025: No More Boring Handbooks! Create a Ministry Handbook That Increases Momentum, Builds Trust, & Recruits Volunteers Too!

Episode 025: No More Boring Handbooks! Create a Ministry Handbook That Increases Momentum, Builds Trust, & Recruits Volunteers Too!

Intro 0:01  
Hey, this is Laurie Graham. Welcome to The Small Church Ministry Podcast.

Laurie Graham 0:15
Hey, welcome back to podcast episode 25. I’m so glad you’re here! We have started sending out a survey every June, and since we’re celebrating only our second year anniversary just this week that makes two annual surveys. But I’m already finding it’s such a great way to keep in touch with our community, their needs, what people are loving from The Creative Little Church, and also exploring new dreams and new ideas. I always love leaving space at the end of surveys for people to add whatever they like, like a testimony or a question, or really anything.

And I just want to share one of the comments we received last week because it made my heart so happy! Raquel left this comment on our annual survey, she said, “I found The Creative Little Church ministry at just the right time when it seemed that our church was crumbling down. The Creative Little Church ministry encouraged me to continue and not give up, showing me different ways of doing things, little ideas that made things easier and achievable. Thank you so much for your ministry. It has been such a blessing for me and my little church.” Well, thank you, Raquel, I especially love that she said this. She said doing things, little ideas that made things easier and achievable. And I really think that’s God’s way, don’t you think? 

It’s not that it takes tons of money, or a ministry degree or a big church building to join God where he’s at work. It’s little things done intentionally, that is what it’s all about. So if you’re listening right now, and you feel alone, or you feel like your churches crumbling, I totally hear you, and you are not alone! And you know what, your church isn’t crumbling either. It might feel like it, it might look like it. But God is there like in your midst right now. And doing little things can make very big changes. So stick with us. You’re not only going to regain your hope, but some great skills, strategies, new mindsets, and some new friends too. You aren’t going to get any shame or criticism for being small. Not here, because we love small. And we truly believe that God loves small too. I promise you he is at work in your space, even today. 

Laurie Graham 2:27
So today on the podcast, we’re talking ministry handbooks, whoo! Okay, I know it’s not a super sexy topic, but hang on, because I might actually change your mind. Honestly, I love a good handbook. And not just because I’m a little geeky, but I am. But more because I have actually seen handbooks make an impact on real ministry. Now, you may have had a totally different experience like most people have, but the handbooks I love, they might not be like any handbooks you’ve ever seen! You see a typical ministry handbook is actually pretty boring. Lots of details, policies, mission statement, usually not super attractive, black and white, no pictures, a lot of print, and not a lot of white space. Great to fall asleep to, but not really a big motivator. And another sad thing, usually, no one reads it unless it’s required. And even then, people may thumb through it. But does it stick? Do they even know what’s on the pages? Not usually. So if that’s the image of a handbook that you have in your mind, please toss it out the door. If it helps, maybe even rename it instead of thinking handbook. Maybe it’s called ‘The Journey’ or ‘Here’s the Scoop’.

So picture this, what if the handbook was a storybook? And you were one of the characters? Would you be a little more interested then? I know I would. Because the story, you know is about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there. And in this story, I don’t want you to be a spectator. I’m actually inviting you on the journey to come along, to be involved, to support, to understand, and be part of the story. Can you imagine a ministry handbook like that? 

So here’s the thing. We humans typically care about things that matter to us. And that other handbook, the one that full was full of boring details, that doesn’t matter to us. But wait, those things even in that boring handbook, they are important. And I totally believe what ends up in a good handbook isn’t just important, but it’s crucial. So if those things are important, and your job, if you’re writing a handbook, isn’t just to list what’s important, then what’s your job? Your job, if you’re writing the handbook that I’m talking about, is to make those really important things matter to the people who read it. It’s not just about making it look attractive either. It’s about making the people part of the story. 

Laurie Graham 5:03
So before we dive in, do you even need a handbook? You may be listening right now, as a Sunday school teacher, a pastor, a volunteer who helps with communion, in the kitchen, or on the deacon board. Maybe you run the slides or you schedule social media posts. So here’s the thing. You only need a handbook if: if you want people to be excited about what you’re doing, or if you’d really enjoy everyone being on the same page for a change, or maybe you want to turn the negative, the neutral, or the naysayers into raving fans! Or how about this? Would you just like a few more volunteers? This is another reason for a good handbook.

A ministry handbook, the way I define it, is one of the best tools to create excitement, to communicate vision, to involve others in the vision, and even create fans! A great handbook is one of the best tools not just to tell your story, but to invite more people on the journey. It builds consistency and trust, and it gets everyone on the same page. Now, I’m not saying you need a handbook for every task or every role you serve in. But for the bigger ministry umbrella areas, like that umbrella that all the tasks fall under, that’s where a great handbook comes in. 

Now, just to get on the same page with you, before we get into the details of creating this handbook, let me tell you first what this handbook is not. The ministry handbook I’m talking about is not your entire volunteer training manual, although it probably will include some policies. This ministry handbook is also not your entire long-term strategy with all the details, although it definitely should paint a picture of where you’re going. The other thing this handbook is not it is not a constitution, bylaws, or a document that’s used for governance.

This handbook, instead, is a tool about vision. It’s about who you are, not you personally, but this ministry area that you represent. It’s a tool about how others fit. It is a living, active piece of vision. It’s on display for visitors and volunteers alike. You will refer to it at team meetings at your annual church meeting, and just for fun to get people excited about where you’re going! Now, doesn’t that sound beautiful? Is that different than the ministry handbook you’re used to? Now, I think this is so beautiful, and I think you should have this beautiful thing too! So I’m going to walk you through the doable steps for creating a ministry handbook that is motivating, one that builds trust communicates clearly, and not only gets people on the same page but actually increases their desire to be on that page at all. 

Laurie Graham 7:56
Now, if you’re starting from scratch, you’re going to do pieces at a time. Do not get overwhelmed. You don’t stop ministry to put this together. But more on that in a few minutes. So first, let’s walk through the five steps to create a handbook that makes a difference. 

So the first thing you’re going to do is put the reader in the story. This is absolutely number one! Now, to do this, you need to know who this handbook is for and how they fit. So ask yourself, why would they want to read it, not just why it’s necessary. But in some way, the handbook needs to meet their needs, not just your need to communicate, but their need for understanding. Their desire to be included or to be in the loop. So who exactly is the reader of this handbook? For me, I believe this handbook is actually written for everyone who walks in your church from visitor to committed volunteer! Now some people might think that’s too broad, but I don’t. 

The handbook I’m talking about isn’t just a bunch of details that only the committed people are going to read. This handbook is the story of your ministry, and how others fit to, and where you’re going. So I believe every single ministry in a church should be important enough for every single person in a small church to know about it. This is actually one of the gifts of small church ministry! I really think you should care about the prayer ministry. Even if prayer is difficult for you or it’s not a passion. I think you should know about the widows’ ministry, even if you’re married. I think you should support the children’s ministry, even if you don’t have children or your children are grown. And why? Because we are all in this together. We are the body of Christ, body parts. Can you imagine not caring about your eyeballs or not caring about your legs? Like that’s crazy thinking. So please hear me. I do not think that every person in every small church needs to volunteer or serve in every area. Absolutely not. But be a fan? Yes, I think every single person should be a fan of other ministry areas! And you can’t be a fan if you have no idea what they’re doing, or if you’re still competing for dates on the calendar. 

Laurie Graham 10:20
Now, I’m a fan of a lot of stuff. So let me kind of explain and unpack a little bit of what I mean. I am a fan of certain restaurants, stores, and even a few sports teams. One thing I’m a really huge fan of currently in my life is a new restaurant that popped up a few miles from me, it’s called The Spice Garden. Now, if you know a chain called The Spice Garden, this is totally different. It is family-owned, and it is amazing, like I love this place! I don’t go out to eat very much actually. And I have to say, I am not on the payroll, I don’t work there. I don’t serve there. But I am a total fan. I eat there when I can. And I tell people about it.

Like if you’re looking for a good restaurant, and you’re gonna be in Tucson on the Northwest side, I know where to send you. And I can even recommend my favorite menu options. I know them. I know what they do, and I also know how they do it! What the environment is like, what the staff is, like, what they value, and also what they don’t. Now, don’t you think we should be like this in our small churches? To be a fan of this ministry and that ministry and that other one, like even if we don’t serve in them, we know what they do we support them. We tell others who need them all about them. It would be so beautiful if this was the norm in small churches, and it really can be. So think about who your handbook is for and put them into the story. Make it not just palatable to read your manual, but actually exciting to read! Like easy to understand. Let them know where they can get involved and how they can support your ministry to even if it’s just understanding and sharing the word with those who need to hear it. 

Okay, so that’s your first step is putting the reader in the story. Here’s your second, define what sections you’re going to include in the handbook because it doesn’t have to be every section that every other ministry area would include. Now, you might want to include your mission and your goals. You may want to include core beliefs, some policies, how to get involved. And this is going to look different for different ministry areas. This is why you get to define what sections you want to include. But be intentional and consider other options and decide, don’t just start spitting out a bunch of information. It’s going to look different for children’s ministry than for prayer ministry, or outreach, or men’s ministry. You don’t need to define an offsite travel policy for adults in the same way that you would, let’s say for youth ministry, but you may have more policies in the nursery handbook than you would in hospitality ministry. 

Laurie Graham 12:59
So here’s the question to ask to decide your sections. “What gets you from one side of the lake to the other what keeps you in forward motion? What gets you to where you want to go without zigzagging all over the place? And what keeps you on track?” One of the biggest tragedies in small churches that truly makes me sad, is that ministries change visions, often, depending on the leader, and sometimes in small churches especially, the leadership changes a lot. Because not too many of us are paid. We don’t have a career women’s ministry leader who’s going to be there forever. We have volunteers who step up to fill a need. And this can be so beautiful if we keep going in the same direction, the same path to the other side of the lake.

But what happens too often is that when the leadership changes, we change our directions, we change our the way we do things, it can undo so much progress! I’m pretty sure you’ve probably experienced this, if you’ve been in a small church. Like when you’re redeciding something that was already decided last year or five years ago, or you’re having the same conversations you had over and over again, because a new leader stepped in and doesn’t really understand you’ve already discussed this. It should not be like this. We don’t need to keep taking one step forward and one step back over and over and over again! 

If God created our church to be a body, then one person also shouldn’t just be changing the direction. Like, if God speaks to the minds and hearts of his people, all his people, which I really believe he does, then the vision the direction of your ministry comes from the body, not just one person. Now, I am not saying the pastor doesn’t have authority, because I absolutely believe in God-ordained leadership, structure, and organization. But I’ve also seen a lot of pastors considering the body, including wisdom from elders, leading of congregation through prayer, like where God is already working! The pastor may be seeking the heart and mind of God for the church body. That’s what I’m talking about. If you’re in charge of the prayer ministry for a season, and someone else steps up, the prayer ministry could, and often should, continue toward the same vision, even if some of the details change. But you don’t need to keep starting over and over again. It’s not like God’s call for your body just changed because somebody quit and a new person stepped up. 

Laurie Graham 15:32
So think about it. If the kid’s ministry has a handbook, with clear, exciting vision, and a new leader is needed, the question moves from “Hey, where do you want to take us?” to “Hey, here’s where we’re going. We are so excited. Do you want to be the one who keeps leading the way?”

Okay, so step two, is deciding on these elements on what’s important and telling your story, where you are, and where you’re going. The things that your community believes are God-honoring, the things that should not change with new leadership. Things like mission and vision, where you’re going dreams and visions, goals, and even the fruits that you desire to see from this ministry. Maybe even how you do it; not micromanaging because the details can change and creative things should be happening because God does new things. But we need to hold loosely, and also allow new things and vision to be added. That doesn’t necessarily change where we’re going, but completes what was started. 

But this area might also include things like strategy and policies, what we allow and what we don’t value, core values, those things that let people know what’s like in-bounds and what’s not. Maybe things like how you handle conflict? Maybe in a children’s ministry, how you handle behavior that isn’t great for the group. Your handbook might have a section about who’s involved and how to get people involved. Maybe this includes your organizational structure, maybe even the names of key volunteers. Maybe short, sweet job descriptions, like why people do what they do, even how to get involved, or how to support the ministry. 

Your handbook may have a section with a clear call to action and involvement from how to step up and serve, or how to pray for us. Or what about, what to say when a visitor asks about this ministry? Your handbook probably should include who to contact with questions. Now, if you’re already on to this, and you’re thinking, well, if I’m going to put a person’s name in there, that means that I’m going to have to update this book. Exactly! Because the contact person will change, and also, hopefully, your ministry is growing all the time.

Laurie Graham 17:46
You’ll have to update your handbook. But it’s not a ‘have to’,  it’s a ‘want to’! In fact, it’s the point. This is a living, breathing document. It’s not like most church constitutions that collect dust for many years, and also that no one reads, let alone understands. If you create this right, it’s going to be referenced a lot at meetings with visitors even when you’re not there. If there’s a question, if there’s a conflict, people in your church, who are not involved with your ministry, will actually know where to find this handbook, and even give it to others when they ask questions about your ministry. Isn’t this something you would love to have? 

Okay, you’ve decided, number one, who your reader is and how to put them in the story. The second step was deciding on the sections you want to include. So next step, number three, you’re going to flesh out each section. And you’re going to do this with a team of people! Please do not go solo on this. Do not write policy by yourself. Do not create goals in a vacuum. Even if you’re the pastor, this is honestly the quickest way not to grow a team and not to be the body! People want to be included. They have much to offer, and you are stronger with a team. We all need to quit doing ministry for people or to people and start doing more ministry with people. This is where it starts. Having a group of people dream together is so beautiful, getting input on mission and vision and strategy and policy and where we’ve been and where we’re going! It is so much better with a group of people. 

Your fourth step is to make your handbook pretty and make it friendly. Now when I say pretty, I don’t mean girly pretty, I mean, professional pretty. Make it look like something you would want to read, not like an instruction manual that anyone would fall asleep to. So this means using nice fonts, creating whitespace maybe graphics or infographics using pull-out quotes, highlighting important phrases! You want to make it easy to remember. It’s a waste of time to give people information they will never recall. It really is. If it’s important, make it stick! If you’re the communicator, and you’re, you’re the one who wants this information to make a difference for other people, the burden isn’t on them to remember it and memorize a 15-page policy section. The responsibility is actually yours, to communicate in a way that they can’t help remember. 

Laurie Graham 20:23
So after you’ve decided how to put the reader in the story, outline your sections, flesh out the details, and make it pretty and friendly. Here’s the last step. You need to actually use it. Now, if done well, you’re going to want to use it in trainings, when you’re recruiting volunteers, when you’re communicating with visitors. Promote it to the entire church! Let them know why they should digest it, because they are part of the story. 

So those are the five steps. That’s it. What do you think? Now I’m going to leave you with another principle because this principle is really, really important. In fact, if you skip this, the ministry handbook is not going to give you the results that you want. Here it is. Do not stop doing ministry while you put together a handbook. This needs to be happening concurrently with the life-changing ministry that you’re already doing. Please, don’t press pause on a ministry to take time to put together a handbook. This is one mistake that churches make sometimes. They put things on hold while they define their mission statement. Like we can’t launch the women’s ministry till we create a handbook. Or some things are going wrong in the young adult ministry. So you want to say okay, let’s just quit that ministry and regroup and do this first. 

Now, there is a time to stop a ministry and regroup, but please be careful of that because it’s not always the right answer. I’m not sure if you’ve been to these kinds of meetings when you’re putting together a handbook or a vision statement or policy meetings. But I will tell you, if these meetings or series of meetings goes on too long, it has the potential to suck the life out of everyone involved. Have you been there? Churches sometimes make this process so begrudging, that instead of gaining momentum, they actually lose whatever momentum they had.

So, I want you to do it quicker than you think it needs to happen, but slow enough to be intentional. That’s my best advice, and do not stop doing ministry in the meantime. Publish pieces as you go one section at a time, and keep in mind, always, why you’re doing this because a great ministry handbook is not just information. A great ministry handbook builds trust, it increases momentum. It turns spectators and naysayers into fans. This ministry can book can become the best volunteer recruitment tool on the planet! So, I hope you want one!

Laurie Graham 22:59
Now, if you’ve never done this before, creating a ministry handbook or one like this, it might seem like a lot of work. And it does take some work, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Or maybe you feel like you don’t have the skill to do the graphic design part or make it pretty. I want to encourage you to start somewhere. Start somewhere! Maybe your handbook is four pages for now, and later, it becomes eight, and then later you add some policies. Just get started, get off the couch. Don’t pray about it for the next three months before you do anything. Take a baby step. It’ll get the momentum going, and keep an eye out for the team that’s going to help you do it. If you don’t have the skills to make it pretty like in Canva, I promise somebody you know does, or someone you know knows someone who knows how. 

Now I made a claim that this handbook helps recruit volunteers. If you are wondering how, let’s just unpack that one real quick. Let’s say a volunteer has an option. They’ve got an option to work on two different teams. And they’re going to choose just one. So what kind of team would you want to be on? Do you want to be on the team where the ministry leader says, “Hey, we are desperate for Sunday school teachers? Can you help?” or do you want to be on a team where a ministry leader hands you a beautiful book called The Journey and says, “Hey, this is where we’re going? Do you want to come with us?” Okay, my hand was raised! Yes, please, I want that one. So letting people know there is structure and support and that you’re headed somewhere beautiful? Well, it shows others you value the ministry, that you value, the call of Christ! That you value the needs, not only of the people you’re serving, but you value the needs of future volunteers. In fact, you value volunteers so much that you’re going to make their lives easier. 

I’m telling you, this is so counterculture in our typical culture in many small churches, that is more defined like this, use them up and burn them out. Have you seen that? This is so counterculture that you will stand out! People will want to serve with you, if you show that you value them, and you’re committed to setting them up to succeed. A great ministry handbook is a great part of the picture and it will make your job easier too, because once it’s done, and even when it is in progress, there will be less stressful conversations, disagreement, or confusion on things that have already been decided sometimes more than once. Your decision-making gets easier because so much is decided and also agreed upon. Also, you’ll have more people willing and able to step up and even cover for you when you have to be gone. Because it’s clear what you’re doing and where you’re going, and what the priorities are. In addition, the ministry you are pouring into will more likely continue whenever you do leave, because it’s on the path to somewhere good. And people know where it’s going. 

Laurie Graham 26:09
So please, do not be overwhelmed thinking about a ministry handbook, just get started with a little piece. If you are not in charge of the team you’re on and you’re like, “Oh, I wish my team had this.” Maybe share this podcast episode with the leader and just start a conversation. “What do you think about that?” Or like, “Do you think that would be something that would help us?” or maybe, after hearing the podcast episode, you can offer to put a few people together and start drafting a handbook. Like if your team leader has too much on their plate, and they’re like, “That sounds nice, but I can’t do it.” Maybe put a few people together and do a few pages, just a few, or an outline, bring it back to the leader and say “Hey, what do you think? Do you think this would be helpful?” But whatever your circumstance is, you can totally do this! And even though I know you can totally do this, I also know it’s not a small project, and you probably are already working a full-time job on top of volunteering with a lot already on your plate. 

So because we understand this, we are in process right now of creating a resource to help as an option if you don’t have time, or even if you just want the extra support. We are, right now, creating ministry-specific bundles, and each bundle has a three awesome components! There’s a Foundation’s workbook, which walks you through the different elements and critical components of a ministry that’s going to be healthy and moving forward for the long haul. The second piece in this resource, is a quick start guide. It has everything you need in it, including the promotional pieces to launch or relaunch a ministry, and then, wait for it! The third component has some really important templates including, drumroll please, the most awesome ministry handbook ever!

It is all pretty and ready for you to customize with your info and put in the sections that you choose. We have infographics that you can fill in, like, it is beautiful. Now, these bundles will cost $29 For all three of those components combined. And as you probably already know, 90% of what we do at the Creative Little Church is absolutely free, just like this podcast, because we know small churches, and you don’t have big budgets! But to keep everything free, we do need to sell some of our resources, in order to just keep everything running. Now since you probably know, we over-deliver, if you see how great our free stuff is, can you imagine what comes with a paid product? And even though this ministry bundle is going to cost $29, literally, it is worth well more than $200. We are totally committed to our value of over-delivering, and we plan to keep it that way!

Laurie Graham 28:58
So, if you are looking for a clear, handheld, step-by-step support in launching, relaunching, or developing an amazing ministry handbook like this, this resource is totally for you! Now, as I mentioned, they’re not done yet. We are creating these currently, they’re gonna be released over the next month and a little more. But if you’re listening live, like on June 21^st, we are having a special anniversary presale which we have never done before! Wednesday night through Thursday at midnight on June 23.

Oh, wait. It’s Tuesday. Okay, that was supposed to be a surprise announcement on Wednesday night. So if you hear it before Wednesday, don’t tell anybody, but you have the insider information so you can plan ahead. But anyway, watch for it. Wednesday night through Thursday, if you’re listening live, we have a special presale with a deal that we will never offer again at least as far as I know. So if you are listening later, these resources probably might already be up on the website. Once they are there, I promise we will drop the link in the show notes. So if you’re listening later, it’ll be in the show notes and you can just go and access them right now!

But I want to add, there are lots of templates online for ministry handbooks because in putting this together, we researched like, I’m definitely not going to spend time creating something that’s already out there. Some of the handbooks that are out there are free and some cost a lot of money, like I was shocked, but there is nothing like this bundle! I looked nothing ever. Nothing even comes close. 

Laurie Graham 30:26
So anyway, back to you. Develop a ministry handbook that sells your ministry. Literally sells, promotes, gets people excited about your ministry! Develop a handbook that answers questions before people need to ask. Develop a handbook that positions your ministry as a ministry that serves, that’s part of a larger hole of the congregation. This beautiful piece of communication truly will help turn both spectators and naysayers into fans, and also more volunteers. 

So, thanks so much for listening today. If you do want to find me where I’m hanging out, you can find me both on Instagram and Facebook at The Creative Little Church. Don’t forget the ‘The’ at the beginning, The Creative Little Church. I would so love to hear from you and get to know you. So pop into Instagram or Facebook and ask a question or let me know where you’re seeing God at work in your small church! We love celebrating with you with what’s happening in your small church. Please, share this episode with someone you know who needs to hear some good news for small churches. And before you go, just take a minute to leave some stars a little rating or review and we’ll talk to you next week. Be a Light!