Utilizing my book The 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader and its accompanying study guide, I just concluded a 10-week bible study at Fellowship Bible Church for business leaders. The purpose of the study was to equip those in the marketplace with Christian leadership principles so they could have a biblical framework for leadership, be more successful and ultimately have a competitive advantage. In my 29 years of Christian service, I have never done anything which has received a more positive response from the recipients.
As I look back on what made the study so successful, much of it had to do with our Pastor of Discipleship Glenn Underhill. The vision he had and the support he provided were incredible. In an effort to help all church staff better support their volunteer leaders, I wanted to document just some of the ways Glenn made my efforts successful.
The following are 11 Things Church Staff Can Do To Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders:
- Church Staff Often Need Fresh Eyes To Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders – You likely have many talented people with extraordinary skills already sitting in your church who are not being taking advantage of. Unknowingly, their potential contributions are taken for granted, overlooked or even marginalized. Let’s face it, excellence becomes average when it is all you have. Glenn, being new to our staff and having fresh eyes, saw a person in me with a resource like The 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader which could be used to effectively disciple others.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Taking An Interest In Them – To effectively lead volunteer leaders, you must know what they think about, cry about, and dream about. Before approaching me about the study, Glenn actually took the time to read my book and study guide. This meant a lot to me.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Inviting Them Into The Game – Most of the leaders in your church would be honored to use their gifts, talents and influence to serve their home church. Someone needs to simply invite them into the game. Glenn approached me one Sunday morning and we had the following paraphrased conversation, “Brian, I read your book. It’s really good and has a study guide. Why have we not done anything with it?” To which I replied, “Thanks. Well, I don’t really want to push my own book.” Then Glenn asked the right question, “Well, if we did something with your book in the area of discipleship, what would you want to do with it?” And thus the journey began…
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Having A Vision For The Assignment – As our discipleship pastor, Glenn had an idea for a certain type of Friday morning study he wanted to see take place. We quickly discovered my vision for the type of class I wanted to do fit perfectly into his vision.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Effectively Promoting The Ministry – Platforms drive the success of most ministry initiatives. As the study approached, I deeply appreciated Glenn taking the time to promote it during one of his morning messages.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Thinking Outside The Box – Our church had not previously done a study to equip business leaders. This was an out-of-box idea because it was not a traditional “bible study.” Furthermore, other than couples or singles studies, our church had traditionally focused on only men’s or women’s classes. Understanding there are both men and women leaders in the business sector, this study was going to intentionally be a new paradigm for our church out of necessity.
- Church Staff Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Removing Barriers To Success – Anything new is going to be met with some level of resistance. My resistance was minimal like a few raised eyebrows. Glenn, though, was a constant source of encouragement by continually communicating the positive vision for the study to all who would ask.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Resourcing Their Efforts – Each person who pre-registered for the class received a complimentary copy the book and study guide. It was important for us to create a positive experience for all involved and ensure they had everything they needed for success.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Making A Personal Investment In Their Volunteers – Our study took place on Friday mornings at 6:30 AM. That is a steep price to pay for all who attended but Friday is Glenn’s day off. However, we was present at nine of the ten sessions along with his teenage son.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Being Continual Learners – As part of each week’s study, we brought in an expert on each chapter’s topic to interview. These were A-List leaders like Bryan and Shannon Miles, Ike Reighard, Mike Linch, Michael Lukaszewski, Joe Sangl and several of Atlanta’s top business leaders. I was encouraged on a weekly basis by Glenn, who as a staff member, took notes and never missed an opportunity to tell me how much he was personally learning. Few things are as encouraging to volunteers as when staff members communicate how much their contributions are adding value to them personally.
- Church Staff Can Make Highly Successful Volunteer Leaders By Providing Real-Time Quality Feedback – As the study concluded, Glenn had each of the attendees complete an online survey. This gift of feedback will make our studies even better moving forward. I highly recommend churches survey all their adult teachers and facilitators. While this may be initially uncomfortable, everyone gets better when a leader improves.
Once again, I cannot thank Glenn enough for making this unique study a reality and ultimately a huge success. This could not have happened without him. Glenn is a GREAT Discipleship Pastor.
If you would like to know how to put on a 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader study for the business leaders in your church, click Contact and I will be glad to coach you through the process.
In conclusion, what is one thing from this list you can do to make your volunteer leaders more successful?
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