So your church has identified a volunteer opportunity and prayerfully considered it. After all, you have a lot of experience with the type of project; It is tailored to your abilities, talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts. Although it may be an exaggeration, you are confident that you are the right person for the job. You approach the leadership of the church and offer your skills. You are so compelling and enthusiastic, that you are selected to lead the project.
Spearheading the project? Didn’t you volunteer just to help out in some way? What do you know about leading something? Suddenly you lose your passion, you find yourself doubting the skills, abilities and gifts that gave you the confidence to volunteer. This is obviously new territory and leading a group of volunteers is very different from leading a team at work. This will definitely put your skills to the test. Well, where do we start?
People volunteer for many reasons. They may have skills and love to contribute or they may enjoy being in the mix. Maybe they will step up because no one else is volunteering. You may suddenly be in charge and maybe just for the last reason … no one came. Rick Warren wrote in Purpose Driven Life that the reason many churches fail is because the workers are not working.
Here’s another fact, 90% of businesses fail in the first five years. You think it is
Unbelievable, 90% of those businesses fail after the next five years. That’s sobering and has a lot to do with vital project management skills that many leaders lack. These are basic skills that are transferable in any situation. If churches cannot successfully complete projects, they will never survive.
The crucial first step in good project management is properly identifying the need and communicating it. This is your opportunity to create a vision that is in harmony with the direction your organization is heading. Seek guidance and provide feedback from the leadership or committee that assigned the work. This vision is essential to understand it from the beginning. If you can’t communicate it in a relatively simple paragraph, then you and leadership are not on the same sheet music. Consequently, you will not be able to adequately motivate those who will work on your team.
Vision is essential. Unlike what happens in the office, you may not have an official position, do not wear a uniform, or be unable to lead a performance in ready-to-wear gear. Successful pastor, author, and motivational speaker Dr. John Maxwell said that leading a group of volunteers is the most challenging leadership situation. You don’t pay them, they don’t have to work for you, and you have no authority. Although you don’t provide these attributes in a traditional way, you can provide them as you create a vision and communicate. More on that later.
Once you have an idea for the project and have created a great vision, the next step is to recruit the team. Having the right people in place will set you up for early success. Think about it, he took on the job because he knew he could do it and he had some passion for it. Why would you want someone else on your team except those with the same desire? This does not mean turning down all volunteers. All the different members of the body can contribute in some way. This just means focusing your efforts on actively recruiting quality, qualified leaders. You know you can count on them to do your part.
With your vision clear, break the project down into small parts or something you can manage into subgroups. For example, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Madison, Alabama, is celebrating its 150th anniversary. They wanted to have a great celebration to mark this important milestone. The head of the project communicated her clear vision to him and divided the complex project into many different subcommittees that reported to him. The subcommittees covered needs such as advertising, creating a portable museum, writing a book, creating events for children, cleaning the campus and about ten others. He had the right people in his place.
How do you recruit capable people? Start by identifying those who are trained and capable of leading the subtasks. They are trustworthy and have influence in their inner circles. Once identified, let them know that you really admire their skills in the areas you need and think they are the people to lead. You may have to approach them several times to get a compromise. Then use them to recruit your own crew. Do you see what you just did? You recruited a leader who is capable of bringing together the people they will work with.
Follow this process until you have recruited enough leaders to handle all the major parts of your projects. Offer encouragement and continue to share your vision with the leaders you have recruited. Keep the team focused.
Then gather your team. In this crucial meeting, develop a reverse timeline. This timeline starts at the absolute last date you need to finish the project and ends with your next meeting. This will give you structure and focus for future meetings. Agree to make the meetings count only by discussing the progress or deficiencies necessary to get the project done and complete on time.
Remember, these meetings focus only on the project. You must be the one to impose the direction and discipline. Please note that the end date you agreed to is at least a few weeks before the required date. For example, if your church cleanup day will be completed on the first day of the fall Sunday School session on September 15, make sure you have a tour or inspection of the area before September 7. This allows one week to resolve any hiring issues for table repairs, fix playground equipment, or order supplies that you may have identified as a result of the cleanup.
Invite the pastor or staff members who assign the project to the first meeting. Allow them to open in prayer, share their vision, and give inspirational words. This will set a positive tone and give credibility. Again, you have nothing to offer volunteers other than motivation and a desire for success. So, use whatever you can to make the project equally valuable and exciting for all members.
As mentioned above, keep each meeting focused on the big picture. It is important that everyone involved knows what success looks like and how they will benefit. As the project leader, encourage the task leaders of the subgroup to outline their plan in relation to the project schedule. Prepare them for success by demonstrating how they should organize their business meetings. It is in their meetings that they solve problems.
Again, resolve deficiencies at each meeting. Either at the task or project level, resolve the issues or set a separate date to resolve them. Nothing deflates motivation faster than making a plan and not tracking progress. Suppose that at the meeting, the publicity committee reveals that they have encountered a probable roadblock that tries to get the church to budget for $ 300 for flyers. To resolve the issue, agree to speak to the deacons or the budget committee. Suddenly, a month has passed and you have not made any move towards resolution. He did not follow up and has nothing to report to the committee. This leads to disappointment, as well as setting the standard that allows everyone to enjoy responsibility. Always follow plans and solutions.
Of course, you will successfully deal with the shortcomings with a good plan that can be followed frequently. As a result, you provide vital feedback to the church. You are sincere about success and shortcomings. He also ensures that the report reaches the rest of the congregation so that they feel “informed.” The more people you get emotionally involved, the better support you get for the project.
Leading volunteers is a rewarding experience and definitely a challenge for anyone’s leadership skills. Many people count on you, although traditionally they are not accountable to you. However, there is no great mystery to successfully leading complex projects at any level. Start with the vision set, picture of success, resolution management, follow-through, and accountability, and you can motivate a team committed to achieving great things.
