'Tis a gift to be simple
'Tis a gift to be free
'Tis a gift to come down
where we ought to be.

And when we find ourselves
in the place just right
'twill be in the valley
of love and delight

- Shaker Hymn -

Such a sweet little tune.. But a bit simple, wouldn't you say? A bit simple for today's lifestyle, for the reality of our lives: home, meals, jobs, school, sports, music, dance, church...

Yeah, it's a gift to be simple, but who's got the TIME!

Unfortunately, in 1995 the path of simplicity is a very difficult one to follow. As workers with volunteers, we must understand that people's lives are very busy (high on the list of reasons people give for not volunteering is "not enough time"). But people also have an innate need to identify and use their gifts.

God, our Maker, has created each person in a unique and special manner--complete with gifts and talents to make the Body of Christ function. But with so many demands on a person's time, gifts and talents can get buried in the mass of his or her commitments.

What can the Church do? (Remembering always that We are the church), we can:

• Provide a means for people to discover or re-discover their gifts.
• Provide realistic opportunities for people to use their gifts at church and in the community by:
  
  1. creating short term tasks with clearly stated job descriptions breaking traditionally long-term assignments into smaller ones that can be shared -- make Sunday School Director a quarterly assignment
  2. look for co-chairs to head up a committee.
  3. giving people the chance to say "no."
• Eliminate unnecessary meetings; use phone or FAX to confer. When you must have a meeting, make it worth coming to! Use agendas and begin and end on time.
• Recognize and thank volunteers individually and corporately.

Thanks to Sue Fox, Cross of Christ Lutheran in Bellevue, for this article!

Remember the five basic management functions: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling? So far we've planned and organized. In this issue we take up the topic of Staffing.

With program plans and job descriptions in hand, it's time to find some willing recruits. We are not looking for "warm bodies." As directors of volunteers, it is our responsibility to match the right person to the right job. In order to do this well, we need to discover the gifts, interests, and abilities of the members of our congregations. And we need to have in place a system for storing and retrieving this information.

In my congregation, information is gathered using a combination of time & talent surveys, spiritual gifts inventories, and personal interviews.

Time & Talent Surveys. Every year we update our "Opportunities Catalog," a printed booklet that briefly describes each of the opportunities for involvement in the congregation. Members are encouraged to complete an accompanying checklist indicating the opportunities they'd like to consider in the coming year. Two things happen to this information. First, a referral form is used to forward pertinent information to committee chairs and activity leaders. It's the responsibility of committee chairs or their delegates to provide timely follow up in person or by phone. They may send out a job description or extend an invitation to attend an upcoming meeting. Second, information about member interests is entered into our computerized database for future reference.

The database enables us to generate a list of individuals with a particular skill, talent or interest.

Spiritual Gift Inventories. It is becoming more and more common for congregations to develop classes or small groups in which people are given an opportunity to discover their spiritual gifts. As a part of these groups, participants are often encouraged to seek out ministries in which they can "test" and use their gifts. Information about the spiritual gifts of members should also be entered into the database and used for matching people to appropriate volunteer opportunities.

Interviews. Nothing can take the place of a face-to-face interview in which a member is encouraged to talk about his or her interests, experiences and abilities. In my congregation, a team of people has been trained to conduct interviews with new members within the first few weeks after they join the congregation. The interviewer provides information about the congregation, answers questions, learns about the new member's interests, and suggests ways to become involved in congregational life. The interview is summarized and shared with pastors and staff. Information is recorded in the database and referrals are made to appropriate committee and activity chairs for follow-up. Another good time for scheduling interviews with congregation members - new and old - is in conjunction with appointments for photographs for your pictorial directory.

Next issue: some surefire volunteer recruitment strategies.

This issue of Volunteer News Network, the first in 1995, arrives under its own steam via the generosity of TCM, Technology in Christ Ministry (online) and donations (paper/postage). Earlier paper issues found their way to you, thanks to the generosity of Region 1 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), tucked inside the pages of their publication STEWARDSHIP STUFF. Unfortunately, postal service regulations brought an untimely end to our collaboration with the ELCA (with whom we remain steadfast friends) and our little band of volunteers has been forced to think seriously about its future as an $quot;organization," a word and condition we had been avoiding. But no longer.

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Name Change: The Volunteer Ministry Resource Team is about to become the Volunteer Ministry Resource Network, incorporated, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization organized "to provide mutual support and interaction between leaders of volunteers in church congregations and organizations." One of the outcomes of our new status will be our ability to obtain a bulk mail permit. We will keep you posted on developments in future issues of this newsletter.

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Normally, we use this space to publicize upcoming events. Write to us about seminars, workshops or conferences that relate to working with volunteers.

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