FIRST IN LAST OUT
RETAINING VOLUNTEERS: CURIOSITY, PURSUIT AND CELEBRATION | Chelsea Pribyl, FILO Chief Operations Officer
In my early days as a young church technical director, I quickly identified that my strengths were not in the actual operation of the equipment. I know what you’ re thinking. It’ s difficult to be a church TD if you don’ t know how to run the gear!
Well, as frustrating and defeating as that was, it allowed me to hone my leadership skills instead and build volunteer teams made up of people who had an interest in the technology. They were passionate about learning how to improve and get the most from the equipment, and they were motivated to serve the ministry I was leading as well as the church at large.
I identified leaders within each of my audio, video and lighting teams. Since I lacked the specific knowledge and complete skill set to train my volunteers on the gear and the science of tech, I created training experiences. I paired those volunteer leaders with coworkers, contractors or friends who had specific knowledge worth sharing. My team leaders would be trained, and then they would pass those skills along to the other volunteers they served with.
Suddenly my frustration started shifting into freedom. Freedom to focus on overseeing all aspects of production for that ministry, freedom to delegate skill development to people I trusted, and freedom to lean into the way God wired me: for shepherding.
One of the most beautiful things about Jesus’ disciples is how unique and diverse they were. They were a group of people made up of various professional backgrounds, disabilities, wealth statuses and viewpoints. These 12 disciples might have looked like a random group assembled out of confusion, but Jesus saw the potential and picked them for a purpose.
We all know that volunteers are a church’ s lifeline. They are the solution to how a leader’ s
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