I believe in writing out a job description, not just for paid staff, but even for volunteers. Why? Because agreement prevents disagreement. Let me explain what I mean... When volunteers sign up to serve they ought to be committing to a certain set of responsibilities. You ought to print them a copy of what they are agreeing to do by signing up to serve. This agreement on the front end prevents disagreement on the back end. You see, when you aren't clear about what they are committing to, they … [Read more...]
Titles and Timelines
Never give a title without a timeline. I once met with a guy and asked him to be our band leader for six months. I told him that after six months I would need him to recommend someone else to lead the band for the next six months. He did a great job in many ways but didn't have the people skills needed to continue in the role. So after six months I thanked him for his service, gave him a gift card to a restaurant and asked him to recommend someone else to lead. He recommended someone that I … [Read more...]
Help People See The Larger Picture
It's hard to have volunteers serve willingly and with a good attitude if you don't help them see the larger picture. When they're arriving at early on Sunday morning to set up for church, they're not just setting up equipment...they're preparing for lives to be changed. When they volunteer in the kids ministry, they're not just babysitting kids...they're introducing kids to Jesus (some for the first time)! It's easy for our volunteers to focus on WHAT THEY'RE DOING instead of WHAT IS RESULTING … [Read more...]
The Big Ask
If you are going to be successful in church planting, you can't be afraid to make what I call "the big ask" of people. That is, you can't be afraid to ask people to make huge sacrifices and join what you're doing. One of my favorite "big ask" examples comes from Acts 16:1-5. "Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy...Timothy was well thought of by the believers...so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the … [Read more...]
When a Volunteer Needs to be Fired
In Peter Drucker's book The Effective Executive you'll read the following story: General Marshall during World War II insisted that a general officer be immediately relieved if found less than outstanding. Marshall flatly refused to listen to the argument: "But we have no replacement." "All that matters," he pointed out, "is that you know that this man is not equal to the task. Where his replacement comes from is the next question." Sometimes we are scared to do the right thing because of … [Read more...]
Why You Don’t Have More Volunteers
When you have a volunteer shortage (church wide or in a specific department) I think there are at least three questions you should ask: 1. Are you asking God for volunteers? If you need more volunteers, the answer begins with prayer. James 4:2 says "You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it." And Matthew 9:38 says "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." Step one is to pray for more volunteers. 2. Are you … [Read more...]