This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Just because you’re part of a small church doesn’t mean ministry is less important in your small space. Because we’re representing the God of the Universe, we should be concerned about doing ministry well. If you don’t have written job descriptions for volunteers, or if the mere mention of that just made you cringe a little, follow along. We’re going to go over reasons why small churches avoid job descriptions and why that causes all sorts of pain. We will also learn how to use job descriptions well. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Write job descriptions that make ministry easier and more fulfilling.
- Focus on results instead of tasks to leave room for creativity, personality, and growth.
- Write job descriptions that are welcoming and friendly instead of scary and demanding.
- Approach your pastor with a job description for you (if you don’t have one already).
- Utilize job descriptions for developing volunteers and growing your team.
The Value Of Job Descriptions For Volunteers
I honestly think you only need a written job description if you want people to do a good job and feel great about serving. We all want to do a good job. We also want to know when or if we have done a good job. We like the acknowledgment. You may say, that can happen without a written job description. That may be true in your experience, but I want to dive into other common experiences.
Common Volunteer Experiences
Some of the biggest reasons people quit volunteer jobs are because they feel unsuccessful, they aren’t clear about what they’re supposed to do, or there’s poor communication. This is something that has been studied, not just in churches, but in many different settings.
Written job descriptions speak to all of these things. People don’t quit volunteering because they don’t want to serve or aren’t passionate. They also quit because of relationships.
The two main things that keep most people happy and serving, whether they are volunteers or they’re getting paid, are relationships and great job descriptions! Since relationships are an ongoing theme I talk about in everything I do, I want to focus on writing job descriptions.
Reasons Why Churches Don’t Use Written Job Descriptions For Volunteers
1. Job Descriptions For Volunteers Aren’t Necessary
It’s often assumed that everyone knows how to do things, or that everyone knows that they’re supposed to arrive on time or clean up after an event. After working with volunteers for over 30 years, I know for a fact that this is not true. Have you ever had a conversion with someone that you thought was crystal clear, but you saw something completely different happen? These conversations leave you with misunderstandings, stress, and strained relationships. Writing job descriptions for volunteers, and agreeing on it, takes all the guessing out of it! Everyone knows when a job has been done, and they know ahead of time whether they even want the job or not!
2. It Takes Too Much Time
Some say that it takes more time to write job descriptions for volunteers than it takes to do the job themselves. This just isn’t true. A job description can be done more quickly than you think.
Job descriptions are reusable, recyclable, and easily adaptable to other positions and ministry areas. In addition to this, part of the ministry is sharing the mission and joy of service. If it takes a few extra minutes of your time to make it easier for someone to become involved, then so be it.
3. Volunteers Might Be Offended That They’re Being Treated Like Employees
I want to start by saying that this isn’t the case. Writing a job description doesn’t make people feel like you’re treating them like employees. It makes people feel like you’re valuing the task, and that their job is essential. We all love knowing what’s expected and when we’re doing a good job. People don’t want their time wasted, and by taking the time to write job descriptions for volunteers, you’re indicating that this is important and it matters.
Preventing More Relational Stress
We all have enough stress to deal with, we don’t need to create more stress by not having job descriptions. One thing that can prevent misunderstandings and foster healthy relationships, is clear communication. By having these job descriptions you limit confusion or frustration. You know what to expect and what is expected of one another! I want to emphasize that these job descriptions aren’t intended to be about more busy work or red tape. They are a tool to make ministry more effective and life-giving!
What Makes A Job Descriptions For Volunteers Great?
If you want your volunteers to show up, serve longer, and be as invested as you are, written job descriptions are a must! Great job descriptions keep everyone on the same page, and often result in better relationships! You face fewer disagreements and have better results in ministry events and programs. Job descriptions also aid in building and developing people, as well as helping them be more successful.
No one wants to do a job and fail, or start a job and quit. Well-written job descriptions can help. There are two main differences between the job descriptions you may have seen in the past and the job descriptions I’m recommending to bring life into ministry positions.
1. Focus On Results Instead Of Tasks
When you focus on results, it leaves room for creativity, personality, and growth. While there are days many of us would rather drop something and run, if you want to develop volunteers and do awesome ministry, you need to paint the vision with purpose. Your volunteers need to have ownership, not just do your bidding. This is the difference between it being their ministry, and them helping you with your ministry. This is why focusing on the results is so important!
2. Write Job Descriptions For Volunteers That Are Welcoming And Friendly
A great job description should only be as long as it needs to be. The simpler the better. You want it to be uncomplicated and easy to read. Ideally, people should only need to glance at a description to understand enough about the job. Short bullet points are great too.
This helps people know what they’re committing to before they sign up. If your job description is defined by the result you want to achieve, rather than specific tasks and methods, you’ll allow space for creativity and even progression. If the job description is short and sweet, it empowers people to do a great job rather than overwhelming them with too much information.
5 Tips For Writing Great Job Descriptions For Your Volunteers
1. Start With The ‘Why’
What is your ‘why’? Why do you make coffee on Sunday? Is it because people are thirsty, or because you want to create an environment where people want to hang out and build relationships? Why do you teach Sunday school? It is to simply get through the curriculum and present information, or do you want to create lifelong relationships and connections? I’m not saying that there is one right answer, but your answer will affect who serves and how, and it is worth your time to try and define it. Understanding why you do what you do is so important!
2. Define The Results You Want
The results go with the why, but they add in more details. If the ‘Why’ of chaperones at a lock-in is so that kids know that they are seen, valued, and loved by Christian adults, your results might include you building relationships with students that continue beyond the lock-in.
3. Write Bullet Points With Clear Expectations
An example of bullet points for a lock-in event might be:
- Have a 10-minute conversation with 3 different students throughout the night.
- Ask 5 different students about their dreams or fears for the future.
- Respond in a calm voice and love when you correct someone’s behavior.
- Participate in breakout options so that the kids know you want to be with them.
4. Include A Start And End Time Commitment
Whether it’s one night or a term, we need to put a stop to eternal commitments. When we get asked to teach Sunday school, we assume that it’s a forever thing. We need to lay out how much time you expect your volunteers to commit to, this is why job descriptions help so much!
5. Answer The Right Questions
A great job description will answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. It is important to remember to answer how, too.
What Do Job Descriptions For Volunteers Provide?
If you are a leader, job descriptions often save you time and lessen potential stress throughout the time you are leading. They help you avoid miscommunication and broken relationships as well. In the end, these descriptions will keep your volunteers happier, and keep them serving with you. If you’re a volunteer, written job descriptions help you make significant decisions on when to say yes or no. They take the confusion out of serving and even make your jobs more fun. They also let you know when you’re doing a great job.
Another cool thing about having these job descriptions, is that it makes the formerly scary evaluation easy, fun, and clear! Evaluating events, jobs, and volunteer positions becomes an exercise of development, rather than a negative thing.
What To Do If You Don’t Have A Written Job Description
If you are in a paid or volunteer position, and you don’t have a written job description for yourself, I want to suggest that you go through the 5 steps we talked about, and write down your own job descriptions. You can then ask your supervisor to sit down with you and chat. Keep in mind that how you do this will make all the difference between whether this goes well or not.
Firstly, please don’t go to your team leader or pastor and say, “I really want a job description, and it’s your job to give me one!” This is not a good idea for multiple reasons. For example, they might not have time or consider this a priority. You have no idea what’s going on in anyone’s life. You also need to keep in might that some people might have objections to job descriptions, and it’s not your job to change their minds about that.
I want to suggest a different approach. As you go through the 5 steps and write down what you think the ‘why’ is or what your desired results are, simply take this and bring it to your ministry lead or your pastor to talk about. If your posture is humility and curiosity, it will be a completely different conversation. Instead, you could say “Hey, I really want to do a great job, and I want to make sure that we’re on the same page, and that I’m serving well. Would you have a few minutes to sit down with me and look at it?”
It is possible that they won’t have time to talk with you. However, if that’s the case, I suggest that you ask if you can email it to them, just so they know what you’re thinking. At some point, you can loop back to see if they looked at it, and, if nothing else, they will know you are being intentional and that you care.
Read More:
Increase Commitment, Longevity, & Passion In Service: For Leaders & Volunteers
