Wednesday, May 11, 2011

How Do We Get People to DO More?

This writing begins by telling how the Toastmasters experience could be a good example to show how we in the church can encourage people to do more work for the Lord. So many times there are only a select few in a church who do all of the work. The Toastmasters club has a system where everyone involved have to participate and give speeches. Besides giving speeches, each member also has to give feedback to each speaker to give constructive criticism and encouragement. A story is shared here about a very shy woman who blossomed under this program. This could be a helpful suggestion. So many times in churches we have people who volunteer to do jobs but then do not hear any feedback about their work. I believe that it is important to have feedback, whether positive, constructive, or both. It has been my experience when I get feedback on things that I have done I have been more eager to do more. The feedback does need to be given in kindness and concern for the person. We can give the wrong kind of feedback as well, which can have horrible results. The person receiving the negative feedback might not be willing to help again or we could lose him or her from the church all together. So, caution must be used when giving feedback, but feedback does need to be given in order to help people gain confidence in doing jobs and to help them continue to volunteer.

2 comments:

  1. Ruthie, this was a great post and a great reminder! So often as leaders in the Church we are tempted to do everything ourselves. Instead, we need to create opportunities where the people of God can utilize their gifts to build and multiply disciples. And I think that you are right, when people step up to the plate for the first time, it is imperative that we as pastors encourage them! Without encouragement people will not be given the feedback that is necessary to keep them motivated in their work. This highlights an important principle in leadership: Leaders must motivate their followers in order to produce momentum. Without motivation, our congregations will be stuck in status quo mode. Why is it that pastors so often forget to express words of encouragement and appreciation to their people? We must never be too busy that we neglect this essential task of motivating people. We must not forget that one of our pastoral roles is to be a coach. And a good coach always recognizes strengths within their players and then praises those strengths so that their players will walk in their full potential. As leaders in the Church, we must do the same!

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  2. I view the Toastmasters experience as a good experience because these are people who are motivated to overcome their shyness about speaking in public situations. It would certainly encourage and strengthen the person who desires to become more outgoing. However, those that attend Toastmasters have joined on their own because they have a desire to improve in an area in which they are falling short. On the other hand, the church suffers from people lacking the motivation to come forward to serve. What a blessing it would be if the church could have a system that everyone at the church would have to participate in ministry as the Toastmasters have a program that everyone involved has to participate. But I do agree that there are so many times in churches that we have people who volunteer to do jobs that do not hear any feedback about their work. It is important to give positive and constructive feedback that is given out of kindness and concern for the person. So many times I believe the church loses volunteers and discourages others from becoming volunteers because of the lack of compassion and appreciation the leader demonstrates in the feedback given to the volunteers.

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