One Lesson I Learned Working for a Mega-Church

What do the greatest teams in sports all have in common? They all have playbooks. At first glance, you may ask how this sports concept applies to church life. Simply put, a playbook (i.e., a collection of ‘plays’; step-by-step instructions) is just your daily tasks, the things you do consistently, documented for anyone to see. If they are not documented, no one can step in and cover your responsibilities in your absence. This can lead you to become a single point of failure for your organization. Meaning that your church slows to a halt if you take any time off. By documenting all the pieces of your role, anyone can be empowered to help, preventing lapses in work.

While overseeing member data at a mega-church, I learned an invaluable lesson: the importance of playbooks. Whether you’re running a small ministry or managing a large congregation, having well-documented processes can make a world of difference.

Playbooks Ensure Defined Processes

When I first took on my role, one of the main challenges I faced was keeping track of all the activities at the church and providing accurate metrics to leadership. Building playbooks became essential in keeping the data flowing if I was out sick or on vacation. Since my role was more technical, I needed to ensure anyone on my team could assist in my absence. Once created, they provided clear, step-by-step instructions for every task, ensuring consistency and accuracy. This meant that anyone could seamlessly step in and keep things running smoothly.

Dan Martell, in his book Buy Back Your Time, emphasizes that a well-documented process turns chaos into clarity. This insight resonated deeply with me. By having our procedures documented, we eliminated ambiguity and created a reliable reference for everyone involved. Across the organization, playbooks also prevented gaps in productivity when people changed jobs and allowed for faster onboarding of new employees or volunteers.

Reduced Stress and Empowerment

By implementing playbooks, we reduced stress significantly. Team members felt empowered because they had the guidance they needed right at their fingertips. This eliminated the single point of failure scenario, where one person’s absence could halt progress. Everyone knew what to do, and the risk of something slipping through the cracks was minimized.

Martell also highlights that empowering your team with documented processes builds a culture of independence and responsibility. This shift created truly created a culture of independence and empowerment at our church. As everyone became more familiar with the playbooks, they better understood their responsibility, and it reduced the hands-on support needed to complete recurring tasks. Our team members could be set loose to tackle these documented tasks independently, and upon their return, we would know they had completed them with excellence.

Creating Effective Playbooks

Creating playbooks doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We used simple tools like Word documents, screenshots, and videos. Loom videos were particularly effective in capturing detailed instructions. Martell advises you to record your processes and get them out of your head. It’s the first step towards freedom. It’s crucial to document everything, including those tasks we often perform instinctually. This ensures that no vital information is lost and that the playbook remains comprehensive and useful.

The Practical Steps to Creating Playbooks

Identify Key Processes. Start by listing all the essential tasks and processes that need documentation. This includes everything from daily routines to complex procedures.

Record Detailed Instructions. Use a mix of written documents, screenshots, and videos. Tools like Loom can help create clear and concise instructional videos.

Use Checklists: Think about pilots. Though they might have thousands of hours of flight time, they still use checklists to ensure they follow the necessary procedures. Checklists are a great start in building out playbooks. Not only are they great for those that do not have a deep understanding of the needed items for a particular task, but they also become a tool to hold ourselves accountable to do our tasks at the highest level.

Review and Update Regularly: Playbooks should be living documents. Regularly review and update them to reflect any changes in processes or improvements.

Train Your Team: Ensure everyone knows where to find the playbooks and how to use them. Provide training sessions if necessary to familiarize them with the content.

Martell suggests that a playbook is only as good as its implementation. It’s a requirement to check for adherence and provide feedback regularly.

By following these steps, we ensured our playbooks remained relevant and practical.

The Impact on Our Church

The impact of having playbooks in our church was profound. It streamlined our operations, improved communication, and fostered a culture of accountability and efficiency. It allowed volunteers to participate in helping to support our weekly tasks. It also gave our staff the time to focus on new initiatives, allowing them to improve things across the organization that had not been given attention. The number of things we could get done became almost exponential when we could empower volunteers to participate in supporting our church via the use of playbooks.

The Future of Playbooks in Ministry

Looking forward, the potential of playbooks in ministry is immense. As Martell puts it, “Playbooks are the blueprint for scaling your impact.” By documenting and refining our processes, we can ensure that our ministries continue to grow and adapt to new challenges.

Moreover, playbooks provide a legacy. They capture the collective knowledge and experience of our team, preserving it for future generations. This is particularly important in a ministry setting, where continuity and stability are crucial.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, whether you’re managing a mega-church or a small community group, the power of playbooks cannot be overstated. They provide structure, reduce stress, and empower your team, ensuring that your ministry can thrive no matter who is at the helm.

By embracing the concept of playbooks, we can all work more efficiently and effectively, building stronger, more resilient teams. Remember Martell’s wise words, “Your time is your most valuable asset.” Reclaim it by creating playbooks. Let’s invest the time to document our processes now so that we can reap the benefits for years to come.

With playbooks, we can achieve greater efficiency, build stronger teams, and ensure the sustainability of our ministries. Start small. Just document one thing you do consistently. Look to share that playbook with a coworker to ensure they could step and take over, then look to empower a volunteer to run the play. With these simple steps, you will witness the transformative impact playbooks can have on your church. Start small and see just how impactful playbooks can be.

Michael Visser

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