Today’s Mission

Day 10

What’s My Job?

Mystification is simple;

clarity is the hardest thing of all.

JULIAN BARNES, FLAUBERT’S PARROT

Have you ever had a job that left you confused about exactly what you were supposed to be doing? If you’re like most people, the result looked something like this:

You were frustrated with the people who got you into the role to begin with.

You felt like you were wasting your time.

It is very likely that you would do everything in your power to prevent ever getting yourself into a situation like that again.

The next time the person who got you into that role asks you to do something, you will be strongly inclined to say a resounding no.

Tragically, these bullet points describe how many (if not most) people who volunteer their time in the church often feel. They are asked to do something, pointed in a vague direction, and then left to figure it out on their own. As one volunteer said to us, “Around here, once you say yes, it’s a life sentence.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Providing each person on your team with a clear job description, including specific times you’ll be meeting with them to clarify and recalibrate their roles, can make a world of difference. This one step may do more to increase the retention of your team members than any other idea you might try.

Today’s Mission

Determine all the job descriptions you need for your ministry by making a list of all the positions, both volunteer and paid, that it will take to run your ministry effectively. Be sure to include paid staff and helpers (drivers, meal providers, etc.) as well as partners (small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, major event coordinators, etc.). Remember, at this point you’re not only listing the positions you currently have but all those you hope to have in the coming year.

Identify the job descriptions that are your highest priority, likely the partner roles that you are spending time recruiting for right now.

Draft job descriptions for all your partner roles as well as for any paid staff in your ministry. Make sure you include how long the commitment is as well as the schedule of when meetings for coordination, planning and training will take place. (Job description sample templates are at ministryarchitects.com/30-day-change-resources.)

Meet face-to-face with any potential volunteers who have agreed to a meeting.

Bring the job description for the specific role for which you would like this person’s help.
Begin the conversation by listening to your potential recruit to learn what they are thinking and feeling about the opportunity and to learn any concerns they might have.
Address their concerns with joyful clarity, being sure to ask for what you really need. It may be that at this point you discover you have someone willing to help but not someone willing to be a partner. If this is the case, do not slot this person into a partner role. Go back and find another person who might serve in the partner role, allowing this person to be a helper.

Continue your daily recruiting follow-up work:

Take out your master recruiting documents: your needs list and your ranked pool list.
Check your email to see if anyone has responded to your email invitation, and reply to those emails immediately.
For those who have said yes, send an email suggesting a meeting time and place for you to talk further about what you’re looking for.
For those who have said no,
1. Move their names to the bottom of the pool list, under the section called “No.”
2. Beside each name, write what role each person has said no to.
3. Remove their names from the needs list.
Place new names in the blanks left by those who have said no.
Send your standard invitation email to the people you have added to your master recruiting list.
Follow up with those who have not responded to your first email (see for a sample of what your second contact might sound like).

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