Placement or Deployment of
Church Volunteers into Ministry
Pre-Requisites for Placing People into Ministry:
Getting the right person into the right ministry at the right time requires that you follow an on-going process of . . .
- ministry assessment so you know what the right ministries are
- ministry profiling so you know who the right people are
- ministry recruitment so you know if it is the right time for those you consider to be the right people
After the right person has accepted the right ministry at the right time, you are ready to place this person into the ministry position.
If you take a short cut from the process, you will soon run into problems.
You may try to keep a dying ministry alive, putting people into positions that will yield minimal eternal impact. --- a consumption of valuable energy
You may tend to place the wrong people in the wrong places and then they will not be available to be placed where they ought to be deployed. --- a misuse of your people resources
You may fail to give people a realistic view of what they can expect and so they may get frustrated and soon leave. --- a low retention rate
You may get to the point where placement becomes about filling positions rather than following God's design and purposes. --- a failure to glorify God
Elements Required for Effective Deployment of Church Volunteers:
- Delegation of Responsibility
If you did an effective job at recruitment, the person should already be aware of the expectations, responsibilities, and boundaries involved in the position. At this point, however, the following need to be restated and reviewed with opportunity for clarification before a person begins the new ministry.
description of job
level of decision-making authority
channel of communication
clarification of length of commitment
- Distribution of Resources
People should be provided with whatever materials and funding are needed to do the task they have been given. In some cases this may mean providing referrals and recommendations. This should be done at the time of their deployment, not when a need arises after they have already been placed. It may include
curriculum or other teaching materials
office or room furnishings
supplies and equipment
procedure for making a requisition for what is needed
- Demonstration of Relationship
When people are placed into ministry, they need to know that they have the support they need. Distributing the material resources is not enough. They also need to be built up in their skills and in their spirit. Demonstrate this kind of support in the placement process by
praying with and for them before they begin
---one-on-one or on congregational level
purposefully introducing them to other staff and team members
providing dates and plans for on-going training
proposing a tentative date for evaluating their progress
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