Tag Archives: new members

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.

7 Underestimated Words for Leading Volunteers

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by Carol

In Matthew 5, Jesus repeated the phrases, “You have heard it said that ……, but I tell you……”

You have probably heard that the “seven last words of the church” are, “We’ve never done it that way before.”  But I tell you, maybe the seven most underestimated words for leading volunteers are, “We have always done it that way.”

Neither statement is necessarily true, thank goodness.  Still, they seem contradictory, so let’s take a look.

Some congregations fight against change with every ounce of their strength.  Staff members come and go, but the nucleus of the church holds fast to an old mindset that will not budge.  And yes, in that case, the congregation that refuses to entertain any new thoughts or different ways of doing things will die.  It may be a slow, lingering decline.  The church might even look like it is thriving, but only because it is a sealed-off pocket of ancient rituals in the midst of a landscape of change.

But we have a saying about not throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Think about that picture for a moment.  Who came up with that one?!  I’m trying to picture my grandmother or great grandmother heaving a washtub of soapy water from the back porch — along with the little, pink bundle of joy.

There are things in church that are precious to us.  They tug at our heart strings and define the roles we play and carry the faith to the next generation.

Take Christmas traditions, for example.  Candlelight services probably mean more to those of us that have always lived with electric lights.  We have a core group of Christmas carols that have been carried on for decades (some for centuries).  And most Americans could stage a Christmas pageant, even if they have no personal relationship with the central character.

Traditions, rituals, and things we “have always done” give us a head start with volunteers in the church.  People can imagine where you are going with a concept.  They can see themselves as a part of it.  They can build on last year’s event.  Youngsters can look forward to the day that they will join (or grow into a new role).  Newcomers can get a sense of what holds this group together at the heart level.

Change can be good.  Don’t underestimate tradition and repetition, though.  And don’t be surprised if, when you try to repeat something, you find that it turns out different.  Remember, we serve a God who makes snowflakes.

3 Easy Steps to a Good Volunteer Experience

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Jesus Walks on Water

Jesus Walks on Water

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Carol

Sometimes they call me the Puppet Lady.  I’ve been doing puppets since I was in first grade. 

Over the years, I’ve made and performed with many kinds of puppets around the U.S. and in foreign countries.  I’m far from a pro, but I have a lot of experience.

I few weeks ago, I moved my church membership, and now I am up over my eyebrows in puppets again. 

When the pastor saw “puppets” on a list of things I’ve done, he immediately introduced me to a closet full of Muppet-style puppets.  (More on church storage closets in the near future….)  They adopted me at first sight.

I’m just a volunteer.  How did we move from “puppets stuffed in a closet” to full-blown “puppet world” in less than 6 weeks?

1.  Pastor’s vision – The pastor has known me for several years, but he didn’t realize that I had worked with puppets. 

Suddenly, a closet full of little stuffed characters jumped to life in his mind as a ministry with important potential.

Investigating at the cross

Investigating at the cross

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Ideal opportunity – The pastor linked me with the VBS director, who immediately latched onto the idea of the puppets telling the daily Bible story.

3.  Connectors – The youth ministry had used the puppets a few times, so the youth pastor’s wife volunteered to help for VBS.  She knows everyone in the church.  We talked about what / who I needed, and she knew people with those interests and abilities.  A few other folks helped connect me, too.  I could not have found the voice actors, puppeteers, and other resources on my own in a church that was so new to me.

In a few short weeks, I have gotten to know a lot of people, they have gotten to know me at my best (and stressed — another story for later), and we have had a great experience together in a ministry I love doing.

Shouldn’t all volunteers have that kind of inaugural experience in a new church or ministry?