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    the practical side
matt mccage
“How do I revitalize my Sunday School ministry?” That was the plea of Ryan, a frustrated and discouraged Pastor of Discipleship standing before me. I think he was surprised by my answer.
I first asked him what he thought was wrong with the ministry. He quickly pointed to curriculum, church politics and a sense of being completely overwhelmed by the task at hand. After listening to his heart and the background of the church, I gave him some advice that had nothing to do curriculum (the usual whipping boy), and directed him to spend more time investing in his leaders and volunteers, thus having a huge impact on this ministry.
While there are great resources containing methodical methods for training volunteers complete with diagrams, charts and spreadsheets, I have always been about the practical and concise. Here is the three-fold advice I gave to Ryan that day. I try to implement this advice myself on a daily basis, and encourage you to use it too—no matter how long you’ve been in ministry.
Educate
My first full-time ministry setting did not place high value on education. As a result, I had to constantly fight complacency. I knew I wanted to continue to learn and grow, so I decided to pay my own way to various youth ministry conferences. The real beauty of these conferences were the HAND-OUTS! I could return home and give top-notch ministry training to my volunteers and look brilliant in the process. (Yes, I did give the speakers full credit!)
Determine in your heart that you will do your part to educate the volunteers God has entrusted to you. Regardless of whether your church places a high value on education or not—you place it there. Whether you hand them an audio tape of a great teaching, pass a book around or hand out an article, train those who will be helping you mold the hearts of His kids.
Encourage
While it is easy to grow frustrated and disappointed when a worker drops the ball or something doesn’t go as planned, it is imperative for us as leaders to reach out to those who graciously serve by sacrificing their time, talents and treasures! How much time you spend thanking those individuals?
And even when a teacher is late, a leader has to bail or the media wasn’t prepared, we must remember that our volunteers are just that—volunteers. They have real lives to be lived out, and sometimes those lives get messy. The next time you are tempted to grow frustrated with one of your volunteers, come along side that person. Take your volunteer out for an espresso and reconnect with their life and struggles.
Empower
After working in ministry full-time for the past nine years and now serving as a volunteer, I have been reminded of one simple truth—every volunteer needs to be allowed to make real decisions on their own. As long as it does not jeopardize the ministry in any way, let your volunteers dream, take a chance and even fail.
After you spend time encouraging them and educating them, now you can rest in letting them take on more responsibility by empowering them to make vital decisions about the areas of ministry they are directly involved in. Even Jesus sent out His disciples on different occasions knowing they would succeed and fail. People need the opportunity to serve in a real setting where their opinions, ideas and experiences are valued.
As you spend time this fall developing material, planning retreats and events, don’t forget those who often need you the most but are reluctant to ask for your time—your volunteers.
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http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-from-the-field.html
matt mccage
“How do I revitalize my Sunday School ministry?” That was the plea of Ryan, a frustrated and discouraged Pastor of Discipleship standing before me. I think he was surprised by my answer.
I first asked him what he thought was wrong with the ministry. He quickly pointed to curriculum, church politics and a sense of being completely overwhelmed by the task at hand. After listening to his heart and the background of the church, I gave him some advice that had nothing to do curriculum (the usual whipping boy), and directed him to spend more time investing in his leaders and volunteers, thus having a huge impact on this ministry.
While there are great resources containing methodical methods for training volunteers complete with diagrams, charts and spreadsheets, I have always been about the practical and concise. Here is the three-fold advice I gave to Ryan that day. I try to implement this advice myself on a daily basis, and encourage you to use it too—no matter how long you’ve been in ministry.
Educate
My first full-time ministry setting did not place high value on education. As a result, I had to constantly fight complacency. I knew I wanted to continue to learn and grow, so I decided to pay my own way to various youth ministry conferences. The real beauty of these conferences were the HAND-OUTS! I could return home and give top-notch ministry training to my volunteers and look brilliant in the process. (Yes, I did give the speakers full credit!)
Determine in your heart that you will do your part to educate the volunteers God has entrusted to you. Regardless of whether your church places a high value on education or not—you place it there. Whether you hand them an audio tape of a great teaching, pass a book around or hand out an article, train those who will be helping you mold the hearts of His kids.
Encourage
While it is easy to grow frustrated and disappointed when a worker drops the ball or something doesn’t go as planned, it is imperative for us as leaders to reach out to those who graciously serve by sacrificing their time, talents and treasures! How much time you spend thanking those individuals?
And even when a teacher is late, a leader has to bail or the media wasn’t prepared, we must remember that our volunteers are just that—volunteers. They have real lives to be lived out, and sometimes those lives get messy. The next time you are tempted to grow frustrated with one of your volunteers, come along side that person. Take your volunteer out for an espresso and reconnect with their life and struggles.
Empower
After working in ministry full-time for the past nine years and now serving as a volunteer, I have been reminded of one simple truth—every volunteer needs to be allowed to make real decisions on their own. As long as it does not jeopardize the ministry in any way, let your volunteers dream, take a chance and even fail.
After you spend time encouraging them and educating them, now you can rest in letting them take on more responsibility by empowering them to make vital decisions about the areas of ministry they are directly involved in. Even Jesus sent out His disciples on different occasions knowing they would succeed and fail. People need the opportunity to serve in a real setting where their opinions, ideas and experiences are valued.
As you spend time this fall developing material, planning retreats and events, don’t forget those who often need you the most but are reluctant to ask for your time—your volunteers.
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