The Making Sunday Happen Podcast | Episode 033

The Best Way to Structure Your Volunteer Team

Show Notes

Show Notes:

In this episode, I’m going to share with you, what I believe is the best way to structure your volunteer team. We’re going to talk Org Chart! My goal will be to show you a new approach for breaking your large team up into smaller teams to accomplish more and be very intentional about leading them.


I covered a lot of content in the episode.
Check out the notes and visual aids below to get a better picture of how to structure your volunteer team:

 

At the two churches I’ve served on staff, I created an Org Chart for my teams for a few reasons. The main reason being they grew so large so fast that I needed a way to minister to a lot of people at once without killing myself. Obviously I couldn’t do it alone. So we created teams and asked key volunteers to lead those teams.

 

Here’s how it looked for us at Newspring:

 


Here’s some explanation on each tier:

 

PRODUCTION STAFF:

At the Columbia campus of Newspring, we had 5 full-time production staff members:
-Service Producer
-Video Coordinator
-Audio Coordinator
-Lighting Coordinator
-Worship Leader

 

This staff team split responsibilities for all the teams on our Organizational Chart.

NEW SERVE:

These teams were responsible for recruiting and training new volunteers.

 

Opportunities Tour Team: This team hosted potential new volunteers as they toured our ministry. They shared our vision and passed out information about our production team.

 

First Look Team: This team met with new volunteers coming into our team. They introduced new volunteers to veterans, gave them a behind-the-scenes look at our service and shared information about joining our team- time requirements, our training process and other important information.

 

BASICS Training Team: “BASICS” was our volunteer training process. This team ensured that new volunteers didn’t ‘fall through the cracks’ and were fully trained before serving on a Sunday.

SERVICE FLOW:

This team was responsible for everything dealing with a Sunday. From prepping volunteers to coordinating the control room, to evaluating the service and making changes.

 

Video Producers: The Video Producer was in-charge of the volunteer team and the execution of a service on a Sunday. This person would be in the control room as an overseer of the service. They would be available to solve problems before they happened, put out fires if necessary and handle everything related to managing the video team. This person also contacted the Director each week and worked directly with the staff team to know the details of a Sunday and communicate those details to the team.

 

Directors: The Director reported to the Service Producer. This person was responsible for everything that went “live”- they called camera shots, called for graphics and video, broadcast feeds, and everything else that appeared on screens.

VOLUNTEER CULTURE:

This team was responsible for our volunteer culture and atmosphere. This was also a great place for someone less technically minded to serve or someone who wanted to serve on our team but not run a piece of gear.

 

Production Headquarters Team: This team was responsible for making our production hangout space awesome. They coordinated food, provided games and activities, planned devotionals/testimonies/stories/guest speakers and decorated our space.

 

Events Team: Our Events Team planned outside activities for our production volunteers. The only requirements I had for this team was to have one small event every month (go to the movies, go bowling, go to a sports game) and one big event every quarter (Chili Cook-Off, Christmas Party, Cookout).

 

Next Steps Team: This team helped pastor our people. I wanted them to be really involved relationally with our volunteers. This team helped people take their next step on our team (with learning a new position, taking on a leadership role, etc.). They also helped people grow spiritually (provided devotional and Bible Study resources, helped them find a small group, helped connect them with counselors, etc.)

Each team involved in New Serve and Volunteer Culture had a Team Leader. We created the Org Chart first so we knew the needs of the team, then we prayed about who would be best to fill these roles.

 

So, why should you create an Organizational Chart for your team?
1. It keeps everyone organized and informed.
2. It lets volunteers know who to go to for direction.
3. It helps you, as the staff member, be a leader of leaders and empower your team to have ownership in their culture.
4. It lets you see clearly what the needs of your team are.

Additional Blog Posts on these topics :

Sharable Content:

I want you to have the resources you need to lead your volunteer team well. That’s why in nearly every episode of the podcast I like to provide you with downloadable, sharable content that you can take back and use as you lead your teams. This content is absolutely FREE of charge. You can take it, copy it, and distribute it to your team members. May God bless your ministry as you serve Him.

PDF IconClick Here to Download a FREE Show Outline of this Episode.
PDF IconDownload the FREE .PDF “The Best Way to Structure Your Volunteer Team”.
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About the Show

The Making Sunday Happen Podcast is the definitive podcast for those who plan, create and execute worship experiences all around the world. This is a legacy podcast where we interviewed hundreds of church leaders, pastors, authors, worship leaders, and church production staff.

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