Agile Ministry:
We are excited to announce that AgileMinistry.com is now VolunteerCentered.com! While the name has changed, the content hasn’t changed. In fact, we hope to expand our current focus on volunteer leadership and management into other areas, including blog posts from church planters and leaders in the field. By the way, if you (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
I have a good friend, Nick. Nick is a leader. He plays guitar when he’s at church and leads other musicians when he’s not. The interesting thing is that he’s 16 years old.Nick is a great example of what each of us leading today must do - we must help the next generation of leaders to get involved and grow. We can’t wait fo (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Rindy Walton posed this question to her readers: Authenticity is an important value when speaking of church leaders. We want leaders to be real, open, honest and genuine. We want leaders to share their questions, their struggles and their stories. We can relate to a leader who has ‘been where we’ve been’. Authenticity fuels (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
My neighborhood recently saw a church come and go within a matter of months. They were utilizing the community elementary school in our neighborhood and then one day, their roadside advertising signs stopped showing up. I looked them up and found out they are moving out of state due to a new “calling”. No more church. No mo (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
As church leaders, we must be good stewards not only of our volunteers but also of our budgets.Bob Thune wrote about this from the church planter’s view, but the same principles apply to us as well:A few months ago a church planter I know had to close up shop. As I scrolled through his fire-sale ad on Craigslist, I couldn’t (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Dear New Leader,First, I want to thank you for your willingness to commit to being a leader. There are many that are too busy or too afraid to step up and lead others in the church. Your leadership is greatly appreciated and I look forward to how God will use you to positively impact your church and community.Next, I want (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Yvon Prehn from the Effective Church Communications blog wrote a great post recently on how the church can communicate through the recession. Here are some ideas she provided on what we can do:Be encouraging. Remind people that God may be directing them to new avenues of service and trust. People are starting new businesses (Read More)
Submitted by Robdiana
from Google Reader:
I got the itch again and will be working on my next book over the next few months. The book is being published by Jossey-Bass and will come out in May 2010.I’ve included a description, some working titles, and chapter outline with the hope that you will share 1) what issues I’m addressing resonate with you; 2) sources and c (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Something comes up. You need time off from your leadership. What do you end up doing - stepping down or stepping aside?Stepping down means you leave your team on their own. You haven’t prepared to hand the leadership to others, so you leave a vacuum.The transition isn’t smooth and becomes the same level of impact as if you (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
It seems to surround us. The idea that a church can only get things done if they have paid staff. In fact, many churches strive for more staff. They make it a goal from day one. More staff equals more work done.The problem? The church can’t support the model of hiring more and more staff.Eventually, staff can’t be hired. Or (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Volunteer recruiting is about more than just asking people to join your team. It requires an understanding of how your leadership will translate into a healthy, vibrant team. Much of this becomes your recruiting message:You must be able to convince a candidate who is interested in your team to become avolunteer. To do this, (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Being a leader of volunteers is about more than just building a team and making things happen. Leaders have the responsibility to teach others. In fact, leaders are often teaching through their actions, even if they don’t realize it:Leaders teach their team how to bring volunteers together to accomplish something bigger tha (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Every volunteer in your team is a potential leader. You have two choices: allow them to lead, or suppress their leadership.Allowing them to lead means allowing things to happen in ways you don’t expect. It means letting others do things in a way you don’t want them done. It means allowing the skills and gifts God has given (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Whether you have been witness to internal problems or problems that become more public, leaders are not immune to sin. In fact, the sin of leaders can cause stumbling blocks for teams or an entire church/cause.Geoff Surratt wrote about this some time ago in a blog post entitled “An Open Letter to Pastors”:If you think you a (Read More)
Agile Ministry:
Your church tells a story. You may not realize it, but everything your church does tells a story to your members and your community.Your team tells a story as well. It might be a story of a passion to help those in need. It may be a passion to use skills to serve. It may even be a vision to make something new and amazing.Wh (Read More)