Starting up a Guest Ministry can be such an exciting time. The church staff is excited about the vision, and you’ve got big plans and a handful of dedicated volunteers. It can start to feel overwhelming quickly, though, when that handful of volunteers isn’t enough…or when you start to have so many volunteers that managing them becomes unrealistic for one person. What should you do then?
Sunday U Magazine published a very helpful article recently that addresses this issue. They say, “In order to see growth in your ministry, you have to raise up leaders…One major step in doing this is developing a core group of volunteer leaders that are responsible for bit-sized pieces of your ministry.”
This core group takes ownership and is responsible for different aspects of the Sunday morning experience with regard to new volunteers and developing the volunteer culture at that church.
The article goes on to outline the 9 steps to creating this type of Core Volunteer Team. Here are the first two steps:
“1. Create a Team Org Chart first
You want to establish the structure of your team before you have names attached. This allows for you to build your ministry around a solid structure and not around people (that could move or leave your ministry unexpectedly).
2. Create Job Descriptions for each Team Leader
Have clear expectations and goals for each leadership position. Don’t make it seem like a 40 hour per week job, but do give clear direction as to the vision behind this role. It doesn’t even have to be long. The simpler and more practical you can make these, the better. Also, leave a lot to their freedom and creativity. For example, for an Events Team Leader my only major expectations was to have one small monthly event and one large quarterly event. That was about it. It didn’t really matter to me what we did or when, I just wanted to see people on our team hang out together.”
There’s an old saying that “many hands make light work,” and this Core Volunteer Team can turn that saying into reality for your church staff and volunteers. Following these steps and advice for developing a similar system can take the pressure off you as a Guest Ministry leader, and ultimately help your Guest Ministry grow and become more fruitful.
Read the full article here.
