer weather. Gaining a fresh perspective on ministry from an unusual location or a fresh infusion of ideas from a festive presentation is a great chance to break out of the strategic planning rut ministry can create.

7. The Remodeling Effort – It’s time to get the finger paint smudges and jewel-toned paint off the walls. Maybe even “accidentally” paint over that awkward mural of creepy Jesus that haunts your dreams each night. Save the involved renovations for the pros- carpeting, plumbing or anything involving wires and the chance of death by electrocution- but bringing your team together to paint, deep clean or construct puppet stages builds bonds stronger than the “kid” smell down the preschool hallway. Give your leaders a chance to own the vision beyond teaching a lesson or opening a door and mark the investment increase that comes as a result.

8. The Monthly Vision Meeting – That seems boring just reading it, but it doesn’t have to be if you decide on a topic or theme, and then go WAY overboard in demonstrating, decorating and developing it. Do not just talk about building strong families, bring in the Power Team, compete in feats of strength or meet on a construction site. Make your vision so tangible, palpable and exciting that your leaders beg you to meet weekly. Okay – that will not happen, but you get the point. Don’t settle for another boring meeting agenda – God wants to do more in your ministry than you could ever ask or imagine, so please do not run meetings that make people ask “why” or imagine themselves somewhere else.

9. The In-Service Celebration – Bring the whole church into the great work that God is doing in your ministry. Find a way to celebrate the contribution of individuals or impact on certain groups. Tie these efforts into the overarching vision of the church and extend an invitation that allows others to jump in on the fun. If your Sunday worship environment allows, create an awards-show type moment and get everyone laughing and smiling, but clear this with the pastor first. Nothing says “I’ve already lost the crowd” like following a fun team-centered vision moment with a sermon from the book of Job.

10. The Virtual Book Club – Take advantage of the beach and pool time your leaders will be having over the summer months by providing some good reading material. Be sure to tie the book choice into your ministry vision and give small segments to read. This does not have to create those Middle School “summer reading” misery flashbacks, but can be a fun way to engage your team. Think of fun books by an author like Jon Acuff, and create an online discussion center in which you ask thoughtful questions that prompt good literary digestion. The book could even be a work of fiction… what matters most is the ongoing connection to vision and community that emerges.

11. The Family Movie Night – Meet at the theater or fire up the church projector for a movie night. Give everyone a chance to fill those long summer evenings, connect as a team and have fun as a family. Nothing says your contribution is making a huge impact like buckets of buttery popcorn and the unhealthiest snacks you can find. Give yourself bonus points for every dad you can catch snoring on the floor or lawn. The point is, have fun together and get to know your team as people with families, not just names on an organization chart or volunteer list.

12. The Coffee Shop Hang – Block off a pre-set time and just hang out at a local coffee shop. Answer those complaint emails you have been ignoring or post-date some purchase orders from last month’s retreat while you wait on folks to drop by. Be consistent and, over time, more and more people will make time to say hi. Get out of your office and get interruptible, modeling your ministry impact after Jesus. Leverage social media to announce the when and where each week, and invite people to stop by. Also, if your church business manager is out of town, go ahead and buy coffee or lunch for whoever shows up. You might be surprised at the real ministry that emerges from simple availability.

There is no time like the present to keep ministry volunteers connected and excited about your ministry vision. Spend the next 10 minutes in prayer and on your calendar and decide which of these, or other, strategic actions you will take in June.

And which in July.

And which in August.

Sowing strategic actions for summer in the springtime reaps an abundant harvest come fall.

> Read more from Bryan.

The team at Auxano would love to help you cultivate a leader-soaked ministry. As a non-profit organization with some of the best leader-developers in the country, we are available to do short assessment calls at no cost. We’ll share more about the four basic components of any leadership pipeline and unpack some of the key principles that are most pertinent right now for your ministry.

Contact us here.

Tags: Bryan Rose, Keep volunteers connected, Summer Activities, Volunteers

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Why Your Volunteer Problem is Really a Vision Problem

by: Bryan Rose

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As I pulled into the parking lot, the temperature on my dashboard read negative twelve degrees. 

And there he was… standing there waving.

I couldn’t see his face, it was obscured by a heavy duty ski mask. But I could tell he was smiling.

And waving. And pointing me to another volunteer equally protecting every bit of bare skin from the unforgivably cold temperatures and minus thirty-something wind chills.

They were all out there. I found out later that every man on the team, had made it a point to serve this morning. The coldest morning any had seen in a long time.

Later, in the church lobby, they were resupplying hand and shoe warmers, to again face deathly cold. Just to park cars. 

So I asked them how, and why, and what.

How, today of all days, could they stand outside and wave?

Why would they literally risk life and pinkie toe to make sure cars get parked?

What could possibly motivate this level of servitude?

They just smiled. And to a man said: “It’s my ministry. Parking cars is my calling around here.” 

These men reminded me…

Most churches do not actually have a volunteer problem.

They have a vision problem. 

Tags: Bryan Rose, Church Volunteers, Vision Problem, Volunteers

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