Orange Leaders Forum » Tag: volunteer

Orange Leaders Forum » Tag: volunteer - Recent Posts http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/tags/volunteer Orange Leaders Forum en-US Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:28:14 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/search.php tam1 on "Paid Nursery Staff" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/paid-nursery-staff#post-215 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:35:50 +0000 tam1 215@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We actually have 2 paid staff members for our nursery as well as group of a rotating volunteers to assist them. There are a couple of reasons we decided to go with the paid staff. 1. With that age group, we found that having one consistant person staff the class each week was invaluable considering the greater needs of caregiving requirements. That consistant person knows each child's/family's needs, allergies, feeding & sleeping routines, etc. This is very comforting especially for new parents. 2. We were having difficulty staffing those classes with volunteers. With that age, we can't just stick anyone in there and it is impossible to do what we do with the older children as far as combining classes or getting substitutes. With this being said, both of the paid staff are plugged into small groups and once per month,we staff it to allow them to join in the Community Worship Service. This may not work for every church, but it has worked well for us. It simply did not work for us to try to staff it with rotating volunteers each week. Hope that helped. NickBlevins on "Paid Nursery Staff" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/paid-nursery-staff#post-211 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:15:44 +0000 NickBlevins 211@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ The fact that they are long time members, but don't attend or connect, should definitely be addressed. Although, that's not positive :) I can only suggest casting a vision for why you want volunteers, not just in the nursery but throughout children's ministry. It sounds like the church leadership is a little scared to upset some members and that should be settled first. Meaning, the ministerial staff needs to fully support your decision before you take it to anyone else. They may not be fit for other roles, but you could consider still paying them, and transitioning them to leadership roles, or administration/preparation roles during the week. Meanwhile, you could replace them with volunteers in the nursery. Marty on "Paid Nursery Staff" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/paid-nursery-staff#post-210 Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:15:06 +0000 Marty 210@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ I've been on staff at my current church for 2 years. When I arrived, I found what I believe to be an oddity. We actually have 2 paid employees that provide care in our nursery. The only up-side to me is that you know the nursery is staffed. But what drives me crazy is the fact these two ladies are never in church, never in a Bible study, and are not growing. I believe we should staff our nursery with parent volunteers but our ministerial staff is no so excited about the idea (some of it is the issue that it's always been this way and the paid workers parents are long time members of the church as well as these 2 ladies depend on the supplemental income). Any ideas how I could present a positive transition from paid to volunteer? Or, does anyone else have this problem at their church? Just wondering...thanks for any suggestions. warmspringsvegas on "Student Ministies Manual" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/student-ministies-manual#post-134 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:28:57 +0000 warmspringsvegas 134@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Our network spent months developing a Student Ministry Survival Manual for volunteer leaders. We made it so it could be customize by any church. It has been a wonderful tool and if anyone would like it, please email me at nhicks at warmsprings dot net jhalfhill on "Student Ministies Manual" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/student-ministies-manual#post-119 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:39:34 +0000 jhalfhill 119@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ I would make sure to add a section on child protection policies. I know this would traditionally fit under policies and procedures but I would make sure that this was one that was definitely laid out. Angela McCann on "How do we cast vision for parents and engage into the strategy?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-we-cast-vision-for-parents-and-engage-into-the-strategy#post-88 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:44:28 +0000 Angela McCann 88@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We are heading into year 4 with this curriculum and Family Experience. After going to Orange this past year (and the first time for me as director of CM) I decided to recast the Orange vision. First to CM staff, then to the leaders and finally to the parents. I am very very excited to see things unfold this fall and feel really good about recasting Orange. See, from the get go we practically painted the church orange. We were so excited about Orange and our Pastor and Leadership totally supported it. . We had Orange candies, orange tablecloths, orange balloons and a whole lot of enthusiasm which was contagious in itself apparently. However, we found out that while parents got the 30/4000 meaning they could define it but they didn't really adopt it. Parents could tell me how red(home) and yellow(church) together make orange but they couldn't tell me why that would mean they needed to do anything differently. After orange we redefined our "win", we redefined our strategy and then in summer we began to implement it. Can't wait for our first Family Experience of the school year in Oct.! csykes on "How do I get consistent leaders in small groups?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-get-consistent-leaders-in-small-groups#post-45 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:53:49 +0000 csykes 45@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We are changing the structure of our small group time this year. In the past, we have used the entire large group/small group curriculum in a traditional Sunday School small group environment. This year, we decided to utilize a rotation that will get us a little closer to the way the curriculum is intended to be used. Kids will rotate through three stations each Sunday morning during our SS hour. They'll go to 2 activity rotations and 1 story telling rotation. We've recruited separate leaders for each of these rotations, so that their prep responsibility is lower. In addition, we've recruited small group shepherds who will meet with the kids at the beginning and end and take the groups through all the rotations. They are not responsible for any weekly prep. Instead, their responsibility is to build relationships in and out of the church building. This has helped us recruit based on gifts, interests, and abilities for the first time. While we more than doubled the number of leaders required, it's been fairly easy to recruit. I've always had a goal of having two leaders in every room, but never met that goal. Now, there will be a rotation leader and shepherd with every group all the time. We have some kinks to work out and this system has its pros and cons, but I really think it's going to prove to be a fantastic year. N8Bristol on "Student Ministies Manual" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/student-ministies-manual#post-42 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:56:08 +0000 N8Bristol 42@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We are wanting to resource our leaders with a Student Ministries Manual where they can recieve guidence and confidence in leading students. Here are some starting categories I have for the manual: Keys of our Ministry Basic Ministry Principles Personal Training Leading My Small Groups Leading Individual Students What to do if... Policies & Procedures Meeting Notes Resources Etc. Does anyone already have some sort of manual that we can use as a guide? Has anyone successully utilized a manual? todd4h2 on "How do I get consistent leaders in small groups?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-get-consistent-leaders-in-small-groups#post-33 Tue, 19 May 2009 16:00:02 +0000 todd4h2 33@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ One thing I have been guilty of in the past is trying to plug names into empty slots. ("We need one more leader for 8th grade and a helper for 10 grade.") I was having a hard time finding people who would even commit for a quarter at a time. But recently I tried something different. I met with parents and other adults, in groups or even individually, that I wanted to get involved, and laid out the our entire vision in a way that they could see the significance of the role I was asking them to fill. Much to my surprise, everyone I talked to not only agreed to be long term small group leaders, they were excited and thanked me for the opportunity. That is something I had never experienced in my 13 years of student ministry. I was thinking, "Why didn't I think to this years ago?" Go Orange, or go home. lol Beth Nelson on "How do I engage students to serve?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-engage-students-to-serve#post-20 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:20:06 +0000 Beth Nelson 20@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Students need consistent opportunities to develop their faith, and it's critical to allow them to see God show up as they do ministry and influence others. One of the best ways to stimulate faith is to give students an opportunity to have a personal ministry within your church and to expose them to the larger story of faith developing around them. <ul> <li>Encourage your students to sponsor a child through Compassion or another group. Show them the influence they can have on a child in another country, then help them see the influence they can have on children within your church. </li> <li>Plan for students to serve as the volunteer team for a special children's event. </li> <li>You may have to rearrange your Sunday morning schedule to allow students to serve. Students can be a great help with technical support, drama, leading worship, and even leading children's small groups. </li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "How do we train leaders?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-we-train-leaders#post-19 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:03:24 +0000 Beth Nelson 19@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ The Orange Leaders curriculum is a ready-made way to train leaders in your ministry. When you subscribe, you'll receive articles, podcasts, and other resources to help develop both ministry leaders and volunteers. You'll also receive instructions and creative ideas for hosting regular volunteer training and appreciation events. Monthly or quarterly events are great ways to encourage your volunteers and show them gratitude for their consistent service. Use these times to update leaders about happenings in your ministry, to address questions, to tell remarkable stories about the children and students in your ministry, and to develop their leadership capacity through short messages and teachings. Beth Nelson on "When do you start plugging kids in to serve?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/when-do-you-start-plugging-kids-in-to-serve#post-18 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:53:26 +0000 Beth Nelson 18@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Kids as young as third grade can be given light, age-appropriate responsibilities. Older elementary kids can begin to serve on a kids' singing team or as helpers who welcome new kids and help them feel like they belong). Middle schoolers can continue as singers, but can also start to intern in tech and behind-the-scenes roles. High school students can begin to lead small groups, become vocalists, or take speaking roles in productions, as well as take on primary roles in other capacities. In some cases they can become an adult leader’s best ally: they may have more relevant insight into tech and can create an awesome vibe in various environments. Beth Nelson on "What do small group leaders do?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/what-do-small-group-leaders-do#post-17 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:41:50 +0000 Beth Nelson 17@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Ultimately, small group leaders build relationships. While teachers communicate, group leaders create the kind of environment where relationships happen. These principles are core to a small group leader’s responsibilities: <ul> <li>Building relationships with kids, with their parents, and encouraging kids to build relationships with each other and with their parents. </li> <li>Facilitating dialogue about faith and life. </li> <li>Answering questions or helping the group to answer their own questions. </li> <li>Helping children and students apply the bottom lines to their lives. </li> <li>Tracking with kids beyond Sunday through social networking, text messages, phone calls, and group gatherings that happen at other times during the week. The older the group, the more important this becomes. </li> <li>Praying for the group, for the families in the group, and encouraging the group to pray for one another. </li> <li>Encouraging and challenging kids to connect with God on their own at home. </li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "How do I get consistent leaders in small groups?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-get-consistent-leaders-in-small-groups#post-16 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:37:36 +0000 Beth Nelson 16@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Getting small group leaders to become consistent happens in a variety of ways. It’s a bit organic. But as far as we can tell, these factors help: <ul> <li>Cast vision for what you want to see happen. Since many church leaders grew up under a teacher/student paradigm, you need to continually remind people that leading small groups is about relationships. </li> <li>Create a great serving environment. <ul> <li>Is your environment fun? Do people like to serve? </li> <li>Are you prepared for your volunteers when they show up? Are things in the right places so leaders can focus on relationships? </li> <li>Do you celebrate wins? When relationships go deep, celebrate it and tell others what a great job your group leaders are doing. What you celebrate gets repeated. </li> <li>Do you thank them regularly and meaningfully? Gratitude fosters generosity. </li> </ul> </li> <li>Make the message from the adult service available. Many volunteers don’t want to serve every week because they want to be in an adult service. If you have a second service, encourage group leaders to serve for one and attend one. Give them a free CD of the message. </li> <li>If for various reasons you can’t have a consistent group leader serving the same group of kids every week, choose two leaders per group and rotate them. While not ideal, kids can better relate to two leaders than to a random assortment of leaders.</li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "How do we cast vision for parents and engage into the strategy?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-we-cast-vision-for-parents-and-engage-into-the-strategy#post-12 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:54:18 +0000 Beth Nelson 12@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Vision leaks, so it must be done constantly, creatively, and in as many ways as can be done. Here are some ideas that might help: <ul> <li>Launch a new ministry season with Orange Night. Cast vision for why you are doing what you do (the strategy behind Orange) as well as the content you might be covering, but make it fun. You might hand out Orange glow sticks and play some great music. If you want to make it a true family event, try showing the "Skeeples and Lomes" DVD to parents and kids together. Finish off the night with orange sherbert, vanilla ice cream, and orange toppings. </li> <li>If you do a monthly FX (Family Experience), it’s a great chance to cast vision. Give parents the monthly Parent Link Live parenting podcast to help them understand how they can win at home. Some churches even start the family experience a few minutes early, and while the kids warm up with some songs, parents gather for a few minutes with the senior pastor or another church leader who gives a short (5-7 minute) talk on parenting values or the church’s Orange strategy. </li> <li>At the end of the year, throw an Ovations event where you celebrate your volunteers. Many of your volunteers are parents, and while you are appreciating their hard work, you have yet another opportunity to remind why what they do is so important. </li> <li>Create a highlights video of what goes on "back there" so parents can see what it looks and feels like, and play these videos prior to the adult service when appropriate. Work with your church’s senior leadership, lead pastor, and eldership for their communication and support. Talk with your senior pastor about possibly doing an Orange series for adults. </li> <li>Encourage parents to tap into Amber Sky, where the vision gets reinforced once again through music and creative arts.</li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "What does a staff organizational chart look like at different stages?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/what-does-a-staff-organizational-chart-look-like-at-different-stages#post-5 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:20:39 +0000 Beth Nelson 5@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ While every church is different, there are some common structures that many Orange churches have moved to. Details vary, but here are the people you may need, now or down the road: For Sunday ministry in all environments (preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school and college): <ul> <li>Large group communicators and small group leaders </li> <li>Host team/security check-in volunteers/crowd control for zone coordinators </li> <li>Tech team</li> </ul> For Family Experience: <ul> <li>Family production director, cast, tech teams, host team, prop/set managers</li> </ul> Midweek: <ul> <li>Resource assistance: a team to prepare small group materials, and another to gather and prep large group theme, props, visuals</li> </ul> While all of this might seem overwhelming, the best approach is to begin where you are and build out from there. In a single-staff church, the pastor would simply design his or her volunteer structure around the environments he or she is able to run. Volunteers would implement Orange ministry with the staff member and leadership team as chief architects and encouragers. You might even designate a volunteer to be Family Ministry Director. As you expand the ministry, staff new positions with volunteers and plan to hire top-level leaders (directors or pastors) whose primary gifting is managing projects and managing volunteer teams. As you add to your staff, remember to provide good administrative support for your team (sometimes churches forget to hire admin help). Finally, never let staff replace your volunteers. You will always feel the pressure to hire, but often a slight reorganization or looking at a situation a second time will allow you to continue to keep volunteers engaged. Remember, for many of them, making a difference in families’ lives is the highlight of their week.