We have some amazing servants in our church family. Every weekend I watch as hundreds walk through the front doors to serve in some way. Camera crew, preschool teacher, greeter, barrista, and so much more. Beyond the weekend there are hundreds more who lead small groups during the week, or serve with our local ministry partners.
As pastors and staff members of a rapidly growing church we can easily default to enlisting, scheduling and managing an army of volunteers, but we must challenge ourselves to move beyond these roles and into the biblical role of equipping. That’s where the question comes – “How do you equip your volunteers?”
Many of our ministry teams are working very hard to provide ongoing training for our volunteer ministers. The typical training event is 90-120 minutes long and has a 40-50% attendance ratio. But if we can do three things we can bump that ratio to 100% and provide more effective equipping.
1. Just in time (JIT) - it’s rare that people will attend any meeting if they do not feel the need. JIT training is equipping ministers at or near the beginning of their service. People are more likely to attend and will retain more information if they are ready to engage with what they will learn.
2. On the Job Training (OJT) – An article by Wendi Hammond outlines some excellent tips for providing “on the job” equipping of our ministers. With good coaching we can help our people become all-stars on the job.
3. On-Demand Equipping (ODE) – With the wide use of internet technologies available today and the busy schedule of our ministers, on-demand equipping will be a significant tool in our equipping strategy. On-line videos, and downloadable talk sheets can address issues that meet an immediate need in the life of a volunteer minister. Seacoast Community Church developed a strategy that matches on-line leadership materials with in-person coaching. The partnership of these two tools (in-person and on-line) makes On Demand Equipping a big winner!
