{"id":24390,"date":"2013-06-04T03:22:04","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T09:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.churchvolunteercentral.com\/?post_type=cvdaily&p=24390"},"modified":"2013-06-04T03:22:04","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T09:22:04","slug":"four-things-every-volunteer-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwv.group.com\/childrens-ministry\/blog\/lead\/four-things-every-volunteer-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Things Every Volunteer Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

About once a month, Brian and I used to have the same conversation. As the leader of our children\u2019s ministry, he would be having difficulties with a volunteer leader. Perhaps the volunteer was being stubborn, reflecting a bad attitude, or creating other difficulties. We\u2019d discuss our options. Most often I would end up saying, \u201cBrian, he just needs your touch<\/i>. He needs your inspiration<\/i> and your motivation.<\/i> And he needs your encouragement<\/i>.\u201d I said this so often that one day we realized that I\u2019d inadvertently created an acronym: T.I.M.E. <\/strong>\u00a0So from then on, we would remind each other, \u201cThey need our T.I.M.E.!\u201d And nine times out of ten, giving a volunteer our T.I.M.E.<\/strong>\u00a0creates healthier ministry relationships.<\/p>\n

T\u00a0– Touch
\n<\/b>You don\u2019t have to be a rocket scientist to know that being touched by the right person, at the right time, and in the right way feels very good. We\u2019ve all heard about scientific studies proving that human touch can actually improve mental and physical health, boost career performance, and even increase longevity. An appropriate touch can go a long way toward communicating love and acceptance. The well-timed touch on the arm, pat on the hand, squeeze of a shoulder, or platonic hug can improve a person\u2019s outlook, and it may be the only pure touch he or she receives.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0– Inspiration
\n<\/b>We all need inspiration. We need to know why we are toiling and sweating and sometimes putting up with difficult situations or people. Make sure that your volunteers are attending worship each week. In the rare instances that our volunteers can\u2019t attend a service because of their roles, we make sure they receive a free CD of the message.<\/p>\n

M\u00a0– Motivation
\n<\/b>Two sources can be used to motivate most volunteers. The first is training that is specific to their role. If you can find the best seminar, conference, book, or\u00a0CD that will help them do better in their role, most people will be very grateful. The second is stories of life change. Make sure volunteers are hearing about the lives that are being positively influenced by their ministries. This could be done through a simple Internet-based \u201cbulletin board\u201d that captures and shares the stories.<\/p>\n

E\u00a0– Encouragement
\n<\/b>What is the best way to encourage people? Listen. Take the time to find out about their families, hobbies, and interests, and in the process, listen to their hearts. More than anything else you can do, listening causes people to feel special and valued. Think about it: people will sit in a bar late at night, click into an online chat room, or call a nighttime radio talk show just to be heard. We all need someone who will listen to us. Of course, in order to adequately listen, you must make sure you plan the time to do so.<\/p>\n

Make sure you are giving your\u00a0volunteers T.I.M.E.<\/strong>\u00a0 Teach your leaders the importance of giving T.I.M.E.<\/strong> to those under their care. If this isn’t natural for you, then systematize the practice into your life. There\u2019s nothing wrong with putting it on your schedule or to-do list. People matter too much not to make this a priority.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excerpted from <\/i>Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People for Ministry, by Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan, published by Group.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About once a month, Brian and I used to have the same conversation. As the leader of our children\u2019s ministry, he would be having difficulties with a volunteer leader. Perhaps the volunteer was being stubborn, reflecting a bad attitude, or creating other difficulties. We\u2019d discuss our options. Most often I would end up saying, \u201cBrian, he just needs your touch. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":24392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[300,301,302],"class_list":["post-24390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lead","tag-four-things-every-volunteer-needs","tag-tim-stevens-2","tag-time-2"],"yoast_head":"\n4 Things Every Volunteer Needs - Group Children's Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"About once a month, Brian and I used to have the same conversation. 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