Motivating and Retaining Servants in Ministry

I try to give back, you know, serve wherever I live.  I believe it's part of my calling as a Christian. It's also a great way to get to know people and make a difference in the community. People serve in the church for the same reasons. They feel a sense of calling to serve within the church as well as viewing serving as a way to meet people and make a difference.  Churches, like every other non-profit organization depend on volunteers or a more theological word, servants, to fulfill their mission.  And like many other organizations, churches often struggle with finding and keeping volunteers.  Today I want to share with you 5 tips for motivating and retaining people who step forward to serve.

1. Match People's Gifts to Where They Serve.  Too many churches are looking for a warm body to fill an opening on a committee rather than helping people discern where God is calling them to serve. Healthy churches offer discernment classes where people can discover where God wants them to serve.  These classes identify spiritual gifts, passions, skills, experience, and personality and then match them in areas where they are wired to serve.  If you want your servants to feel frustrated and to fail at ministry just assign them anywhere and watch what happens.  The introvert as a greeter will shy away from people feeling uncomfortable in that setting.  A person who doesn't like kids and is placed in the classroom is going to be a wreck, and so will the classroom!  It's important to match the way people have been wired by God to where they serve.

Here are some inventories you might tweak and use to match people in your setting to areas of ministry:

SHAPE   http://www.destinumc.org/uploads/SHAPE_Inventory.pdf

SERVING FROM THE HEART https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=975917

2. Give Clear Expectations.  For people to succeed and feel like they are making a difference they need clear expectations.  Give job descriptions to every one who serves. Help them to understand what's expected of them in terms of time and responsibilities.  If someone serves on a tech team make sure they know they are to be there 30 minutes early, turn on the projectors, power up the computer, spell check the words, flip the screens, shut off the projectors, power down the computers, and give their very best.  Let them know you need their undivided attention so no using cell phones while leading worship.  If you don't tell them what's expected and they don't do what you had expected you'll get angry and take it out on them and they'll just quit.  And if you change the amount of time or the responsibilities of a ministry you need to communicate that change to them and ask if they are still able to serve given the changes.  Don't assume.

3. Train Them.  This goes hand in hand with clear expectations.  Healthy and vibrant churches train people to serve.  Yes, this takes time but it equips them to be successful.  Every person who serves should have a mentor who walks them through how to do what they have volunteered to do.  Rather than just dump a person into a position and let them flounder trying to figure it out causing all sorts of unnecessary mistakes and feeling like a failure invest in training them up front.  Put a teacher with a teacher for a few weeks.  Put an usher with an usher for a few weeks.  Gather up all your new greeters and teach them how to greet.   Leaders fail when we we fail to train others for success.

4. Don't Micro-Manage. After you have laid out clear expectations and trained them unleash them for ministry!  Trust them to do the ministry well because, if you did your job right, they have been matched for the ministry, know what's expected, and have been trained.  Let them go.  Let them dream new and better ways to do it.  Give them permission to fail if they try something big and bold to grow their area of ministry.  No one likes to have someone looking over their shoulder and constantly telling them to do this and do that.  Get out of the way and let them serve!

5. Appreciate and Recognize Your Servants.  Don't take them for granted.  Pat them on the back when they do well.  Affirm their service.  Here's a great practice to get into...send out at least 5 thank you letters to people who serve each week.  Hand write a note card to someone who is serving to thank them for their service.  Be specific about what you appreciate in them and help them to see how they are making a difference.  If someone is super-excelling lift them up in front of others.  This is called "Hero-Making".  When you recognize people publicly others are reminded of the expectation on them and they will often raise the bar.  When they do...recognize them.  This is so simple to do yet we neglect to do it.  Great leaders will affirm people who are doing well so that they feel appreciated.

It all comes down to one word, "respect".  We need to respect the people God has raised up and placed among us for ministry.  We respect them when we match how God wired them to the place they serve, when we are clear about what is expected, when we take time to train them, when we unleash them for ministry rather than micro-manage them, and when we affirm them so that they feel appreciated and know they are making a difference.  When we respect the people who serve or volunteer they're far more likely to keep serving and invite others to join them in serving.

Together in Ministry,

Kevin

4 Tips for Excellence in Ministry

If you had to have brain surgery would you seek out the doctor who is known for being the best or would you be satisfied with a surgeon who was just mediocre?  I think we would choose excellence over mediocrity every time. I may not be the smartest guy but if someone is going to be operating on what little mind I have, I want it to be the best!  When it comes to being a pastor, just like doctors, there are some who just go through the motions and there are others who are driven to excel. Part of Wesleyan theology speaks of "going onto perfection" - what I hear there is striving for excellence. So here are 4 tips for striving for excellence in ministry.

1. Focus on doing less so that you can do more well.  There are a lot of things people expect from a pastor and, quite frankly, if you look at all the stuff we're supposed to do it seems pretty overwhelming: Hospital visits, home visits, counseling, Bible studies, youth groups, meetings, worship planning, preaching, conflict management, strategic planning, custodial responsibilities, and on and on.  We can't possibly do it all and do it well.  So play to your strengths. Delegate to others what you don't do well (this is a great opportunity to invest in and train up the laity).  Great leaders don't do everything.  Rather, they surround themselves with a team of people who can do what they can't do and what they can do even better.  What can you let go of so that you can do a few things even better?  Can someone with a gift for teaching lead confirmation?  Can a team of people do hospital and home visits?  Can you eliminate some meetings that aren't necessary?  You're probably not going to be able to let go of a few things like preaching and visioning.  So if they aren't your strengths your going to have to work to get better.  That leads to number 2.

2. Be a life-long learner.  Don't be satisfied with being mediocre.  Pursue opportunities to improve. Play to your strengths again.  What is it that you do well and keep evaluating how you can do it better.  If something is in your wheelhouse that you can't let go off and it's not your strength then work at turning it into one.  You can learn to be a better preacher.  You can learn to be a better vision caster.  Read books, go to seminars, listen to podcasts, ask for advice but don't just sit there.  Keep asking the question, "How can I do this better?  How can I improve?"

3. Offer your best all the time.  Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for people."  God deserves our very best.   Here's the question I invite you to ask about every aspect of your ministry;  "What would this look like if I did this with excellence?"  How would your preaching be different if every time you preached you did it with excellence?  How would worship be different if you did it with excellence every time?   How would your web page look if it was done with excellence?  How would your ministry be different if you expected excellence from others?  God deserves our very best.  The people who come to the church on a Sunday, whether they are churched our unchurched, deserve our very best.  How can you offer your best all the time?

4. Live in God's grace.  Remember you're not perfect but that God loves you even when you mess up.  It happens.  We may want to give our best but sometimes the worst happens.  That's life.  Don't beat yourself up when you fail.  Don't let your mistakes get in the way of becoming a better you. Remind yourself that no one is perfect, that you are loved by God, you are a child of the Most High God, and then get up and keep moving forward. Your best days aren't behind you - they are in front of you!

Together in Ministry,

Kevin

6 Tips for Turning First Time Guests into Regular Attendees

Every first time guest that walks through the doors of your church matters to God.  I'm of the opinion that somehow, someway, God brought them through those doors to your church and now it's up to you to help them stick.  It's a stewardship issue.  God sends us people and we have to faithfully and effectively follow up with them so that they become part of the Body of Christ.  Research shows that most churches are keeping 1 out of 20 first time guests.  That means 1 out of 20 people come back a second time.  My retention goal has always being much higher than that.  I aim for 50% of people to come back a second time and between 10-20% to become regular attenders.  So let's talk about how to keep the people God sends your way.
 
Turning first time guests into regular attenders involves everything from hospitality to excellence in preaching.  It's the whole experience that matters.  It starts with outreach in the community and then hospitality from the street to the seat, and then a strong follow up plan.  So here's some tips on getting guest information and doing follow-up.

1.  Never make guests stand in worship and identify themselves.  Never.  Guests don't want attention drawn to themselves.  Making them stand is a sure fire way to insure they won't come back,

2. Use an Information Card to get their info.  Get rid of those United Methodist Ritual of Friendship pads that you pass through the pews.  There isn't even enough room to write one's name on it!  Create a professional looking Information Card that is placed in the bulletin with extras in the chair/pew pockets.  Make it simple.  Simple is better.  People today are cautious about giving out their contact information because they're not sure how it will get used. They are afraid if they leave an email you will send them daily emails.  If they leave their phone number they are afraid you will hound them.  If they give you everything, who is to stay you won't sell it to a vendor?

Here's what you need on the card:  Name, Email, Phone.  Done.  No more.  No boxes to check about baptism, membership, change of address, commitments, etc.  Keep it simple.  Make sure there is enough room on the card to write in each item.

3.  Create a time to fill out the card and ask everyone to do it.  Often times we ask for the data but don't give people time to fill it out.  Take a minute and ask everyone to pull out their card and complete it.  As they complete it talk about what to do with it.  Will they place it in the offering or put in a box when they leave?

4. Give a gift to first time guests.  You don't need to ask them to check a box that says "first time guest" because when you input the data into the computer you will see they aren't in the computer yet making this their first time!  What you can do though is thank them for coming.  You can say, "If this is your first time here we are so honored and thankful that you are here.  After worship when you leave if you hand me your info card or give it to the person at the Info center we'll give you one of these nice coffee mugs!"  Hold up a mug to show everyone.  At the info center or where you stand to shake hands have cups available with a professional brochure about the church, your business card, some candy, a pen,  movie tickets, etc. in the cup.  When you get a first time guest card, give a cup.

5. Enter and track attendance.  The data you get doesn't mean anything unless you track it.  If a person is a first time guest, follow-up.  If a second time guest, follow up.  If a third time guest, follow-up.  If a regular attender has missed worship for a few weeks, follow-up.  You can also use this data to track your retention rate.  If you get a lot of people checking you out but they don't come back a second time what does that teach you?  Is the hospitality not working?  Is the service dead?  Is the preaching boring? Is the nursery unsafe?  Is the music not top notch?  What needs to change?

6. Follow-Up!  For first time guests send an email thanking them for coming to worship.  Do this within 36 hours.  In the email you can ask them if they want more information about the church and if so, could they please share their address. You can even place a link in the email to your website where they can leave information such as:  What did you notice first?  What did you like the best? What was your overall impression? Would you like more information about our church?  How can we pray for you?  If they ask for more information, send it promptly.  There's a bit of debate on whether you should call them.  It's up to you.  If you call, do it on Thursday because you can invite them back on Sunday.  Call them on the phone and say, "I'm Pastor ...... from ....Church and I just want to thank you for coming to worship last Sunday.  It was a huge honor to have you here.  I simply want see if you have an questions or comments about your experience here....Again thanks for coming and I hope to see you Sunday."  Phone calls may work in smaller churches where people are looking for more personal contact.

For second time guests, send another email thanking them for attending.  Since they came back a second time they are probably interested in you.  If you don't have their address ask in the email if you can send them some information about the church - ask for their address.  You can even provide a link to the webpage where you can learn more about them by asking questions like what influenced you to return?  Would you invite a friend?  Would you like more information about small groups, service opportunities, children ministries, etc?  Be prompt in sending out information they request.

For third time guests, send an email and invite them to a "coffee with the pastor".  In smaller churches you may actually meet them for coffee or lunch.  At this time explain how to get connected. If people don't connect to the church in a meaningful way through small groups and service the likelihood that they will stop coming increases.  The goal is that each follow up drives them to get more connected to the church.

Every new person that walks through your doors is a potential member of the Body of Christ - your church.  What are you doing to help turn first time guests into regular attendees?

Together in Ministry,

Kevin

If you are looking for more information on turning first time guests into regular attenders read Retention 101: A Practical Guide for Keeping More People, by Brian Davis; and Fusion:Turning First Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church,by Nelson Searcy.

Creating a Culture of Hospitality

Imagine walking into your church for the first time. You wonder, "Will the people accept people? Will they be friendly?  Will I know what to do? Will I fit in?"  As you arrive in the parking lot you see multiple entrances to the building.  "Which do I use?" you wonder to yourself.  Once inside you have a child who needs to go to the bathroom but you don't know where it is.  You look around with a perplexed "I'm new here" face but no one engages you.  After searching the building and finding a restroom you find your way to worship where you sit and watch others mingle but no one approaches you.  Would you go back?

Hospitality is critical to producing return guests.  Research shows the a guest will decide within the first 7 minutes of contact with your church whehter or not they will return.  So, let's talk about some tips for improving hospitality to keep them coming back a second time..

1. Consider hiring a mystery worshipper.  This a person who, preferably, has no church experience. Pay them to come to your church and evaluate finding the location, signage, friendliness, cleanliness of restroom and nursery, Following along in the service (was it all insider language?), etc. Then have them write a report on their experience and share it with your leadership team.

2. Grow your Greeter Ministry.  Consider parking lot greeters to welcome people and direct to the front door.  Have greeters at all entrances and train them to smile and welcome everyone.  Have "intentional rovers".  These are people inside the church that are looking for guests who look confused or simply to introduce themselves to guests.

3. Make sure your web page is for "outsiders".  Make worship times easy to find on the front page and make sure they are updated to reflect current worship times!  Give directions to your church. Make sermons available online so people can hear before they arrive.  Share information about Sunday School, how to dress, small groups, childcare, etc.

4. Create an information desk.  In your lobby area set up a nice info desk area with pamphlets and brochures of events and activities of your church.  Post a person there to answer questions.

5. Pastors, go out of your way to meet and greet new faces remembering their names so that next time they return you can call them by name.

6. Introduce yourself from the front.  Not everyone knows who you are so introduce yourself each Sunday.  "Hi, my name ......., and I'm the lead pastor at ......."

7. Welcome guests  each Sunday from the front.   After introducing yourself thank people who are there for the first time.  "If you are new among us today, thank you for choosing to worship with us. We are honored you are here." NEVER make new people stand or introduce themselves!

8.  Have excellent visible  signage.  Make sure nice looking signs point the direction to classrooms, the sanctuary, restrooms, and especially the nursery.

9. Teach your congregation to greet people.  Literally, from the pulpit, tell them how important it is to guests to feel wanted and a sense of belonging when they come to a church.  Then encourage them to step out of their comfort zone for the sake of the kingdom..  Here are some tips:

"The Hand-off"  - when a new family or person is met don't just goodbye.  Hand them off to someone who is similar to their age and family situation.

"The Table Invite" - Teach your congregation to invite to their fellowship table anyone who is sitting alone.

"The Outsider First" - Make it a habit to look for new people before talking to your friends before church, during fellowship, and after worship.  Then you can bring them to your friends and enlarge your circle of friends.   You still get to talk to your friends but you are seeking the outside first.

Click here for  a link to a Hospitality Audit and Mystery Guest Audit Worksheet.

So what other ideas  do you have to share that can get our churches more welcoming so that they produce follow up visits and eventually a permanent bond?

Two Metaphors that Hinder Change

Many of you already know from last week's post that we need to change the trajectory of our churches in the Prairie Hills district.  We've been declining in attendance instead of growing by reaching new and younger people.  What I am about to say may be hard to hear for some;  The key to change is pastoral leadership.  As one who has watched and studied and led churches to reach new people and make new disciples for Jesus Christ I've come to understand it's leadership, leadership, leadership.

In the book, Hit the Bullseye, by Paul Borden, he argues that two metaphors hinder change.  The first is the image of Pastor as Shepherd.   This is leading from the inside and it perpetuates the idea that church is for those on the inside.  Pastors who see themselves primarily as Shepherd, will spend their time caring for the people; visiting in homes, going to the hospital, steering away from conflict, leading studies, focusing on how to better care for the people under their care.  The problem with this is it goes against the Biblical understanding in Ephesians 4:10-16 that says pastors aren't to do the ministry but equip others to do it.  Furthermore, it ignores the Great Commission to go into the world to make new disciples.  Caring for people is important! But not at the expense of failing to reach outward.  Your job is not pastoral care but congregational care; creating a system so that lay people care for each other and then go out into the world to make disciples.

A second image that leads to ineffective ministry is the concept of church as family.  If church is a family then every Sunday is a family reunion.  Imagine not being family and walking into a family reunion.  All these people know each other, they are talking, laughing, reminiscing, telling stories, eating around the table - and you know no one.  You're an outsider.  People look at you with weird expressions on their face like you don't belong here.  Because you're not family people won't talk to you.  This is the church on most Sundays.  We see ourselves as family  and we have lost our missional focus of being a group of people, touched by grace, who will go out into the world and welcome people into the church with grace.

In order to bring about missonal change, change that moves us outward to reach new people and make new disciples of Jesus Christ, we must adapt how we lead and the concepts we use to talk about church.  As pastors, you are not just Shepherds, you are missional leaders.  Claim the role of being a missional leader in your congregation. Learn what it means to be missional and then lead from that perspective. The caring of people will happen, the leading doesn't unless you are intentional.  Stop using the concept of church as family since it perpetuates an inward focus and start talking about the church as a base camp from which we go out to save those who are lost by sharing the good news of God's transforming grace and then welcoming them into the base camp and teaching them how to go out with us on the next mission so that those who are lost and wandering, hurting and struggling, addicted or abusive, may experience their hearts, touched by God, strangely warmed.  And may that warming of the heart lead to a new and better life in Christ.

With you in ministry,

Kevin

Raising Expectations

When I was in high school I was on the track team.  I was actually a pole vaulter.  I was one of the crazy people that ran down the track with a long pole in hand, hoping to plant well, and then sail high over the bar. The bar, as you know, is movable.  The goal is to keep raising the bar so that new heights could be reached.  

One of the principles that has guided my ministry is this:  "People will rise to the level that is expected of them."  I learned that if I don't expect much of myself I will produce a mediocre ministry and mediocrity breeds mediocrity.  So I expect much of myself and I expect much from others.  Jesus told a parable about this in Luke 12.  He ends by saying,  "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded." Luke 12:48 Jesus raised the expectation.  He expects that those have been trusted with much will produce much fruit. Isn't that story of the fig tree in Luke 13.  The owner of the garden has expectation that the fig tree would bear fruit.  "So the man said to his gardener, ’I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it waste the ground?’" Luke 13:7   Obviously, as you know, the owner showed grace and gave the gardener time to work with the fig tree so that it would bear fruit.

In this story, one might interpret that God is the owner, the fig tree represents churches, and the gardener is those of us entrusted with leadership in the church.  We're expected to do what we can to bear fruit.  What's the fruit?  I believe the fruit is new disciples.  Our mission as United Methodists is to make new disciples of Jesus Christ that transform the world.  We're to be about the work of growing our churches so that they produce new disciples that engage in a lifestyle and mission that transforms our world into the kingdom of God.

This week I want to encourage you to raise the bar - to raise what you expect of yourself and the churches you lead so that new disciples are made.  Our Conference may be one of 6 growing conferences but our district is in decline.  Those days of decline are over.  I expect that each of us will be tending the soil of the fig tree a bit more, a bit harder, and in different ways so that we bear fruit that pleases God.  I believe we can do it.  Much our district is set in growing areas around the Black Hills.  In the prairie region, growth in cities may be stagnant or declining but the numbers of unchurched people are growing.  The harvest is ripe!

As your DS I'm raising the bar, raising expectations that each and every church can and will grow to reach new heights in ministry.  I'm also raising the expectation that as a DS I will not simply sit and supervise but engage in conversations with you through coaching and teaching that will help you bear fruit in ministry. I will be working across the district, but primarily with those churches who are ready to grow or in an area where the population is growing,  to provide you with resources and encouragement and prayer to turn the corner so that our churches are growing once again.

I truly believe that you will rise to the expectation and that,empowered by the Holy Spirit, you will lead your churches to new heights!

With you in Ministry,

Kevin

Using Facebook to Reach New People

MINISTRY TIPS FROM A DS
Facebook is a great way for connecting people within your church but it is also a great tool for reaching new people.  Facebook currently has 156.5 million users in the United States.  It's the #1 social networking app in the world.  So let's, as leaders in the church, harness its power to reach new people for Christ. Here's a few ideas and I hope you will add your own.

1. Make sure your worship hours are on your church page.  A quick look at the churches in our district with Facebook pages reveals many don't include worship times.  It's a deadly mistake to neglect this because guests will often look at your page to find out when they can attend worship.

2. Keep your worship times current.  Worse than not having your worship times on your page is having the wrong ones.  Imagine a guest deciding for the first time to attend your church.  She looks at your Facebook page and sees 10:00am.  When she arrives people are leaving because the time was actually 9:00am and no one changed it from summer hours.

3. Post images and a short description (with a link to your web page) of the upcoming sermon series.  Then teach your congregation to like it and share it.  This multiplies the exposure of people seeing it.

4. Display "target rich" images.  If you are trying to reach younger people show images of younger people.  Younger people won't come if all they see are older people.   Define your target audience, the group you are trying to reach, and then display like pictures.

5. Display short videos of your worship band (if they are good!)  Music attracts people to church. They may not come for the message but if the music is uplifting and touches their heart they will come.

6. Teach your congregation to talk about your church online, including a link to your church Facebook page.  Here's an example.  "Today at church my 4 year old child started dancing in the aisle to one of the praise songs.  It was so cute.  I really love my church!  www.mychurch.facebook.com

7.  If you don't have a Facebook page for your church, make one!  Too many people use Facebook to let this one slip by.  It's a great way for reaching new people in your community and raising awareness of your church.

So add your comments or questions and let the learning continue...

Together in Ministry,

Kevin