We all paused, and slowly turned to the front door of the parish center. There stood a high school student totally confused to what she was seeing. It was a room full of adults, eating barbecue and having small group discussions. That's when I realized:
"She didn't get the message."
We had canceled youth programming that night to hold a training. I had communicated this with parents and the teens, but the message doesn't always get out. I wanted this training because the team had worked hard, and we were in that mid-year grind. It was an opportunity to do one less night of ministering to teens, so I could invest in our adults.
I went over and explained this to the teenager, who was able to text her mom instantly to get her. After she left we all went back to the training. Other than that the night went off without a hitch.
When I look back at some of my best seasons of ministry it's when I prioritized training my volunteers. We would do a variety of things from book clubs, team building exercises or attending workshops together. When we trained our team it resulted in stronger community, a deeper sense of purpose and a clearer understanding of the vision and mission of the Church.
If you are looking at way to strengthen your team, expand your ministry's capacity or reduce turnover for your team, then you need to start by:
IDENTIFYING THE QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL TEAM PLAYER
What type of leader do you want on your team? First, list those characteristics, skills and habits. Next, look for resources (e.g., videos, books, articles, etc.) that emphasize them. Pour into them the wisdom and knowledge that cultivates what you want.
SETTING UP TIME IN THE CALENDAR BEFORE THE YEAR STARTS
My recommendation is you start with three trainings. One in the fall that gets them ready for the year, a second that check-ins with them and a third to help them evaluate and process. If you feel pressed for time, replace one of your ministry sessions (e.g., youth night, Sunday morning formation) and meet at that time. People will already have it blocked off, and I don't think parents will mind one less thing to do that week.
INVITING OTHERS TO HELP WITH THE PLANNING
You do not have to be the trainer for all of these sessions. If you have someone in the parish that works with teens, have them come talk about best practices. If you want to make this training a spiritual retreat, invite your pastor, deacon, etc. When you bring in an outside voice to teach or train it allows you to be present for your team.
Regardless of how you train your team and what you train them on, make it a priority. As you recruit volunteers let them know it's a part of the commitment. As you get closer to a training remind people to attend, get the excited and show them that it not only helps them but the ministry as a whole.
When we have well-trained volunteers the culture of the ministry improves because there is more trust and people feel confident with what you are asking them to do. This week, take a moment to look at your calendar, list out those qualities or find others to help you invest in the team. Just start there with one of those things.