Effective Church Communications

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission.

Is your technology destroying your volunteer ministry?

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Volunteering at church
Our churches need lots of volunteers and we need to make sure we make it easy for them to sign up.

Ed. note: I wrote this article in response to massive frustration with an online volunteer sign-up program. I know this holiday season, we need many volunteers for various church events, but we need to be sure we are as inclusive as possible with the tools we use to get our volunteers. I would appreciate your feedback in the comments section and any experiences or recommendations you have.

It always seems like a great idea when someone discovers a software system that will replace having interact with people, such as one that will allow volunteers to sign up online for tasks that need to be done at the church or an event that needs lots of volunteers. But you need to be very careful that the technology that you get to help the church doesn't actually discourage involvement with it.  Let me explain . . . . .

Nothing is totally good or bad, but how it's used

I'm not saying that all software volunteer management programs are bad—there are lots of them available and many of them are loved by the groups that use them. However as with any technology, we have to be careful that our love of technology or the seeming benefits that it has for the church staff doesn't blind our eyes to some of the problems that technology can cause for volunteers. Before I go into specifics dos and don'ts, here is a brief review of why we have volunteer ministries and what it can do.

The reasons for volunteer ministry

In addition to the reality that leaders cannot handle all the demands of ministry by themselves, a healthy volunteer ministry is the Biblical model for how we to do ministry.

Jesus was not a lone preacher and if anyone could have handled a ministry all by himself, the sinless Son of God would qualify, but he didn't go at it alone. He chose 12 disciples and others traveled with him. After Jesus returned to his Father he put us in a Body, his church. He left us his Spirit who gives gifts to the members of his Body for the benefit of the entire church body ("Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" 1 Cor.12:7). The early church may have had problems in how they worked out working together (1 Corinthians is a case study of this situation), but Paul's advice to them was always founded on ways for them to work together in the local church body with mutual care and peace.

In addition to this overall theological basis for volunteer ministry and that you need warm bodies to get things done, two other practical advantages are worth noting:

One, volunteering is a great way for new members to become permanently connected to the church. If someone starts volunteering in the children's ministry or prayer team or greeting or making coffee, that person will get to know other members of the church and feel they are a part of it. In addition, by trying out different jobs there is a greater chance they will interact with others, learn more, discover their spiritual gifts and overall mature in their faith far more than if they sit in a few Sunday after Sunday.

Two, another often ignored benefit of active volunteer ministries is that they are great ways for people outside the church to become involved in the church. An unchurched person may have no interest in coming to a church service but he or she might be very interested in a day of service to the homeless, giving out gifts to kids whose families can't afford them, a fundraiser for clean water, or to end human trafficking. It's also easier for your members to invite their friends to take part in activities like this.

With all these great benefits of volunteering how do we get people involved?

This is where reality hits idealism. Getting people to volunteer is VERY hard and getting them to follow through on what they promised to do is even harder. A computer program to do the work for you is very appealing. A computer program can be PART of the solution, but here are some cautions in using one:

How to make sure your technology doesn’t destroy your volunteer program

Realize that your technology system won't work for everyone. We must never forget that we live in a transitional time when some people in your church are very tech savvy and some people still do not have computers. In the same way that many churches have both an online newsletter and a print newsletter and realize that they will need to continue both channels of communications for some time, so also you can have a computer sign up program for volunteers, but you must have ways for people to be involved who for some reason can't or won't use the computer to sign up. If you don't, you are effectively shutting out a large pool of volunteers. Not only is that not a wise use of people resources, but it is unkind.

Be realistic about how "easy" your program is for people to use. It might seem easy to you because you got training in how to use it and you were motivated by the dream of how easy this would make your life, but I've yet to see a volunteer program from the user side that was even remotely easy or intuitive to use. To see how it works for your people, ask several members of your congregation, who are different age groups to come in to the church office and without any coaching from you, ask them to sign-up and navigate through your volunteer sign up system. Take notes and then…..

Create training on how to use the system and how it can benefit your church. This won't be easy to do, and you still won't get everyone involved, but it will help. If at all possible, if you have a program like Camtasia where you can demonstrate the program in your voice with your system and your volunteer jobs and you can create training videos for your church—this is a very helpful solution. You could also train team leaders and have them train their teams. Adequate, upbeat training can turn a disliked program into a tool people can't imagine doing without.

Listen to feedback, record it and consider your response. If many people don't like the system and complain about it, ask them for more detailed reasons: what was confusing, what didn't work, what didn't they like about it? Record their answers and in a calm time, pray about how to respond. If people aren't using the program and really dislike it, it can be difficult, but we always must remember we are servants and our technology should also serve our people, not intimidate or frustrate them.

In addition to your technology, try this simple method for volunteer sign-ups

One of the best ways to get people to volunteer for various ministries is to have a form people can fill out, check a box on and sign up that's in the church bulletin.  When the announcement is made about a volunteer need, if all they have to do is take out a form, fill it out and put it into the offering plate, you'll get many more sign-ups. Some churches rotate volunteer position requests on their connection card. Something like this isn't a duplicate of your technology tools or a replacement, you still want to use that because the many in your church will love it—this paper option is part of, to paraphrase a verse, "being all things to all people that we might get some to volunteer."

For more information, advice, a training video and ebooks on successful volunteer ministries in the church, check out these links:

Why and how to revitalize your volunteers before seasonal or special event outreach

https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2011/09/how-to-revitalize-your-volunteers-before-seasonal-or-special-event-outreach/

Why the 80/20 situation isn’t true for the recruitment and retention of church volunteers

https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/why-the-8020-situation-isnt-true-for-the-recruitment-and-retention-of-church-volunteers/

Effective Volunteer Recruitment Communications Samples: advice and PDF examples

https://www.effectivechurchcom.com/2009/09/effective-volunteer-recruitment-communications/

 

Why site was slow and hard to access yesterday–and the white knight that came to the rescue

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A number of you emailed me that my site was having problems and before I could figure it out, I got this email from the wonderful company that hosts my site, the Agathon Group, http://www.agathongroup.com/, aka, the white knight that came to the rescue:

Yvon,
This evening our automated monitoring systems alerted us that your site effectivechurchcom.com was running unusually slowly.  We identified a remote site that was attempting to guess your WordPress login by trying different password variations, 69817 times in a row!  We blocked that site and your server started behaving normally again.  We also disabled the file called xmlrpc.php that they were using to try to login.  Xmlrpc is an older WordPress feature that almost no one uses any longer, so there should be no ill effects for you.  If you know you ARE using xmlrpc for any reason, just let us know and we’ll put the file back.  Otherwise, no action is required on your part.
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Alan Ritari
support@agathongroup.com

They have hosted my site ever since I started it and they have been a joy to work with the entire time. I feel like I know a good bit about church communications, but there is so much I don't know about web hosting and all that can go wrong. At present it's mostly me trying to do it all and I don't feel the ministry could really function without them. They answer my questions kindly, take care of tech stuff I don't understand (like SSL certificates) and help me even when I don't know to ask, like today.

They are honestly all great Christian people--I met many of them personally years ago when the Gospel Com group was active. These guys did some of the pioneering work on the Christian Internet and they have served the Lord faithfully in technology ever since then.

In addition, unlike some of the commercial sites today, they don't buy you with all kinds of extra junk you don't need and don't spam you about extras--they just do their job and do it well.

Obviously if you want a hosting site--I highly recommend them and this season of the year am especially thankful for Agathon and all they do to help church communicators.

When a church communicator gets sick, are you committed or just contagious?

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Commitment doesn't mean contagious
Don't mistake being committed when you are simply contagious--go home and recover.

It's Monday. Always a busy day in the church office. Staff meeting is at 10. Letters to new members and visitors need to be in the afternoon mail. Last week was a whirlwind; you’re behind where you want to be on a project due in just two weeks. But your head feels like a basketball, you have a fever, your nose is running, and sneezes are nearly nonstop.

• What do you do? Stay in bed and sip chicken soup? Or trudge to the office and go through the motions? Is it somehow “not Christian” to choose to snuggle up under your blanket in misery? Or is there some special virtue in trudging to work regardless of how sick you are?

Evidently a lot of people do think dragging their germs to work with them is a sign of commitment because many do just that. (Do I sound like someone who does not support a “bring your germs to work” day?)

Okay. Maybe they only want to share. And they do. Big time. Just one cough or sneeze disperses a gas cloud of up to a million microorganisms that, according to 2014 research, can travel 200 times further than previously believed. Attaining speeds, some say, of as high as 100 miles per hour these germs not only have amazing range, they hang in the air long after the sneezer has departed. For some fascinating facts on why we need to take coughs and sneezes seriously, try Googling “germs in a sneeze.”

Ideally, coughs and sneezes are caught in the sneezer’s sleeve or tissue and not sprayed in the air or in her hand. Hands are a poor choice because every time they touch a surface, thousands of viral particles are left behind—on desks, computers, phones, whatever.

• Bugs don’t stay put. They hop on any hand that touches an infected surface. Careless sneezers and coughers are walking germ dispensers; it takes only a few of the millions of particles dispensed in a sneeze to transfer an illness. Research confirms that the average office desk has more germs on it per square inch than a household toilet seat. Even if this conclusion is onlyclose, there’s ample reason to swipe your desk, phone, keyboard, and other surfaces with a disinfectant wipe every morning.

Winter is a challenging time to stay well. We are inside more, around people who may have colds or flu, touching things they have touched, breathing recirculated air. Schools, day cares, malls, theaters, and even churches can be perilous places. It’s not a good idea to panic or become obsessive; it is a good idea to be cautious and alert.

• The best defense is a good offense. In a perfect world everyone would be conscientious about not spreading germs. Unfortunately, despite major strides in educating the public, many still are careless or thoughtless. We all need to be proactive in defending ourselves against colds and flu.

Some important steps—

•  Wash your hands often with soap and hot water

•  Eat a healthy diet; consider vitamins

•  Exercise—at least in moderation

•  Get sufficient rest

•  Consider flu vaccine

Many people who haven’t had colds in years swear by the practice of inhaling steaming herbs. One way this can be done: fill the bathroom sink with steaming water, add two teaspoons chopped fresh ginger. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the steam breathing deeply. Adding a few drops of oil of eucalyptus can open up bronchial tubes to ease congestion.

Encourage discussion about health in the workplace at a staff meeting. Reaching a consensus about how team members will help prevent the spread of colds and flu lets everyone breathe easier.

• If you do get sick. Listen to your body. A cold may creep up on you gradually: a sneeze, scratchy throat, runny nose—you know the drill. Flu usually hits you like a truck. In any case, you are contagious; talk with your doctor. Treatments for colds and flu differ, though both involve plenty of rest, lots of fluids, and appropriate medicines.

When you are sick, you set a good example by keeping your sneezes and sniffles at home. Your coworkers would rather catch some of your workload than any of your cold. Now is the time to be committed to getting well.

 

Recruiting volunteers for the holidays–tell people what they don’t know

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Thanks Giving Volunteer Recruitment flyer
This is a copy of a flyer used to recruit volunteers for a Thanksgiving outreach. We need to communicate clearly all we've been planning if we want people to help. Just click on the flyer to download a PDF that is easier to read.

Yvon's note: this is an article from our archives that is worth repeating to encourage you to communicate how we need people to help with holiday events. Following are some practical ways we recruited for a successful sharing and service opportunity at our church.The article below was written when I was in the midst of recruiting and the results were fantastic. LOTS of people got involved, the event was extremely well attended, many helped, and many people were served.

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It is challenging to plan a ministry outreach for any holiday and even more so when we want to recruit volunteers to help with it. Because there are so many things to do for a successful outreach and our minds are preoccupied with the event. It is easy to short-change our congregations in how we communicate to them about what is going on and what we need them to do. People don't know what we need unless we ask specifically.

Here is a flyer we created to remedy that situation

As a very practical example of a way to ask in a specific way that will get the response you need, our Adult Sunday School Class is hosting a Thanksgiving outreach dinner. I've been working on it for some time and for it to be successful we need many in the class to be involved. Though they have known we are doing this for some time--we just got the final approval of the location last week. I needed to let the class know and to let them know what we needed  them to do.

My first idea was to simply do a PowerPoint Slide and announce it, but I knew that wasn't enough. I reminded myself of what I constantly try to teach that those of us who work and plan ministry events must always remember that the people we want to involve haven't been working on it as we have; they haven't been thinking and praying about it for as long as we have. They can't read our minds.

People need a tangible, paper, printed reminder of what we are doing and what we want them to do. Once the print piece is produced, we can put it on our information table for those who might have missed the first announcement and remind people about it in subsequent weeks. It can also be posted on the website and sent out in church emails.

We have to clearly share our vision and requests

We have a lot going on, we want people to do a number of things. Though in the coming weeks I will have specific task lists and sign-up sheets I wanted to give people a flyer that specifically told them:

  • what was going on
  • basic information
  • our goals
  • prayer requests
  • what we needed them to do

The flyer illustrated here is what I came up with. The information is what is most important here and it was well-received.

It seems like we never have the time to put together things like this, but they are vitally important for as many people as possible to be involved in ministry events and outreach.

For the longer article that discusses why we decided to do this kind of outreach, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Holiday time management

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Holiday Time Management
You might feel like you are living in a snow globe at this time of swirling demands, but here are some tips to help you take control.

The analogy of living in a snow globe hit home with several ministry assistants enjoying a fall luncheon. “During the holidays I feel like I’m trapped in a blizzard of to-do lists,” remarked a longtime office professional. Her tablemates nodded. Each one knew well the sensation of having scores of demands swirling around her.

Conversation turned to ways they might weather the storm better this year. All agreed trimming tasks would be a challenge, but could be done. Some said they had already made strides toward maintaining saner holiday schedules and were anxious to explore even more ideas.

“To me, attitude is the key,” offered a pastor’s assistant who shared her positive experiences over the past few years. “We need to get over the notion that holidays should be all hurry-scurry. The real blessings of the season are missed when every minute is packed with activities, even if they are good activities.”

Another reformed overachiever noted, “The best thing I did was to take control of my personal agenda. When I quite trying to bake every cookie, make every decoration, and start every family tradition that sounded good to me, I found the time and energy to actually focus on the true meaning of the season.”

  • Make two lists of goals, one for work and one for home. It may seem a paradox, but making these two important lists now prevents the need to make a dozen trivial lists later. Decide what you want to achieve during the vital weeks between your two major holidays (say Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day). About each task, ask yourself, “Is there an easier way to do this?” Be selective; list only those activities and achievements that are truly important to you. Fun is important; schedule some.
  • Trim your calendar. Ditch all but what really counts. Save optional jobs and appointments for another time. Avoid taking on projects and plans that steer you away from your stated holiday goals. Don’t waste any of this special time doing things that can be done later—or not at all.
  • Protect your personal time. All year round, and especially during the holidays, give yourself daily or at least weekly private time to relax and refresh. Do what you like: walk, exercise, read, take a class, enjoy a hobby. Or do nothing at all. But keep this appointment with yourself.
  • Give up on perfectionism. Nothing paralyzes accomplishment, saps joy from achievement, and undermines good intentions like the irrational drive to be perfect. It is vital to know when to say, “This is good. Time to move on.”
  • Be realistic in your expectations. Memories, not to mention a plethora of magazines and websites, can create an unreasonable scenario of how the holidays should play out. No time of the year has more to live up to than Christmas (perhaps especially in the United States). Stay grounded. Kids will still be kids. Some people will still be inconsiderate. Problems won’t magically solve themselves. You will still get weary. Some recipes will just not be good. Life is life. Nevertheless, expect blessings. They are there to be claimed!