Invest in Volunteers

“i TAFERR” Model – How to invest (i) in volunteers so that they have a life transformation experience
• Only 5% of recruited volunteers last six months in a ministry
• 47% of church volunteers feel used and abused
• 93% of all adults are not self initiators (only 7% are)
• Eph 4:11 – What does equipping the saints for the work of service look like?

Training
• If it’s worth doing, it’s worth training
• We tend to train people in what they don’t need to know
• Training has three parts; tell, show do

Affirmation
• Affirmation is noticing character not skill.
• 1000’s leave ministry every day because they never get affirmation
• Affirmation is sometimes called “volunteer pay”
• Give affirmation directly, briefly, skillfully, and face to face.

Feedback – After people serve, they should be better in every respect.
• We don’t give feedback because we are afraid people won’t come back. Three common ways:
• Bubbles – compliments aren’t bad…just mediocre
• Baseballs – hurts when it hits you, represent criticism, leaves a bruise, don’t grow, but run
• Beach balls are best. “The next time...”, absorb it, won’t hurt if it hits you, need permission first, do it in private
• Couple of don’ts… don’t do it right after, don’t do it in writing…it should be relational

Evaluation
• We don’t evaluate people, we evaluate effectiveness of teams and programs
• Three questions to ask, What should we stop doing?, Start doing?, Continue doing?

Recognition
• Only works if it done for an individual not a group
• Pick up the phone and say what you appreciate
• Tangible, real, and connects with the act of service
• Don’t give token gifts, it doesn’t work.

Reflection - help people move forward towards reflection
• If we do service without reflection, it is only volunteerism, not service.
• Understand the why I serve

Ministry Fair Details

This weekend is our Ministry Fair at PAC during all four services. Services will end about 20 minutes early so people can visit the ministry tables (which are now set up and decorated in the front hallways and café for this weekend).

To be ready, we have printed 1200 contact cards that will be given out by the ushers as people enter the sanctuary this weekend.

People will fill out these contact cards during the service providing their contact information as well as some information about their SHAPE to serve. During the last 20 minutes of the service, people will then leave the sanctuary and hopefully visit ministry tables they may be interested in joining.

These contact cards will then be left at the ministry tables they want to join or learn more about.

We only want people connecting with one new ministry this time. Our hope is throughout the entire Ministry Fair weekend, people will feel that they have been either pastored, sheparded or cared for and then as a secondary outcome might even become part of a ministry at PAC.