Are You Being Clear?
Clarity when inviting people to serve is crucial. No one wants to say “yes” to something amorphous—either in terms of time, months/years needed, resources required, etc. One way to set realistic expectations—yours and theirs—is to have a clearly articulated “ministry description”—one that does not sugarcoat the role nor downplay its importance. Taking the time to write out what the job entails can also be a great exercise for you and your staff/ministry leaders.
I recall a time when I was assisting a youth director in writing ministry descriptions for his volunteer staff. He kept adding to the list of responsibilities and expectations—for those currently serving with him. When I added up the time required in what he itemized, it was over 20 hours a week! And, most of his volunteer staff were college students. No wonder he was having a hard time keeping them. This director, until his expectations were put on paper, had absolutely no idea how much he was asking of people in his ministry. He thought that the ministry job was really 5-10 hours a week. This teachable moment resulted in a longer conversation that carved out two different jobs to split those hours into something more realistic so that he could keep the college demographic he sought without burning them all out.
A “ministry description” does not have to be unduly complicated. At the most, keep it to one-page. You can distill it down to a paragraph or half a page if you like.
Be sure to include not only spiritual gifts and skills needed or desired for the job, but also why this position is important, how they will benefit when serving, what resources and training you will provide, and who will supervise them.
Write one for EVERY ministry opportunity at your church or organization. This helps give shape and substance to each position. Then, when you intentionally invite people to consider serving, you already have an idea of how well they may fit…and they have something to read to help them know more of what you are actually asking. The detailed opportunity is also something you can come back to when providing feedback or doing a review to affirm these faithful servants or ask for performance improvement.
The entire process of involving people and keeping them improves from start to finish once ministry descriptions are in place.
Remember, people commit to a specific “ask.” Be clear on your expectations in terms of skills, experience, time commitment. Have a clear job description for them—benefitting you, them, and your organization/ministry.
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been EquipConnectServe Director at her 1,200 member church since 1999. Contact Shirley.