This unleashed a flurry of innovation and energy from our teachers . All of them changed up their normal routine . They were not being rolled up ; they were freed up to flow into the lives of their students as they saw fit .
Our students displayed more boldness about inviting their friends to Sunday school since they knew their friends would identify with what was being taught . After all , they were the ones who had chosen the topics ! For the first time they had skin in the game .
When high-attendance Sunday was over , we not only met our goal ; we crushed it , and we were the only department to do so .
I took note of the principles I had stumbled upon :
If you want people to own their part , give them a compelling reason to do so . If that part is always simple and controlled , that is the effort you will get . But , if you change that up at times to include high challenge and freedom to figure out how to make it happen , you will begin to feel the sudden burst of movement like wind hitting the sails of a sailboat .
If you want to bestow increased value on volunteers , place heightened responsibility and expectations on them . This can be risky with volunteers . They aren ’ t being paid , which means they can ’ t be required to do something like a paid employee . If they decide not to show up or to do something halfway , you can ’ t
HEROES ARE HARD TO IDENTIFY IN THE MORASS OF THE MUNDANE . THEY ALWAYS EMERGE FROM THE FERTILE GROUND OF ADVERSITY .
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