JUST PUDGE

I noticed from our CM breakouts (at UNLEASH) that there were a lot of questions geared towards ‘volunteers.’ Which isn’t surprising…we still have questions about what the best way(s) are to lead our volunteers everyday! I think it’s one of those things we will never really ‘know it all’ on (and if we feel we do, we need some help).

We will always be learning how to better lead and we’ll always be eager to learn it all as quickly as possible. To find those little ’snidbits’ or ‘keys to success’ along the way that will guide us & keep us on track…

Well, I can’t promise you anything that profound, but I can share with you what I’ve learned along the way. For me, it all starts with a change in perspective. Hopefully these ‘ABC style’ one liners will help better describe what I mean by that…

• Always care for the ones you have. Build on the relationship already there.
• Be Prepared. Buckets ready. Props on stage. Everything printed. Are we ready or chasing tail Sunday AM?
• Communicate clearly. Do we communicate with volunteers or just send weekly email with lesson & what to do ‘better?’
• Deliver the vision. Vision is like a fuel that pumps people up & gets them moving. Constantly cast it.
  
• Encouragement times infinity. Send hand written notes, call (don’t mention Sunday), give a Sunday off. Show them they matter.
• Follow up. Best way to make a volunteer feel unneeded…don’t follow up.
• Get the right people. Many come, not all are called to volunteer in CM. Help them find the best team for them.
• Help them ‘get it.’ This isn’t just a volunteer role, it’s a call to ministry.
• Inspect what you expect. Make sure they’re on time, reading lessons/scripts, and growing.
• Jugglers needed. Parents juggle a lot of stuff, but we need them in CM. Find a way to get them there.
  
• Keep speaking life into people. Jesus spoke life into people. Do we speak life or talk down?
  
• Look for heart. The best volunteers are necessarily the most talented, but the ones with the HUGE hearts.
  
• Musical chairs is tiring. Make sure volunteers are in the right spots. Are they happy & loving what they do?
• Neat, clean ‘balls drops.’ Keep ‘the ball’ from dropping but know the balance. ‘Dropping the ball’ is a learning experience, but shouldn’t jeopardize excellence.
• Ownership is to 1st class as Delegation is to… When people have ownership in something, their heart is in it.
• Prayer trumps all. Pray for the volunteers, the ministry, the leadership. Prayer is key.
  
• Quantify the core. If each volunteer recruited 1 person each year we’d double our core annually. (from 50 to 100 to 200…in just 2 years).
• Rally your volunteer leaders. John Maxwell says that we can effectively lead 5-8 people. Why are you leading 20+ by yourself?
  
• Serve. As staff we should serve our volunteers (faces off) n a way that enables them to do ministry, not that does ministry for them.
• Take time to be a model. If there is ‘a way’ we want something done…model it. A picture is worth a thousand words.
  
• Unify the body. Encourage a sense of community among volunteers. We are a team.
  
• Volunteers gots to know. Make sure each role is clear…well defined, short, simple & easy to follow.
• You are an investor. Volunteers are an investment. We protect & grow our investments.
  
• X marks the spot. On a treasure map, X is the goal. Do volunteers know our ‘goal’ for Sunday?
  
• We empower. If we aren’t empower our volunteers we are crippling them.
  
• Zero in. The bigger things get, the more we work to make it feel smaller. Help them get th BIG vision, with little to no anxiety.
Again, I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about. These ABCs may help…they may just be something to laugh at for today…I don’t know? Hopefully though they will help somewhere along the way. Hey…maybe you have some ’snidbits’ you’ve learned along the way. Share with us!
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This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 7:30 am and is filed under CM stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.