Team Building & Church Volunteers

1. How would you rate your current overall number of volunteers?

2. Which departments or positions are hardest to fill?

3. What are some of your best methods for recruiting/adding volunteers to your various teams?

·  One-on-one meetings and relationship building. Sharing our personal journey into ministry. Sharing the impact that serving the kingdom has on the returning messiah.

·  Invite the congregation in and empower them to be participants. The ministry leader plays an important role in empowering people.

·  Current volunteers who love what they do are always the best recruitment. We have been doing a Serving Spotlight over the past several weeks to highlight each week a different volunteer area and opportunity.

·  Personal invitation.

·  Shoulder tapping, ministry fair, sermons focused on serving in ministries, public sharing of testimonials of what’s happening in various ministries.

·  I gather names and contact info of those who ask about helping out at future events.

·  Ministry Fair Life Groups.

4. Have you made serving/volunteering part of your discipleship approach or growth track?

·  Serving is part of our discipleship emphasis. The pillars of the church and spiritual growth.

·  We do not emphasize serving at Church over serving elsewhere when it comes to discipleship.

·  It is incorporated into our core values which is directly connected to our discipleship process.

·  We teach on importance of serving in ministry. We provide a handbook of all our ministries for people to choose from.

·  In our Partners/Class we give opportunity to sign up.

·  I work and pray with each individual and show servanthood by demonstrating it to all who volunteer.

5.  Which areas require a background check to serve?

6.  What company do you use to run your background checks and what is the fee per person?

·   We have used several. $30 I believe for state. $85 I think for federal.

·  CheckR, $10/person

·   Protect My Ministry

·   CheckR, $13/person

7.  What are your guidelines and qualifications for those who can serve?  (i.e. Men, Women, Youth?  Members vs. Attenders? Time requirements of attendance?  What Biblical qualifications are required?  Can non-believers serve, and if so, where? etc)?

·   Great question! The positions of President, Rabbi, and Chazzan are the only positions we reserve for only men. Our women serve in a myriad of authoritative roles. Only those who hold a membership can become leaders. Attendees can become members after 90 days. Membership includes an agreement to our central doctrines. Leaders are encouraged to take our 10-month discipleship program, take our Hebrew classes, and have had or will have a bar/bat mitzvah.

·   While we are not opposed to having non-believers participate in some areas (food bank, some events), we require most areas to be attenders or members. The time requirements vary on the position. Our goal is to connect people to serve as soon as possible, because they get to build relationships quicker.

·   All people can serve. We fill serving is one of the best ways to look more like Jesus. We have certain requirements if you are serving in a leadership position like teaching kids or leading a small group or being a worship leader and certainly an elder. The primary requirement would be that you are surrendered to Jesus, and you are in line with the beliefs/mission of the church.

·   All over the age of 12 can serve after 3 months of attendance, next steps class completed, and acceptance of our beliefs (salvation, baptism, doctrinal beliefs, etc.)

·   Non-believers can serve in non-teaching roles. We do require most serving roles that they are active members, believing Christians. Some roles require one year of attendance, all roles require lifestyle of godly character and morals.

·   Varies depending on the volunteer position.

·   Non-believers can serve but not in leadership positions. Depending on the position, we ask for different levels of requirements.

·   I look for a heart to serve others, make a difference, and impact the lives of those around them. I look for those who are faithful to the ministry and may be overlooked because of physical or mental challenges; they often become the best volunteers because someone saw them and asked them to help.

·   Anyone can serve following an interview and background check for certain roles. Members and attendees can serve in most roles. Membership required for elders. 

8.  Please describe how your church honors, recognizes, or celebrates people who faithfully serve.

·   We encourage and recognize each other with mention from stage, and we cover meals when we meet in public. In a synagogue setting there is authority and respect for all leadership. It’s simply part of the culture.

·   Every year we give gift cards to those who serve and often honor individuals from the pulpit.

·   Our team leaders write notes of encouragement, give gift cards for significant events, give greater responsibilities, and on rare occasions celebrate from stage.

·   Publicly from the pulpit, annual dinner, small gifts, etc.

·   Public recognition, public prayers, special dinners/banquets to say thank you.

·   Once per six months we have area pastors or leaders write a personal note of thanks. Sometimes team dinners or gatherings.

·   We have a Volunteer Celebration Dinner once a year. Simply a night of fun! We have our “5 Smooth Stone Awards” for our key volunteers.

·   Twice a year I treat my volunteers to a meal and recognize each one by name.

·   Cards of thanks. Acknowledgement from up front. Volunteer appreciation dinner.

9.    Please describe your onboarding and training process for new recruits.

·   Typically, it begins with meeting with members who show commitment to the kingdom and to the synagogue. I always begin by asking their experience and skill set in the workplace.

·   Each ministry is required to train the new recruits while under the supervision of a staff member.

·   Volunteer application, followed by background check and references, if required. Interview to establish pastoral relationship and verify the fit. Orientation/Training for specific team or a “test drive,” if needed. Schedule for service on a rotation. We have created job descriptions for each position that includes: How to Win, requirements/expectations, and an off boarding process (timeframe for the minimum and maximum time they can serve).

·   4-week, 30 minute session course, then application for review of ministry leader.

·   Work side-by-side with someone already in the role. Training class if applicable.

·   Limited.

·   It depends on the position. Mostly leaders of ministries walking with newer people.

·   I pair them with someone who has experience and that I have personally worked with.

·   Informal. Team meetings quarterly to half a year depending on ministry. Background checks annually. Oversight by team leads.

10. What has changed in the last 5 years in your approach to recruiting and reenlisting volunteers?

·   Everything. We have raised up leaders way to fast in the past and dealt with the major consequences.

·   Nothing really.

·   The need to make people take breaks.

·   Filtering based on alignment to mission.

·   Still not very organized.

·   Even though we are a small to medium church, we finally hired a part time person to focus specifically on hospitality and volunteers.

·   Nothing.

·   More process in place to synchronize and streamline expectations.

11. Many churches have a “Rally Sunday” once or twice a year to recruit new volunteers.  If you do one, please share any ideas that have helped yours be successful.

·   I want to start doing this!!

·   I try not to do these.

·   Serve Sunday has provided platforms for our team leaders and current volunteers to assume people into volunteer opportunities. They do create awareness. We have been doing Serving Fairs that produce quite a few cards and follow ups, but only result in about 1/3 actually getting involved. This last time, we added an initial step and created a Serving Survey for our people to fill out to help them find their fit. There was no immediate action step other than to fill out this form. Our staff has been following up personally to grab coffee and help people find the best way to be fulfilled. We have strategically highlighted our Volunteer Teams each week after using a video Spot Light. We are still in the midst of this experiment.

·   We call it a ministry fair. All ministries set up a booth in our foyer and auditorium and during the Sunday school hour and after service, people tour the booths. The sermon that day is on ministry service.

·   A Ministry Fair that takes place after the service one Sunday.

·   Had fresh king salmon for those who got 8 or more signatures at the ministry fair booths.

12. Please share what systems you have set up to avoid burnout by volunteers and/or establishing opportunities for them to take a break from serving.

·   Part of our culture is to delegate much and take sabbaticals often. Also, the bigger issue isn’t burnout, but “burn-in.” That is where people become tired but are too stubborn to take a break! They can lose heart and even resent their position. We encourage and even mandate ministry sabbaticals to present this.

·   Have them serve only once or twice a month.

·   We have historically done a bad job at this. But recently seen the need to make people take breaks to avoid burnout. This is really hard because we still NEED them, but it forces us to find others to fill the void.

·   Annual reviews.

·   Some roles are temporary with people serving on a rotational basis. Some roles have once-a-month responsibility so that it’s not too much. Try to have assistants and other team members in each role so that no one serves in a ministry alone.

·   Key leaders are supposed to stay relationally connected to key volunteers and respond at a more personal level to prevent or aid in burnout or compassion fatigue.

·   We don’t have good ones. It is almost all relationships with our size of church.

·   I always welcome input from the volunteers. When they feel valued and heard, it encourages a better work environment. They see me working alongside of them and know I am living what I teach. When someone needs a break, others step up and fill in for them.

·   Schedule rotations. Calendar availability sign ups.