By Karen Kogler on December 7, 2011
Leading a team is hard work, but it’s also wonderfully rewarding. It’s also the God-pleasing way to do ministry in the church. When church leaders work as Lone Rangers, they prevent others in the body of Christ from using their gifts and rob them of the joy of serving. As Paul reminds us: The eye [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Men's Ministry, Time Management, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry Tagged church teams, encouraging volunteers, leadership tips, leading teams, managing volunteers
By Karen Kogler on November 16, 2011
I was trying hard to get a project done in my office at church. I’d been trying all week, but it wasn’t going well. I kept getting interrupted by E-mails, phone calls, and people who dropped in. All needed a response. My frustration level rose, so I tried to figure out the reason behind all [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Men's Ministry, Sunday School, Teachers, Time Management, Women's Ministry, Youth Ministry Tagged church volunteers, leading church teams, managing volunteers
By Karen Kogler on October 19, 2011
How do I recruit and retain good volunteers? How do I schedule them, maintain good communication with them, show my appreciation, and lead them? How do I handle the problems that arise? These common church challenges are easier to face when we pool our knowledge and experience. Too often, we fight on alone. We’re wiser [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Free Resources, Ministry, Time Management, Youth Ministry Tagged church staff, leading church volunteers, Volunteers
By Karen Kogler on July 20, 2011
CTA published this blog earlier in the year. When it appeared, you may have set it aside to read and implement later. We’re reprinting it now, hoping that you will take a few minutes to review it and schedule some encouragement-building activities into this fall’s plans. Church leaders appreciate their volunteers, but some of us [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouraging Volunteers, Ministry, Time Management Tagged appreciation, Christian, encouraging volunteers, Pastor, volunteer ministry, volunteer retension, volunteers in the church
By admin on June 15, 2011
VBS is in the rearview mirror—or soon will be. In many churches, activities slow down a bit during July and early August. Children’s ministers can catch their breath and find a few minutes to think before plunging back into the fray once again. Here’s one way to use that precious planning time. It will make [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christmas, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Easter, Encouragement, Fall Festival, Free Resources, Halloween alternative, Lent/Preparing for Easter, Outreach/Evangelism, Pastor, Resources, Sunday School, Teachers, Time Management, Valentine's Day Tagged children's ministry, children's pastor, ministry time management, planning ministry
By Karen Kogler on June 8, 2011
God’s mighty power is on dazzling display in the book of Exodus: the 10 plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea; the billowing smoke, thunder and lightning on Mt. Sinai. But in Exodus God also displays his interest and involvement in life’s small details. For example, when the Lord commands the building of the Tabernacle [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Ministry, Sunday School, Teachers, Time Management, Youth Ministry Tagged church staff, church volunteers, encouraging volunteers
By Karen Kogler on June 1, 2011
Are you overworked and overbooked? Does your to-do list only grow as the day progresses? Are you weary and running on empty? Many staff and volunteers in ministry are. If you see yourself in the description above, pause for a moment and listen to Jethro. Jethro was father-in-law to Moses, God’s amazing prophet, there was [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Ministry, Time Management, Youth Ministry Tagged burnout, delegation, encouraging church volunteers, Recruiting volunteers, Volunteers
By Karen Kogler on February 23, 2011
“Hey! How’s it going?” This greeting can be bland, a throw-away sentence. Or it can be powerful tool. Let me explain. Decades ago, I heard about the work of a particular non-profit organization and wanted to help. So I volunteered my office skills on a regular basis. I enjoyed the work and the people. But [...]
Posted in Children's ministry, Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Ministry, Time Management Tagged Christian, Christian school, church volunteers, encouraging volunteers, managing volunteers, retaining volunteers, school volunteers
By Karen Kogler on February 16, 2011
Do you know Mr. Potato Head? He’s a potato-shaped plastic toy with eyes, ears, and arms that can be inserted in various places to form an interesting-looking character. I keep two Mr. Potato Head toys in my office at church. They entertain children when I’m talking to their parents, but that’s not the real reason [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Ministry, Time Management Tagged children's ministry, Volunteers
By Karen Kogler on February 9, 2011
As a few volunteers and I cleaned out a closet of Sunday school supplies, we came across an institution-size can of peaches in a back corner on the top shelf. How had some creative teacher planned to use that in her lesson? Then someone recalled that, years before, this closet had been a kitchen pantry. The [...]
Posted in Christian Worker, Church staff, Church Volunteers, Encouragement, Encouraging Volunteers, Ministry, Time Management Tagged appreciation, Pastor, Recruiting volunteers, Volunteers