7 Essential Traits to Look for in a Church Project Manager

Every church has projects, such as a new program launch, building renovations, outreach events, and more. These efforts normally have a specific deadline, budget, and goals. To keep the team on-task and within the budget, you need a church project manager to keep them organized. Who is a Church Project Manager? Think of a project manager as an orchestra conductor. He doesn’t play the instruments, but he keeps the musicians in-sync. A project manager develops a detailed plan of tasks required to complete the project. This individual works with the project team to develop the plan, assign tasks and deadlines, create and monitor the budget, identify success criteria, and provide reports to church leadership. It’s a role that requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to problem-solve on the fly. If your church hasn’t really focused on assigning a project manager to lead each effort, you may not have a staff member who’s trained in that discipline. Thankfully, project management is a skill you can learn with on-the-job training. However, it does require a certain set of innate skills that are harder to teach. Whether you can hire someone specifically for this role or if you need to see if someone on the team has what it takes, consider these essential traits for a church project manager. What to Look for in a Church Project Manager Trait #1: Detail-oriented Project management involves keeping track of all tasks, purchases, deadlines, vendors, and individuals involved in any given project. If you have someone on staff with a strong attention to detail, you may have a budding project manager. Trait #2: Loves Lists If you know someone who’s constantly creating a to-do list, or is even going so far as to write down a task that’s already completed just for the satisfaction of crossing it off, this person might be interested in project management. Trait #3: Thinks Ahead A good project manager is always thinking ahead about who needs to accomplish which tasks in the upcoming weeks. He consistently considers the potential implications if a task isn’t completed on time. When the pastor mentions an idea for a new church event, a potential project manager is already considering the myriad of details needed to accomplish that event and what else it may impact. Trait #4: Leadership A strong project manager is also a leader. For example, when you’re planning a marriage retreat, you’ll need to coordinate tasks from various groups within the staff (family ministry leader, marketing department, service announcements, facilities, and more). This requires someone who is comfortable leading a team where no one reports to him directly. They need to be able to rally people to a common goal, respect the skills and demands on the time of each individual, and still be confident enough to hold each team member accountable to deadlines. An effective project manager earns the respect of each team member and can hold people accountable without alienating the team. Trait #5: Effective Communicator to Senior Leaders When you have someone who loves details, it can be challenging for them to provide a high-level summary. However, your senior pastor probably doesn’t want to hear about every single task (nor does he have the time to listen). A great project manager can go from the 30,000-foot view to ground level and back again as needed. Trait #6: Positive and Realistic Outlook When your mind is full of details, it’s easy to think, “this is going to be really hard, if not nearly impossible, to accomplish.” However, that’s not an attitude a successful project manager can take. You need someone who can see all the details and still be confident that the team can pull it off. This individual also needs to be confident enough to raise potential issues early on. He should always provide a few options to solve each issue and be ready to implement whichever solution leadership approves. Trait #7: Protects the Team A project manager must look out for his team, making sure they have what they need to be successful and that they aren’t working too much. They need to be able to inspire and motivate their team, be aware of the team’s mood, be willing to listen and be empathetic, all the while keeping the big picture in mind. Conclusion Project management is much more than simply keeping track of a massive to-do list and making sure each person gets his/her tasks done on time.

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How to Protect Church Staff from Burnout

As leaders, sometimes we need to protect our team members from themselves. The individuals who regularly stay late to wrap up a few tasks, who take on the toughest assignments, and practically live at the church need your help. While their dedication and work ethic is admirable – ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. Running at a sprinter’s pace will keep team members from being able to stay healthy and strong over the long haul. Thankfully, it doesn’t require significant costs or efforts to protect church staff from burnout. Here are seven tips to protect church staff from burnout: Tip #1: Set clear expectations If not, they’re trying to guess what you want and what success looks like. It’s really hard to hit a target you can’t see. Don’t make them guess. Document a job description and include key measurements or examples of what you expect to see. Tip #2: Check in regularly Conduct a weekly one-on-one meeting with those who report to you. Tip #3: Go home on time Here’s the deal: Your staff members probably feel like they can’t leave the office until you do. He’ll think I’m not willing to put in the hours. She’ll think I’m slacking off if I leave at 5pm. Go home and save your team from feeling like they have to stay late. This also sets an example for them that spending time with family is more important than finishing up another task. They’re watching how you manage your time including how you prioritize your family and your own health. Set a positive example for them to follow. Tip #4: Ask questions When you assign a task or new project to a staff member, ask a few questions before you let them go. Also, if you’re making a last-minute change, please ask about the impact of that change. Some staff members will start working on it without telling you how much additional effort is required because they don’t want to come across as questioning your decision. However, you may not realize that what you just asked him to do will take five hours of rework with an already full schedule before the deadline. If it’s still important enough to make the change, then let him know why it’s important. If that change isn’t worth several hours of rework and staff staying late at the office, then discuss other options to achieve the goal without wreaking havoc on the team. Tip #5: Create a culture where it’s okay to ask for help and raise concerns Make sure your staff members know that it’s safe to say, “I’m drowning over here and need help!” Now, of course, they should manage their time wisely and work hard while at work. Assuming that’s the case, realize they’re taking a risk when asking for help. Will he think I’m not capable? Will this make her question my dedication to the church? Address their concerns and let your team know you’d rather them ask for help before they fall behind schedule or burn out. Tip #6: Don’t send messages after hours I know it’s convenient to send off a quick text message or email at 8pm when you think of a question for your youth pastor. However, that sends a subtle message that you expect a response right away. Do you want your team responding to messages late at night OR spending time with family? Instead, enter a note on your phone or write it down somewhere so you won’t forget the question. You could even draft the email but wait until the next morning to send it out. Also, consider the message this sends to your team. Even though you may have had a quick thought about work before bedtime stories with your kids, they don’t know that. They may think you’re working late on a regular basis. Then they’ll think they should be working those hours as well. Tip #7: Provide training Your team may need training on how to manage their time and energy more effectively. They may need training on certain skills needed for their job. Training can equip someone to be more efficient and produce higher quality results. We all feel inadequate for an assignment on occasion. By offering training and guidance as needed, you’re supporting a team who’s working to support you and the vision of the church. While your staff members are responsible for how they approach their work and manage their time, you can have a significant impact on their longevity in ministry. Use these tips to protect church staff from burnout and help them thrive in ministry for the long haul.

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How Focused Intensity Can Prevent Burnout and Lead to Church Growth

One frequent cause of ministry burnout involves taking a scattershot approach. That is when you are doing too much with minimal results. This leads to spreading staff and volunteers too thin and burning them out over time. Instead, we need to prevent burnout by focusing on programs or events that consistently reach people with the Gospel and bear good fruit. This focused intensity can grow the church without burning out staff and volunteers. It’s easy to see how a scattershot, or “try everything to see what works”, approach can happen. After all, we want to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel. We want to see lives changed and families restored, so we try many different methods to reach people: None of these efforts are bad or necessarily wrong. However, it’s important to consider whether it makes sense to pursue several of these all at once. In his book, How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In, Jim Collins lays out five stages of decline in organizations. One of the stages is the “Undisciplined Pursuit of More.” He writes, “Companies in Stage 2 stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place, making undisciplined leaps into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.” How does this help prevent burnout in the church world? Let’s say your church is running along well with two Sunday services, weekly small groups, and about one significant special event/program every couple of months. If you suddenly decide to add services on Saturday and Sunday nights, plus 1-2 special events each month, who will organize and make those additions successful? You’ll need to ask more from your staff, you’ll need additional volunteers, and will likely incur additional costs. Instead of suddenly adding five new things, what if you added one or two? You’re still moving forward and opening up the possibility to reach more people. At the same time, you’re gradually adding to your volunteer teams and as the growth supports it, more staff members. This method of slow, steady growth isn’t as cool or exciting as explosive growth. However, with this approach, your team will feel the energy that comes from new initiatives and growth without the overwhelm that comes from too much too fast. You’ll be better able to monitor progress and see what’s working, so you can put more energy and focus on what services or programs are truly reaching people with the Gospel and making disciples. You’re less likely to burn out your team and yourself with slower, more steady progress. What is Your Current Approach? Consider asking yourself these questions to evaluate your current approach: We’re afraid to cut an event or not launch a new campus because we think we’ll miss out on reaching people. That’s a real risk. However, what is the cost of trying to do it all? How long can staff members maintain that frantic pace? How many late nights and missed family meals are spouses going to manage before they feel like they’ve lost their loved one to the church? The temptation is that busyness feels like energy and doing good for God. The reality is that busyness without focus and clear purpose wears out your team and your congregation. What Should Church Leaders Do to Prevent Burnout? #1 – Consider the events and services you currently offer #2 – Determine what to offer next Ask God for His direction, seek out wise counsel, and then move forward. God wants to work through your church to reach people with the Good News more than you do. Trust Him to lead your team and help you know how to grow His church and prevent burnout.

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How to Develop Current Volunteers for Future Growth

You may have just enough volunteers to get by today. But what will happen when your church experiences a growth spurt? Now is the time to lay the groundwork for a strong volunteer team. You might be thinking, “We don’t have enough people staying committed to serving now. How are we supposed to plan for the future?” Fair question. First off, you’ve got to stop the bleeding. That starts with learning why volunteers keep drifting in and out of serving. Here’s how: Talk with people who used to volunteer and, without judgment or accusations, ask why they stopped. Talk with your staff and see if they know why people have stopped serving. You’ve got to identify the problems before you can fix them. Start addressing those issues right away. Issue: Volunteers received multiple requests from different staff members to serve in various roles at the same event and got frustrated by the lack of coordination. Solution: Use your church management system (ChMS), or a spreadsheet if you don’t have a ChMS yet, and track who volunteers in what roles within that system. Start a new process: before staff members contact people to serve, they have to check the system to make sure that person isn’t already committed on that day/time, or that someone else hasn’t already contacted them. This also means your team has to become disciplined at entering that information into the system. Issue: Some volunteers may have entered a really busy season (new job, buying/selling a house, new baby, etc.) and had to take a break. (See this post on “Why Volunteers Quit”) Solution: Ask them if they’re ready to come back. Also, provide volunteer opportunities that are 1-2 commitments per month instead of every week. Whatever the root cause of volunteers not coming back, figure out how to address it and take action immediately. Next, make sure you’re providing sufficient training and clear expectations to new volunteers. If they don’t know what you want them to do, they’ll do their best, and make it up as they go along. That creates a lot of opportunities for mistakes and errors, and you’ll both be frustrated. If a volunteer feels stressed out and confused every time they serve, they won’t last long. Once you deal with the immediate issues and have at least enough volunteers to keep things moving, now it’s time to focus on the future. What are the goals of your church leadership team for the next 1-5 years? All of those goals will require more volunteers to help you be successful. First, you need to determine how many more volunteers you’ll need and in what roles. You need a target to aim at here. Talk with your staff about these goals. Get their input. Do you have the right roles and reasonable numbers included in your plan? Change it as needed, based on their feedback. Next, how many volunteer leaders will you need? These are volunteers who’ll coordinate and lead teams of other volunteers. Consider your current volunteers and think of those who are already natural leaders in the group.Focus your initial efforts on developing them as leaders. When you share the vision and the “why”, you inspire people and help them realize that they can play a vital role in achieving that vision. Finally, make sure your congregation knows why you want them to get involved beyond attending a service. Volunteering can’t be all about getting stuff done. While that’s a valid need, focusing on a volunteer program as discipleship instead of just a volunteer workforce is much more effective. A discipleship mindset will impact how you approach asking people to serve, how you train and develop them, and how you communicate with them. When we serve, we grow. I’ve developed lifelong friendships, learned from my fellow volunteers, and became a stronger Christian as a result of volunteering in ministry. Focus on developing an environment where those are the normal results. It takes time and focused effort, but it is so worth it. If you get discouraged, ask God to show you how your volunteers are growing spiritually. He knows we’re only human and can’t see the eternal impact of our work. Ask Him to help you get a glimpse of what He’s doing in and through you. Hold on to those testimonies and use that as motivation to keep asking, developing, and building a strong team of faithful volunteers. By investing in your current volunteers, you’ll start adding to the team and will create a strong foundation of volunteer leaders as you grow. That foundation is key to maintaining and propelling church growth.

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How to Make Changes Without Scaring Off Volunteers

Have you ever announced a change to your volunteers that didn’t go over too well? Have they ever resisted implementing a new process and you couldn’t quite figure out why? I’ll let you in on a little secret: The issue probably wasn’t the change itself. The issue was probably in how the change was rolled out. Most of your volunteers are ingrained in the current process. They’ve developed habits and know what to expect each week. When you announce a change, even one that should make their work easier, you’re creating uncertainty. How do you go from “We need to change” to actually implementing the changes without scaring off your volunteers? Here are some key steps: #1: Get input from volunteer leaders. Discuss the upcoming changes with them. Provide a compelling vision for why the changes are necessary. Get their feedback and ask how they think their teams will react. #2: Send an email update to all volunteers. Start by thanking them for serving. Mention that “we’re always seeking to improve and have a few new things to roll out soon.” Cast a compelling vision as to why change is needed and how it will make their work even more effective. Then give them the specifics about what’s changing and when. #3: Discuss the changes at the next pre-service volunteer meeting. Reiterate the reasons why you’re changing and invite them to ask questions. Give them grace and don’t be too rigid about how they implement the changes at first. #4: Follow-up with volunteer leaders. Ask how their teams felt about the changes, and how implementing them went that day. Talk individually with volunteers who had concerns. Now, that can be a lot of work. It would be nice if you could announce a change and everyone adjusted immediately. However, that’s not always likely to happen. Even good changes can be disruptive, so you need to give people, especially volunteers, some time to see the benefits and process the new way of doing things. Remember: you’re working with volunteers who are donating their time. You have to motivate them with a clear vision and a compelling reason to change. Even the most faithful volunteer will become discouraged and may consider quitting if you change too much too quickly. Use wisdom and listen carefully to your volunteer leaders. They want to support you. Make it easier for them to do so by getting their support first and listening to their feedback.

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How to Get Volunteers for Christmas and Keep Them Coming Back

Does your church have enough volunteers for Christmas services? What about those extra activities you’re hosting throughout December – Christmas concerts, family photo booths, gift drives, and charity events for the local community? If the answer is “no” or “I hope so”, then keep reading… Since you’ll probably need more volunteers for Christmas Sunday than you would for a typical Sunday service, simply relying on your usual system for filling volunteer roles may not work.  Here is why: You’ll have more first-time guests on Christmas Sunday. While it’s wonderful to have new people at church, things could get chaotic fast if you don’t have enough volunteers to help them. Also, special events, such as the various Christmas celebrations, are a great way to get people to try out volunteering. They’re just signing up for one day, so it’s a low commitment for them. However, this is your chance to make serving such a great experience for them that they decide to get involved on a more consistent basis. So, how do you make sure you have enough volunteers for Christmas AND add to your regular volunteer team? Here are a few tips: #1 – Figure out what roles you need to fill for Christmas services If you’re doing anything special or new, you’ll probably need volunteer roles for Christmas that you wouldn’t typically need on a regular Sunday. Make a list of those roles along with a brief description of what each role involves. Example: Photo Booth Coordinator – Volunteers in this role will keep the line organized, help families get their pictures taken, and keep any décor in the photo booth clean / in the proper place. #2 – Define what Christmas services will look like Before you ask volunteers to serve, you need to know what serving that day will entail. Create a service program with the order of events that details what Christmas Sunday will look like before you contact potential volunteers. They may have questions that this information will help you answer. #3 – Identify key volunteer leaders first You probably have volunteers who lead other volunteers on your behalf. You’ll likely have your hands full during Christmas services, so you want to make sure your key leaders are able to serve that day. You also need to provide them with information and instructions on what you need them to do. The better you equip them before Christmas, the more effective they can be in preventing issues and keeping things running smoothly. Once you have those who aren’t a part of your regular volunteer team sign up to serve, let the appropriate volunteer leader know. Your volunteer leaders need to make sure these new volunteers are trained, and help them have a great experience serving. #4 – Invite people to serve ASAP Once you know what Christmas services will look like, what roles you’ll need to fill, and that your key volunteer leaders are on board, start inviting others to serve. Talk with your regular volunteers on Sunday mornings, send out follow-up emails, and ask current volunteers to help you find more people to help. The sooner you start getting this on their schedules, the more likely you are to have all those volunteer spots filled way before Christmas weekend. #5 – Send reminder emails the week before Christmas The only danger in asking people to serve early is that they might forget about it. Send out reminder emails the week before Christmas services to remind them of the volunteer role they’ll fill that day, what time you need them to arrive, and where they should meet when they get to the church. #6 – Feed your volunteers Provide coffee and a few snacks for volunteers. If you have a room where they can meet for final instructions before going to their assignments, set up a small table with goodies for them. This is especially important if you have volunteers helping with multiple worship services. They’ll appreciate your kindness and you’ll keep them fueled for the morning. #7 – Send thank you notes  You’ll probably need your volunteers to go above and beyond for Christmas services. Acknowledge their contribution to making those services run smoothly with a short, hand-written thank you note. We’re so used to receiving electronic messages that a card in the mail will really stand out. #8 – Follow up with new volunteers Contact those who served at Christmas services but aren’t on a regular volunteer team yet. You can also ask your volunteer leaders to contact these individuals. That may work better since your volunteer leaders probably interacted with them more than you did. Ask what they thought of their experience serving and see if they’re interested in becoming part of the team. Don’t assume they’ll sign up without you inviting them. They may not realize you need more volunteers on a regular basis. It’s worth taking a few minutes to get their feedback and ask if they’d like to serve more often. Preparing for Christmas services isn’t a small task. However, by putting these tips into practice you can start filling those volunteer roles early, and add to your regular volunteer team, too.

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Should Your Church Have a Security Team?

While most of us feel safe when we pull into the church parking lot on Sunday morning, safety isn’t something we should take for granted. Unfortunately, churches aren’t immune from harm. Child abductions, abuse, active shooters, theft, and medical emergencies are a few examples of what can happen within church walls. Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad. There are individuals and organizations rising up to share practical ways that church leaders can reduce the likelihood of something bad happening. Oftentimes, this occurs through the development of a church safety and security team. One group seeking to serve in this capacity is The Church Safety Guys. This non-profit organization leverages decades of experience to serve the church from a safety and security perspective. They offer a variety of resources through books, a weekly broadcast, The Church Security App, and even a Church Safety & Security program in partnership with Centurion Bible College. Safety & Security as Ministry In his book, “The Case for Church Safety & Security,” Church Safety Guys Executive Director James McGarvey presents a case for why having a safety and security team is biblical and how to get started with such a ministry. Note that James calls the safety and security initiative a ministry. That distinction represents his recommended approach to initiating, developing, and maintaining such a team. He provides numerous citations from Scripture to support the stance that this is part of the church’s overall ministry and that leaders should strive to protect their congregation. Additionally, James advocates for what sometimes are opposite viewpoints. Some pastors hesitate to create such a team. They think it represents a lack of faith, use of resources that are needed elsewhere, or as something that’s not necessary. On the other hand, a church member who’s passionate about having a safety and security team might push too hard on the issue or be too rigid in approach, This can quickly alienate the pastor. James provides both parties with wise counsel on how to approach this issue in a manner that respects the authority, leadership, and expertise of everyone involved. Where to Begin Additional resources The Church Safety Guys offer include an eBook for church plants, a 10-step workbook to help churches establish their safety and security ministry, and more. These resources are practical tools to assist leaders in their desire to protect their congregations through a robust safety and security ministry. If your church wants to create or enhance a safety and security ministry, The Church Safety Guys organization is a great resource to consider.   

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How to Conduct a Church Security and Safety Risk Assessment

Church leaders have a responsibility to take appropriate measures to protect the congregation and the church. One tool you can use to accomplish this is a risk assessment. The practice of completing a risk assessment exercise will encourage leaders to think through risks and identify ways to mitigate them. A risk assessment should include the following: The following is an excerpt from my book, Protect the Vision: A Practical Guide to Church Risk Management. This excerpt covers a high-level risk assessment specifically regarding church safety and security. Other risks addressed in the book include: Risk definition This risk includes anything that could cause physical harm to someone while on church property or while participating in a church-led event (even off church property). This includes seemingly little things such as cracks in the sidewalk or unsecured wires in the sanctuary to the potential for an active shooter situation or natural disaster. The main thing to consider here is what measures you are taking to protect those who are participating in church activities. What could happen How to prevent this risk from occurring How to reduce the impact if this risk occurs Develop an emergency response plan to address the following: As you develop the plan, consider the following1: How to respond to injuries or medical emergencies: How to respond in the event of a natural disaster: How to respond in an active shooter situation1: As you finalize these documents: Risk Assessment Tools and Resources (1) Adapted from the 2014 WFX Conference Presentation, “Emergency Preparedness for Your Facility” by then Lieutenant Brad G. Fortune, Plano Police Department, Texas

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How to Improve Church Safety and Security

Once upon a time, pastors thought their churches were safe and secure places that even criminals would respect. Unfortuantely, that’s no longer the case (or perhaps, that always was a fairy tale). Regardless, part of your responsibility as a church leader is to take prudent measures to protect your congregation. As we’ve addressed previously, there are many actions you can take to accomplish that goal. However, a key first step is to assess what risks your church could face. From there, you can determine what to do that will improve church safety and security. What is a Risk Assessment? The assessment step is really a deep-dive look at potential risks to your church. It involves asking some uncomfortable questions such as: What event might occur that could take down the church? How would we respond if a tornado siren went off during a service? Have we provided staff and volunteers with training on how to react in an active shooter situation? What would our teams do if the fire alarm went off? Drop any of those questions at the next staff meeting and you’ll feel the tone of the room take a nose-dive. No one likes to talk about the bad things that could happen within or to our churches. Unfortunately, this is an important issue that we must seriously consider. We’ve all heard of the church or ministry damaged by scandal, fraud, natural disaster, or other difficult events. A trusted bookkeeper siphoned funds into his account, a former member files a lawsuit, or someone is hurt while at a church function. These situations really do happen, yet we tend to think that as a church we’re immune from these issues. That’s simply not the case. We have a responsibility to consider the risk events that could harm our congregations and take appropriate actions to improve church safety and security. A risk is simply the chance that something could go wrong. The fallout from that event could be minuscule or catastrophic, depending on the situation. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to prevent a risk from occurring and minimizing the impact if it does occur. The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risk is commonly referred to as a risk management program. I’ve managed that function for a large company and on individual projects. The following is an overview of the process and how to get started. Step #1: Identify the potential risks to church safety and security This step involves gathering your senior leadership team and asking that uncomfortable question, “What event(s) might occur that could take out our church?” Explain that the reason for this discussion is to ensure you’re doing everything needed to prevent these risks. Here are a few additional questions to use that can get the conversation going: Your list of potential risks may include the following: Step #2: Assess the likelihood and potential impact of each risk As you discuss each risk, talk through the scenario and what might happen. Assess each risk for how likely it is to occur and what the impact would be to your church if it did happen. For the risk of natural disasters: Are you in an area prone to tornados? If so, then the likelihood may be rather high. Should a tornado damage your building, that could lead to physical injuries if anyone is present at the time. Additionally, extensive damage to the building could mean you won’t be able to hold services there for several weeks (or more). While you can’t reduce the likelihood of a tornado, you can take steps to reduce the impact. Examples include purchasing insurance, proper building construction, developing and communicating safety procedures, and scouting temporary facilities before they’re needed. Step #4: Determine what processes are already in-place to prevent each risk Do you have policies and processes in-use to prevent the risk? For example: Do you require that at least two people count and sign-off on the offering total for each service? Is each volunteer working with children required to pass a criminal background check and attend training prior to serving? Do you have insurance coverage on your facilities and the contents? Have you documented these policies and do you communicate them to staff on a regular basis? You may want to seek out legal counsel regarding certain risks to confirm that you’re in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. These are all steps that can reduce the likelihood and/or impact of various risks. Step #5: Identify gaps and take action to further mitigate risks If you determine that the mitigations in-place aren’t sufficiently reducing a particular risk, then you need to develop a plan to close that gap. This may include getting additional insurance coverage, implementing background checks, or developing a security threat response plan. The key to this step is to document the actions required and assign a single leader responsible for ensuring that the tasks are completed by a certain date. This leader should report back to you on a weekly basis until all tasks are complete. Step #6: Communicate the risks and mitigating actions Just having your senior leadership team aware of the risks isn’t sufficient. Discuss these risks with staff and volunteers who are directly responsible for carrying out the risk mitigation actions or who may be impacted by a risk event (such as an emergency evacuation). Summarize each risk into a sentence or two and review the list with your staff. Get their input on the list and ask if they have any ideas for how to prevent these risks. Discuss any existing policies or procedures that prevent each risk such as background checks or safety rules. Make sure they understand that you’ve put those policies in place for a purpose and what the consequences to the church could be if one is violated and the risk occurs. Communicate applicable risks while training volunteers and discuss which policy or procedure you’ve designed to prevent those risks. When people understand why they’re required to

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3 Practical Tips to Help Introverts Thrive in Church Leadership

The operational aspects of running a church tend to involve work that attracts introverts. People who prefer to work behind the scenes and often need recovery time after a big church event. While introverts may need more breaks from socializing than others, they love people deeply and want to serve with excellence. The more outgoing social butterflies may get the most attention, however, introverted church leaders can thrive in this extroverted world. An introvert myself, I am re-energized by solitude. I love being around friends and family, yet after an extended interaction, I need some time alone to recharge. That seems to be a common refrain among introverts. Our society tends to place a higher value on extroverted expression and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. So, how do you know if you’re an introvert? Same here!  As a fellow introvert, allow me to reassure you that you’re not weird or antisocial. Solitude and quiet enable us to recharge so we can go back out into this extroverted world with some energy left in our emotional and physical tanks. There’s been a lot of talk about introverts, yet it’s only fitting that most of the “conversation” has been via articles instead of actual dialog. Susan Cain broke the ice with her TED Talk and book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Justin Lathrop discussed how we may tend to isolate introverts in the church. These are just a couple of examples of excellent material about introverts that have been refreshing to see. So, how can introverted church leaders cut through the noise to lead and serve our congregations? #1: Allow for solitude Your extroverted friends may never understand why you need time alone and that’s okay. You may wonder at times why they want to be around so many people all the time! The point is that you have to become okay with occasionally declining invitations to social activities. Give yourself permission to take a break even though you may be misunderstood. I’m very upfront about being an introvert and that’s been quite effective. I’ve helped organize large church events and the other organizers know that I’ll have to go home for a long nap after the event is over. They don’t really “get it”, but at least they don’t think I’m upset with them or that I’m antisocial. #2: Periodically push past your comfort zone God created you with a purpose and that purpose will require interaction with others. Just like intense exercise brings muscle soreness along with increased strength, exercising your “extroverted muscles” may wear you out sometimes. I’ve come to enjoy leading teams, attending events, and doing public speaking because I know these activities provide me an opportunity to serve others. I’ve expanded my capacity for interaction over time and have learned when to take breaks. You don’t have to try and become an extrovert, but go ahead and get out there to offer your unique talents. #3: Speak up for fellow introverts It’s hard to get a word in during a meeting full of extroverts, but please make the effort. When your church is planning an event or special service, the focus tends to be on creating energy in the room. That’s extroverted speak for a fun, engaging experience and we should embrace their efforts. We should also look for ways to help introverts enjoy the event. Recommend including an opportunity for quiet reflection during a worship service or leaving a few open spaces in the room for introverts to retreat to when they need some breathing room. Those spaces will feel “dead” to the extroverts, so you’ll need to explain how that helps some of their guests feel more comfortable. If you’re NOT an introvert, please know: Introverts really do love people. However, introverts appreciate people in smaller groups and with a bit less frequency than extroverts do. A big church event with loud music, lots of people, and constant visual stimulation is fun yet exhausting for an introvert. They’re glad you’re having fun and that this type of event attracts people to church. Just don’t be alarmed if your introverted colleagues disappear for several hours afterward. After all, they need to retreat at home to recharge so they can come back to work refreshed and energized for the tasks at hand. We all have a responsibility to use our unique abilities and personality traits for service. Introverts possess a quiet strength that is just as needed as an extrovert’s ability to energize a room. Offer your gifts, find ways to interact, and recharge when needed. Trust me, the effort involved is worth it and we need your contributions.

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