Engaging Volunteers in Ministry: A Deeper View of Stewardship

‘Stewardship’ most often makes one think of money, but there is a strong need for churches large and small to become better stewards of people’s time and talent and energy. This series of three webinars, Engaging Volunteers in Ministry: A Deeper View of Stewardship—given by two well-known Canadian practitioners in volunteer engagement, Marilyn MacKenzie and Suzanne Lawson—will help you better understand how lay ministry is mobilized and led, and the ways that people’s God-given gifts can be best used in service of God’s mission.

You can register to watch this webinar on your own, but an even better way is to watch it as a small team of both clergy and lay people from your church or diocese. The sessions will be no more than an hour long, and there will be good online resources for your team to work with afterwards. You might wish to set aside an additional hour to begin that consultation if you are watching as a team.

Session 1: Introduction to the Leadership of Volunteers in Your Church’s Ministry 
Tuesday Sept. 17 1-2pm EDT REGISTER ONLINE

Beginning with the theological under girding for the way lay peoples’ ministry as volunteers can be more effective and aligned with our Christian values, this first session will highlight the trends in people’s use of their volunteer time, trends that are particularly applicable to the church setting. The Volunteer Leadership Cycle will be introduced as a framework for the series…a look at the various elements of good stewardship of peoples’ time and talents. This is designed to help you identify the elements of effective volunteer engagement, such as recruitment, matching people’s gifts with their tasks or positions, nurturing and supporting people in their ministries, and recognition of their contributions.

Session 2: Getting Started 
Tuesday Sept. 24 1-2pm EDT REGISTER ONLINE

The second session will help you decide how to assemble a small team to lead a church-wide (or diocesan-wide) effort in engaging volunteers, and will give you guidance in determining the readiness of the parish for any changes that may be needed. Then, rolling up the sleeves time: designing jobs or positions for volunteers that are clear, attractive and accountable. And do-able! This step is vital if the church is to prevent future problems with “difficult volunteers” (do you have any?), to fulfil screening requirements, and to also draw people into the life of the church in a healthy and nurturing way.

Source: Anglican Church of Canada