Five Ways to Make Volunteers' Service Worthwhile
by Ted Harro
1. Give me a clear, compelling purpose
2. Involve me as much as possible
3. Celebrate moments by creating traditions
4. Don't waste my time
5. Stop the ball-hogging
The details can be found here. I longer version of Ted Harro's article can be found here.
Here's a synopsis of Andy Stanely's message at Willow Creek's Leadership Summit 2006 (plan now for next year).
Andy Stanley: Why I Decided to Cheat the ChurchHe talked about the best leadership decision he’s ever made. He made a deal with God. He explained it something like this:
God, I don’t have time to build a ministry and take care of my family. I’ll give you 45 hours per week as a church planter. If you can build a church on 45 hours, I’m your guy. I’ll let you build has big a church as you can with that 45 hours, and I’ll be satisfied with that. But I’m not going to cheat my family.
Andy decided to cheat the church before he cheated his family. With his wife, he decided to be at home by 4:30 every day. That meant he left work at 4:00.
Andy explained that God has never commanded him to love the Church. He was commanded to love his wife. He was never commanded to build the Church. Jesus said he would do that. Instead, we get it backwards. We try to go build the church, and we pray that God will take care of our family.
How did this decision impact Andy’s leadership?
1. It forced him to play exclusively to play to his strengths. Focus on the things you’re good at. The less you do, the more you accomplish. You’re not very good at very many things. Only do what only you can do.
2. It forced him to prioritize the success of the church over my personal success. He had to say no to lots of other opportunities. It forced him to focus on the main thing God has called him to do. North Point has his undivided attention.
3. The value has forced the organization to say no to many things and maintain a sustainable pace. That protects Andy’s time, but it also obviously also protects his staff’s time. We need to create a “to don’t” list. The value led to a decision to shut down the church the final weekend of every year to give all the volunteers and staff members a weekend to be with their families.
4. This value elicits incredible loyalty from the staff. Andy tells all new employees not to cheat their families.
This is a hard decision. People will be angry. We can’t fall into the “If I don’t, it won’t get done” trap. How many hours you work won’t make or break your career.
Andy wrote more about this topic in his book, Choosing to Cheat.
Download audio from the 2006 Foursquare Convention workshops
Here's what's available:
Workshops #1
Creative Communication: Connecting to a Visual Generation
The Community Center Revolution
Pillars of Influence in the Home, Church and MarketplaceUnlearning Urban Church Planting
Writing with Purpose and Passion
Missions #1 Asia
Missions #2 Europe
Leading Beyond Yourself
Rich Pastor, Poor Pastor
Raiders of the Lost Spark
On Any Given Sunday…the Ultimate Game of Preaching
Church and Culture: An Opportunity Like No Other in History
Harnessing Technology for Ministry
Workshops #2
Bi-Vocational? Get Connected!
Make the Most of What You’ve Got: Next Steps for Your Church
How to Apply for Ministry Funding
Mobilizing a Church Plant to Serve Your Community
Building Generational Bridges
Now Playing - The Preview of Your Future
Church Administration: Four Things Every Church Leader Should Know
How to Start and Develop a Ministry Institute
Re-Imagine: God’s Vision for Women in Ministry
