Tag Archives: burnout

When is a fabulous event a bad thing?

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by Carol

When is a fabulous event a — well, maybe not bad, but — less than 100% good thing?

History

I knew a church that had an annual outreach event every year.  All of the children’s games, signs, food-prep stuff, etc., etc., were brought out of storage when the time rolled around.  Every church member (it seemed) had a favorite place to serve.  Even the families in the neighborhood knew when to expect the flyers and when to show up in droves.

Now, you are probably thinking that it had turned into a bad thing because everyone was in a rut.  And to be fair, it was not working as a true outreach event anymore.  But that wasn’t what turned it into a problem.

The New Kid

The problem started when someone new in the church — who had no awareness of the previous history — was asked to do something very different with the event.  Result?  A fairly successful event because the members tried their best to stay in their rut.

The Staff Kid

The next year, a staff member headed up a moderately successful event.

The Newest New Kid

And then came the “fabulous” year.

A new person in the church — who had no awareness of the previous history — was asked to lead.  She poured her every waking moment and her extended family into the event.  I repeat: It was fabulous.

But…

The next year, she didn’t want to lead it again.  (Can you blame her?)  And the staff member didn’t want to lead it again.  And the earlier recruit didn’t want to get burned again.  And the original games and signs and food-prep stuff had long since gone in a dumpster.  And the church members no longer had their favorite places to serve.  And….

And Finally

No one wanted to try to follow last year’s “fabulous” act.

Lessons to Learn

There are quite a few lessons here:

  • It’s hard to change a well-entrenched ministry.  It has to be done with careful planning.
  • It’s not fair to throw a change like that into the lap of a new volunteer.
  • The dance between volunteer leaders and paid staff can be tricky enough.  Switching roles back and forth creates even more problems.
  • Annual events build over time, so the leadership needs to be recruited and supported over the long haul. A flash in the pan burns out everyone.

What happens when volunteers are too busy?

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by Carol

What happens when volunteers are too busy?

This is Therapy Journal 101. When I’m too busy:

  1. I don’t get blog posts written/proofread/posted.
  2. I snap at people.
  3. I have no patience.
  4. I make mountains into mole hills. No — the other way around.
  5. I make mistakes.
  6. I can’t think creatively.
  7. I give up before the job is finished.
  8. I drop things (like paint brushes, soft drinks, trays of cupcakes — icing side down).
  9. I snap at people.
  10. I get sick.
  11. I fail to ask others for their help, their understanding, or their prayers.
  12. I say things that shouldn’t be said out loud (like letting other people know how frustrated I am with someone/something).
  13. I snap at people.
  14. I think about quitting.
  15. I forget to give God the credit He deserves.
  16. I think about kicking the cat (which I wouldn’t do — and, besides, God’s word says a lot about people who mistreat animals).
  17. I don’t smile or laugh.
  18. I snap at people — and don’t tell me that I already said that!

People have limits.  When they are stressed, tired, and pressured, even the best of us run out of energy and let our filters slip.

There may not be anything you can do when one of your volunteers has had a storage unit flooded, had cats start the volunteer’s work day at 4:45 a.m., is about to be laid off, and has a VBS to-do list that is a mile long of things past their deadlines.  (Welcome to my world!)

What do I appreciate when I’m too busy?

  • Help with cleaning up or getting things finished.
  • A creative perspective.
  • A minimum of questions and advice.
  • A short memory for some of the things I say.
  • A long memory for expressing appreciation for good things I do.
  • Sometimes — but not always — a hug.

Thanks for listening.

Too busy – puppets, scripts and props

The Twilight Zone of Transition

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— by Carol

We’ve looked at volunteers in small churches.  Before we move on to medium-sized churches, let’s pause to look at volunteers in the transition zone.  More than any other transition, volunteers make the difference going from small to medium (or medium to small, but let’s not go there…).

For our purposes, the dividing line is an average attendance of 100 in worship each week.  Volunteers, though, can push this number higher or lower.  Experts point out that a small church is organized around family-type relationships, while a medium church is structured around programs.  Here, too, volunteers can change the picture.adult programs

Watch for some of these signals that tell you that numbers alone don’t tell the whole story:

  •  Volunteers who are strong leaders, helping to organize and direct other members.  They can lead programs — especially start-up programs.
  • Lack of strong leaders.  In some churches, the volunteers don’t get the leadership training or experience at work or in other community organizations.  The pastor has to be more involved in everything, which may lead to burnout or turnover.
  • Talented / skilled volunteers who pick up some of the roles (music, for example) that other churches hire part-time staff to fill.
  • Volunteers who “push back” against growth.  They prefer the close relationships of a small church, even though they may want the church to grow.

 

Try these keys to a successful transition from small to medium:

• Help volunteers to understand and buy in to the medium church structure (where relationships grow in small or medium-sized groups rather than across the entire congregation).

• Develop and use volunteers’ skills in positions that staff would otherwise fill.  (Caution: Don’t treat volunteers unfairly when you can and should be paying them for the time and skills they bring to the church.)

• Make training in Christian leadership skills an on-going, intentional process.

graphic of kids' church programs

It’s no wonder that experts can’t agree on the cut-off point between “small” and “medium” churches.  When you are counting noses, the noses of volunteers can make a world of difference.

What about vacations?

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Sarajevo, Bosnia

Relaxing in old Sarajevo

by Carol

Do volunteers get “time off for good behavior”?  That’s an old term from the prison system.  Sometimes volunteers get locked into a position and feel like they are serving a life sentence.

Experts often recommend that we recruit volunteers for a fixed length of time.  Sunday School teachers, for example, are asked to serve for a calendar year.  But when the end of the year rolls around, do they have an all-or-nothing choice — stay for another 52 weeks or quit?

A good pool of substitute teachers helps somewhat.  But what about offering a refreshing break?

Some ministries in the church have a built-in break for the summer.  Most regular Sunday morning roles, though, do not.  How can you give volunteers (or yourself) some time off?  Here are some possibilities:

1.  Take a good, solid break for the summer, if possible.
I remember being president of an adult choir when the director suggested that we let the choir have the summer off.  We met every other week for a while, which confused us all and never really gave us a break.  The next year, we took the whole summer off.  I was amazed at how energetic and reinvigorated the choir members were when they came back.  And they did come back.

2.  Give your volunteers a vacation.
If you are a grown up, you usually take a week or two (maybe more) for a summer vacation.  The purpose is rest and relaxation, which is why we joke about needing a vacation to recuperate if we travel or stay active the whole time.  Volunteers need rest and relaxation, too, even if they love what they do.  Rotate the team, pull in some substitutes or close the ministry for a couple of weeks so everyone can have a few weeks off.

3.  Scale back the program to take a breather.
Lighten up.  Create a “summer” event that is less intense.  Instead of sessions with a short video, deep discussion, and homework, try a good movie.  Some movies have discussion guides available that take all the stress out of planning.

4.  Ramp up your program to take a break.
Go big or go home?  Sometimes you can pull everyone into the auditorium for a big event.  Small and medium classes are great for interaction and building relationships.  But getting everyone into a big group gives the small-group leaders a break from preparation and allows a few of them to take the day off.

Find the mix of alternatives that work for you and your ministry.

Got ideas?  Post a comment.

Helping Church Volunteers to Thrive

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by Carol

Volunteers and church staff need to remind each other of the deep truths they believe and how that fuels their mission.  Simple enough.

But when holidays, special events, and the week-to-week routine roll around (= 24 / 7 / 365), that’s not as easy as it sounds.

Take Easter, for example.  (Side note:  If you let your events get hijacked by the so-called “Easter” bunny, you’re on your own, folks.)  Your church probably has extra services, more music, more sprucing up, more decorations (though not nearly what we do at Christmas), and more printed/electronic communication to the community.  All of these take a lot of additional time and creative effort.  And all of them can siphon off volunteer hours galore.

You would think that the extra emphasis on the Easter message would help volunteers and staff to appreciate Jesus’ suffering for our sin and His resurrection even more.  Many times, though, the appreciation stays on the surface.  Volunteers get tired and staff get burned out.  I’ve seen exhausted music directors turn cranky and crazy.

A quick prayer at the beginning or end of a rehearsal just doesn’t cut it.  A brief reminder doesn’t penetrate the veneer.  You have to be intentional about focusing minds and hearts on your purpose and where it fits within the overall mission.

It’s never too late to help church volunteers thrive, whether you are a leader or a co-worker.

Try these steps:

1.  Keep it healthy. 
Even Leonardo da Vinci had assistants.  No one needs to work around the clock. No one needs to lift and tote and build until they drop over.  No one even needs to shop ‘til they drop!  Provide healthy snacks, plenty of H2O, and adequate rest.  Recruit a big enough team — and let others help.  Pay attention to the health and safety of the people around you.  Worn out people can’t appreciate the meaning of ministry.

2.  Keep it happy. 
Laugh a lot and have fun.   Even the most serious projects and events should have moments when you enjoy each other’s company.  Yes, our efforts have eternal ramifications, but not every step has life-or-death consequences.  Tempers tend to flare when people get too tired or excessively serious.  Find ways to put a smile on your own face and the face of those around you.  Take your mission seriously, take yourself seriously, and take your joy seriously!

3.  Keep it holy. 
This may seem counter to #2, but it shouldn’t be.  Remember that you are with people who believe in the God who does not tolerate sin.  This is where you set limits on the things you do to provoke laugher or light heartedness.  This is where you take time to remind each other of the profound reasons that you are doing what you do.  This is where you remind yourself that members of God’s family are still growing — they need your patience, your example, and your wise counsel.  You shouldn’t have to think hard about how your activity ties to the reason you are doing it, but you may need to think ahead to communicate the reason.  Take more than a “moment” to think deeply and connect sincerely.  You will find that it is well worth the effort.