March
2005
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Free Online Training Designed
Especially for Church Volunteers |
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 Killer
#1 Poor Planning
One prevalent reason many training offerings are not well attended
by volunteers in the church is NOT because volunteers lack commitment
to the church, their ministry, or personal development, BUT because
the training opportunities were not planned with the life, ministry,
and schedule of the average church volunteer in mind!
Be sure to be cognizant of—and to avoid—these four
common planning blunders the next time you plan training for the
volunteers in your church:
Poor Communication
• Not giving enough advance communication to volunteers about
the details (who, what, when, where, why) of the training so they
can plan to attend
Poor Scheduling
• Choosing a bad day, time, or season for most of your volunteers
• Offering training for volunteers that falls in the midst
of a church calendar that is overloaded with events and activities—forcing
volunteers to choose between the training or some other church event
that either precedes or follows the training event
• Any training on a Saturday that is scheduled longer than
four hours or doesn’t end by 12:30 PM
Failing to Provide Childcare
• What you decide to do about providing childcare speaks very
loudly—one way or another—to volunteers with small children
Forgetting to Offer Food and Goodies
• This need not be expensive—but something should be
provided because it is always viewed as a plus—and, as insignificant
as it may seem, it could be a significant factor in getting volunteers
to come to the training… no joke
While there are many more organizational gaffes that could be mentioned,
if you avoided the blunders mentioned above, you would greatly increase
the effectiveness of your planning for training times with the volunteers
in your church. Who knows, the next time you offer training to the
volunteers in your church, your training time could be filled with…
volunteers!
 Killer
#2 Lecturing Instead of Training
Perhaps the biggest mistake churches make when attempting to train
volunteers and create a volunteer training culture in their churches
is that they allow the “trainer” to lecture. Let’s
be very candid: WHO is doing the training and HOW the training
is conducted makes all the difference in how many attend the training.
If your “trainer” lectures, most volunteers will show
up for “training” one time—and then most likely
not come back to any “training” you offer in the future
because it was boring. Because most volunteers in the church are
nice, they would never tell you to your face that the training was
boring… but if they stop coming to training… (I want
to say this as directly and politely as I can)… there is a
HIGH probability that the training you are offering them is boring.
Mark my words well: Lecturing tends to kill the attendance
of any of your future volunteer training efforts—and ultimately
destroys your ability to create a true culture of training volunteers
in your church. The goal of training is heart and mind
engagement, passionate interaction, and biblical life-change—not
the filling in of blanks in a training manual while the “expert”
drones on and on! The training you offer volunteers in your church
should be facilitated by a trained trainer (“a-guide-on-the-side”)—not
someone who wants to be a lecturer (“a-sage-on-the-stage”).
FREE bonus article on six ways training is different than
lecturing:
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/0304.php
Continue to PART 2 >>
What do YOU think?
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info@cadreministries.com
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Killing the First Two Killers of Volunteer Training in Your Church
OK—you now know that poor planning and lecturing can kill
the training you hope to provide for the volunteers in your church,
but what do you do now? Don't stress!
You need a practical, biblical, highly interactive, and inexpensive
training tool that can help you:
1. Plan and organize meetings so well that volunteers actually
come to the meetings
2. Become a trainer/equipper of others—not just a talking
head
3. Help volunteers to get the most out of any training you provide
for them
 If
you want such a training tool to train the volunteers in your church,
then check out Grow, Minister, and Lead! Ten Training Sessions
to Help Volunteers Grow, Minister, and Lead.
Chapters include:
• Why Volunteers Hate Meetings and What You Can Do About It
• How to Make Teaching Memorable (and Avoid Lecturing)
• How to Use a Curriculum Effectively
• How to Get the Most Out of a Training Workshop
• How to Manage Time with God’s Priorities First
Plus five more practical and biblical training sessions…
Using GML as a Training Tool:
Here’s how you can use the book Grow, Minister, and Lead to
train the volunteers in your church to grow, minister, and lead:
1. Have each volunteer read one chapter at a time and complete
the personal reflection/Bible study questions at the end of each
chapter.
2. You, as the trainer, can use the personal reflection/Bible study
questions at the end of each chapter to lead the training session/discussion
to ensure application of the principles taught in the chapter.
Relax! Check out Grow, Minister, and Lead! :
http://www.cadreministries.com/store/books.html#grow
A Special PDF Version of This Training Resource Is Available
at a Very Special Price for Distribution within Your Ministry or
Church!
E-mail us at: info@cadreministries.com
For other great training resources you can use for personal study
and growth, small group
study, Sunday school, or to train volunteers in your church, check
out:
CADRE STORE:
http://www.cadreministries.com/store
Another Free
Gift for Cadre Connection Readers!
Fourteen days of encountering the God in the book
of Nehemiah! You have our complete blessing and encouragement to
share and use this fourteen-day study as much as you desire with
those in your church and small group! Audio teaching links included
in this online devotional!
Spiritual Caffiene Editions:
http://www.cadreinternational.com/sc/biggod.html
A Pastor’s Insightful Response
to Last Month’s Cadre Connection
We really enjoyed hearing a wide variety of responses
to last month’s Cadre Connection, I Don’t Like “Volunteers”!
Read Februrary Edition:
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/0205.php
From polite disagreement to hearty endorsements to those who offered
other good replacement terms for the word volunteer—we had
a blast hearing from people all over the globe.
The following response—from Pastor Bob See of New Life Christian
Church in Morton, IL—was extremely insightful and stimulating
because of his shepherd’s heart for volunteers.
Pastor Bob See
It is my fortunate blessing to know Bob and New Life as a pastor
and church that really “gets it” when it comes to an
Ephesians 4:11-12 approach to ministry! After reading Bob’s
poignant response, I felt compelled to share it with you. Bob graciously
agreed. Here—for your further enrichment and stimulation—is
what he had to say about moving from using the term “volunteer”
to “ministry partner.”
 Hi
Bill,
I think you are right on target encouraging us to dump the word
“volunteer” in the church setting. I agree with your
point that the word connotes a second-class citizen status, while
the New Testament speaks of all believers being servants called
to ministry.
Another reason for which I don’t like the term is the
impression it gives that we have the right to choose whether or
not to serve. “Volunteer” implies I have freedom to
decide to serve or decline. However, the New Testament doesn’t
speak of us as volunteers but as bond slaves. When Jesus becomes
our king we give up our rights to choose our own schedules and interests
and pursuits – we slip off the throne and give Him the right
to rule. Using the term volunteer does not reinforce a Biblical
idea of God’s call on each individual to die to self, deny
self, pick up the cross and follow; rather it furthers the notion
of my own autonomy and rights.
However, when I as a church leader interact with people serving
freely in the church, I think it’s healthy for me remember
they ARE volunteering, giving freely of their time and skills to
serve Christ and people. In other words, when church members think
of themselves I hope they see themselves as bondservants to Christ,
having laid down their rights to His rule. But when I think of church
members I have the perspective that they ARE volunteers and therefore
I need to support, honor, and recognize their service and sacrifice.
Looking forward to seeing you Saturday at our training time…
Bob See
Updated:
Experience Cadre Training in Person!
Check out the online photo albums of Cadre training in
action:
* The Cadre Training Festival
http://homepage.mac.com/billc323/PhotoAlbum13.html
* Training Trainers
http://homepage.mac.com/billc323/PhotoAlbum22.html
* Ministry Is Relationships
http://homepage.mac.com/billc323/PhotoAlbum31.html
 UPCOMING
TRAINING:
* Milwaukee Wisconsin Area, Saturday, 3/5/05
A Taste of Ministry Is Relationships at Elmbrook Church's
Connect 2005 http://www.elmbrook.org/connect
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Rhinelander Wisconsin Area, Saturday, 3/5/05
Becoming a High Impact Teacher
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
8:30 AM-12:30 PM. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and
Sunday school teachers. The $20 registration includes a training
manual and snack break. Hosted by Calvary Baptist Church. Contact
certified Cadre trainer, Mike Prom at (715) 369-2500 or promhcy@newnorth.net
* Central Illinois Area, Tuesday, 3/8/05
Trainer Certification for High Impact METHODS of Teaching
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/methods.php
(Participation in Cadre’s High Impact Methods of Teaching
workshop is a prerequisite for participation in this trainer certification
opportunity.)
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Chicago Area, Saturday, 3/19/05
Training for volunteers in children's ministry!
For more info: http://www.kidology.org/training/kidu/2005/chicago
or contact
rennie@cadreministries.com
* Central Iowa Area, Saturday, 3/19/05
Ministry Is Relationships
Ignite National Youth Workers Conference for Volunteer and Vocational
Youth Workers
For more info, go to: http://www.ignite-youth.org/speakers/speakers.htm
* Fargo, ND Area, Saturday, 4/2/05
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Philadelphia, PA Area, Saturday, 4/9/05
IGNITE: Student Evangelism Training Experience
http://www.2ignite.us/pages/igniteevent
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Central Florida Area, Saturday, 4/9/05
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
8:30 AM-12:30 PM. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and
Sunday school teachers. The $15 registration includes a training
manual and snack break. Hosted by Neighborhood Alliance Church -
Contact Laura Wampach at (321) 356.7589 or laura@cadreministries.com
* Northern Minnesota Area, Saturday, 4/16/05
Evangelism Is Relationships
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Central Illinois Area, Saturday, 4/16/05
Becoming a High Impact Teacher
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
8:30 AM-12:30 PM. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and
Sunday school teachers. The $15 registration includes a training
manual and snack break. Hosted by Pontiac First United Methodist
Church - Contact certified Cadre trainer, Lon Alderman at (815)
735-6095 or
lon@acornministries.com
* Central Wisconsin Area, Sunday, 4/17/05
Becoming a High Impact Teacher
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
12 to 4 PM. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and Sunday
school teachers. Registration includes a training manual and snack
break. Hosted by the Evangelical Free Church, Woodruff, WI. Contact
certified Cadre trainer, Rick Goff at (715) 356-4311 or r.goff@verizon.net
* Duluth Minnesota Area, Saturday 4/23/05
The First Person You Lead Is YOU!
For more info contact bill@cadreministries.com
* Central Illinois Area, Saturday, 5/7/05
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
Acorn Lodge - Dickson Valley Camp and Retreat Center
8:30 AM-12:30 PM.
$15 registration includes a training manual and snack break. Contact
certified Cadre trainer, Lon Alderman at (630) 553-6233 or lon@acornministries.com
* Central Illinois Area, Saturday, 5/14/05
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
Acorn Lodge - Dickson Valley Camp and Retreat Center
8:30 AM-12:30 PM.
$15 registration includes a training manual and snack break. Contact
certified Cadre trainer, Lon Alderman at (630) 553-6233 or lon@acornministries.com
* Southern Illinois Area, Saturday, 5/14/05
Becoming a High Impact Teacher
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
8 AM-12 Noon. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and Sunday
school teachers. The $10 registration includes a training manual
and snack break. Hosted by Highland Community Church, Highland,
IL . Contact certified Cadre trainer, Jason Leahy at jleahy@bulldogs.com
Cadre: We're guilty
of inciting a volunteer training revolution in the church!
Cadre is a not-for-profit ministry [501(c)(3)]
that exists to assist local churches in becoming the greatest
volunteer training organizations in the world. We're asking God
to give us 5,000 non-staff trainers who are obsessed with Ephesians
4:11-12! To pursue certification to take Cadre training to your
church, contact info@cadreministries.com.
Cadre staff serve as support-based, God-dependent
missionaries to come alongside volunteers and those who care for
volunteers in the church to help accomplish their God-given mission.
We provide FREE monthly online training for
volunteers in the church (Cadre Connection), for volunteer Jr.
High Youthworkers (Batteries Included), and for Student Leaders
(Spiritual Caffeine). Visit www.cadreministries.com
to preview our recent free training or to sign up to receive training
in your email-box monthly.
For more information about bringing a certified
Cadre trainer to coach and train the volunteer teachers, leaders,
and youth workers in your church, contact info@cadreministries.com
For Cadre training sources visit http://www.cadreministries.com/store
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