Planning for Growth & Adding Staff

Written by Anthony D. Coppedge, CTS

Originally published in the October 2004 issue of the Church Media Hotlist Newsletter.

On the bell curve of church growth, the big up-tick in explosive, exponential growth starts around 600 in attendance and climbs up rapidly towards 1,500-2,000 people in attendance for weekend services. The churches that are experiencing this first- hand can tell you that the major challenges that face them are logistically taxing, time-sensitive and budget-limited.

 The reality is that the typical small church mindset goes against the demands of a big church. Staffing is considered a major issue, as they have not seen the giving (tithes and offerings) increase at the same pace as numerical growth. In fact, it's often stated that a new, unchurched person will "visit" for a year before they give any money (beyond the pocket change that might be tossed in the offering bag).
 
This means the growing church has the needs of a larger church but is limited with the staff, resources and budgets of a smaller church. No two ways about it, that's a quandary.

But there are practical ways for churches to continue their growth, including adding much-needed technology, without breaking the bank.

Gifts Assessment
An interesting aspect of churches as an organization is the diversity of personnel resources that want to be plugged into something exciting. Let's face it: a growing church attracts attention, as people want to be part of something successful and exciting.

My friend Armando Fullwood points out that people who would support his local sports team were few and far between when the team wasn't winning. But as soon as the franchise began a hot-streak of serious success, fans came out of the woodwork. People who didn't really follow the sport would wear the hats, shirts and jerseys with the team's logo, just to be a part of the excitement.

That's why we need to assess our membership in a "newcomer's class" with a gifts assessment test. It's important for both the church and the new member to find a fit in ministry, and it's advantageous for both to find the right fit the first time to encourage additional service. A quick search of the Internet will yield a slew of free resources to help your church develop this very important aspect of ministry.
 
Once you've found those with giftings associated with your area of ministry, contacting them and asking them to check out the volunteer role is essential. Having them shadow a volunteer leader for a weekend service is an easy, non-threatening way to allow them to find an area of ministry that fits their natural abilities.

There's always a significant group of people who attend conferences where I speak who tell me that they have a hard time recruiting technical help. Unless you're an absolute gear-head, looking at a 40-channel console isn't the most reassuring moment for a newbie, nor is sitting in the video booth listening to the lingo of the video world.

We need to make sure that people can observe before they commit to service. A frustrated volunteer who is not naturally inclined in your ministry will not be likely to go and find another ministry they can serve. Many will have a bad taste in their mouth from being plugged into the wrong area and may, as a result, disengage from serving entirely.

Grow Your Own Staff
When looking to hire individuals for any ministry, looking within before looking outside the church is one of the best ministry decisions you can make. That's because someone who has shown commitment, loyalty and passion for a ministry is an ideal candidate for a new staff position.

And that doesn't mean paying a pittance of a salary, either.

If you can't afford to pay the person a reasonable salary, don't insult them with a stipend for doing what amounts to a part or full-time job. The Biblical mandate for this is found in 1 Timothy 5:18. "For the Scripture says: You must not muzzle an ox that is threshing grain, and, The laborer is worthy of his wages," (Holman Christian Standard Bible ).
 
Some of your best people will come from volunteers that God taps for a ministry calling on a church staff. And yet others will be incredible volunteer leaders, but never have a calling to leave their secular job. Ministry is not limited to church staff members; it's what you do where you are that defines ministry.

Leaders Should be Enablers more than Doers
So many of us in the technical ministry areas have become involved because we liked the hands-on aspect of doing the work. But for those of us called to leadership of a technical media ministry, our greatest role will not be in doing the work, but in enabling volunteers.

There's an axiom I try my best to live by: "If it's something that anyone can do, I should probably not be doing it. If it's something only I can do, that's where I should do the work." A great leader will constantly be working themselves out of a job.

By spending time training others instead of always doing the tasks yourself, you'll find bigger opportunities to grow your technical ministry than you can ever hope to accomplish by yourself. This can be a tough concept to live out for those who respond with "but I can do the work better and faster if I do it myself."

That's probably true, but you'll never see the fullness of what is possible with your team until you force yourself to spend time training others on a continual basis.

Don't worry that you'll literally work yourself out of a job by delegating and supervising the work of others. Any good church Pastor will give you more responsibility, budget and honor by equipping volunteers to do the work. Again quoting my friend Armando, his Pastor told him, "I don't pay you to be here to do the work. I pay you to make sure the work gets done." That is an example we should all follow.

Time to Add Full-time Staff?
The main litmus test for adding staff is when you're saying "no" to more ministry projects than you're saying "yes" to on a regular basis. If the need is actually that great, you'll need to present a plan, budget and set of expectations for meeting the current perceived need.

When enough ministries and/or leaders are needing the additional help of quality technical support and media savvy personnel, ask each of those ministries to define what they need to accomplish, how often they will need the support and what they're willing to pay (internal billing) to see it done.

I believe that as a support ministry (one of the two purposes of a media ministry), we should be holding other ministries accountable for the time, labor and equipment necessary to fulfill their requirements. We should also be held accountable for our work and project management skills, so that we can present the value of a healthy media ministry to our church leaders.

Anthony Coppedge provides consulting to Churches for developing and growing a Media Ministry, building teams, casting vision and even choosing the right equipment. He lives in Bedford, Texas with his wife and two daughters and can be reached at anthony@anthonycoppedge.com.

Share your thoughts with other readers:  Post Comments   Rate this Article