When I got married, I remember being totally excited about the honeymoon. My wife and I spent two weeks in Italy, living it up. While I was filled with complete joy about the trip and this new chapter in life, part of me was wondering, “How is the ministry going to survive while I’m gone?”
It didn’t. In fact, the three weekends (wedding and honeymoon) were a trainwreck. No one sent out reminders to the teens, volunteers were confused about what to do, and let’s say there were many questions I had to answer upon my return. The lesson that I learned? Don’t go away? No, I needed to up the game of my volunteer team.
Even if you plan on being at your parish for decades, there will be a day you need to walk away. Not only is your time at your church temporary, but there will also be moments when you will need to or want to take a break. If you want to create a self-sustaining ministry, it’s important to find ways of giving your team more ownership. That means creating a system and culture where people are ready to step up, especially if you are not present. And if you want to raise their level of commitment, you should:
PARTNER THEM UP
Being new at anything can be intimidating. For most of your volunteers, serving with young people can be intimidating and a little overwhelming. By partnering up your volunteers, you eliminate those fears, and you incorporate accountability. No one is left to figure things out on their own.
If possible, partner up your newest team members to someone you trust to set your ministry needs’ tone. Ask the veteran to show their partner what they know and encourage them to take the lead. Eventually, your new veteran can become the mentor of someone else. By partnering up your volunteers, you can create a pipeline for future ones. Best yet, you’ll begin to create a community amongst your team.
DEVELOP A DEEPER TRUST WITH THEM
If you had to step away for a month, would you trust your volunteer team to take over? It’s a great question to ponder because if your answer is “No” or “I’m not sure,” it means you have work to do. Part of being a great leader is building trust with your team. When you have trust, you can handle obstacles and conflict. Your communication will improve, and your ministry will grow. But, you can’t do that without trust.
Spend time simply getting to know your team. In addition to training them, create opportunities where you get to know one another. Ask them questions about family, hobbies, and interests. Introduce them to your family, help them understand what motivates you, and, most importantly, pray together.
The best way to build trust is to pray as a team. In fact, before you plan any other training or social gathering, find time to pray as a team. The Holy Spirit will bond you further by nurturing that trust.
GET OUT OF THE WAY
It can be scary to hand over decision making and idea creation to a volunteer. After all, you’ve been asked to be in charge, and if they fail, how is that going to look? The truth is that failure is never easy; however, it’s a risk worth taking. If you have a volunteer with an idea, find a way to let them run with it. If it’s a little lucid, ask them to write it out or put together a proposal. If it’s a little overwhelming, tell them to build a team to assist them. Please do what you can to help them flesh out the idea and even make it happen. If you have to, get out of the way and let them take control.
Again, failure is a possibility, but you’ll instill confidence in your team member. You’ll remind them that you do trust them and that you are here to help them grow. Your job as a leader is to identify other leaders, give them a platform, and set them loose.
Want more from your volunteers? Make sure you take the time to invest in them. The more you pour into your team, the more they will be able to pour into the teens and families. Your ministry will gain depth, which means it will be stronger and much more capable of navigating through the messiness of ministry.
If you are looking for resources to build a dynamic team of volunteers, check out MYMU, our online membership site ($35/month or $385/year). When you register, you’ll not only have access to great courses but monthly coaching through our cohorts. To sign up and learn more, click below:
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