5 things you can do to help your volunteers love what they do
Our team has been talking about multisite a lot in recent months. Mostly because we recently announced our Multisite Unstuck Course (which is jam-packed with great content), but also, to be frank, because we see a lot of churches doing multisite ineffectively.
When you launch a campus, you replicate what you already are.
And if you’re not launching with a clear strategy and a definitive why, you’re likely not going to experience the success that you expect.
New campus launches require deep volunteer benches. To launch a healthy campus and experience growth, you have to give ministry responsibilities away to volunteers. This gives you, the leader, room to lead and your team room to execute.
Typically, we recommend 1 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) for every 150 attendees at the campus.
That means you’ll need many volunteer leaders to fill other critical ministry roles, like first impressions, small group leaders, director of set-up and tear-down if you’re a portable location, etc.
Giving ministry away also means equipping your team with the resources, expectations and tools they need to do their job well. So not only is it vital to implement systems that allows you to give ministry away, but you also need to set your team up to thrive.
The culture of your launch team can set the tone for the culture of your entire campus.
Prepared, equipped and vision-driven teams create a contagious atmosphere of joy and excellence. If you launch with a specific purpose and strategy for your ministry team and volunteers, that will bleed into the culture of your campus.
This isn’t just about your volunteers enjoying serving at your church—this is about what they carry into the community. Are they excited about what’s happening at your church? Are they eager to invite their friends? Click To TweetBased on what I’ve seen in churches, here are a few recommendations on how to help your teams thrive (and help them love what they do):
Set Clear Expectations and Goals
Share as many details as necessary about the tasks that you assign to your volunteers.
Not having a clear system for setting expectations and evaluating follow-through will leave your volunteers confused about how they can win.
Establish Clear Structure and Processes
Identify a volunteer champion to oversee the whole process and ensure that your church’s standards of excellence are met each week.
Invest in Training and Resources
Regular training helps volunteers feel valued and helps fight church volunteer burnout.
Incorporate training into “huddles” before serving times or provide training in an on-demand format through YouTube videos or podcasts. Don’t make volunteers come to separate training sessions from their regular serving times if at all possible.
Show Appreciation Early and Often
Assign a champion to own volunteer appreciation and make sure it doesn’t become an afterthought a few months into the launch.
Remember, every volunteer wants to know they are needed, have input, are cared for and that they get to do something significant.
Get the Right Equipment
If you’re in a portable facility, select equipment that can be easily loaded, moved around and unloaded by your volunteers every week. Sometimes it can be beneficial to connect directly with the owners of portable locations. A few upfront enhancements to the facility can save volunteers a lot of time and effort.
A well-designed system helps prevent volunteer burnout.
Important note: This isn’t just about your volunteers enjoying serving at your church—this is about what they carry into the community. Are they excited about what’s happening at your church? Are they eager to invite their friends?
This isn’t just about your volunteers enjoying serving at your church—this is about what they carry into the community. Are they excited about what’s happening at your church? Are they eager to invite their friends? Click To TweetA healthy and vibrant culture starts with you, leader.
u003cstrongu003eA healthy and vibrant culture starts with you, leader.u003c/strongu003e @tonymorganlive Click To TweetI can’t stress enough the importance of getting your launch team right. In our Multisite Unstuck Course, we have an entire module dedicated to just building healthy launch teams.
If you’re prepping for, or considering, multisite, check out the course here.
(P.S. If you’d like to check out the course experience first, we’ve set up a module for you to do that—Clarifying Decision Rights | Free Sample Module)
