Articles for tag: Volunteer Management

March 31, 2017

Michael C. Mack

How to Work with ‘Knowledge Workers’ in Your Ministry

By Michael C. Mack In today”s rapidly changing world, the most effective leaders do three things well: ask, listen, and learn. Whether they lead a church with a large number of staff or work directly with key volunteers, church leaders today must work well with “knowledge workers,” those Peter Drucker defines as people who know more about their role than their boss does. In business talent-management circles, managing knowledge workers has become a hot topic of discussion, leading to increased training and coaching of managers in this area. “It is hard to tell people what to do and how to

September 26, 2015

Michael C. Mack

3 Secrets to Pulling Off a BIG Serving Event (No Matter How Large or Small Your Ministry Is)

By Michael C. Mack Over the summer of 2015, Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, served its community through a wide variety of big, all-in serving events called Love the Ville (#lovetheville) that took lots of planning and coordination and made a huge impact on the community. What does it take to plan and execute big serving initiatives like the ones Northeast carried out? What are the secrets that any sized church or ministry can implement? Go and do minister Randy Gordon provides three vital planning and execution principles: 1. Talk to the right people. Maximize the relationships you already

September 17, 2015

Christian Standard

What Are They Thinking?

By Susan Lawrence Volunteers are at the heart of ministry. We may serve as a volunteer, work alongside volunteers, or oversee volunteers. We may even do all three at the same time! Working with volunteers isn”t the same as working with paid employees. Use the following as a cheat sheet to help you understand what might be going on behind the faces of your volunteers. For example, here are two possibilities for what the volunteer who serves every week, without complaint, and without ever needing to be reminded, might be thinking . . .  1. I love serving. This is

September 20, 2014

Christian Standard

Advice for Volunteers and Those Who Recruit Them

By Susan Lawrence Change affects people differently. Some people thrive and others struggle. Change excites some and paralyzes others. But ministry and service are not about us or our comfort level. If we”re volunteering to serve and honor God, we need to yield to him. When we yield, we grow. When we grow, we change, and that change includes our service.  But when should we change, and how can we change in healthy ways? What questions do we need to ask?   WHY ARE YOU SERVING? Ask yourself . . . “¢ What is the purpose of the ministry I”m

July 13, 2014

Christian Standard

Work Day

By Dennis Bratton (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) It was going to be the biggest and best church workday I”d ever organized. Dozens of leaders were assigned specific tasks, given a team of workers, and provided with tools and supplies. Donuts and coffee would greet everybody at 7 a.m. sharp. I”d done my work. All that remained was to carry my clipboard around checking off boxes. Rudy Williams, an elder and leader in our congregation, called Friday night and said, “Meet me at church at 5 a.m. sharp.” When I got there he handed

April 14, 2013

Christian Standard

The Chemistry Quotient

By Carl Kuhl Have you heard about The Three Ingredient Cookbook? True to its name, every recipe has only three ingredients. One of my friends got it as a wedding present when she was inexperienced in the kitchen, the idea being that even she would be capable of these recipes. But here”s the thing about The Three Ingredient Cookbook: if you leave out one of the ingredients, it doesn”t work! Some more complicated recipes call for a dozen or more ingredients, and if you are out of one particular spice, you usually can omit it with no problem. But when

October 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Job Done

By Mark A. Taylor On the day after Steve Jobs died, his name was at the head of every newscast, the subject line on scores of e-newsletters and blogs, the stuff of conversation among his fans around the world. “I think I”m the only one who has NOT posted something about Steve Jobs today,” wrote a friend on his Facebook page. One of those posts linked to technology columnist Walter Mossberg”s memories at WSJ.com. “He was a genius, a giant influence on multiple industries and billions of lives,” Mossberg wrote. The coverage that day and since said nothing about Jobs”s

January 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Children”s Ministry Leadership GOLD!

By Rick Chromey Children”s ministry in the smaller church has the same amazing potential to grow and thrive as a mustard seed. It”s all in how you cultivate it. This practical guide provides insights that will encourage you in your children”s ministry, along with ready-to-use tools for evaluation, budgeting, and teacher training. Energize your children”s ministry! Use these innovative strategies for mega-impact with limited resources, people, and money. Energizing Children”s Ministry in the Smaller Church (item 42311) is available from your local supplier or at www.standardpub.com. To lead a children”s ministry in the 21st century””regardless of church size and shape””requires

January 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Ministers: The Happiest Workers in America

By Mark A. Taylor According to Time, members of the clergy are the happiest workers in America. The magazine”s November 26 feature, “One Day in America,” included a chart rating the happiest people, by job, in the country; 67 percent of the clergy surveyed said they”re “very happy.” In 12 pages of photos and commentary, Time failed to examine or explain this finding. Firefighters were the second-happiest workers on the chart, and Time published a photo of a fireman lounging in front of a big-screen TV between calls. But there were no pictures of ministers preaching or studying or interacting

October 24, 2007

Christian Standard

Ministers Deserve Our Gratitude

By Mark A. Taylor “I feel like I got my husband back.” This testimony came from the wife of a fellow who had served many years in local church ministry before joining the staff of a Christian publishing house. He does not work at Standard Publishing; you wouldn”t recognize his name. But his situation is unfortunately familiar to many ministers you know. Several years ago, George Barna said churchgoers “expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks. That”s a recipe for failure.” And even without such unreasonable expectations, local church ministry can be more demanding than many

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