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It’s no secret that volunteers are the lifeblood of just about every church tech team in America.
It’s also no secret that most churches struggle with maintaining healthy team depth and helping their volunteers feel fulfilled and appreciated instead of getting burned out.
As I’ve heard it said before, burnout doesn’t necessarily come as a reflection of the number of hours spent doing something. After all, there are things I could do for hours on end that I totally love doing. Burnout really comes from there being a disconnect between what I’m doing and the value that comes from me doing it. And even that has two facets: do I know the clear value and impact of the work that I’m doing, and do I myself feel valued for all of the time and energy I’m contributing?
Burnout has two facets: do I know the clear value and impact of the work that I’m doing, and do I feel valued for all of the time and energy I’m contributing?
So, as ministry leaders, if we have a goal of preventing our teams from getting burned out, our first focus should be on ensuring that there’s a clear path to creating value for the time invested.
To do that, there are three steps we can take to ensure that not only our team members feel valued for their contributions, but that they are clear on the impact that their contributions make. When these things happen, it should result in an infusion of purpose and fulfillment instead of the feelings of cynicism and disconnectedness that come from a state of burnout.
1. Communicate clearly.
One of my main roles as a team leader is to communicate. My team needs to know what they should be doing, why they should be doing it, what they need to do if something goes wrong, who they need to be listening and speaking to, and so on.
When there’s lack of clarity, it only adds stress and confusion because people don’t know what’s expected of them or how to do what they’re being asked to do. And it can also lead to feeling devalued.
If I, as a team member, don’t know the purpose of what I’m doing or the impact it has, then why should I bother doing it? Why should I try so hard to get better at my role? Why should I be concerned about not making mistakes?
This is why, out of everything a team leader can do, drawing a line between task and impact is so critical. Every team member has to know why their role is important. They have to know who is being impacted and how that is being traced back to their small part.
When there’s lack of clarity, it only adds stress and confusion because people don’t know what’s expected of them or how to do what they’re being asked to do.
When the team is aware of who they’re affecting, it can instill a higher sense of purpose that gives meaning for the long hours and potential added stress of filling their role. It can make those sacrifices worth it, knowing the long-term gain.
Otherwise, when the team doesn’t know why they show up early and stay late, it becomes easy for morale to suffer and the role to devolve to one simply of fulfilling tasks on an assembly line. That leads to unhealthy emotions, and burnout will surely follow.
2. Train the team thoroughly.
When the impact of one’s role is made clear, then it becomes easier to emphasize why it’s important that the team’s skill set is constantly improving. Without that line being drawn, it’s easy for team members to disengage from a training process and wonder why they should even bother learning certain concepts.
However, when I’m able to share vision with my team, and they buy into the impact of that vision, that can then fuel a cycle of passion that leads to them wanting to learn more about their role and yearning to hone their craft. This is how a cycle of excellence gets birthed.
But, if I just throw my team into the deep end of the pool and hope they can learn on the job, that becomes a recipe for burnout and disaster.
They may know the impact of their actions and the value they create on the weekend, but they themselves won’t feel valued because I’ve shown they aren’t worth the investment of my time.
If I really value them as people and as coworkers in ministry, then I should be willing to sacrifice my energy to help them learn and grow, knowing that we will all sink or swim together. I can’t expect them to really make their maximum impact if there’s not a clear path of how to learn and improve.
And if I keep piling on the stress of services, week after week, and don’t give them the proper tools to succeed, eventually the pressure becomes overwhelming and people will choose to leave, simply as an act of self-preservation.
When I take the time to invest in my team and give them the proper tools to do their jobs well, that shows that I see value in them and understand (and appreciate) their value in the big picture.
3. Steward them passionately.
People are the most important resource that we as leaders have at our disposal. But we must understand that they are a non-renewable resource, meaning that if they run out, there’s no guarantee that there will be more coming.
It is beyond critical that we understand how important it is for us to take care of the people that we’ve been blessed enough to lead. They aren’t tools we use to do a job; they are “masterpieces,” as Paul notes in Ephesians.
And if God is looking for a place for his masterpieces to get plugged into community, to be able to give back and make a difference and know that they’re being shown love and value, then am I doing a good enough job stewarding the masterpieces already at my disposal? If not, then I have no right to ask God to send me more!
To steward something means to not only take care of it and treat it with value (because it belongs to someone else, not me), but it also means that I have a responsibility of making it better. So I not only have to treat the people I’m leading with respect and value, but I also have to do my best to ensure that when they ultimately leave my team, they’re in a better place than they were when they started.
Am I helping them get invested in a community that cares about them and accepts them? Am I sharing my level of appreciation with them so they know how valued they are? Am I committed to helping them grow and take steps on their spiritual journey? Am I helping them get connected with the gifts and passions God gave them and helping them use those gifts to make a difference? Am I speaking life and value into them and helping them see the worth they were created with by God? Am I ensuring that they know they are making an eternal difference by being a part of our team?
That’s all part of stewardship. If I’m not doing those things, then of course they’ll get frustrated and burned out over time, and ultimately leave the team. Why would they stay? They’re just doing a stressful job week-in and week-out, never feeling appreciated and valued, struggling to stay afloat and figure out how to do what’s asked of them, all to come back again and continue to make sacrifices for people who only know they exist when something gets screwed up.
But if I focus on adding value to their lives, and ensuring they know the impact of their actions; if I share ministry vision with them and am working to make sure they know how appreciated and important they are; if I’m investing in them as people and helping them grow to reach their God-given potential; then, instead of feeling frazzled and desperate, I’ll be building a team of passionate family members who are committed to making a difference.
Yes, the roles will still be stressful, and yes, the hours may still be long. But everyone will be united in purpose and vision. And instead of feeling burned out, we’ll all burn with passion for what we have been called to do, together.
