GinaMcClain.com

1. Focus on their skills: You’ve got to care more about their skills than your ‘holes’.  We know how many volunteers we need and where we need them.  But the truth is… if all we focus on is plugging holes we risk forcing a square peg into a round hole.  It’s great to start with filling holes, but have a system in place to reevaluate the placement at a later time.  Ultimately you want a volunteer to thrive in their role.  They won’t thrive if they’re not using their skills.
2. Focus on their heart: Care more about their spiritual development than your schedule.  If you find your volunteer needs time for spiritual development don’t hesitate.  Be the first to recognize and recommend they take time away to focus on their relationship with Jesus.  Send them out for a specified number of weeks.  Commit to follow up.  Then do it! Give them tools, resources and your blessing.
3. Focus on their ministry: Plugging into your ministry just might ‘light’ somebody up.  They might get excited about ministry to kids.  That’s the goal, right?  And sometimes it reaches a point where it’s time for your volunteer to move.  Sometimes a vision for ministry wells up in them that is outside of your scope of ministry.  That’s okay.  In fact… that amazing!  Allow this to be the positive, encouraging, challenging process that it should be.  Allow this to be the reason volunteers exit your ministry.  Not because you want another opening to fill!  But because you know the value in pursuing exactly what God has placed before us.  Bless them.  Equip them.  Encourage them.  Then step back and allow room for God to do what only He can do.

Holding our volunteer teams with a tight-fisted grip restricts growth.  Hold them with open hands knowing we serve a God of abundance.  God cares more than you do about your ministry.  He desires to work boldly in and through your volunteers.  Allow Him room to show up and work in ways you don’t expect.

We spend more time in kids ministry trying to get families to come to our events.  I have no doubt the events are great.  I’m sure you gain lots of feedback afterwards affirming how wonderful the experience.  But how long will we continue to compete with every extra-curricular activity offered to families?

Frankly, that’s tough competition.  Between the water park, sports clinics, and arts & craft festivals… families have a plate full.

What if we quit adding to it?

What if we quit competing for their time and gained their attention?  What if we quit changing their schedule and changed their perspective?  What if we quit being a source of activities but became the source of vision for their family and community?

What if families learned to…

• View their daily activities through a God-lens
• Look for outreach opportunities on the soccer fields
• Use basketball practice to teach their kids about the character of Christ
• Treat their scout troop as a potential small group and pray them into it

We don’t need to offer activities to the community with a ‘christian spin’.  We need to put Christ-followers in community activities.  Quit trying to get them to your church.  Give them a vision for their community then unleash them.

What would happen if Blake didn’t finish that swing?

His form is flawless.  His timing is perfect.  Connecting with the ball is inevitable.

I’m no baseball expert, but I know enough to know that if he doesn’t finish his swing, every other step he took won’t make a difference in the world.  The ball is not going as far as he wants it to go.

Many times in ministry we don’t finish our swing.

We approach the plate, set our feet, and keep our eye on the ball.  We make great contact but if we don’t finish our swing… all other efforts are diminished.  The ministry ‘hit’ doesn’t go as far as we want it to go.

What is finishing our swing?

It’s follow up.

Good relational ministry demands that we follow up.

• Call the parent within 24 hours after a challenging conversation.  Ensure them that you are available to them.  Then make it easy to get in touch with you.  Don’t avoid their call
• Contact that volunteer within a week after a great training event.  Recap to ensure they know what direction you want them to go.  Equip them with tools to go deeper, should they desire (i.e. books, articles, podcasts, etc)
• Provide ‘next step’ opportunities for a new believer immediately after their decision.  Don’t let them leave without knowing where to go, what to read and/or who to turn to with this life-changing decision they’ve made
• Set a calendar reminder to follow up with someone walking through difficult life-circumstances.  Don’t let the worst part of it be the only time they have your attention.  That’s when everyone flocks.  Let them feel your presence & concern when they’re not on anyone’s radar

Relational ministry is more about consistency through the varying moments of life… mundane and life-altering.

Consistency requires follow up.  Follow up is finishing your swing.  Finishing your swing takes the ministry efforts and knocks them out of the park.

Finish your swing.