2012-02-26 ~ RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

11 Keys to Effectively Leading Volunteers

5:35 AM Unknown

“To lead people, walk beside them… As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate …When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!”

Lao-Tsu

Key #1 – Lead by serving. The Bible reminds us in Matthew 23 that effective leadership is found in serving others. Great leadership is not measured by how many people are serving you, but instead by how many people you are serving.

Key #2 - Lead by relationship. People do not follow a title. They follow someone they love and respect. This does not happen overnight, but as you take time to build relationships with people.

Key #3 - Lead by following. To be an effective leader, you must first be an effectively follower. This means following the vision and direction of the Pastor and church you serve. This means not becoming a ministry silo, but instead coordinating with the other ministries in your church.

Key #4 - Lead by encouraging. 65% of workers say they have received no recognition or appreciation in the past 12 months. Be an intentional encourager. Walk around and personally thank your volunteers each week for serving. Keep a stack of note cards by your desk and discipline yourself to write thank you notes regularly.

Key #5 - Lead by learning. Effective leaders are always in school. They listen to their volunteers. They ask their volunteers for input and feedback.

Key #6 - Lead by equipping. An effective leader is an equipper. They realize their priority is to equip volunteers for the work of the ministry and they are constantly helping others reach their potential. They pour into others instead of trying to do everything themselves. They can step back into the shadows and everything will run smoothly without them.

Key #7 - Lead by praying. Nothing of eternal value is ever accomplished without prayer. Let your public leadership be a reflection of the private time you spend in prayer.

Key #8 - Lead by growing spiritually. You cannot take people where you have not been. An effective leader has a growing relationship with Jesus. This includes spending time in God’s Word on a daily basis. Each week you should have a fresh truth from God’s Word to share with your volunteers.

Key #9 - Lead by having character. Character means keeping your word and delivering on what you promise. It means having integrity and honesty. It means being trustworthy and reliable.

Key #10 – Lead by putting others in the spotlight. They would rather see their volunteers shine than themselves. They are quick to give others the credit for the victory and quick to take the blame for failure.

Key #11 – Lead by humility. The Bible reminds us again in Matthew 23 that an effective leader is someone who is humble. If you think you’re a great leader…then you’re not. Pride will drive away volunteers, while humility will attract them.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of work to do in all of these areas. Let’s strive to become more effective leaders for Christ.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Key Books to Read in 2012

6:15 AM Unknown

Leaders are always in school...for life. One way this is accomplished is by consistently reading. Here are 10 key books I am reading in 2012. I will be adding others as the year goes along. I try to strategically choose books in areas I want to grow in. What are some books you are reading this year? Share in the comment section below.

(to help maintain balance in my journey)

(seeking ways to implement a more thorough discipleship strategy for the children at our church)

(want to more effectively communicate with parents about their role as their child's spiritual leader)

(want to be a better counselor for parents who are living together unmarried)

(studying the changing philosophy of education)

(want to learn how to lead more effectively)

(want to facilitate meetings better)

(want to be more productive)

(personal growth)

Posted by Dale Hudson

Are You Having a Hard Time Getting Volunteers?

5:46 AM Unknown

It's not because people aren't willing to volunteer. Check out this infographic. Maybe we just need to show them the value of volunteering in Children's Ministry.

8:09 AM Unknown

Free downloads from my sessions at Children's Pastor's Conference are under Books and Resources on the right column.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Have You Heard the Good News For Family Ministry?

6:45 AM Unknown

Studies show that Gen X parents are more focused on their family than their Boomer parents were. 76% of Gen X employees say they have no interest in gaining their manager’s position. Much of this mindset comes from seeing their older bosses spend long hours at the office to the neglect of their families and personal lives.

In theory, it would seem Gen X parents in their 30’s and 40’s would be the frontrunners in seeking a promotion since they have children, have recently bought a house, are paying of a car loan, etc. But this is not the deciding factor for them.

No...they are not slackers. They are simply more family-oriented. A defining characteristic of Gen X parents is involvement in their children’s lives. Unlike their Boomer parents, Gen X parents would rather pass on the promotion that involves longer hours and instead go home to be with their kids.

Part of the reason may be Gen Xer’s memories of lonely afternoons and early evenings because their Boomer parents were working long hours. They want to be there for their children.

Ironically, Gen Xer’s are working more hours than their Boomer parents, but the big difference is they are working smarter. Technology is allowing them the ability to work from home a lot more. A recent study shows there has been a 61% increase in people working from home since 2005. This gives them flexibility in their schedule and the ability to spend more time with their family at home.

This is good news if you are ministering to families. Gen X parents are at home with their children more. Gen X parents care about their child’s spiritual formation. Gen X parents want to be involved and take the lead in discipling their children. If we place the proper tools in their hands, they will step up to the plate spiritually for their children.

Ponder these questions…

How are you encouraging Gen X parents to be the spiritual leader of their children?

What discipleship tools are you placing in Gen X parent’s hands?

How are you helping Gen X parents leverage the time they have at home with their children?

Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Keys to Keeping Volunteers

8:33 AM Unknown

It’s normal to have some occasional volunteer turnover. Life happens…people move, work hours change, family situations shift, or sickness comes. But if you are seeing a large turnover rate each year, it will be difficult to build and maintain a solid team that is effective for the long haul. Here are some keys to better volunteer retention.

Place volunteers in their sweet spot. Don’t place them where you “need” them. Place them where their gifting and passion is. When volunteers are serving in their sweet spot, they will go home energized. When they are not, they will go home drained.

Create a “we are family” culture where friendships are fostered. Relationships are an anchor for volunteers.

Make sure they are attending “big” church. Attending the adult service should be a requirement for serving. Corporate worship and teaching fills their spiritual tank so they can serve from the overflow.

Stay away from, “Can you stay over and help for an extra service today?” When you ask a volunteer to do this at the last minute, they may say “yes,” but it will take a toil on them.

Don’t let them overload on serving. I’ve seen it. A zealous volunteer commits to serving in too many areas or ministries. Before long the “S” falls off their shirt and they burnout. Encourage volunteers to focus on one area of service.

Give them time off. Volunteers should have opportunities to take a break. Perhaps it’s on holiday weekends or during the summer. Our Small Group Leaders serve every week during the school year. We purposely don’t have Small Groups during the summer so they can have the opportunity to take some time off.

Show you care more about them than about what they do. When volunteers feel loved, valued, and cared for, their hearts will be endeared to yours. Recently I called one of our volunteers whose mother was in the hospital. His first response was to apologize for not being able to serve that weekend. I was immediately convicted. I wish his first thought had been, “Dale is calling to check on my mother and pray with me.” I want our volunteers to know that first and foremost we care about them as a person.

Honor them by honoring ratios. When you shove a volunteer in a room with 35 three-year-olds, you are not setting them up for success. Keeping your child-to-adult ratios in check is one of the best things you can do to retain volunteers.

Say thank you on a regular basis. Everyone wants to know they are appreciated. Everyone wants to know they are making a difference. Personally thank volunteers as they are serving. Thank them with notes, emails, texts, Facebook, etc.

When a volunteer leaves, find out why. Ask them to do an exit interview. Listen humbly and with an open heart. Learn from any mistakes that were made.

You may not be able to completely close the back door, but you can make it smaller by intentionally taking these steps. A great volunteer team is made up of rookies…and veterans.