The Business of Church: Volunteers

Today's post is the final topic of my series. Next week's post will be the wrap up and will be that uniting post of how everything is interconnected. But for now let's discuss the topics of volunteers.

Throughout this I have referenced that many of positions in the church are volunteer based. The vast majority of leadership positions in the church are volunteers, which can be good but can have a downside.

To bridge some of the gap before getting into the business side of this let's focus on the positive and negative aspects of having the vast majority of leadership positions be volunteers.

The positive:

• They want to be there
• If they are asked to be in a leadership position, they can very easily turn it down. Typically if you accept a position like this, you want to help out. This gives a volunteer the opportunity to help make changes and be able to work with people to help the mission of the church.
• They have a passion for it
• You go into leadership positions knowing that they will include some type of work, but people have a passion. For example, there is a volunteer who helps out at the youth group that I help lead who doesn't have to be the main person in charge, but loves helping, teaching and just being there for the kids. He has a passion for helping teenagers and he doesn't need anything for his services. He volunteers because he loves working with the youth group.

The negative:

• They aren't always consistent
• With volunteers, even in leadership positions, aren't always the most consistent people. This is not questioning their dedication, but since they are not getting paid and this is not their main job, they may not show up to important meetings, which can start to lead to lack of communication.
• Can go through a power struggle
• Volunteers in leadership positions may not be in leadership in any other area of their life. This can lead to negative side effects such as trying to become a tyrant of wanting to get only their way. They enjoy the control and misuse their power. 

In my mind, it is relatively easy to find the connect to business with the two points in both the positives and negatives. In business you want people who want to be there and who have a passion for your business. Seems pretty self-explanatory to me. As does the negatives. In business you don't want inconsistent people and you do not want people who go through a power struggle. These two items can cause company turmoil and makes it difficult to be effective and efficient.

When dealing in business and have a manager who carries both of the negative traits listed, a boss or human resource manager can have them removed. This is not the case in the church.

The difficulty when dealing with the negative points is that they are volunteers. Depending on your church size, they may be the only people who are willing to take on this position or ministry, which leaves the pastor in a difficult situation. You want to have a team that will be able to work together, but you may not have that team. In fact, you may only have one player who wants to work as a team and the rest may be mavericks. This is why strategically planning for a church can be so difficult, because of lack of consistency and power struggle.

Side note: These two negatives are not the only negatives, but I find them to be the most overarching ones. Also with the positives, which I will be discussing next, are just the two most overarching ones as well.

Now I don't want to be a Debbie Downer by just focusing on the negative. Volunteers can be great, but by just focusing on the positive is naive view that isn't focusing on the reality.

The other side being positive are truly positive. When you get the right volunteers who want to work as a team and get things done, their enthusiasm is just overpowering.  They have a passion for what they are doing and are excited about anything you have to do. Those volunteers want to be there and their excitement can spread to others. This makes the pastor's job easier, since he has people on board who want to be there and have that passion.

The difficulty for both sides is finding the balance and being able to properly handle the negative situations. Like I mentioned before, a church may not have a plethora of options for leadership roles and you may just have to roll with the punches. It's not like having people submit resumes and interview the top 5 people, but more like finding the most willing person to take on this volunteer leadership role. The pastor doesn't have the luxury of letting go people who aren't working out, but has to find a solution on how to work with them.

In a simple version, it's all about collaboration and having an understanding of each other, but both the pastor and volunteers have to have the mutual agreement of each other.

Next week, which is my last week on this series, I am planning on tying everything together and I will be digging deeper into the concept of volunteers with everything that I have mentioned. If you have any questions before then, please don't hesitate to comment and I will try my best to answer them.

Random Friday... I mean Saturday!

Slacker much? I think yes.

Well, at least when it has come to this blog lately.

For whatever reason I just have not been able to find the balance between blogging, work and trying to have a thing called life. But I seriously promise, like seriously promise I will try to make a bit more of an effort to write.

Anyway, this random "Friday" I feel compelled to write about something that I have been meaning to for a while: the topic of geeks.

If you haven't figure out by now, I am a geek. I am okay with the title and wear like a badge of honor. I enjoy reach dystopian novels, novels in general, watching movies (especially miniseries), fairy tales, science fiction (anything, literally anything), youtube (seriously, I totally geek out with certain vloggers and shows) and who doesn't love a super heroes. I am a geek and over the last couple years I have come to a place to where I enjoy this title.

But with my coming pride of my geekhood, it has been brought to my attention of the divide in the world of geek.

To me, being a geek about something or being a part of a fandom has brought this type of community that is difficult to explain. Once you find out that someone enjoys a certain topic or fandom, then you can talk for hours. You will be able to make suggestions to each other ( I have been told I need to watch Dr. Who for over a year now and as soon as I get time, when I'm on vacation, I will watch it).

But with this community comes the darker side of geekhood/fandom, the haters.

It really amazes me that people can be so mean to each other when you have so much in common. Seriously, haven't we all been picked on for being a geek about something? How can we, who have experienced this pain, bully each other? Doesn't anyone else find this so wrong and find that we need to fix this?

Even the idea of judging how big a fan someone is or if they started liking it when it got mainstream isn't right!

I know I was totally like that in theatre when I was in high school and look back on myself and think how big of a jerk I must have looked. Seriously, I should have been sharing my passion with my friends and instead of seeing if they past my criteria of being a "true theatre fan." Just thinking of that makes me want to vomit.

If we just put down our criteria of a "true geek" aside, wouldn't we all be happier; wouldn't we be able to happily debate about the ending of a book or be able to create awesome fan fiction or just be willing to be to jump to a new genre?

I hope one day we as geeks can move past the douchebag stage and all get along. If all the geeks of fandoms can't get along in the world, how can we expect anything else to get better?

The Business of Church: Stratgic Planning

SO I have been a major slacker with my writing this blog. Finding that balance point of writing and working full time has been a very interesting balance of time, especially since I am trying to get into grad school and trying to have a social life. I know, I thrive on stress, maybe a little too much so. But, I will try to be a bit more consistent with this.

Just and FYI: This was supposed to be Wednesday’s post.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about marketing the church. As much fun as it is to market the church, or pain, there is something that is so vitally needed: STRATEGY.

The more I have started studying business in general, the more I have appreciated the strategy behind certain business move. The amount of thought that takes place to make the best move just fascinates me to no end.

Before I dive too deep into the topic of church and strategy, I want to pose a question: What is your initial reaction when you hear church and strategy? (I would love to hear your reaction in the comments if you would want to share)

My reaction: That's funny.

Maybe it this reaches my more cynical side of being on staff at a church or being the daughter of a pastor, but I have seen too many missed opportunities that churches meet because of lack of planning or thinking strategically. From my experience, they take strategic planning like this:

Just because you build a new building/complex or create new programming or this awesome Vacation Bible school does NOT mean that people will come. They may come initially but what is going to cause them to stay?

See, I have witnessed churches build family life centers or new buildings but have no vision connected with them and with no vision you cannot plan strategically. A building is just a building if you do not plan to use it for anything or have no programming connected with it.

Now I want to make one thing clear before I move on: just because you have a vision does not mean that you can create a strategic plan. I understand that 3 sentences ago I said that you need a vision to plan, but sometimes visions are just that. To explain a bit more, a staff parish committee can envision having a family life center because they currently do not have one and that's as deep as their thinking goes. There are a number of faults in thinking this way. One: this is a horrible vision plan; Two: how are you planning on using this; and Three: what is the purpose? This is actually thinking strategically because if you are unable to answer how this fits in the overall vision and mission of the church, how this will help achieve their overall goals and if this is fiscally responsible then you are not using knowledge but just emotion.

That last point I find is the most difficult item when trying to be strategic in the church. Emotional thinking, if you can even call it thinking, somehow overcomes intelligent people in the church and causes them to make these non-strategic plans that may randomly work by chance or completely blow-up in their face. Not a wise way to plan. 

So, how do churches overcome this? 

Honestly, I don't know. To say that they need these hard people who can make legitimate business decisions wouldn't be the answer, because they would not necessarily show the type of compassion that is needed for church strategic planning. On the other hand, if you just have people who just emotional based with too much compassion, they would not be able to make the hard choices that the other group would be able to use.

The simple solution is to say to have a mixture of both, but that's also difficult. I find that people who are asked to lead sometimes are like the Supreme Court Justices, you think you know how they will side but turn out to be completely opposite of what you originally thought. This isn't always the case but happens enough to make it a point.

I believe the best solution, which I will be the first to admit is an idealist view point, is to have the committees of the church to be on the same page as the pastor and be able to have an even mixture of business and compassion to make decisions. Now will this ever happen? No, but there will be times when certain decisions will be played out in this way.

The main thing to take away from this is: Don't strategically plan like Field of Dreams. Have some idea of what you are planning on doing and make sure it fits with your overall vision and mission.

A room without books…that’s real?

A room without books is like a body without a soul. ~ Cicero

Anyone else get the impression that book hoarders use this quote on why they keep every book they purchase and just keep adding to the collection? Cause I may start having to quote this more often as my excuse on why my bookshelves start taking over everything.

But on a serious note…

Does anyone else ever find it strange when you meet someone who doesn’t own many books or doesn’t read books? And I’m not meaning having a full-blown library, I’m just meaning like a bookshelf of some books. When I see a house/apartment or any other living arrangement that could feasibly allow books and I don’t see any, it makes me worried.

See, I like Cicero, believe that books add soul to a room; books add characters and can bring warmth. If you haven’t figured out by this point, I love books and love showcasing my books as a way to embark on conversation of the literary sort.

Books in a room also say a lot about you as a person. It can provide an image of how you think, what you’re interested in, how you may potentially react to certain things, and so many other things. Books are unique and can add so much to a person and can add life to a room. A number of weeks ago I wrote about a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about how books make us free, but in this case books add life to rooms because they invoke so much feeling.

Books are not just a bunch of paper bounded together or on a screen, but hold a soul that can bring people to life. Books are a type of trophy to showcase what adventures your mind has been on and where you hope to go. Books have these undertones that can help a person express themselves and release emotions that they may have built up inside.

So when I see a room/house without books I wonder if that person has ever been set free, because “a room without books is like a body without a soul.”

Clever Wisdom

Cleverness is not wisdom. ~ Euripides

Cleverness does not equate wisdom.

Let’s just have that sink in for a moment. Cleverness and wisdom are not the same thing.

From the little knowledge and experience I have in the world, it seems that people often mistake cleverness for wisdom. From the movies we watch to what we are taught in schools, cleverness is somehow preferred to wisdom.  This is not to say that wisdom is not a cherished trait to gain or to have, but is overlooked.

I highly enjoy being clever. I can look at things and just have a natural knack for finding loopholes in every situation I am in. I have always been like that and it is a trait that I hold dear to me, because it causes me to view the world in a different way. BUT I would prefer the trait of wisdom to cleverness.

When you gain wisdom, because it is something that you gain, it makes you view the world in a unique view. No longer are you looking just at the here and now, but are able to have the ability of seeing and understanding what may happen when a certain chain of events happen. It is not self-serving, but able to see how decisions will effect other people.

Now after stating that I do not believe that cleverness is a bad thing. I believe that it can be exceptionally useful at times, but it can’t be the only way you view things. I know personally that I have gained some wisdom in some areas, we all have if we let ourselves, and I prefer these lessons to being clever because it more times turns out better for me. The effect of listening to wisdom, whether personal wisdom or from others, can be such a positive thing that can cause you from making foolish decisions.

So, cleverness is not a bad thing but it is certainly not wisdom.

Let's Talk about the movie "Frozen"

I LOVE the movie "Frozen!"

I am not ashamed at all for admitting that. I have only seen it twice and need to make plans with a friend to see it again (my third and her first).

Now I love this movie for a couple reasons, but I will be targeting on my main ones.

So let's dive in now

I will be having a spoiler, but it will be in the last reason and I will again make sure I put the word spoiler in bold. I feel like you should be warned so your experience is not ruined. Actually, the more I think about it... If you haven't seen the film yet, just don't read this. Turn around and find a theatre, watch it then read my blog.

I love how awkward Anna is.

If you have seen the movie or any gif made of Anna, it shows how awkward she is. I think this is one of the reasons why "Frozen" has been so popular, because there is an awkward Disney princess who isn't perfect. You see her waking up in the morning with crazy hair and she doesn't know how to act around a guy who she finds attractive. I enjoy Anna and can relate to her in certain areas, but I have friends who literally are kindred spirits with her and they just love her character.

Elsa.

Elsa is my girl! Talk about a Disney princess who I feel so connected to, because she has all these underlying pressures that she puts on herself and thus feeling alone. She is trying to live to this standard that she feels like she has to live up to and constantly feels like she is letting everyone down. She feels like she can't be herself and wants to break through and until everyone finds out about her and she is forced to let it go. Literally, the last month and a half I have been BLASTING the song "Let it Go" because that is how I have felt and what I have been through.

Also the fact that she calls out Anna for falling for a guy right away and pretty much says no to a marriage. Elsa straight up destroyed all Disney stereotypes that you just fall in love with the first guy who moves, but instead you need to get to know him and you know, have a relationship and make informed decisions. She is breaking down barriers and I have so much respect for that!

If you have not taken my warning above and not seen the movie yet... then here is the big spoiler! Don't get mad at me that you now know what happens... I warned you. Seriously, if you have not seen the movie yet, turn back now, find a movie theatre and go see it! Seriously.... I'm not joking

You don't need a man to save the day!

This ending of Anna saving the day and saving her sister is AMAZING! Now don't get me wrong, I like the whole true love's first kiss (I'm a romantic), but let's be real now. Sometimes an act of true love isn't a kiss, but laying your life down for someone or putting someone before yourself. This ending is such a great lesson for little girls, because it teaches them to have hope in each other, that you don't have to be catty to each other, that you can actually have each others backs. The lessons that "Frozen" teach in this area is just awesome, because so many people in the world don't want to deal with this and if you do agree with this you are labeled as a crazy feminist or just an overly emotional woman or something way worse. There is nothing wrong with being a feminist and being able to save yourself instead of just waiting for a knight to come in.

"Frozen" has been breaking through so many barriers and brought up a lot of good discussions that have been needed. It has also forced some issues to the forefront about being an independent woman and being proud of that (not letting things get to you and supporting each other). If that is the lesson this is teaching little girls, I am all for this!

The Business of Church: Marketing

This is such a sore topic for me to write about. I have been a part of meetings where people have looked at me and said, "You're in marketing. You know how to bring more people in to  _________ event." When I hear this statement, my stomach automatically turns and I know that someone is not going to be happy with what I am going to be saying.

 

I have written about marketing before (About branding and the way social media is moving). Marketing is not an after thought or to state it in a better way, marketing shouldn’t be an after thought. It needs to be a calculated strategic plan that needs to be watched over.

Many of the people I have worked with and what I have witnessed over the years is that marketing in the church is something that is not necessarily done or if it is done, it is not done in a good way. For example, just throwing in an ad in the newspaper about an event and not really putting thought into it or just creating a Facebook page to put long lengthy statuses that no one wants to read or just expecting people to know that you have this event.

I do believe that this lack of planning is part of the reason why people do not take the church seriously. The perception of the church is already not necessarily positive and poor work in advertising just adds salt to the wound.

So, unlike some of the other posts of the importance marketing has in the church I am going to be writing out some solutions or ideas that can lead to solutions.

Problem: Poor Planning of Promoting Events

        Solution: Plan them out

I get that this is a common sense answer, but from my experience people do not use common sense. Where the issue of this solution is, the fact that this has to be done by volunteers. There is nothing wrong with having volunteers, but some may not be as reliable as other or the fact that some may not be up to date with new technology or they have missed too many meetings and have no idea what is going on. So, even if there is some planning, if you don't have everyone on board then your planning is not going to work. This last statement is especially true, since having everyone on the same page is so key and because some of these people may not have marketing experience.

Problem: Having Social Media pages that aren't being used to full potential

        Solution: Study it to learn more and realize that you don't need every piece of Social Media

There are tons of articles, classes and how to pages about how to properly create a Social Media page. The articles are not complicated and are not filled with jargon and make sense. The second part about not having every Social Media page is a hard pill to swallow for some people. They believe that if there is a new social media site then you have to use it. My theory of this is if it doesn't fit your target market or what you do, then DON'T USE IT! Should a church use Twitter? Only if it fits with what your mission is and if you are going to take the time to plan it out and use it. This can be applied to any Social Media site and can be done by asking the simple question of, "Why are we using it?"

Problem:  Perception

        Solution: ?

Not the answer you were expecting. This really depends on the people and as much as I would love to brainwash people to be kind and loving, I can't do that. This is a difficult one, because it has to be a one-on-one connection that can change that. Also you have to realize that since the Christian community is so large and there are many people who believe different things in the community that one person may bring a positive image while someone else brings a negative. Perception is such a difficult area to improve on, but it needs to be looked at and be evaluated. 

This has been an overview of church marketing and wasn't even that in depth. I find this overall topic to be exceptionally complicated and can change depending on the church and location. This may be a topic to be further evaluated later in this blog (not in this series but can be focused on).

What to Expect:

    Week 5: Church Strategic Planning

    Week 6: Church Force- Volunteers

    Week 7: Personal Experience/ Wrap Up

Books will set us free

Sorry that this post is coming later than usual. Started my new job today and have been busy with setting things up.

Some books leave us free and some books make us free. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you haven’t been able to tell by this point, I love books. Books are powerful; books cause you to think; books change lives.

I believe that each book you read can influence you. It does not matter whether this fiction or nonfiction, it will influence you.

Some books leave us free and some books make us free. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you find that this quote is interesting? Emerson is restating the same statement with a different verb. Have you ever read a book that makes you free? Or a better way to put it, have you ever read a book that made you realize something that brought you to an aha moment?

I could list the books I have read, fiction and nonfiction, but I don’t want to do that. The point that I want to make is that books are vital because they can make us free.

How?

Well, like I said before, books can make you think. If you think then that can change mindsets, the changing mindset leads to people wanting to create change, this change can lead to revolution and revolutions can lead to different reforms. Books are dangerous and Emerson hits the nail on the head with this quote.

When people are forced to think, which is what books do, it makes people realize things about themselves and the world. It doesn’t just make change in the world, but it can make changes internally. There have been many books that have changed me internally, which has led me to change in different areas of my life. These books could have just left me free, but they made me free because I acted.

It is easy to let these books leave you feeling free, but it isn’t until you act when you can actually be free and change what is around you.