The key to managing rapid church growth: a strong, reliable foundation.
As your church grows, whether you're launching an additional service or adding a new campus, you will need to manage numerous changes: hiring staff, training volunteers, restructuring services, expanding ministries, and more. With growth comes stress and the potential for miscommunication. Building a strong foundation and team culture is crucial for supporting rapid growth. Here are some tips to help your church manage expansion effectively.
Create a Central Information Repository
I recommend beginning by documenting your processes and procedures and storing them in an easy-to-access location. Creating a central location for these procedures and process documents helps create alignment among your teams. This knowledge base is invaluable for both new and existing team members, allowing them to independently find answers to their questions. While training takes time, providing these resources helps everyone get acclimated more quickly, also making onboarding smoother.
Online Software Solutions
There are great online software resources available to help create this knowledge base. I have listed a few popular apps that specialize in hosting and sharing these types of documents. Here are some of the popular software solutions:
Notion: Notion is a versatile tool that combines notes, databases, task management, and wikis. It's great for creating a collaborative knowledge base with rich content types.
Zoho Learn: Part of the Zoho suite, Zoho Learn allows teams to create a secure and collaborative knowledge base. It supports customization and integration with other Zoho applications or can be used as a stand-alone solution.
Slab: Slab is a knowledge management tool specifically designed for creating and maintaining a knowledge base. It integrates with many other tools your team might be using.
Guru: Guru is a knowledge management solution that helps teams create, share, access, and update information. It offers browser extensions and integrations to provide knowledge in context.
Tettra: Tettra is a simple and straightforward knowledge base and wiki tool for teams. It integrates well with Slack and other tools to ensure information is easily accessible.
How to Get Started
Begin by documenting processes for each department or ministry area. These documented processes will act as instruction manuals for your teams. Keep them simple and clear. I'm not talking about multi-page dissertations; I’m suggesting simple one or two-page documents that clearly outline each process. Make sure to include volunteer teams as well as staff teams when creating your documents.
Standardize Your Language
When developing your processes, use consistent terminology across all departments, ministry areas, or campuses. Standardize the titles, names, and steps of your processes. This ensures everyone knows what is being referred to, promoting clarity and efficiency.
Practical Example: Volunteer Onboarding
Consider the process of onboarding new volunteers. Without a standardized procedure, new volunteers might feel lost. Create a documented process outlining each step involved in onboarding volunteers. Here’s a possible volunteer onboarding process:
Initial Contact Phone Call
Welcome and Introduction: Greet the volunteers warmly and introduce them to the department or ministry area.
Review Information: Review information such as name, contact details, and areas of interest from the Volunteer Interest Form submission.
Orientation
Orientation Session: Conduct a session to provide an overview of the position or role, its programs, and the importance of volunteer roles.
Tour of Facilities: Show them around the church facilities, including key areas where they might be serving.
Introduction to team members: Introduce volunteer to leader and team members.
Paperwork and Screening
Application Form: Have the volunteer fill out an application form.
Background Check: If necessary (depending on position), conduct a background check.
Confidentiality Agreement: Have volunteers sign any necessary confidentiality agreements.
Training
Schedule a Shadow Session: Schedule a shadow session with the volunteer and leader of the team or ministry area.
Additional Training: Schedule additional training specific to the volunteer’s role, including any necessary skills and responsibilities.
Mentorship: Assign a mentor to guide them through the initial stages of their volunteering.
Support and Communication
Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to provide support and address any concerns or questions.
Health Check-up: After 30 days, conduct a health check-up with the volunteer to ensure they are thriving in the role.
This example ensures that all volunteers receive consistent information and training, creating confidence and preparedness as they begin their service. It also helps the staff and team members follow a consistent model across all volunteer areas.
By having procedures like this documented in your knowledge base, new team members can easily find and follow the steps, understand their responsibilities, and get up to speed quickly.
Building a Strong Foundation for Sustainable Growth
Creating standardized procedures in the form of instruction manuals, or Playbooks, creates a culture of consistency and clarity. This not only benefits new team members but also enhances the efficiency and unity of your entire organization. As your church grows, having these standardized processes in place will help you maintain accuracy and unity across all ministry areas and departments.
By investing time in documenting and centralizing your procedures, you create a scalable model that supports sustainable growth. Remember, a strong foundation built on clear, accessible, and standardized procedures empowers your team to focus on what truly matters: ministering to the congregation and fulfilling your church’s mission. Embrace this approach, and watch your teams thrive as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of growth.
Jason Silbernagel
P.S. Here’s how we can further assist you:
#1: Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out our blog.
#2: Check out our YouTube Channel for all things Planning Center.
#3: Contact us directly at info@threefold.solutions if you have questions or want us to write on a particular topic.
