“I’m just tired.”
That’s a common phrase that I’m hearing among pastors and church volunteers. Maybe that’s something you are hearing from your staff and volunteers. If you are like me then you want to help them but you’re not sure what to do. You want to give them a break and try to make it work, but Sunday is around the corner. How do you handle this situation? It’s important to first understand the type of tiredness that they are feeling.
There are two types of tiredness- emotional and physical. Physical tiredness happens when you are physically working too much and your body is just drained. Ministry exhausts you because you are putting in over 60 plus hours on a regular basis. Your volunteers may be putting in 15-20 hours on top of their job and caring for their family.
Emotional tiredness is when you get frustrated and upset with your job. You start to feel negative emotions about your role, leadership or the church in general. This leads to voicing your opinions and complaining about the church. Your complaints turn into gossip and create more harm than help. Emotional tiredness often times will lead to physical tiredness. This is when it is very dangerous.
Even if your staff member or volunteer is feeling emotional or physical tiredness, there are options to handle this situation. Here are five ways to help get your staff and volunteers out of this state.
1) Focus on the WHY
The rudder on a ship is one of the most important parts. It guides the ship to go where it needs to. Most often an employee or volunteer is feeling tired because they have forgotten the why. They have lost their rudder. The reason and purpose for why they are in ministry and doing ministry may be lost or distant. Their motivations may have changed over the course of time because of life circumstances or role change. There may have been changes in the church either big or small that have put them off kilter. It may also be a personal life change that has shifted their perspective.
Spend some time asking your team why they started in ministry and ask them to do a heart check right now. Why are they doing it right now? It’s good to examine where the gap is and why it’s there. It’s also wise to ask them about their personal lives and what may be impacting their motivation to serve.
2) Celebrate the WINS
Teams that don’t know what a win looks like don’t have a reason to stay. If your church staff or volunteer do not know what is the measure of success then they will always feel like a failure. They will be constantly wondering if they are doing a good job. When the staff and volunteer know what’s expected and what is the goal then they are more motivated and driven. Leaders that recognize staff and volunteers inspire and motivate them to continue those actions. It gives them a sense of purpose and that always bring energy and passion.
Its important as the leader to set clear wins for the team. Remember to celebrate those wins and recognize team members for making that happen. This needs to be done on a regular basis either in staff meetings or celebrations.
3) Review the JOB
As staff members or volunteers of a church, we can wear multiple hats especially if the church is younger and smaller. We may have gotten hired to do one thing but end up doing a million other things. This can spread us thin and make us feel this was not what we signed up for. One way to handle this is through a job description. You can do this even with an unpaid staff or volunteer. If you already have a job description then this is a good time to review it together and see where it is off. If you don’t have one, then it’s build one that honors the person and the job expectations. Being on the same page with what is expected for the job can give a lot of assurance and peace for both the church and staff member.
4) Implement REST
Churches can be notorious for working too much. We are always on call 24/7. Pastors and church leaders are sometimes the worst at following the Sabbath and finding rest. It’s important as the leader to allow your staff and volunteers to rest and to protect that rest. You can do this by not sending out emails, texts, phone calls or meetings. It’s important to have a staff plan so that people take regular vacations and find ways to have a healthy way to rest. I ask each of my staff members when they take the day off as well as when they go into a church service. You can also help volunteers be on a rotational schedule so that they aren’t serving too much during the week too.
5) Check to see if it’s a FIT
If you have tried all these steps and there is no progress, then it may be time to take the next step. You may need to consider that this is not the right fit for this staff member or volunteer. It’s your role as the supervisor to create a healthy work environment, but it’s your staff member and volunteer that must also buy into this. If the staff member does not respond well to all your attempts then perhaps they are not a good cultural fit. It may be necessary to have a tough conversation. This is a good question to assess if they are a good fit, “Do you see yourself here in the next five years?” If not then it will be wise to discuss the transition steps.
Which step do you need to take with your team?
Leave a Reply