Off the Agenda | Conversations for Building Church Leaders

Entries from Off the Agenda tagged with: volunteers

November 18, 2009

Caring for Church Workers

Come alongside them and appreciate them.

One of our soon-to-come training tools is called Caring for Church Workers, which helps churches know how to support their staff and volunteers. As a sneak preview, here's a short excerpt from an interview we've included in the tool. Lee...

Tags used in this post:

staff, support, volunteers,

Posted by tavery at 10:25 AM on November 18, 2009 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

October 9, 2008

I Pledged To Do What?

There’s a right way and a wrong way to recruit volunteers.

I spent my summers during high school working as a telemarketer. Every day, I called strangers to request money for the Leukemia Society, March of Dimes, or any other organization name that appeared on the script I was supposed to...

Tags used in this post:

mentoring, recruiting, volunteers,

Posted by rwilloughby at 7:00 AM on October 9, 2008 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

May 29, 2008

Starting Out in Youth Ministry

Reflections from an experienced leader

I recently sat down with Jennifer Oxford, regional leader for Student Impact, the youth ministry of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Jen has five years of ministry under her belt and lots of experience orienting volunteers...

Tags used in this post:

recruiting, small groups, spiritual gifts, volunteers,

Posted by rwilloughby at 7:00 AM on May 29, 2008 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

May 19, 2008

Quick Tip for VBS Promotion: "Flamingo" Marketing

One idea for generating buzz throughout your community.

There are still a few weeks to go before the Vacation Bible School season kicks off, so if you’re looking for some quick promotional ideas to generate buzz, here’s one my church is trying. The great thing about this idea,...

Tags used in this post:

budget, children's ministry, money, volunteers,

Posted by rwilloughby at 7:00 AM on May 19, 2008 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

March 20, 2008

Outreach After Programs

How do we reach out when programs fail?

About this time last year, our outreach committee (of which I am a member) began planning our church's participation in the community's Fourth of July parade. It's a big deal. Literally everyone in town shows up. Consequently, it has been...

Tags used in this post:

boards, community, evangelism, outreach, volunteers,

Posted by rwilloughby at 7:00 AM on March 20, 2008 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

March 10, 2008

Sitting in the Seat of Mockers

Some leaders have virtually taken up residence there.

I have this cartoon strip coming together in my mind. It has three frames: Frame 1: A well-dressed man - your stereotypical church leader - is taking in a worship service. His wife is sitting next to him. The congregation...

Tags used in this post:

burnout, pastors, volunteers,

Posted by rwilloughby at 7:00 AM on March 10, 2008 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

February 18, 2008

Arranging the Passengers on the Church Leadership Bus

(and why it makes me sick).

Several years ago, I had to look in the eyes of someone and tell her she could no longer be part of our team. Her final day would be in two weeks. She looked back, unblinking, almost uncomprehending, and then...

Tags used in this post:

difficult people, hiring, recruiting, staff, team, vision, volunteers,

Posted by mbranaugh at 7:00 AM on February 18, 2008 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

January 28, 2008

Should You Stop Asking for Volunteers?

Perhaps it's time church staff and leaders re-think how they recruit help

I've attended - and volunteered in - several churches. And in some of them, I've made the mistake of volunteering for too much. By now, I've learned to draw reasonable boundaries based on my gifts and my limitations. And I...

Tags used in this post:

burnout, recruiting, staff, team, volunteers,

Posted by mbranaugh at 7:00 AM on January 28, 2008 | Comments (16) | Trackbacks (0)

January 7, 2008

How to Authentically Encourage

Six ways to make sure your team keeps its chin up.

I recently wrote about the results of a leadership-style assessment I took on BuildingChurchLeaders.com, and my ability to finally accept the idea that I can be effective and influential as a leader whose primary gifting lies in the areas of...

Tags used in this post:

recruiting, spiritual gifts, training, volunteers,

Posted by mbranaugh at 7:00 AM on January 7, 2008 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

December 17, 2007

Leading Your Leaders

Ten effective ways to serve those you lead.

On Friday, Amy Simpson wrote a post on our sister blog, www.giftedforleadership.com, about a leader's responsibility to those they lead. Her insights were too good not to share on Off the Agenda: As a leader, it's easy to understand and...

Tags used in this post:

burnout, pastors, recruiting, staff, team, volunteers,

Posted by mbranaugh at 7:00 AM on December 17, 2007 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

November 12, 2007

A Better Way to Recruit and Retain Volunteers

Church leaders can find and keep volunteers--they just need to re-think their approach.

Every church needs more workers. And often, some workers feel frustrated and probably aren't in the right area. How exactly does a church find the right people for the right positions? BuildingChurchLeaders.com asked Bruce Bugbee, president of Network Ministries International...

Tags used in this post:

recruiting, spiritual gifts, training, volunteers,

Posted by mbranaugh at 7:00 AM on November 12, 2007 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

October 15, 2007

About Off the Agenda

Conversations for Building Church Leaders

Off The Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders is a blog where people in church leadership positions — pastors, staff members, and volunteers, among others — gather for discussion, where they encourage, equip, and prepare each other for the joys and challenges...

Tags used in this post:

administration, Bible study, boards, budget, buildings, burnout, children's ministry, community, compromise, current events, devotions, difficult people, elections, evangelism, failure, family, fund-raising, giving, hiring, legal, liability, mediation, meditation, men's ministry, missional, missions, money, multimedia, outreach, pastors, politics, pop culture, prayer, quiet time, recruiting, risk, sample forms, seniors, small groups, spiritual gifts, staff, stewardship, study, team, technology, time management, tithing, training, vision, volunteers, women's ministry, worship,

Posted by mbranaugh at 8:01 AM on October 15, 2007 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

October 15, 2007

Leith Anderson

Leith’s many interests involve him in pastoring, teaching, writing, speaking, and leadership. Leith earned a master of divinity from Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, a doctor of ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and a doctor of divinity...