If we were ready to add staff where do you see a need for additional staff?
Children’s Ministry
Discipleship Ministry
Youth Ministry
Pastoral Staff
Family Ministry
Worship Ministry
Administration
Others
We Don't Need Any
Posts
When Quoting Scripture Inflicts Harm
6 years ago
27 comments:
I think that the worship ministry needs staff that are outside the control of Nichelle and Jamie. Also the family ministry.
I don't think we need more staff for worship--the staff we have can oversee them! We don't need any more staff right now! We are small and manageable.
I think we need a Childrens Director. There is no movement. Also I think we need year around interns for the youth program.
Yes, we need a Childrens Ministry director. Many, many people have volunteered to help and are doing great things. But a leader with a clear vision, excitement and passion will lead that army of volunteers to do even better.
I think we need someone to coordinate all the different volunteer efforts to make sure nothing falls in a crack and is overlooked. Mt Oak has great volunteers but I think an overseer may be useful.
I agree with one of the others. I think the youth and Children's need more attention. The children aren't really going anywhere fast. With the youth being so active an year round intern would be good. Young adult is also important.
I like the idea of a single person that directs and leads worship. Someone that is on staff, full time.
Childrens and Special Needs are important for the growth of this church and mission.
As far as additional paid staff for other items, I see no need at the present time. How many paid employees must the little church support.
I love the comments this question has raised. I am not advocating new staff - simply asking where people might see the need. So far 81% of those who voted have said that they think we could use some staffing with our children's ministry. Keep the comments coming - the more information the better informed our decisions will be in the future.
Volunteers are the vehicles that our church groups move in but it's a group like the Children's/Special Needs Ministry that needs a driver. A paid driver is needed with a heart for the kids, sight for God's direction, and uses the fuel of the Holy Spirit.
A year round Youth Ministry intern would be great but to be paid? Pastor Dione has an awesome team of Youth Leaders who spend so much time with the ministry other than Sunday and Wednesday nights and they aren't even covered to go to Leader's retreats/conferences. Bringing one on staff when the needs of existing youth leadership aren't being met would be unjustifiable.
Personally, I think all other ministries are covered. They have great volunteers with Spirit-guided direction (ie: the Worship Team) and/or great pastoral/director heads (ie: Youth).
I believe we need more emphasis on discipleship. If that means implementing a position for such, I am not sure whether it would require full time or part time paid staff.
It may be prudent to have a pastoral counselor on staff or at least on site as an affiliate.
We are going to spend more time on Discipleship this fall. This is such an important part of our work together as growing disciples of Jesus.
Do we staff our increase or do we staff to bring increase?
This is always a difficult decision to make. There is often an aura associated with being 'paid in ministry' yet we are all called to be ministers. Some of us have paying jobs that allow us time to give more service to the church. Others however have a call on their life that they can only partially fulfill when they spend 40+ hours a week 'making tents'.
I think that we see needs in our church - the decision for me is not so much do we need paid staff, but do we have the right people serving in the right places.
Has God called you to serve in a particular area? If so then why dont you take courage in both hands and volunteer. Maybe it is time for us to step out and serve where God has called us - the staffing issue will be taken care of by God.
Amen Jason!! It would be hard to tell someone who is volunteering 10-20 hours a week that another "volunteer" will be paid. I don't know...when does ministry become a job and when is a job ministry? I know that sometimes volunteers are putting in way more than others so does that justify paying them? I'm asking because I don't know where the line is and how we draw it.
I can see how some of our people are talented and they cannot volunteer because they have to make money. So I guess the question is do we pay those people so we can benefit from their talents?
I love the discussion. I agree that some volunteers put in numerous hours.
Part-time staff always begs the question of how many hours and how do you determine what and who to pay.
I would tend to agree with the idea of hiring staff to bring the increase rather than waiting for the increase to add staff.
If one of our desires is to reach out to young families with children we need to do children’s ministry with excellence. We can do a good job, even a very good job with volunteers. But doing children’s ministry with excellence might require a staff member. I would propose the following for discussion.
1) A strong/mature Christian
2) A person with a call on their life to work with children in ministry
3) Ideal would be someone with a teaching degree with experience who is ready to step away from public teaching and teach/lead a Christian program
How about some thoughts or additional ideal requirements?
I lean in the direction of no paid staff (although I fully appreciate the paid staff we have) and an all volunteer church. I think it generates more involvement and ownership. I am not too excited about growing big churches who have more paid professionals doing the work. The congregation tends to become an audience watching and grading their performance and passing off responsibility. Those gifted in leading, preaching, teaching, discipleship, helps, etc. should excercise their gifts in the church as they do at work. We are all called into full-time service and ambassadors for the Lord. Gale
I work with children and their teachers. I have a teaching degree. My experience is that a teaching degree does not guarantee anything! The most gifted and impactful teachers that work for me do not have degrees. I would look for a person that is gifted in the areas of teaching and administration as big-time delegating will be necessary! There may be a person out there that has all the gifts we would desire but we may look past him/her because he/she couldn't afford a college education!!
I know this seems weird but you also need a person who can work with adults very well! This person should have a vision for family ministry! We can't minister to the children without ministering to their parents.
A Trustee's last thought: If we are going to hire a person in children's ministry we should do it before the plans are made to revamp the building!!! This person should have a major say in how and what is done!
Having been at Mt. Oak for some time I recall the problem we had when it was thought that we should have paid staff instead of volunteers. This caused the volunteer program to STOP. I believe everyone thought that since we now had paid staff we do not need volunteers.It was not a good time.People have to know there is a need-they have to be asked. It is very important that all are involved.Also the paying of a staff caused quite a bit of grumbling about who was working and how much time was spent working.There are many people I believe who could lead worship from time to time--it may be refreshing.Also the same with music.I for one would like to see more preaching and less music at the 10:30 service.
Please remember that I am not advocating more staff - simply discussing the subject.
Also, it always helps the discussion if people would identify themselves instead of staying "anonymous". You can still use that option on the blog page because it is easiest but include your name in your comments. Thanks.
Volunteers are very important to a church's ministry. Staff, if used properly, would free up volunteers to do ministry.
I love the comment about more preaching but you will notice our sermons have been 25-40 minutes. Do we want longer sermons than this?
With regard to where we should put staff, I normally gravitate toward children's ministry. Such a person would have to be the visionary for big program changes and for getting volunteers to ensure all the needs are met. It seems like we are getting that done with volunteers but I am not sure how much stress they are under as a result. I'd prefer to do things with volunteers until the job gets too big for them.
There are other areas such as evangelism/local missions that could use someone to drive projects, but I don't think we are yet at the size where adding a staff member for that would be necessary.
What I have perceived in the past is that paid staff causes volunteerism to diminish. Paid staff became an excuse for people not to become involved, and worse, for people not to bring their own visions and talents to the table for the church. That being said, if staff were added, I believe the one place it is needed is heading up the children's ministry.
Praise God our church is growing again in many areas! As we grow we need to remember that the needs change. What we were able to accomplish as we were, will not always look like same. As we are contemplating new staff, the body at Mt Oak needs to remember there is a difference between staff and volunteers. The word of God says that a workman is worth his hire. It also states the if one ministers in spiritual things they are deserving of material things. You can only put a demand of so much on one who is volunteering there time, oppose to one who is hired. I am not saying we need to write a check for everything people do, but what I am saying is there are services we will have to pay for and there are services that will be contributed. Just because we are a church does not exempt us, and I am not assuming that we are thinking this way.
I personally see a big need for a Children's Director. I coordinate/teach 10:30 Children's Church, but we really need someone overseeing and coordinating all of the various children's activities. I know for me personally, I would welcome the vision, direction, and coordination that a Children's Director could provide. KRay
It sounds to me like people see the value in staff but also the potential pitfalls. I think that the staff/leaders that we have - especially those overseeing ministries - should not be the only ones who do the work, but be the ones who inspire others to do the work along with them.
I believe we are in a time of releasing into ministry - where a number of people are hearing God speak to them about areas He wants them to serve in. Those people are stepping up and it is now the responsibility of leadership or ministry directors to release, encourage and support these volunteers into their calling.
When you are walking in your calling the time spent in ministry is a blessing and not a curse. If you are in a place where you feel more cursed than blessed maybe it is time to re-evaluate and ask God for either fresh vision, or fresh grace.
Our staff will grow - but our volunteerism must also increase - and we will see the kingdom come.
I believe at this time at Mt Oak a children’s ministry position should be the next staff position. If we are to attract family’s, the missing link is a children’s ministry director.
Then of course a full time Facilities Director with strong HVAC and electrical background that can project manage large building projects. Also with a large facility, a person will need to direct the large staff of personnel in order to maintain that large (those) buildings. Endless possibilities.
Together we can move mountains.
Kurt
It's good to see the struggle with this issue. A few years ago, when the church was going through tough budget times, and tough times in general, I found within myself a desire to step up a little and fill in the gap where I could. I saw many other people do the same, most stepping up much more than myself. In doing so, the church seemed to become "our church" rather than "the church I go to."
At the begginning of this year, we started going to a new church much closer to our house. This church is in the mega-church style with paid staff running a very professional show. It has been difficult transition because in this church, I don't see any glaring faults or gaps that seem to draw me to step in - as a result the church just doesn't seem to have the life in it. I've been starting to think that it's OK for churches to have a few glaring holes in their ministry efforts - it makes it real obvious that there is a place for someone to step up. One thing to do would be to encourage the more tired of our volunteers to get better at inviting new members to help out - even for short term efforts. This would give more people the opportunity to see where they might best fit in and also let them share in the blessing of serving.
To staff or not to staff, that is the question. Well, not really. The question really is about leadership. I have lately been reflecting on many things with the following question to myself (and sometimes to others), "What's the point?" Not a question tinged with hopelessness, rather one to inspire thought. Take a look at the purposes of the church, take a look at where God is moving, and ask if we are carrying out the church's purposes and joining God's movement with effectiveness, not just activity. There often comes a time when the effectiveness of a ministry plateaus, or even suffers, due to the leader's availability, ability to master the needs of leading the ministry, or incompatibility with the gifts that are required to move the ministry forward. Not all pastors who can plant a church can grow it beyond a certain point; and growth is not an option, it is commanded. This is not a problem, it is just the way God has gifted and called us.
Staffers, and any leader, should lead the effort to establish the vision for the ministry, inspire and exhort others with the right gifts to come along, and work like crazy to make themselves unnecessary in the existing ministry so that they are freed up to take on new ministry. This won't happen without VOLUNTEERS.
The notion that paid staff and volunteers are incompatible is wrong. While we have our own history with paid staff and volunteer-ism, and some here have overstated the negative aspects of that history as there were MANY who did volunteer, it is but one experience among countless others that have shown the synergistic effect of paid leaders/laborers and volunteer leaders/laborers. Don't jump to conclusions about the future based upon one experience in the past. Learn from the past AND the experience of others, use common sense and good judgment, and proceed onward.
If we can't be effective in what God has called us to do today, and in what He is calling us to move toward because we lack the leaders who have the availability, giftedness, and calling, we should consider paying someone who does as a means of securing their effort and accountability.
Hiring is a tough process. We don't always get it right. Even when we do, down the road it may become a mismatch for many reasons. There is a contract of expectations between the staffer and the church that is much stronger and binding than any assumed contract between the volunteer and the church. When that contract is not being met, it is a blessing for them and the church to sever that contract after much prayerful discussion. It is much harder to establish such a contract with volunteers, as such an attempt would cause folks to shy away from volunteering at all. While we have many committed doers - to whom I am grateful and humbled, are they available enough to pursue training, to administrate, to labor, to recruit, to build relationships with volunteers, to attempt to weary God with prayers for the ministry's direction and well being? The answer may be that some of these doers are, but I think that it depends on the scope (size and complexity) of the ministry.
As far as where I think we need more leadership in order to create more effective ministry, I concur with those who have spoken about childrens ministry.
As far as when to do anything about this, well...let's attempt to weary God with our prayers for His direction.
Post a Comment