It’s hard to believe 2015 is almost here. December is in full swing and as Christmas approaches we are preparing for special weekends and activities for kids focused on the joys of Christ’ birth.
But amidst all the holiday focus, there are 3 things I need to have ‘running in the background’ in order to be prepared for 2015.
In my ministry context, church attendance trends down through November and December. Holiday events and traveling draw families out of their normal routine and church attendance becomes sporadic.
However, we know we’ll see our families again within a few short weeks. We always see a surge in attendance after the new year. And this surge builds leading up to Easter weekend.
[pullquote]I’m the kind of person that just doesn’t like being caught off-guard by that surge. I want to know what lies ahead so I have a fighting chance at being prepared for it. [/pullquote]So here are 3 things I am currently doing to prepare for that surge:
Step #1: Examine my Numbers
I track numbers every weekend. Specific number. How many kids, adult volunteers, student volunteers. I track them…
…by room so I know where they are.
…by service so I know when they come.
…by averages so I know my trends.
…by peaks so I know where trouble spots might pop up.
I’m a fan of numbers. They help me prepare.
- I check Trends. What’s happened in the past can help me predict what will happen in the future. So I look at these same months from previous years to see how attendance progressed. Was there a jump in attendance? What weekend did that happen? What was my pastor teaching that weekend/month? There are certain events & sermon series that can ‘drive’ attendance and if you can identify those factors you can predict where and when you will grow. Where you predict, you can prepare.
- I check last year’s peaks. Because last year’s peaks are this year’s averages. I’ve noticed that when my ministry is on a steady growth trend, then last August’s peak numbers are this February’s average numbers. And that’s valuable information.
Step #2: Review my Org Chart
I know how many volunteers I have today. And the number of volunteers I have today are enough for the number of kids I see today (give or take some wiggle room). That won’t work when attendance rises in January. So I’ve got to prepare.
If my attendance increases by 20% in Jan/Feb, then how many additional volunteers do I need in order to sustain that growth? More specifically, where do I need them? Where do they fit in my volunteer org chart? Does my span of care absorb that addition? Or will this require an additional layer of leadership to accommodate?
[pullquote]If my goal is to keep the new volunteers that I recruit for growth, then I’ve got to have the relational structure that will support them, love them, encourage them, & equip them.[/pullquote]
Sometimes this means I go back to the drawing board and make changes to my Org Chart so that I can see on paper (externally) how we care for our volunteers and (subsequently) how we care for our kids.
Step #3: Spread the Word
I can’t keep this info to myself. I’ve got to get it out. My volunteer team needs to know what lies ahead. My Small Group Leaders see fewer kids each week as the holidays approach. They need a reminder that it will not be like this for long. More are coming.
They need to know that in order to be ready for more, we need some additional leaders.
They need to know where we need those leaders.
If you don’t take the first two steps, then you default to ambiguous recruiting.
We need more volunteers!!
And recruiting ambiguously is rarely successful.
I did it for years. It’s exhausting.
Recruiting specifically yields higher results and longer lasting volunteers.
In January we’ll have an additional Kindergarten small group at our 11:15 worship service. I’m looking for a Kindergarten Small Group Leader to lead that group.
I get more traction when I can speak specifically to where my need exists.
Don’t get me wrong. My need is adequately described by the ambiguous statement. But I get more ‘pats on the head’ with that statement. People in my church hear that all the time from other ministry leaders. I want my voice to stick out. So I’m going to speak specifically to the needs of my ministry and increase my chances of recruiting more effectively.
I know these 3 steps do not auto-magically result in enough volunteers for the attendance growth we will see. But it equips me to lead those around me to take intentional steps toward increasing the ranks.
Because when I’m prepared, I can help my volunteers to prepare.
And we navigate growth more successfully.
