Author: Kathie Phillips

Setting Volunteers Up for Success

Kathie Phillips

Last week, our ministry held our volunteer training in preparation for our ministry year kick-off.  Volunteer-equipping is one of the best aspects of my job.  I am a firm believer that a properly trained volunteer is more likely to succeed in their job and be a long-term ministry partner.

Here’s an overview of what I covered:

  • Icebreaker:  Promote a team mentality by allowing everyone an opportunity to meet and chat with others on the team.  Play a fun game and offer some cool prizes.  It helps them to know that we’re all in this together.
  • Highlight what God has done:  Share a brief synopsis of your previous ministry year.  Share stories of how your ministry has impacted families in your church.  Share how many children became Christ-followers.  Show pictures.  Have a volunteer give a testimony of how their life was impacted as a result of serving in your ministry.
  • Vision for the upcoming year:  Paint a vivid picture of where your ministry is going in the upcoming year and what role they will play in that.
  • Roles and Responsibilities:  Provide a thorough, yet easy-to-read volunteer handbook.  Take time to highlight things such as volunteer responsibilities, contact information, evacuation procedures, check-in/check-out procedures, arrival times, lesson schedules, lesson components and lesson preparation tips.
  • Sharing:  Rookie volunteers have lots of questions.  Provide a safe place for them to ask those questions.  And don’t feel like you have to be the expert.  Call upon veteran teachers to speak into the rookies.  They have been in their shoes and have much insight to offer.

Don’t just offer a one-time training; we must provide ongoing training that offers practical tips and encouragement.  Each week, I send out a “Teacher Tidbits” communication via email to my volunteers.  I use this tool to communicate special announcements, birthdays, anniversaries, adjustments to our morning schedule, etc.  I also include a word of encouragement and/or a practical training tip in areas that would be most beneficial to them.  Some great resources to use for these practical tips are Take Out Training for Teachers and 2-Minute Encouragers for Teachers.

How do you set your volunteers up for success?  Share your success stories here!

120-Day Prayer Challenge

Kathie Phillips

Our church recently launched a 120-day prayer initiative, designed to help us commit to a more focused, fervent prayer life.  While we have launched other initiatives this past year, this is one that has really pulled at my heartstrings.  Allow me to tell you why.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.”  As church leaders, we pour our lives into our the busyness of our ministries and the many, many details that come along with the job.  Sometimes, in our efforts to serve the Lord, we can lose sight of our own walk with the Lord.  We can push our own time with the Lord to the side to check our messages, search for that perfect craft, shop for supplies, attend countless meetings, etc.  But that is extremely dangerous.  Over time, without intentional care and nurturing, our spiritual wells end up empty.

Have you ever felt empty while serving?  I sure have.  Thankfully, I am now able to recognize when I need to take steps to get things back on track.  This 120-day prayer couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

Our church provided ideas and resources for this campaign but God gave me a personal assignment.  For the next 120 days, I will pray one word back to God each day.  I will find a scripture that corresponds with that word and pray that back to God, too.  Then I will identify ways that I need to trust God in that area.  I am keeping these notes on index cards secured by a ring binder clip so that it is portable and easily accessible.

Let me share a synopsis of Day 1.  Day 1’s word was “PEACE”.  I meditated on Philippians 4:6-7, NLT:  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all that he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  I jotted down specific ways that I needed God’s peace in my life.

I am excited about what lies ahead in the next 120 days and how God will transform my life as a result.  I’ll keep you posted!

What about you?  Tell me how you keep your well from drying out!

Fear of the Ask–What keeps YOU from inviting people into ministry?

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

If you are like me, you’re busy recruiting volunteers for the upcoming ministry year. But as you face the realities of recruiting for your ministry team, is this the look that stares back at you in the mirror?

For some, recruiting comes naturally.  (Just for the record, that is not me!)  They love interacting with people and sharing about their ministry just rolls off their tongues.  They are able to clearly communicate and cast vision for their ministry.  Some recruit to tasks, although this is a no-no in my opinion.  (You can read about that in a previous post.)

But for others, recruiting is down-right dreadful.  Why?  For some, it’s fear.  Fear of the ask.  Here are some reasons why:

  • Insecurity and inadequacy:  Some people have a hard time asking for help because it makes them look weak or inadequate.  God does not want us to lead as a team of one.   There are many parts that make up the body and each part is beneficial (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).  Celebrate the ways God has gifted our fellow brothers and sisters and kick that silo to the curb!
  • Fear of rejection:  No one likes to be told “no”, especially when we think that what we have to offer is the best thing happening.  Despite our best efforts, we need to remember that it is God who puts a stirring in the hearts of people and a “no” might leave a “yes” available for someone who God will use to deeply impact our ministry.
  • Need for control:  Yep, I said it.  Some people have a hard time letting go of this because they don’t want to hear the opinions of others and may feel that they might be upstaged.  Enough said.
  • Not knowing what you need:  You know you need help.  You’re just not sure what you need.  Take an honest look at your ministry.  What are your pressing needs?  Write job descriptions for those needs and use those to help communicate what exactly you’re looking for.
  • Waiting for your ministry to be “perfect”:  I think it would be safe to say that we all want a ministry that we can be proud of.  But if we’re working towards having all of our ducks in a row before we invite others into the process, we’ll be missing out on some our greatest blessings.

Don’t let fear stop you from inviting people into the ministry trenches with you!  Allow God to unleash the potential that He has for your ministry!

What’s stopping you?  What would you add to this list?

Personal touches that make a difference

Kathie Phillips

I’m sure you’ve heard this popular quote:  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

As children’s ministry leaders, we depend on volunteers to do ministry alongside us.  Therefore, it is vitally important that we care about them and show them regularly.  I mean genuinely care.  How?  Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Engage them in conversation–about ministry.  What role do they see themselves in?  How can you equip and support them?  How can you work together to make the ministry all that God intended it to be?  Take an interest in them as a valued ministry partner.
  2. Engage them in conversation–about something other than ministry.  Learn about their family, their job, their hobbies/interests.  Take an interest in them as a person.
  3. Ask how you can pray for them–and do it.  You can do this by calling  or emailing them or having them fill out a prayer request card when they serve.
  4. Follow up with prayer requests.  This not only lets them know that you have covered them in prayer but that you are genuinely interested about what is happening in their lives.
  5. Acknowledge special days.  Send a card (via snail mail or electronically) acknowledging birthdays, anniversaries, the birth of a new baby, get well wishes, etc.  I have done both and my volunteers love it!
  6. Surprise them every now and then.  Mid-way through our summer programming a few weeks ago, I surprised my volunteers with donuts and juice one Sunday morning with a sign that said, “We love our Summer Serve volunteers!”  We don’t have food on Sundays very often, so these are special treats for them.  It was so refreshing to see them sit down and enjoy a light breakfast and conversation with one another.  You could also surprise them with candy, a handwritten thank-you or balloon bouquets.

What would you add to the list?