RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Each month we do a poll about a relevant topic.  If you are reading this on the website, you can see it to the right of this post.

The most recent poll asked the question, "What is your biggest volunteer challenge?"  There are 5 answers to choose from.  You can see from the votes how they ranked.  Let's take a look at these challenges and talk about some ways you can overcome them.

#1 - Showing up late.  I was reading a recent post on Facebook, where a leader was asking for advice about what to do regarding an awesome volunteer who is habitually late.  Once the volunteer finally gets there, she is amazing.  She just can't seem to get there on time.  We all know what that's like.  You are waiting on a volunteer to open a classroom, praying they will get there any minute.  Not a fun spot to be in, is it?

What should you do? 

• Set clear expectations up front.  When you bring someone on your team, emphasize the importance of being on time and being prepared.  High expectations lead to high performance.

• Elevate the importance of the mission.  Constantly remind volunteers how critical what they do is.  This is life and death.  The mission deserves our very best.  This has to be ongoing.  Remember, vision leaks.  You have to continually refill it.  

• Have a huddle that you ask people to be at before they start serving.  The huddle should include laughter, a short time of teaching, prayer and more.  You can read about this here. 

• Have a monthly drawing for a gift card for people who are on time.  Each time you arrive on time, you get to enter your name into the drawing.

• Have a courageous conversation when needed.  If a volunteer continues to be habitually late, it's time to sit down with him or her.  This conversation should be founded not in condemnation, but in challenge.  It must also be grounded by relationship.  When someone knows you care about them...not just about what they do, it opens their heart to receive your instruction.   Find out why they are late.  They may be going through some extenuating circumstances.  Ask how you can help them. 

#2 - Lack of preparation.  It is frustrating to watch a teacher stumble through a lesson unprepared, isn't it?  It is frustrating to see a small group leader trying to figure out the next activity while the kids create their own activity, isn't it?  It is frustrating to have a preschool leader asking how to do a craft that you sent him or her clear instructions about, isn't it? 

What should you do?

• Set clear expectations up front.  When you bring someone on your team, emphasize the importance of being on time and being prepared.  High expectations leads to high performance. (yes - same as in #1)

• Elevate the importance of the mission.  Constantly remind volunteers how critical what they do is.   This is life and death.  The mission deserves our very best.  This has to be ongoing.  Remember, vision leaks.  You have to continually refill it.  (yes- same as in #1)

• Make sure you're getting the materials, lesson, etc. to your team well in advance.  The more time you give them to prepare, the easier it is to hold them accountable.

• Create a feedback culture.  When a volunteer knows you want to see them grow and improve as a leader, they will be receptive to feedback.  In fact, if they know you truly have their best interests in mind, they will ask you for it.  This gives you an opportunity to coach them about preparedness.  Here's more insight on giving feedback.

• Provide them with preparation tools.  The person may simply lack the understanding of how to prepare properly.  Give them tools that will help them in their preparation. 

#3 - Retention.  It is normal to have some volunteer turnover.  Life happens.  People get sick.  People move.  People's work schedules change.  These things are unavoidable.  But outside of these reasons, a healthy children's ministry will retain a high percentage of their volunteers.  If you're having a lot of turnover, there are some things you can do to overcome this.

What should you do?

• Make sure people are serving in their sweet spot.  When people are placed in a role that lines up with their gifts and passion, they will go the distance. 

• Create a culture of family.  I believe the biggest reason volunteers stop serving is because they don't develop any relationships with the people they serve with.  Relationships is the super glue that keeps people serving.  Read this article for help.

• Help volunteers serve from the overflow.  Just like you stop and get gas for your car so it doesn't quit running, you must make sure your volunteers are getting their spiritual tanks filled. Make sure they are attending worship each week.  Make sure they have some weeks off.  Don't ask them to stay over and serve extra services. 

#4 - Consistency.  Trends show that people are still attending church, but less frequently.  And if you are not intentional, this can bleed over into their serving as well.

What should you do?

• Establish which roles require people to serve every week.  There are some roles you may want to ask people to serve every week in.  There may be others that do not require this.  

• Honor faithfulness over talent.  What you emphasize and honor becomes important. 

• Promote those who are faithful.  God's Word is very clear that faithfulness leads to more influence.  Be consistent with a little and you will be given more. 

#5 - Vision buy-in.  God has given you a big vision for the ministry.  You want to reach more kids, make some crucial changes, try a new curriculum, remodel some areas, drop some outdated programs, introduce some new ones and more.  But how do you get Sister so and so, who has been volunteering in the ministry before you were born, to buy in?  How do you get people who are eyeing you suspiciously to get on board?

What should you do?

• Make sure the vision lines up your Pastor and leadership's vision.  Your first priority is to take their vision and translate it into children's ministry.  That's the starting point.  If you're in a situation where this doesn't line up, you're in the wrong place.  A vision that is not grounded in unity will falter and rightly so. 

• Start with a small circle and get the buy-in of key influencers.  I have watched great leaders do this successfully when they were moving the church toward a big vision.  They start with a small circle and move outward from there.  You can read more about this in my book If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry.

• Show them the benefits of the vision.  People resist a vision because people don't like change.  Change takes people out of their comfort zone and frightens them.  They have security in the way they've always done things.  You must show them the potential that lies in the new vision.  Point them toward something so great and beneficial, that it compels them to take a risk.  

• Include them in helping formulate the vision.  People will buy into a vision that they had a part in formulating and creating.  People simply want to be heard and contribute.  Give them a voice in the vision.

Your turn.  The floor is yours.  What are some other challenges you face with volunteers?  What are some other tips for overcoming the challenges listed above?  Share your thoughts with everyone in the comment section below. 

Walt's vision for creating Disneyland was at a crossroads.  To move forward, it had to be approved by the board of directors.  Several of the board members were complaining that Disney shouldn’t even enter the amusement park business.  Walt had to convince them that his vision was viable.

"As he stood before the board, he admitted that it was hard for them to envision Disneyland the way he could, but he assured them, ‘there’s nothing like it in the world.  I know because I’ve looked.  That’s why it can be great: because it will be unique.  A new concept in entertainment, and I think...I know...it can be a success.’  When he finished there were tears in his eyes. The members of the board were persuaded.”

Walt knew how to effectively communicate his vision.  Here’s another great example as told by Ken Anderson, one of the animators who worked on the original film Snow White.  He shares how Walt communicated the vision with the animators.

“Walt gave us fifty cents each in the afternoon and he said, ‘Why don’t you go get yourself a dinner and be back here at eight o’clock.  Be back on the soundstage.’  So we went and had this wonderful dinner - you could have a wonderful dinner for thirty-five cents.  And came back to the confines of the studio and he walked in, still not knowing what it was all about, walked into this sound stage that was all dark so we could save money.  So we, about forty of us sat there, and we got all settled and Walt was talking to the guys in the front.  And he came down the front of the thing and said, ‘I’m gonna’ tell you a story.’  He says, ‘Been with me all my life.’  He said, ‘I’ve lived it.’  He started in and told the story of Snow White better than we put it on the screen. 

He spent from 8:00 to 11:30, and he portrayed all the parts.  He had to go forward and back and forward and back and the cutting didn’t matter, in order to tell it all and get it all in.  But he became even the Queen, he became the Huntsman, he became the dwarves, he became Snow White.  And the guy changed.  He sat right in front of our eyes and here comes Walt Disney changing.  Now there’s an enormous talent as an actor; he could really sell things.  And he sold the story to us in such a way that we couldn’t believe our ears."

From this inside look at Walt’s leadership, we learn that when a vision is effectively shared, people will be motivated to help make the vision become a reality.  Communicating your vision is a crucial part of seeing it become a reality.  Without Walt casting the vision, there would have been no Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  You see, a vision that is not communicated properly will fall.

Let's look at some key elements of effectively communicating a vision.

Communicate the vision with passion.  Great leaders believe in their vision in the depths of their soul and it is obvious when they talk about it.  Did you notice that Walt had tears in his eyes as he shared his vision to build Disneyland?  Have you ever watched the video of Dr. King sharing his vision at the Washington Monument?  The passion for his vision echoed throughout his speech that day.  When president John F. Kennedy stood and uttered the words "so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country," his passion for the vision was evident.

A new logo.  Several times when we needed a fresh vision for a children’s ministry I had been called to lead, I would create a new logo.  A new logo can be a symbol of a new and exciting vision.  Make sure you have someone professionally create your logo.  A shabby or “I-did-it-myself ” logo will communicate that the vision is shabby.

Make sure new volunteers understand the vision.  This helps them see the “why” of their role and not just the “how” of their role.  A great place to do this is in a new volunteer orientation.

Communicate the vision at the beginning of a new year.  Each January, I take our staff team on a one-day retreat.  During this retreat, I share the vision for the upcoming year.

Keep your vision statement as short as possible.  I sigh when I see a church’s vision statement that is a paragraph or longer.  There is no way people are going to remember something that long.  Our brains are wired to remember about 7 words or less.  That’s why our phone numbers are 7 digits long.  Use this not only to communicate upcoming events or programs, but your vision as well. 

This is an excerpt from the book If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry.  You can get the book in eBook and hard copy formats at this link.