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HOW TO RETAIN TEACHERS AND LEADERS
by J. Dan Boulton
The Bible tells us that we should encourage one another through love and good deeds. It also makes it clear that Christians are to perform deeds in keeping with their repentance. The purpose of this article is to provide proven ways to encourage those who are leading and teaching in the church. As people are encouraged and the Spirit of God works in the lives of the volunteers, there should be fewer who dropout or burnout.
An excellent place to begin is to build, maintain and enhance a support system for your volunteers. An outstanding support system includes a number of components and usually takes a few years to assemble those components together.
Click here to view ways you can develop a support system for teachers and leaders.
Another way to encourage teachers and leaders in their area of ministry is by expressions of appreciation. These are some ways to show gratitude to volunteers:
1. Appreciation dinner. Since the time is to honor the volunteers and how they have served the Lord, plan to have the meal catered at no cost to the volunteers. This can be a very simple meal or very elaborate depending on the budget available. Some churches recruit a group to prepare and serve the meal. The event normally includes a special speaker or the pastor of the church. Also, some churches will include special recognition of individuals or ministries that have done unique things. Some examples would be the recognition of someone who has taught Sunday school for 25 years or a youth leader who has lead 12 mission trips, etc.
2. Post cards, letters, e-mails, and phone calls. Let volunteers know they are appreciated and that what they do is of eternal value. The Bible tells us that beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. This is a simple way to remind teachers and leaders they are of great value to God.
3. Teacher appreciation Sunday. On this special day, have teacher/worker names listed in the bulletin or on a handout. Then during the worship service there is a special time of prayer for them. This is sometimes done in conjunction with an appreciation dinner following the worship service.
4. Profiles. Use the church newsletter to profile the teachers/volunteers. This is a means of providing thanksgiving to God for how he has worked through a volunteer. Some churches will do a similar type of thing each week in their regular bulletin highlighting a group of volunteers for prayer.
Systematic training and enrichment is a critical component for volunteer retention. Equipping people for ministry should be an essential part of the ministry of every church. For a complete discussion of this subject, see the Go. Teach! article, How to Have a Teacher Training Ministry That Works. Some of the basic ingredients to do this successfully are as follows:
- Books, tapes, websites and CD's. Teachers and leaders can learn so much from these types of resources. These materials can include sermons as well as more "how to" oriented information. Some churches maintain a library of resources and others simply buy them for their volunteers.
- Training seminars. Excellent seminars are available for volunteers, professional Christian educators, elders and pastors. Some churches even pay for all or a part of the cost. For a listing of excellent seminars check the website of the Christian Education and Publications ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America, www.pcacep.org.
- Local church workshops. A regular item on the calendar of many churches is a teacher and leader training workshop. This may simply include your church or several churches working together to help build the knowledge and skills of their teachers. A common setting is a week day evening for several hours or possibly Saturday morning or after worship on Sunday. The subjects covered are tailored to the particular needs of the church with plenty of time for questions and answers. The leader of the workshop can be someone from the church or possibly a Christian educator from a nearby church. Some churches choose to invite an outside speaker. If your church is interested in such a speaker, contact dan.boulton@gcp.org.
Building a support system with good training and a balanced measure of appreciation will help many volunteers to persevere in the work of the Lord. Starting small and being faithful can yield much fruit in a relatively short period of time. Look back through this article and choose one or two things you can do to get started today!
Permission to Copy
Articles from the Go Teach online newsletter may be copied (unless specified otherwise) for use in a non-commercial printed or electronic form under the auspices of a local church. Reprinted articles may not be altered in any way. Please include the byline, other source information if provided and the following credit line: Published by Great Commission Publications, Inc., 3640 Windsor Park Drive, Suwanee, GA 30024. Used by permission.
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Great Commission Publications • 3640 Windsor Park Drive • Suwanee, GA 30024-3897 • (800) 695-3387 • (770) 271-5776
The publishing ministry of the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Committee for Christian Education & Publications of the Presbyterian Church in America. Copyright © 2004.
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