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Equipping Team

Vision Statement:

To connect people to the living God through service and ministry.

Mission Statement:

In response to God’s command to love one another, we seek to grow leaders and volunteers; equipping them through a process of training, support and recognition.

Becoming an equipping church is based on Ephesians 4:11-13. “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” In the same way each believer has a God-given ability, skill, or passion to use in ministry, each believer has a particular function in the body of Christ. We all fit somewhere, but we don’t fit everywhere.

Recruitment -- focuses on the task and is done when the vacant position is filled.

Equipping -- focuses on the person. It encourages ministry, offers help in selecting the right

ministry, and trains, supports, and affirms each volunteer.

No longer should ministry chairpersons recruit volunteers to fill a vacant “slot” in a ministry; members should be placed into ministry based on their spiritual gifts, interests and passions. Volunteering should not be a “life sentence”. Ministry positions should have written descriptions of the ministry, skills required, who they report to, and a term of service. Ministry chairpersons should be “leaders”, not doers. Leaders value volunteers by providing training, affirmation, feedback, evaluation (of the ministry), and recognition or TAFER.

Church Council Resolution (December 2013)

Council expresses its support of the equipping ministry and recommends continued implementation of its charter to equip all ministries through:

•PREPARE members to become part of the church through Biblical foundations;

•CONNECT members by aligning their needs, gifts, and interests with ministry opportunities; and

•EQUIP members for ministry opportunities and spiritual growth through ongoing training,

affirmation, feedback, evaluation, and recognition.

Equipping Includes All of the Below:

Connectors for New Members

  • Veteran members help assimilate in-coming members into the church
  • Interviewers for New Members

  • Selected persons are trained as Interviewers
  • A face-to-face interview with a new member in order to better place members into ministry based on their gifts, passions and interests
  • Spiritual Gifts Assessment

  • On line spiritual gifts assessment tool for new members
  • Continued encouragement for all members to take the assessment
  • Discovery Tools

  • Similar to time/talent sheets but focused on passions, hobbies, and interests
  • Ministry Position Descriptions (MPD) for all volunteer ministry chairpersons and volunteers

  • No “one man bands”. If a ministry is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly with MPDs for the chairperson and the volunteers
  • MPD’s are searchable by spiritual gifts and ministry area on a database
  • Train all Ministry Chairpersons to provide T.A.F.E.R. to ministry volunteers

  • Training for ministry volunteers
  • Affirmation of ministry volunteers
  • Feedback to ministry volunteers
  • Evaluation of the ministry
  • Recognition of the ministry volunteers
  • Upgraded Church Software

  • Upgraded software will enable equipping
  • Information tracking allows sorting MPDs by spiritual gifts and ministry area
  • Confidential storage of member information, MPDs, gift assessments, interview results
  • Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

  • Drip the vision. This is a 3 to 7 year process to change the church culture and implement equipping
  • Why We Need Visionary Leadership

    We need visionary leadership to build volunteer participation. Volunteer participation doesn’t just happen; it requires careful nurturing and direction. It’s worth the effort to build excellent volunteer participation and here is why:

  • Active participation in ministry often blocks the revolving door that is part of many churches.
  • The world needs what the church offers: the Good News of Jesus Christ that we proclaim.
  • As we capably manage volunteerism, we create opportunities for people to be at their best as they help others.
  • It creates new meaning and purpose in people’s lives when they discover and use their God-given talents and abilities to make a difference.
  • Involvement in meaningful volunteer efforts can create hope for those who are experiencing life’s difficulties.
  • When we work together, we create moments and pockets of real community and collaboration.
  • Core Values of Visionary Volunteer Leadership

  • We don’t fill vacant ministry positions in order to put a warm body into vacancy; we place people into ministry based on their gifts and passions.
  • One test of a good leader, rather than “how much have I done?” needs instead to be “how many others have I involved?”
  • All SMLC ministries have ministry position descriptions written for the coordinator position and the volunteer helper positions including identifying desired spiritual gifts for the position.
  • Leaders don’t think of their program as “my ministry.” It is God’s ministry that you are entrusted to lead and in the process “connect people to the living God.”
  • Every volunteer experience in the church should encourage a healthy relationship with Christ.
  • We believe everyone in the body of Christ has something to give to the corporate body.
  • Volunteers are respected as full partners in the ministry.
  • Volunteers can be any age.
  • It is better to leave a volunteer position unfilled than to put the wrong match in the position.
  • We provide the resources and training that volunteers need to be successful.
  • It is okay for a potential volunteer to say “no” to a request.
  • Volunteer motivation and retention are outcomes of doing other things right.
  • Spiritual Gifts Assessment:

    This is your opportunity to learn where you are gifted in the areas of administration, discernment, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, helps, hospitality, intercession, knowledge, leadership, mercy, prophecy, shepherding, teaching, and wisdom. To take the gifts assessment, click on the image on the left.

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