And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. - Job 8:7 (ESV)
While some churches have seen their attendance and volunteer numbers return to levels comparable to the pre-COVID season, many others have still seen dips in those numbers.
For tech teams, that can present a major problem. Easily one of the most critical teams in the church, we have to be able to function week-in and week-out, but we also don’t want to have the same volunteers serving every week and running the risk of burnout.
So, what do we do when we need people this badly?
Culture is key
First off, we should endeavor to make the culture of our current team as strong and healthy as possible. Healthy things grow, and fun, vibrant, healthy teams are attractive to those on the outside.
Even if I have a small team, I should constantly be providing encouragement, affirmation, appreciation, and value. Hand-written thank you notes, text messages/emails, and public shout-outs are easy, simple, and free ways to show people how much they matter.
First off, we should endeavor to make the culture of our current team as strong and healthy as possible.
If there’s budget room, then I can try to take team members to lunch, bring a dozen donuts on Sunday, or maybe even treat the team to a group dinner or buy them t-shirts or gift cards. These “gifts of appreciation” are great efforts to show our team that we’re willing to make an investment in them because of all the investments they’ve made in our ministry.
Before and after services, I need to have time built in to the day’s flow to allow for time to socialize, swap stories about our week, and even take prayer requests and pray. Building a healthy community deepens the level of engagement for our members, because they know that they’re part of a larger team that knows them and cares about them for more than just the role they fill.
I can come up with ways to socialize outside of the weekend (like meals or outings) and even make it a regular habit to reach out to different team members each week just to chat.
When I focus on strengthening relational connection, I not only help create a fun and engaging atmosphere, but I also deepen the idea that our team is part of a community that cares for them. And in the difficult season we’ve all been going through for the last year, having a community to lean on in a time of crisis is vitally important.
Consider the current team
Once I focus on making my current team as strong as possible, I can then encourage the team to extend personal invitations to their friends, family, or co-workers to join. It’s the old “each one reach one” philosophy: if everyone on the team invited one friend to come with them, we’d double overnight.
The hope behind this is that if a current team member feels engaged, valued, and affirmed, and truly enjoys the people he or she serves with each week, then it becomes natural for them to invite someone in their social circle to join them for the ride. At that point, it becomes more about the relational community and fun, and less about whatever the actual task is.
This is the idea behind each-one-reach-one: “We have so much fun hanging out together on Sundays. You’ve got to come hang out some time! I know you’d love it."
Ideally that new recruit is able to come and be around the team for a bit, just to experience the environment and culture for themselves. And hopefully they enjoy the vibe so much that they’re willing to walk thru a training process to learn a new role, just to keep a connection on the team and have an excuse to keep coming back!
Thinking beyond
This is where a final note on team growth comes in to play. Not every role on the team needs to be technical. Not every new recruit has to be able to step in as an audio engineer or camera op.
Yes, some people have a natural bent towards learning those types of things. But what about the friend that comes and hangs out with the team on a Sunday and is interested in joining, only to say, “I’m not good with technical things. I don’t want to do any of those things, and you don’t want me near them.”
This is where I can think outside the box for ways to help grow and expand the team in non-technical areas. Chances are, some of the things that are critical to building a healthy team aren’t necessarily in the wheelhouse of whomever is currently leading things.
Not every crucial role on the team is technical.
Maybe I’m great with tech but not great with people. Is there someone who can come alongside me and carry the weight of the appreciation/affirmation/ministry relations side of things? What about someone who can handle administrative details like emails and organization so I can focus on things I’m better at? Maybe it’s a person who can help plan those social outings or team events if I’m not good at them, or they can maintain the team prayer request list or lead a team small group.
The point is, not every crucial role on the team is technical. Perhaps there’s a way to add people in those support roles to take some mental weight off of my (or others’) shoulders, which can then pay dividends down the road. All I have to do is just think outside the box a bit.
In a time when team depth is critical, I can’t necessarily just sit back and wait for something to happen. I can’t just pray for more people but not actually do anything on my own. I’ll only catch fish if I first row my boat out into the lake and drop my net; it takes effort on my part to prepare for growth.
By taking some simple but important steps, I can work to cultivate the right environment for that growth. And Lord willing, it will happen.
