Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 65

The Definitive Checklist for Launching Your Church Website

I don’t know if there’s anything quite as nerve-racking as launching a website. You’ve put a ton of work into the website, and you hope that everything works. Of course, “hoping” that everything works isn’t really a great way to launch a website.

However, you can do more than just “hope” everything goes well. You can use a website launch checklist to make sure you got everything covered. Using a website launch checklist, you’ll be reminded to check for bad links, design flaws, and basic elements like images.

If you’re looking to launch a website or do a checkup on your website to make sure it’s up to date, I’ve compiled The Definitive Checklist for Launching Your Church Website below to help you get started. 

Website Launch Checklist

1. Function

Check Browsers and Devices – Check your website to see if it’s compatible with the major browsers (Chrome, IE, Firefox, Safari) by using a service like Browser Shots. This will give you a snapshot of what your website looks like on various browsers.

Also, check your website on various mobile devices. The main devices I would check are the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPad, iPad mini and the latest version of the Samsung Galaxy. These devices should have you covered to make sure that your website is good with most mobile devices.

Typography – A lot of websites now use custom fonts from services like Typekit. While I like these types of services, they don’t always work with all browsers. Check to see if the fonts are readable on all devices and browsers.

URLs – You need to check all of your internal links on your website to ensure that they work. You also need to ensure that any redirects that you have properly redirect old links to the new pages.

If you are concerned about having bad links on your new website, you can use Google Webmaster to detect bad links, and then go back and fix them.

404 Page – You need to check the page that people will get when they click on a bad link or when they can’t find what they’re looking for. Make sure the page clearly states that the information is not on the website. If you want an example of a really fun 404 page, check out this 404 page from NewSpring.

Google Analytics – Make sure that your site is connected to Google Analytics. Google Analytics is essential to tracking the success of your site. It will provide the numbers you need to measure success and determine how your website is performing.

Google Webmaster – Google Webmaster gives the opportunity to see how Google sees your website. Using Google Webmaster, you can submit sitemaps, see how you rank on keyword searches, and find out if you have any bad links.

Sitemap – Your website needs to have a sitemap so Google can detect how your website is structured. If you’re using WordPress, there are plenty of plugins to produce sitemaps for you.

Code Validation – Check your website code using W3C Markup Validation. This will reveal if there are errors in your site code or if you’ve forgotten any other items like adding alt text to your images.

Website Search – If you’ve included the ability to search on your website, make sure that the search is returning the correct results. If you’re using Google’s Site Search, you can even manipulate the results to show high-priority items.

Third-Party User Testing – Don’t assume that your website is easy to navigate without bringing in a third party to test the navigation. Bring in people from the outside (church members) who were not a part of the website’s creation. Give them a series of basic tasks to complete and see if they can complete them. If they can’t, then you’ve got work to do.

2. Content

Spelling and Grammar – Have a third party walk through your content to check for spelling and grammar errors. Trust me on this, as someone who blogs 52 weeks a year, you’re going to make mistakes.

SEO – Check your website’s SEO to make sure that your website will be recognized by Google for the right reasons. Check for simple elements, like having your street address and phone number listed. Also, make sure your church name and city name are mentioned in various places throughout your website. Plus you need to check the meta description to make sure that’s correct.

Social Media Links – If you’ve placed social media icons on your website, make sure that those icons point to the right social media accounts. Also, make sure that those social media accounts that you’re pointing to are active. If not, then this may be time to let go of those accounts.

External Links – A new website launch is a good time to make sure that you are listed on other significant places on the web. Check to see if you can be listed on your city’s chamber of commerce website, your church denomination’s local website, review websites like Yelp, and Google Maps.

Images – Make sure that you’re using images that you have rights to. If you’re not sure, here’s a list of places to get free photos. If you’re using photos that you have rights to, then make sure you’re not using images that are too large. I like to keep images under 100kb.

Copyrights and Policies – On your website’s footer make sure you clearly state copyright and links to any website policies.

Forms Tested – If your website has any forms that collect information, make sure that the workflow works as it should. If you’re collecting email addresses or allowing people to contact you through the website, make sure the information ends up in the right place.

Call to Action – Make sure your website has a clear call to action. When a visitor comes to your website, what do you want them to do? Are you asking them to do it? If not, make sure you go back and determine what you want your visitors to do.

3. Workflows

Training – If you have multiple people adding content to the website, make sure that all of the roles are defined and everyone is trained on how to use the website. This needs to be done before the website is launched.

Content Calendar – If your website has a place for ongoing content (articles, blog, etc.), you need to have a content calendar set up so you know when content is going out and that there’s a consistent flow.

Security – Make sure that all website contributors are using unique passwords. These passwords need to be different than computer logins or email passwords. Consider using a tool like LastPass for Enterprise.

Updating – Determine how you’re going to keep your website up to date. If you’re using WordPress, who’s going to make sure you’re using the latest version? If you’ve used a third-party company, then ask them for the process for keeping it updated.

Support – If your website goes down, who takes care of it? Clearly outline the process for what happens when your website goes down.

Feedback – How will your users let you know what they think of your website? Provide key feedback points so users can let you know if something is wrong or confusing.

Documentation – Document all of your processes so that if someone has to replace you, they can easily understand how the website is constructed, updated, and maintained.

Monitoring – You’ll need to ensure that your website is being monitored so you’ll be notified if it goes down. For us, we use Uptime Robot to notify us if our website goes down.

Backups – Regularly backup your website. If you’re using WordPress consider a service like VaultPress to backup your website on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

4. Marketing

Timeline for launch – Determine a clear launch date that you can communicate to your church and staff. This part is daunting, because once the launch date is out there, then you’ll have to make sure you hit that date.

How to Announce – How are you going to let your church know about the new website? Have a clear marketing plan in place with how you’re going to communicate to everyone about the new website. This should include print and social media.

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Pastors: Why Your Local Influence is More Essential than a National Platform

Pastor A has a top-ranked podcast, a book deal from a well-known publisher, and 150,000 Twitter followers. Pastor B is the treasurer at the local Rotary Club, is the assistant football coach at the middle school, and recently joined a bowling league. Both pastors have influence. Both are doing God’s will. Both enjoy their callings.

I will make a bold statement: Pastor B’s local influence is ultimately more vital to church health than Pastor A’s national platform. I certainly don’t want to diminish the power of a national platform. Many church leaders use such influence to the glory of God. I also don’t want to imply that those with a national platform neglect the potential of their local influence. Many church leaders manage both local influence and a national platform. However, I do believe it is more important to consider what you do for those directly in your path, those God has placed in geographic proximity to your ministry.

So, what is the difference between local influence and national prominence? Why would local influence be more essential to your church?

Fame and celebrity initiate change from a distance. National prominence inspires people to move in a certain direction. Indeed, many Christian movements started with a notable person leading the change at a national or global level. But the change is always created from a distance. You don’t know the leader; you’re simply moving with the crowd. Change at the national level is less likely to stick, less likely to have staying power. Many national movements ended up having the life cycle of a fad because they lacked local influence. Change at the local—grassroots—level is more likely to stick because of personal engagement with the leader. The church needs an army of local pastors. The church does not need an army of national platform leaders.

It’s noisier at the national level. More people are competing for the same space and attention. While competition can happen at the local level as well, the national level takes a lot of energy to garner a diminishing return of attention.

Most people care more about their backyards. Every local church has a global gospel mandate. Additionally, a church that loses her heart for God’s global mission will lose her heart for the local mission. But here’s reality: People pay more attention to their own backyards. National prominence can create big movements. But local influence is more acute and nuanced. A national leader will never understand the complexities of your neighborhood. But you do, which means you’re the best person to reach your neighbors.

Discipleship must be local. Can someone with a national platform help you become a better disciple? Sure. Can you make a disciple completely detached from the local church? No. Local pastors with local influence are needed more than prominent thought leaders, and these pastors are more essential to the health of local churches.

So, here’s what all this means: You should work harder and longer on your local influence than your national platform. Pour less energy into your personal brand and more energy into understanding the dynamics of relationships within your church. Your church is more important than your platform. The bride of Christ will make her way to heaven. Your platform won’t last beyond your obituary. 

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Why a Lousy Outreach Ministry Works So Well

Why a Lousy Outreach Ministry Works So Well

Many years ago, almost in the prehistoric ages, I served as pastor of a church with a traditional outreach program. It was cold-call, ineffective, and poorly attended.

I made a seemingly bright decision that was stupid. I eliminated the program.

It seemed reasonable. We could not identify one person we had reached evangelistically in a year. Why should we continue to waste our time on something that didn’t work?

From Vibrancy to Lethargy

For over a year, our church saw many people follow Christ. We were growing. There was palpable energy. The Holy Spirit was visibly at work in our church.

Then lethargy hit. It was dramatic. Within weeks after stopping an ineffective and ill-attended outreach program, our church seemed to have lost its Spirit-given momentum.

How could this change transpire? We had no evidence the traditional outreach program amounted to anything positive.

A Case Study in 2021

We have an outreach resource at Church Answers called “Pray & Go.” It has been received well by many churches. Its concept is simple. Church members walk in a neighborhood and pray for the people in the homes. They don’t stop at a home. They don’t knock on doors. They pray and then go to the door and leave a door hanger. The hanger says something like, “We prayed for you.” It provides the address of the church, an email or text number for prayer requests, and the church’s website.

We get reports regularly from church leaders who share excitedly about the number of people who have visited the church as a consequence of these efforts. We have heard of many who have become followers of Christ.

But then we heard from a church that used “Pray & Go” to reach thousands of homes before the first person responded. Let me share the story from the pastor’s email:

I just wanted to reach out to you because we started Pray & Go in the fall of 2018.  I listened to your teaching and thought this is what we need to do.  We are a church in the inner-city / a church revitalization. For the past two years, we have prayed for 4,542 homes up to this point.  We haven’t seen people coming to the church because of “Pray & Go,” but we always seem to have visitors whenever we are praying in our community.  This past week we saw our first family come through the doors of the church because of Pray & Go.

Our team was excited when I told them because of your diligence in praying for the community we had a family connect to the church.  I just wanted to pass this along, and encourage someone doing this that just because you might not be seeing the results from something keep doing it and you never know. It might take you praying for 4,542 homes before you see people you are praying for connect with your church.  The one thing that keeps us going is Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Did you get that? They put door hangers on 4,542 homes before the first guest showed up as a result of these efforts. But during the entire time of “Pray & Go” they saw a steady flow of visitors.

The Principle at Work

It is simply called “the principle of obedience.” Though we can’t control God’s work, he does seem to bless those churches that are making any effort to pray for and reach their communities. I hope most churches don’t have to make 4,542 visits before someone shows up directly from those efforts. 

But I also hope churches will see fruit from their obedience, even if the results do not seem to be direct.

Is your church seeing many guests come through the doors? Is your church reaching many people for Christ? Perhaps it’s time for obedience. A weak outreach ministry often has positive corollary benefits.

And a weak outreach ministry is certainly better than no outreach ministry at all.

 

Check out “Pray & Go” at www.PrayAndGoChurch.com .

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New Book! Why I Wrote 7 Basics of Belonging: The Meaning of Church Membership

I’ve taught countless new member classes as a pastor. The people in these classes have any number of reasons why they attend. Some are already bought into the church and ready to join. Others are curious and want to know more information. I’ll never forget the time someone walked out of the class because they realized they were at the wrong church.

 At Church Answers, we’ve written extensively on new member classes and their importance to church assimilation. These classes help set expectations so new members are not surprised about what the church believes or how the church ministers. They help orient new people to the culture of the church. They connect new people to existing groups. One of the best ways to get people to stick to the church is a regularly scheduled new member class.

 Over the years, I’ve always thought a brief book on the basics of belonging to a church would benefit the classes I taught. During the pandemic, I decided to write the book. The effort produced 7 Basics of Belonging: The Meaning of Church Membership. Every church member should know and fulfill these seven expectations.

Worship: Saying “yes” to God Grow: Making disciples who make disciples Serve: Reaching outward beyond yourself Give: Honoring God with your offering Pray: Prioritizing God’s will through prayer Seek unity: Keeping the main thing the main thing Sacrifice: Putting others before yourself

 The book helps clarify the expectations of new members. What is the big deal about church membership? Why should you join a church? These seven expectations offer clear guidance for those wondering why membership is important.

 The book helps church leaders create content for the new member class. In my role at Church Answers, the most frequent request of me is help with creating a new member class. Specifically, pastors and church leaders ask for the content of the class at my church to help get them started. Not only did I write a book to give to new members, but the Church Answers team also created an additional resource to complement the book. Now you can get everything you need to lead a new member class with The Complete Membership Class Toolkit.

The book helps encourage new people not to be spiritual islands. Committing to church membership will help you grow spiritually. God did not design us to grow in isolation. Being on a spiritual island is lonely. The church is a community of imperfect people serving a perfect Savior together. We commit together to follow Him.

 The book helps unify new members around the main elements of church membership. The real reason you join a church is simple. Jesus is there. When church members fulfill their seven basic responsibilities the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit becomes self-evident.

 Every Christ follower is meant to be connected to the church. You are not here by accident. God has a plan for you, and that plan includes being a faithful and active part of a local church.

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10 Reasons Many of Us Struggle Praying with Our Spouses Each Day

Some years ago, I wrote a post entitled, “Why Spouses Should Pray Together Each Day.” I still believe it’s important that we make this commitment. I’ve realized since then, though, that the struggle to take this step is still a real one for many of us. Here’s why:

1. We don’t pray much in general. Prayer is a struggle for many of us. When that’s the case, it’s not likely we’ll pray with our spouses, either.  

2. Our marriages aren’t really built on the foundation of God. We might attend church together, and others think of us as a strong Christian family—but faith is not the bedrock of our home.

3. Our spouses know best when we’re not really walking with God. They know when our prayers don’t come from a pure, obedient heart—so we don’t pray with them at all.

4. We convince ourselves we can’t find the time to pray each day. That may be the case if our goal is to pray together for hours, but that’s not my thinking. I want us to start somewhere, even if the prayers are short and sweet.

5. We’re uncomfortable praying in front of others. For some, that includes praying in front of our spouse when it’s just the two of us in the room.

6. We don’t like the level of spiritual intimacy prayer requires. The intimacy of praying together is, in some ways, the deepest intimacy we can experience—and that makes us anxious.

7. Often, our spouse’s level of commitment to Christ far exceeds ours. If we’re honest, we’re intimidated to pray when that’s the situation.

8. We’ve tried it before, and it didn’t work then. So, we’ve now given up on trying, even though both of us may have grown since then.

9. We count our prayer of grace over a meal as sufficient. Yes, that’s often with our spouse, but I’m talking about something more intentional here. I’m talking about genuinely seeking God together.

10. No one’s ever challenged us to pray with our spouse daily. That’s my challenge to you today via this post. And to me. 

What would you add to this list?

 

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Five Suggested Guidelines for Pastors and Church Staff on Social Media

It happened yet again. 

Church leaders fired a pastor because of his social media postings, primarily on Facebook. He even asked me for my opinion before his termination. I told him bluntly he could get fired. His posts were argumentative, political, and, at times, caustic. He didn’t listen to me. He tried to convince me he had to take a stand on these issues.

He did. And the church leadership responded as I predicted.

 The early days of social media were often informational, relational, and familial. Now many of the posts are verbal warfare. What, then, should Christian leaders do? What are some of the guidelines to follow before you make that next post? I am certainly far from infallible, but here are some lessons I have learned, mainly from my own mistakes and the mistakes of others.

1. Your interaction on social media should glorify God. The challenge with the first and obvious guideline is that many Christian leaders will argue that their snarky post is to defend the honor of God. If you have any second thoughts about your pending post, don’t do it. At the very least, get an opinion from someone you trust outside your echo chamber.

2. You rarely win arguments on social media. I can’t recall seeing an argumentative or political post where someone wins the debate. One point leads to a counterpoint. The discussion becomes more negative and more intense.

3. Remember, you are representing God and your church when you post. One church staff member wanted to offer a positive perspective on a politician to show he was open-minded. The problem is that many church members did not like that politician. The pastor had a mess on his hands.

4. Focus on offering encouragement on social media. Sadly, positive posts are such aberrations that they become outliers. Offer those encouraging outliers regularly. I typically tweet a Bible verse about once a week without comment. I am always amazed when someone tells me how God spoke to him or her through the tweeted verse.

5. Limit your time on social media. I wonder how much stronger our churches would be if the members spent as much time reading the Bible as Facebook. If you stay on social media too long, it will harm your soul. It can be a dark place. It can be a contentious place. Wake up to the Bible each morning, not your favorite social media app.

 I wrote this post to pastors and other church staff. The principles apply, however, to any church members and Christians. We are all ambassadors for Christ. And we all need to ask for every social media post, “What would Jesus write?”

 We have an opportunity to represent our Savior in godly ways on social media. A few Christians are doing so. Unfortunately, the noises of other Christians often mute the positive posts.

 It is no wonder much of the world regards us Christians so lowly.

 

 

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Hiring Church Members to Become Staff Members

One of the most important decisions a ministry leader will make concerns staff selection and staff development. Hiring someone who possesses an excellent Christian character, has a healthy family life, exhibits the core competencies for the position, and understands the culture and mission of the church are essential in the hiring process. In my 28 years of pastoring, I have found great success in hiring staff that previously served as volunteers within the ministry. Although I occasionally hire outside the church, when I hire from within, I have already witnessed the person’s core values, work ethic, and observed strengths and weaknesses that give me a comfort level in bringing them on the team. Likewise, the congregation knows and trusts them and are more willing to help them be successful by building on the established relationship. 

While hiring staff from within the congregation has its positive side, it also has intrinsic risks that you must be aware of. First, the ministry leader must be careful not to skip or short-circuit a formalized hiring process just because the candidate is familiar. This is especially important if there has been a close friendship with the ministry leader or any other staff member already on the team. Be aware of any blind spots of hiring a friend and allow others to interview them outside of your presence. Let their endorsement be the deciding factor in the decision to move forward. 

The potential member turned staff must be made aware that the nature of their relationship to the ministry leader and the church will change once they join the organization as an employee. Here are a few issues to consider:

The member turned employee needs to understand that there will be a higher level of accountability placed on them as a paid employee. Ministry is work and they will be expected to work at church just as in a secular job. I have encountered a few persons that thought working for the church meant they could take advantage of the flexibility ministry offers or were not prepared for the 24/7 demands of ministry that don’t fit into a typical 40-hour work week.They must maintain a higher level of confidentiality due to the nature of their interaction with sensitive data, the personal information of members, or private staff-level conversations about new church initiatives not ready to be shared with the full congregation.They need to be aware that some in the congregation will view them differently once they come on staff and are compensated with church funds. While it is true all church staff work for and serve the congregation, they must be clear that their job assignment comes from the direct supervisor and not a demanding congregant who decries, “I pay your salary.”The new member turned staff will have to set boundaries on their close personal relationships with church members who may want to use the staff member to voice personal agendas to church leadership.  The new staff member needs to understand that their staff position will alter the relationship they once had with the pastor. He will at times have to reprimand them if work is not completed and also minister to their personal and family needs. While he is still their pastor, he also serves as supervisor and boss. This dual role of shepherd and supervisor can be disconcerting for some persons when the pastor functions as the manager and not just their minister.They need to be sure to steward well their personal devotional life once on staff.  Working in the ministry day to day can place a strain on one’s daily devotions and weekend worship experience because of the obligations of ministry at a staff level. Finding time to be available to God’s Spirit so He can meet your needs rather than being available to the congregation to meet their needs is essential. A healthy staff will have a healthy rhythm for personal spiritual renewal and vitality. 

As pastor, I have sought to provide pastoral care to the entire staff and ensure that they are healthy spiritually, provided for financially, and work in an environment that is enjoyable and rewarding. This requires me to be aware of the personal needs of staff and to navigate between my twofold roles as pastor and employer. While I embrace my responsibility, I continually remind the staff that they were hired to work “in” the ministry and not “be” the ministry. They each have the responsibility to manage their own spiritual and personal lives in order to serve our congregation and community to the best of their ability. As pastor, it is my job to make sure they don’t allow the ministry around them to destroy the ministry of God within them.

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Why Church Staff Should Worship Together During the Week

Every Tuesday morning the West Bradenton staff gathers for a short time of worship before we begin our meetings. There is nothing elaborate about Tuesday worship. We follow a simple structure each week.

Our worship pastor leads a song from the upcoming Sunday setlist.We pray for each other. Then we pray for our church requests and mission partners.I share the direction of my sermon for the upcoming Sunday.

 Don’t let the simplicity fool you. These times are critically important. Tuesday mornings are when we find alignment as a staff through worship.

 They happen every week. Worship requires discipline and preparation. The weekly rhythm of worshiping together helps our staff stay unified. Our worship time always comes first, before all our other meetings. The priority of worship helps us keep our souls in check as we lead others in the church.

 We intentionally pray for a specific mission partner. We not only celebrate the work of our church locally, but we also share the celebration of God’s work globally. To be a church for all nations you must pray for all nations.

 We sign notes to those who have asked us to pray. Throughout the week, our church receives many prayer requests. Our prayer team prays for these requests, but our staff also prays for them. Each time we receive a new request, we send a signed card via snail mail to the person who asked us to pray.

 Our worship pastor explains why he selected certain songs. The process of selecting songs each week is highly intentional and strategic. He will explain his reasoning and teach us through the worship songs.

 I explain why I’m preaching a certain text or topic. It’s good for the staff to have a heads up on the direction of a sermon. I will walk through my sermon briefly and explain my main points. The staff can then communicate to their ministry areas what to expect for the next Sunday.

 When the staff is passionate about worship, often the church follows this lead. I cherish the weekly worship with our staff. Staff worship does not need to last long. Our time together is under an hour, but it’s usually one of the most important hours of the week.

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Five Ways Designated Giving Can Get Your Church in Trouble

Designated giving can be an incredible blessing for your church. It allows, for example, church members to give to such areas of passion as missions or facilities. But far too many churches are handling designated giving in ways that can get them in trouble. That trouble can range from morale problems among members and staff to losing your non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service.

I’ve had many conversations with church leaders about this issue. Designated giving questions are common at Church Answers. Over the years I have seen five ways designated giving can get churches in trouble.

1. Accepting a designated gift that personally benefits the donor. Here are two real examples from the past few years. In one church, the members would “donate” to the mission fund and then get their mission trip paid by that same amount. That is a big no-no from the IRS, and should be an ethical problem for the church. In another example, the pastor asked me if a member could donate scholarship funds that would in turn be used to pay the member’s daughter’s tuition. No!

2. Accepting a designated gift for a preferred ministry of the church by a member who was not happy with the church’s budget. Indeed, I know personally of a situation where the worship leader encouraged some members to designate all of their gifts to his ministry, a ministry he felt was underfunded. While this practice is not necessarily illegal, the church is under no obligation to accept this workaround giving.

3. Accepting a designated gift for any good cause. Churches should not be a tax-deductible conduit for any and every cause. If someone wants to donate money, for example, to fund underprivileged children in the community, point that person to find another charitable agency whose purpose aligns with the giver’s desires. There are many good causes, but the church is not a funnel to distribute funds outside of its purpose and mission.

4. Accepting a designated gift for the building program with specific conditions for how the funds will be used. It is great that the church has a building fund. But church members should not have the prerogative to say how their funds will be used in the building. One church member, whose gift to the building fund was ultimately rejected, had demanded that her funds be used specifically for a certain type of stain-glassed windows.

5. Accepting a designated gift that is a form of blackmail. “If you don’t use these funds for this purpose, then I am withholding all of my funds for the church.” If someone makes such a demand, let them walk. You may worry about your budget for the short term, but you will have fewer problems in the future. The church should never yield to someone who tries to hold the church financially hostage.

I recommend to all church leaders to establish funds where they are willing to accept designated giving. Any gifts that fall outside of those funds should be politely declined. Not all church members who give designated funds do so with nefarious intent. They will likely accept your explanation that the church’s financial structure is established to accept only designated gifts in pre-approved funds.

 If they respond negatively, you likely had a problem on your hands anyway.

 Stay out of trouble in designated giving. It’s not worth the money you might lose.

 

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How to Help a Volunteer Step Away Gracefully

“Do you have a minute?”

It’s a question that strikes fear in the heart of many a leader. Rarely does that question lead to “… I have an extra bag of Dove dark chocolates, and I’d like you to sit here and eat them while I play this cello softly in the background. Oh, and here’s a puppy.”

No, “Do you have a minute?” more often leads to a volunteer with an issue that’s a really big deal to them, and it’s about to be one for you. Whether it’s a team conflict, a spiritual crisis, or an objection to the way you handled a situation on the team, the answer to “Do you have a minute?” should always be yes.

Sometimes, “Do you have a minute?” is the lead-in to a volunteer telling you it’s time for them to take a break or step away from serving altogether. So what do you do when that long-serving and ever-faithful volunteer tells you that they’re exhausted and need some time away? I think there are at least five things:

1. Listen to them.

“Do you have a minute?” may mean you have a minute right then, or it may mean that you need to carve out several minutes in the very near future. Either way, take the time to honor them with your time. Let them unpack their story. Ask good questions on what led them to this point. Gently challenge them at points where they may not be believing truth about themselves or their situation.

This is not the time to beg, bribe, or berate them. If you’re dealing with a faithful volunteer, let their track record speak for itself. If they say they’re tired, believe them. In that moment, put on your shepherding hat and suppress any panic you may be feeling about the gap on your team.

2. Affirm them.

After you’ve listened, take some time to talk. But keep the conversation about them, not you. Point out specific contributions they’ve made to the team and how God has used them. Remind them of the positive changes they’ve made to your culture. Encourage their need for a break, and don’t make them feel like they’ve let you, the church, or the kingdom of God down by being human. Remind them again of the gospel, that Jesus did everything necessary for their salvation, and their work – or lack of it – doesn’t add or take away anything from God’s love for them.

3. Plan with them.

In the “do you have a minute?” moment – or a designated time soon after – it’s time to talk logistics. Whenever a volunteer steps down, there will be gaps. If that volunteer is a leader, this conversation is even more crucial. Discuss how their team will be affected. Talk about timeline: are they stepping away immediately or transitioning next month? Talk about publicity: who needs to know when? Who already knows this is coming? Talk about their replacement: is there someone they’ve been investing in who would be a natural fit?

Asking your volunteer to define “what’s next?” honors their history on the team, their leadership of the team, and their hope for the future of the team.

4. Celebrate them.

I mentioned this in a recent post, but not all volunteers are comfortable standing in the spotlight, even if it’s to honor their years of service. How you celebrate them – publicly or privately – will depend on their personality. But celebrate them. Don’t let them slip away without appropriately recognizing their service over the years. Whether it’s a handwritten note, a framed photo signed by their former team, or an overnight getaway for them and their spouse, find a way to say thank you.

5. Check in with them.

This post assumes that we’re on the same page about Christ-followers retiring from service: they don’t. We never graduate from the call to use our spiritual gifts to serve others. Having said that, I believe that there are seasons when it’s healthy and necessary for a volunteer to step back or redirect their passions.

But that’s why this step is crucial. Talk to your volunteer about not only what’s next for their team (#3 above), but what’s next for them. Do they plan on returning? Returning in a different role? Redirecting their skill set to another role? You should both set a mutually-agreed-upon date on the calendar when you’ll check in to see how they’re doing and how they’ve processed the “What’s next?” question. Again: this is more about you serving as shepherd and not about you filling a hole on your roster.

“Do you have a minute?” is an opportunity to either build or erode trust with a volunteer. Handle that opportunity poorly, and you may lose them for life. Steward it well, and you might find that the volunteer comes back stronger and more bought into the mission of the team.

This post originally appeared on dfranks.com .

The post How to Help a Volunteer Step Away Gracefully appeared first on Church Answers.