 Parents make great volunteers. Most scouting groups and kids� sports teams are run entirely by parents. Parents are willing to invest time and energy to give their children enriching experiences. So encourage parents to volunteer in your children�s ministries, although there can be challenges (more on that later). But don�t stop there.
When parents tell me they want to volunteer for ministries their children are involved in, I applaud their choice, but I also encourage them to find at least one small additional way to get involved at church, perhaps by greeting at the church doors once a month, so that their church still feels like their church when their kids are grown. More than once, someone later mentioned they remembered that advice.
You can help parents remember there�s life beyond parenting . . . (read more)
Good stuff I've run across lately:
- Do you use metrics or set goals and measure progress? Good for you! But a recent post I came across reminded me of their spiritual pitfalls, and the freedom and joy we find in our goals when we remember God's grace!
- This recent find, "Five Reasons a Team Lacks Joy," is a good follow-up to what I wrote a couple months back, "Where's the Joy?"
A special shout-out to friends new and 'old' in Michigan! We enjoyed a productive morning at the Michigan District LCMS Volunteer Connectors' Gathering on Oct. 6, learning from each other about growing our churchses serving in our communities!
I'd love to keep the conversation going among all The Equipper community. Contact me to share your church's story of serving your local community, and what you're learning from the experience.
Earlier this year, leaders at my home congregation, St. Peter Lutheran, Arlington Heights, Illinois, began the Service Enterprise process. Led by our local community volunteerism center, we're assessing and strengthening our engagement of volunteers. It's helping us improve the way we think, talk about, recruit and support volunteers. Many non-profit organizations are going through it; we might be the first worshipping faith-based group to do so. I'll share more details in a future newsletter, after we complete the process, but already I highly recommend it. Contact me anytime for details if you're interested.
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