Anyone responsible for overseeing staffing knows the struggles of recruiting enough people to fill all the needs. So, when we do get people to volunteer, we don’t want to lose them. And, we should do what we can to train, encourage, and support them in ways that let them know they’re valued and appreciated. But, what do we do if they aren’t a good fit? Or, what if they aren’t coming adequately prepared or have a negative attitude? We may be tempted to apply a quick solution rather than seek real change.
The Objective Will Determine if We Seek Real Change or Apply a Quick Solution
If our objective is solely filling ministry positions, then we won’t want to hurt the person’s feelings or upset them in any way. We don’t want them get frustrated and quit. We may cover for their inadequacies or make excuses for them so those affected don’t complain or at least cut them some slack. We may pull on more reliable people to fill in. These are quick solutions to try to keep everybody happy.
When our objective goes beyond the immediate situation to the long-range effect of people’s attitudes and behavior, we will be more concerned about helping the person serve in accordance with God’s heart and ways. We will then take steps to spur the person on to give of their best to the Lord in attitudes and actions (Heb. 10:24). This is about real change for God’s glory (Ps. 79:9).
The Results in How We Deal with Staffing Issues Reveal the Best Approach
Quick solutions fail to look at the big picture like how their actions or attitudes affect other people. It could possibly stir up negative feelings in others, dampening the morale of everyone and diminishing effective ministry.
Pursuing real change, however, challenges the person to look outside of themselves and brings them into accountability to the Lord, not us. Everyone benefits if the person changes from the inside out.
Need Help with Staffing? Check out the: Staffing Ministry Manual