Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 | Jay McSwain
Last week our ministry received an inquiry that to be honest warmed my heart. At first glance I wondered if the person was being critical, but the more I thought about his comments the more I was excited that someone took the time and gave thought to what is being presented through our website. The following is the message we received:
“Subject=Consistent Language”
S1=”We equip churches with the right tools to help recruit volunteers and place them in a ministry that best utilizes their gifts and talents.” – this is a quote from your getting started page. From video blog you make the point its about “servants” not “volunteers.” To be consistent may I humbly suggest you change your wording here? You appear to have a great process as I am checking things out. I have a personal passion as a mission coach about helping people discover their purpose.”
I first want to thank this minister who took the time to carefully read and reflect upon our website. Secondly, I want to explain the apparent inconsistent use of “volunteers” vs. “servants” on our site. We recognize that most churches use the word “volunteers” in recruiting members to serve in various positions within the church. I wish this were not so, but it is what it is. My desire is to change the word from “volunteer” to “servant”, but in order to communicate to those who are seeking to use our tools, resources and process I must start with what is familiar to those wanting to learn about PLACE Ministries.
I stated in the video blog http://www.placeministries.org/videoblog/ the words volunteer, volunteers, volunteered are only used 4 times in the entire Bible while the words, serve, servant, servants are used 1010 throughout the Bible. I passionately desire that churches would move away from using the word “volunteer” and talk about those who serve as servants like we see in the New Testament. Jesus stated in Matthew 20:28 that “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…”. Paul encourages us to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).
I would like nothing more than one day to not have the word “volunteer” listed on our website as something someone does within the Body of Christ. But until the culture and language is changed at times I am stuck with using words like “volunteer”, “volunteers”, “volunteering” or “volunteered”. Consider being a part along with our ministry in changing the language from “volunteer” to “servant” in your culture.
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 | Kraig Kelsey
Four months ago Kristin Dawsey, the Serve Ministries and First Impressions Manager of Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, SC began implementing the PLACE process and is making huge efforts to intentionally connect their people to meaningful ministry. I recently had the opportunity to go to Brookwood twice to equip and train their leadership. I was encouraged by a recent email I received from Kristin, “We’re VERY excited! We got a shout out in one of our Pastor’s blog http:bit.ly/b0CV0h. We have already begun registration for the first class (starts Sept. 1). Our Facilitator is super excited. And, I’m talking with a gal who will hopefully be the new Ministry Team Leader for the Connection Coaching-ensuring training, etc. LOL”
The PLACE Options
Kristin and her team reviewed the three options we have developed for incorporating PLACE resources into a church’s connection strategy and decided they wanted to incorporate what we call Option 3 – Personal Discovery + Coaching + Connecting. Over the years our team has found churches have used these three options to connect their people to meaningful ministry.
- Option 1 is Personal Discovery where our five PLACE assessments are presented in various formats.
- Option 2 is Personal Discovery + Coaching where the five PLACE assessments plus utilizing members within the church who are trained connection coaches to help guide those through the Personal Discovery to ministry opportunities.
- Option 3 provides the concepts and tools to help transition people from Personal Discovery through coaching to actual ministry PLACEment.
One of the key elements in making Kristin’s desire for Option 3 successful is Ongoing Senior Pastor/Staff Support. Kristin and her team have worked hard to get their senior pastor and staff to not only buy into the ministry connection process, but also invest their time in working to ensure the process is successful and effective church wide.
I look forward to discussing the other PLACE implementation options in future blogs.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 | Lisa Baker
In additions to church-wide surveys, PLACE Connection Sessions are an ideal environment to ask for church feedback. At Brentwood Baptist Church, PLACE is a requirement for membership. During the session, designed to assist individuals in better understanding who God created the to be and where they would be effective serving, we ask, “What drew you to BBC”? It’s exciting to hear all of the positive responses and then to be able to encourage our staff and lay leadership.
As a follow up to the positive, we ask, “Do you see any gaps”? The New Members (NM) coming in are generally apologetic when they make any negative remarks; after all they are excited about their new church home. At the same time that they are apologetic, they seem to grasp that we are giving them a chance to participate in making decisions that will better the church, so they let us know what is lacking. The perceived gaps may reveal an area of service for the NM, an opportunity to teach the NM the why behind what we do or a ministry area that needs attention.
If we, as church leadership, can remain teachable enough to learn from others and if we are steeped in a God-relationship so that we remain faithful to the path He has us on, we will do nothing but benefit. We will receive the privilege of seeing through fresh eyes to new perspectives that can shed invaluable light on how we are doing ministry and where we might consider looking in the future.
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | Lisa Baker
The easiest way to measure results is by counting numbers. Any church staff person knows that numbers will be due every year, every quarter, every month and even weekly. But so much more takes place in ministry than numbers, lines and columns can calculate. How do we measure effectiveness adequately?
continue reading…Measuring Effectiveness and Maximizing Giftedness
Friday, January 15th, 2010 | Kraig Kelsey
In October of 2009 I was given the challenge as a layperson to get PLACE up and running in 90 days! WOW! At first it seemed impossible, but once I put a timeline together and began working forward, it’s amazing of how it has all came together.
continue reading…Starting PLACE in 90 Days Update
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | Jay McSwain
As you have completed 2009 and enter into 2010 it might be helpful if you ask yourself: • who are your mentors and • in what areas are they mentoring you Recently I was asked by a 28 year old church staff member if I would mentor him. He told me he was impressed with me moving my family to Florida so we could grow closer. He noticed how my wife and I interacted and wanted his marriage to be vibrant and healthy in the years to come.
continue reading…Who Will Be Your Mentors this New Year?
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 | Quentine Lofton
I started my ministry of discipleship due to what I believe was a life calling. I have come to believe that God calls all believers to live out their life in a specific manner utilizing Spiritual Giftedness & godly Passions. This calling can be affirmed by a continuous awareness of how God speaks to believers today—His word (Bible)—His interpreter (Holy Spirit)—Prayer—Circumstances—The Church.
continue reading…Knowing Your Purpose…and Living It!
Monday, November 30th, 2009 | Susan Paul
Going through PLACE and leading PLACE for 5 years now, this has been a consistent question in the process.
I can’t tell you how many times, when a person has completed the PLACE process and we began to look at helping he/she find their PLACE of ministry within his/her local body, people discovered their ‘heart’s desire’ was not something they had conjured up, but in reality, was God designed!
continue reading…Ministry…that’s Ministry
Monday, October 26th, 2009 | Ginger McSwain
The joy of the Lord is my strength” was the song of encouragement and prayer I sang to the girls this morning as we drove to school. Their second day in a new school. Their countenances and spirits were understandably a bit low….(not to mention their mama’s!). But as I think about their feelings over the past few weeks transitioning from homeschool to public school I realized how often I’ve felt the very same things they’re feeling….but in ministry. More than once over the past 15 years of volunteering in my local church I’ve experienced the excitement of the ‘dream’ or the ‘vision’ of what a particular ministry role will be like; the nervous anticipation of the first team meeting; the preparation and thrill of that first day on the job. But then what sometimes has happened is the over analyzing of my performance and then eventually the comfort level of that position settling in and then the routine of it all just zapping my initial enthusiasm.
continue reading…Experiences of Joy
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