10 Low-Cost Ways to Show Appreciation for Church Volunteers

A strong, committed volunteer team is vital to any church. Volunteers arrive early and stay late. They’re the smiling faces on a rainy morning in the parking lot. They make coffee, check-in children, lead small groups, welcome guests, and much more. With all they do to serve the church, it makes sense to show appreciation for church volunteers. Thankfully, you don’t need a big budget to communicate how much you value their service. Here are ten low-cost ways to show appreciation for your church volunteers: #1 – Quick Thank You Send a brief text of email to a volunteer you saw doing a great job on Sunday morning. #2 – Make Phone Calls Call your volunteer leaders. Ask how they’re doing, if there’s anything you can do for them, and if they have any suggestions for improving the area they serve in. #3 – Send Thank You Cards Mail a few handwritten thank you notes to volunteers each Monday. Look around on Sunday to see who’s going the extra mile to welcome guests and take care of people. Type a few quick notes in your phone if needed, then write your thank you notes the next day. #4 – Feed Them Bring light snacks to your pre-service volunteer meeting or the next volunteer training session. #5 – Share a Meal Go to lunch or coffee with a couple that volunteers together. Let them know how much you appreciate them, ask about their story (how they came to the church, their family, careers, spiritual growth, etc.), and let them know you’re always open to hearing their ideas. #6 – Recognize Them Publicly Have all volunteers stand up in Sunday morning service and thank them from the pulpit. #7 – Share Their “Why” Share testimonies of people who’ve surrendered their lives to Christ after feeling welcomed and loved by volunteers. #8 – Take Care of Them If a volunteer is in the hospital or has a family emergency, visit them and/or provide meals and other assistance as needed. #9 – Visit with Volunteers Walk around as volunteers are serving and thank them for their work. Take a few minutes to lend a hand or ask if there’s anything they need. One reason why volunteers quit is if they feel like leadership isn’t listening or inviting feedback. Make sure they know you value their input. #10 – Pray Pray for and with your volunteer teams each week. Above all, invest in your volunteers and in how you lead them.  This requires being intentional and carving out time to create a healthy volunteer culture.  For practical tips on how to make that happen, check out The Volunteer Management Toolkit (Church Edition). How do you show appreciation for church volunteers?

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Busting Church Administrator Myths

One way to thrive over the long-haul in ministry is to do more of what God gifted you to do and less of everything else. Many times, that means bringing people onto the team who can handle certain responsibilities for you. For example: If you’re passionate about preaching and counseling but freeze up anytime someone mentions developing a plan or a budget, a church administrator could be the perfect fit. However, church administrators tend to be misunderstood members of the church team, so I think it’s time for some myth-busting. Perhaps I’m a bit biased since I once worked in a ministry’s Finance department, but I think church administration folks are awesome! They keep many wheels turning in the background that support what happens on stage and at the altar each week. If you’re a pastor without someone (or a team of people) filling the church administration role, you’re likely feeling the strain from trying to do something you neither enjoy or are gifted to do. Here are a few myths about church administrators: Myth #1: All they care about are policies and procedures Yes, your church administrator is probably a stickler for certain processes (purchase requests come to mind!). However, it’s not because he thinks policies are the best thing ever…he’s simply trying to keep things running smoothly. If you don’t have a documented process for spending church dollars or for adding new members to the church database, you’ll see the downstream impacts. Too much spending one month could lead to not being able to make payroll the next (trust me…you won’t like that one!). If new members aren’t added correctly to the database, you’ll end up with multiple versions of them in the database or with each staff member who’s contacted them for volunteering or small group membership with their number on their cell phone. That’s not the end of the world, but it’s much more efficient to update information in one place instead of ten. What your church administrator really cares about is the same thing you do…people! They want ministry to happen for people to come to Christ, to become part of the community of believers, and to grow in their faith. They’re using their God-given talents to achieve that goal…it just looks different from yours. Myth #2: They relish the chance to squash your latest ministry idea If you’ve been turned down for renting a massive bouncy house plus paintball guns for a new youth event, yeah…you should’ve seen that one coming. Your church administrator doesn’t want a kid to be mid-bounce when the whole thing deflates from an errant paintball hit. She’s a bit safety conscious and is actually looking out for you (and your future employment). She doesn’t want to kill your idea; she just wants you to adjust it so everyone goes home in one piece. That’s actually pretty sweet of her, isn’t it? Myth #3: Church administrators are all about the Benjamin’s They’re the money-counters and record keepers; so sure, it looks like that’s all they focus on. However, that’s not even close to the truth. What they care about is making sure the church is being a good steward of the money God (and the congregation) entrusted to it. It’s actually a good thing they’re meticulous about the security and accountability involved in recording the offering each week along with how money is spent. Myth #4: They’re antisocial Okay, so it might be true that the church administration role attracts introverts. However, introverts aren’t antisocial…they just prefer interacting with small groups instead of big crowds. Invite your church administrator out for lunch with you and maybe 1-2 others. Do that a few times and once he’s warmed up to you, you might not be able to get him to stop talking. What’ll really be fun is when you hear his passion for ministry (see myth #1). Myth #5: They love Excel, charts, graphs, and details Hmmm…okay, so maybe this one isn’t a myth after all. But hey, it’s not that they LOVE these things, it’s that they know how these tools can support ministry. So the next time your church administrator geeks out about a new Excel formula, encourage her. “Hey, that’s awesome you got that formula to work and can calculate cash flow for the next 8 weeks in under ten seconds!” “Wow, you created a project plan with how many tasks for the couples’ retreat?! That’ll make putting it all together so much easier.” Even if you have no idea what she’s talking about, support her as she uses the gift of administration to make your job a bit easier. Church administration involves details, numbers, planning, coordinating, and lots of lists. It may not be your cup of tea, but it truly does support and make ministry possible. So while you may never fully understand what your church administrators do, be thankful that they are on the team. Their efforts may just save you from burnout as they plan and coordinate with you. Church Administrators – What other myths or misperceptions have you seen regarding your role in ministry?

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Getting Started with Church Security

Church security is a topic we’d all prefer was unnecessary to address. Unfortunately, an online search of security incidents occurring within churches pulls up quite a few examples. Thankfully, qualified professionals with a heart for ministry are using their skills to serve churches in this area. One such professional is Simon Osamoh, founder of Kingswood Security Consulting and the Worship Security Association. Simon worked as a Detective in England, then handled security for the Mall of America. He is well-versed in dealing with organized crime and terrorism threats. Simon uses this expertise to serve the faith community and now helps church leaders navigate the complex waters of welcoming broken people into their churches while still keeping their congregations safe. I recently interviewed Simon for The Church Operations Toolkit membership. He had several practical tips to share with our members. Here are a few highlights from that conversation: Tip #1: Identify your church’s security culture What is the leadership of the church comfortable with when it comes to security measures? Would the congregation accept having an armed security team on-campus or not? Tip #2: Determine what policies and procedures the church needs List every program or service that occurs throughout the week on church property. Consider what element(s) of risk you may encounter with each event. Tip #3: Discuss how best to manage those risks These steps will become the documented policies and procedures for your church’s security plan. Tip #4: Keep documentation simple Document security policies and procedures in short, simple terms. This makes it easier for training purposes. It’s also hard to recall a long, detailed emergency response plan when you’re faced with the adrenaline rush of an emergency. Tip #5: Train staff and volunteers on church security Once you’ve developed the security policies and procedures, provide training to staff and volunteers. For more insights from Simon Osamoh on church security, check out his book, Securing Church Operations: A Seven-Step Plan for Ministry and Safety Leaders (affiliate link). You can also learn more at Kingswoodsc.com or worshipsecurity.org. Interested in becoming a member and getting full access to church operations templates, interviews, and how-to guides? Fill out the form below to learn more:

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Why Volunteers Quit

Volunteering at church can be an incredible experience. It helps us connect with our church family, develop stronger relationships, and further our growth as disciples of Jesus. While there are many excellent reasons to serve, sometimes volunteers fade away and we’re left wondering what happened. So, why do volunteers quit? I’ve enjoyed serving and usually said, “yes” to requests to volunteer, there were times when I stepped away from serving. You may run into this with your volunteers. A long-time volunteer may tell you he needs a break and wants to step down in a few weeks. Your most dependable leader in the nursery may say she’s ready to move to another ministry area. While this can be frustrating and discouraging, it’s something you need to be prepared to handle. Why do volunteers quit? Some reasons have nothing to do with the church: Other times, the reason has everything to do with the church: What can you do to you prevent more volunteers from quitting? #1 – Don’t let people overcommit Every volunteer coordinator loves people who’re willing to sign up for more than one responsibility. However, while it’s great when a reliable volunteer is willing to help in several areas, you need to protect him from himself. As a general rule, don’t let volunteers serve in more than two services per week. Also, if someone is serving weekly don’t ask her to serve at every single special event (especially if your church has special events each month). #2 – Know what’s going on in their personal lives Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t about getting too nosey. This is about getting to know your volunteers (especially those in leadership roles). These types of life events can be wonderful but also energy draining. If a volunteer is serving in multiple areas and has a demanding job or new responsibilities coming up, you may need to be prepared for him/her to step back from something. Talk with your volunteers and gauge how each is doing. #3 – Develop a leadership pipeline It can be hard to find qualified and reliable volunteer leaders, so when you find a few it’s tempting to load them up to max capacity. Please don’t do that to them or to yourself. Constantly be on the lookout for people with leadership potential and invite them to serve. Put them under the leadership of your current volunteers and work together to develop them. Then, as your current volunteer leaders need a break or fewer volunteer roles, you’ll already have others who’re ready to step up. #4 – Honor your volunteers Don’t expect to keep volunteers for long if you… You’ll frustrate, discourage, burn out, and frankly just tick people off doing that stuff. As Carey Nieuwhof pointed out in his post on why churches lose high capacity volunteers, “Few things are more demotivating than giving up your time as a volunteer only to discover the staff person responsible didn’t set you up to succeed.” Instead, take the time to plan ahead for each service or event: #5 – Request feedback Meet with your volunteer leaders at least quarterly. Find out what they’re hearing from their teams and what they’ve noticed personally. #6 – Be open about shortcomings As someone progresses from attending, to serving, to leading other volunteers, he will get closer to seeing the inner workings of the church. This includes the great things right along with the less-than-ideal stuff. If a volunteer has the pastor or other church leaders on a pedestal, he may become disillusioned when he sees the real deal. Here are several ways to counteract that issue: #7 – Provide Clear Expectations Create job descriptions for each volunteer role. Include why the role exists along with specific tasks someone filling that role should perform. We provide sample volunteer job descriptions in The Church Operations Toolkit to make this effort easier. There’s a lot you can do to retain volunteers. Protect them from themselves, plan ahead, communicate often, express your appreciation, be open about what needs improvement, and ask for forgiveness when needed. What are some other reasons you’ve heard of volunteers quitting?

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5 Key Components of Church Job Descriptions

Church job descriptions tend to fall into one of three categories. Obviously, you’d prefer to have job descriptions that fall into the first category. Job descriptions, when written well, can be powerful tools for staff development, recruiting, and evaluating potential candidates. Here are five key components of church job descriptions: #1 – Job Title The job title should be the first indicator of what’s involved in this role. Keep these clear and simple such as, “Office Administrator,” “Finance Director,” “Marriage & Family Pastor,” etc. #2 – Overview In this section, provide a high-level summary of the role. #3 – Essential Responsibilities List the tasks that are central to this role.  For example: Is this person responsible for planning all outreach events, maintaining the offices and grounds, producing monthly financial reports, etc.? What tasks does this person perform daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and/or annually?  For a role in your Finance Office, this may include providing monthly financial reports and analysis.  A Ministry Director might manage an event calendar and develop goals for that department. #4 – Educational Requirements Does this role require a college education?  If so, what degree field(s) would be the best fit?  Should a candidate have a seminary degree? Are any professional certifications required such as a CPA? #5 – Experience Include a list of specific skills and experience someone would need to be successful in this role. Considering each role and documenting the items listed above can help you identify what success looks like for each member of your staff.  If you don’t already have job descriptions, it’s worth the investment to start developing them.   The process of creating job descriptions will encourage conversations between you and your staff about expectations. It will also help when you need to hire someone new as you’re communicating the position and evaluating candidates against a single set of criteria. If you’d rather not start developing job descriptions from scratch, join The Church Operations Toolkit and get instant access to job descriptions for church leadership roles and volunteer positions.

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7 Tips for Stewarding Church Finances

As people tithe and give, they’re trusting church leaders to use that money wisely. To maintain excellent stewardship of church finances, you need well-defined policies and internal controls in-place. These practices can greatly reduce the likelihood of financial fraud and increase wise usage of church funds. #1: Always have at least three people present while counting the offering Although text-to-give and online giving are increasing in popularity, many people continue to give via cash or checks. If you have three or more individuals present while counting the offering, it’s much harder for any one person to steal from the congregation. #2: Establish levels of financial authority Determine, document, and communicate who has authority to do the following: For each of these scenarios, it’s wise to have more than one unrelated person involved in these processes. This policy protects the church from individuals working together to commit fraud and those with the authority from unwarranted accusations. #3: Define and document a benevolence request process Benevolence requests pull at our heartstrings, making it difficult to offer an objective response. To ensure fair treatment and good stewardship of church finances, you should develop a standard method for processing such requests. This should include a request form, specific criteria for why a request would be approved or disapproved, how the money will be dispersed, who has authority to approve the requests, and how the request will be documented from start to finish. #4: Develop a budget A budget is a plan for how the church will allocate the money God (and the congregation) entrusts to leadership. Each ministry department leader should propose what he/she wants to accomplish in the upcoming year and what funds they’ll need for that effort. Consolidate these requests and take the overall budget through the church’s review and approval process. You’ll likely need to do a few iterations before finalizing the budget for the upcoming year. #5: Review church finances monthly The senior pastor, executive pastor, and leader of each department should review financial reports such as budget vs. actuals for each ministry area on a monthly basis. Departmental leaders should explain any significant variances. This report should also be reviewed with the board, elders, and/or deacons. #6: Request an external audit Hire a neutral third party to audit the church’s accounting records annually and provide their findings to the senior pastor, board, elders, and deacons. This brings in unbiased experts to provide their opinion regarding how your accounting team is performing and the effectiveness of your accounting processes and policies. This process also provides another layer of accountability. Consider providing the results of this audit in an annual report to the congregation. #7: Hire experienced accounting personnel Hiring a member of the congregation to oversee your finance office due to a family relationship and the individual’s willingness to take a pay cut isn’t wise. You can’t afford to have church finances poorly managed, so invest in a qualified individual who has years of proven accounting experience. If you can hire a CPA, that’s great. If not, at least hire someone with an accounting degree and 5+ years of experience (with great references and a clear background check). Also, outsourcing tasks that require more experienced staff could be a more economical option.  Then have a CPA review your financial records at least annually. As your congregation entrusts you with their tithes and offerings, take these steps to ensure those finances are spent effectively and with integrity. It’s easy to overlook the back-office processes since they don’t immediately look like ministry. However, maintaining the trust of your congregation and the community is a foundation upon which you build ministry.

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How to Define the Role of Executive Pastor

The role of Executive Pastor is gaining wider acceptance yet it’s still a somewhat misunderstood position within the church. If you’re reading this, then perhaps you’re thinking about hiring an Executive Pastor (or becoming one yourself). How does an Executive Pastor serve the church? Is this role all business or should this person also have a pastoral mindset? Let’s start with a scenario that may be all too familiar… It’s after 9 pm on a weeknight and you’re still working. Unfortunately, you didn’t keep going because you had divine inspiration for a sermon series. Instead, You’re Trudging Through… 💲 Financial reports, 👩‍💼 Candidate resumes for a staff opening, and ⛪️ Carpet samples for the sanctuary. Those are just the latest urgent items to handle.  You haven’t been able to devote much thought to a new ministry program you’ve wanted to do for years.  A few years (and several hundred people) ago, leading the church was challenging but still doable. The amount of paperwork and detailed tasks wasn’t that bad. However, now you’re buried in business-like tasks that seminary didn’t prepare you for (and that you dislike doing anyway).  You’re also starting to see what life and the church will look like in a few years if this doesn’t change. You Can’t Keep Doing This Alone. Thankfully, you don’t have to. You haven’t done anything wrong. This feeling of being overwhelmed isn’t a result of your inability to keep all the plates spinning. Other Senior Pastors have felt the strain of trying to be the “Chief Everything Officer.”  There comes a time when it’s wise to entrust a seasoned person with the business-centric responsibilities of leading the church. From Human Resources to Finance and Facilities, you don’t have to manage it all. An Executive Pastor can relieve you of those burdens so you can focus on what God has called you to do. Instead of fielding questions about vacation policies or dealing with construction contracts, you can spend more time preparing a sermon or considering what’s next for the church. If you’re thinking about bringing on an Executive Pastor or are curious about the role, here’s an introduction to what an Executive Pastor is and how he (or she) can serve a church.  A Brief History of the Executive Pastor Role As the story goes, the Executive Pastor role started with Bob Buford after conversations with his mentor, Peter Drucker. As Bill Hendricks writes in “The Origin of Executive Pastors,” Bob Buford formed the Leadership Network in 1984. He invited pastors and other senior leaders of large churches to come together for a few brainstorming meetings.  One question raised during those discussions was how to handle the complicated organizational structure of a megachurch.  The eventual solution proposed was to create a new church role, called the Executive Pastor. Is the Executive Pastor Role Just a Megachurch Trend? While it may have started out that way, that no longer appears to be the case. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as one that has 2,000 or more people in weekly attendance.  Thom Rainer notes, “Ten to fifteen years ago it was rare to find an executive pastor in a church with an average worship attendance less than 3,000. That has certainly changed each subsequent year. Now it is common to see executive pastors in churches with an attendance around 2,000 or even lower. I know of several churches in the 800 to 1,200 attendance range that now have executive pastors, or they are seeking one.” Many churches with less than 2,000 in attendance hire an Executive Pastor to help them break through an attendance barrier or to free up the Senior Pastor’s time and capacity. Churches that aren’t ready for an Executive Pastor yet might hire someone to fill a Business Administrator type role. This person wouldn’t oversee the staff or have any strategic responsibilities. Someone in a Business Administrator position would likely be responsible for the day-to-day operations of HR, Finance, IT, Facilities, etc. Responsibilities That Typically Fall Under an Executive Pastor From a high-level perspective, an Executive Pastor oversees the implementation of the Senior Pastor’s ministry vision. Most Executive Pastors also oversee and develop church staff. As we get more into the details, an Executive Pastor is also responsible for the following areas: When Should a Church Hire an Executive Pastor? Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut formula for when to add an Executive Pastor to the team. However, there are several indicators church leaders can look for to help them make that decision. Indicator #1: Size and Complexity The indicator most often considered is the size of the church. However, even though that’s a popular gauge, there’s no set number here either.  Executive Pastor Dan Reiland recommends church leaders wait until they have an average attendance of at least 1,200 before hiring an Executive Pastor. On the other hand, Senior Pastor Brian Jones tells Senior Pastors to consider hiring an Executive Pastor when they’re working to push through the 800 barrier. Obviously, there’s a variety of recommendations from highly respected church leaders. If a church is growing steadily and the Senior Pastor is strained to handle both the preaching/visionary leadership and executive management responsibilities, then perhaps it’s time to start looking for an Executive Pastor.   Indicator #2: Capacity of the Senior Pastor If the Senior Pastor… Then… Hiring an Executive Pastor to handle those responsibilities can free up the Senior Pastor to do what he does best. Indicator #3: Budget This correlates somewhat with the size of the church. A church of 2,000 is more likely to have the financial ability to hire an Executive Pastor than a smaller congregation.  It’s also wise to consider what the church is willing to pay an Executive Pastor. This role can’t be successfully filled with someone fresh out of college or with minimal executive experience. A church will need to budget accordingly to find a qualified candidate. Indicator #4: Interest of the Senior Pastor If the Senior Pastor isn’t

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