Be Careful What You Promise Your Volunteers

I've heard it said in a business context, "Under-promise and over-deliver." That's, of course, to counter the natural tendency of some to "over-promise and under-deliver."

"Over-promising," when it comes to volunteer enlistment is deadly. "It's easy!" "The curriculum does the work for you!" "You can just show up and teach." "The kids in this class are all angels."

Nor is "under-promising" a road to successful enlistment.

It seems that your mother was probably right: be honest, do your best, take responsibility, and forgive failure.

Be honest. Tell your potential volunteer exactly what you think the task will take. Tell them what skills and abilities you see that they have to do the task successfully. And be honest about what you will do to help them.

Do your best. Do everything you can to help your volunteer succeed. Provide orientation and training. Stand alongside the volunteer and coach through their first couple classes. Check back to see how they are doing. Don't short-change them in terms of providing all the necessary resources.

Take responsibility. If things don't go well at some point, be ready to support and defend the volunteer, and to assist in getting things back on track. If the volunteer decides to step down, offer sincere thanks, free from guilt, and learn from the experience what you can do better next time.

Forgive failure. Both in the volunteer, and in yourself. In this fallen world, things don't always work out. God forgives our failure; so should we.

Know that every minute and every dollar you invest in a volunteer to help them succeed is worth it, because the task you share has eternal results: forgiveness, life, and salvation for God's children.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Thanks!

Thank You, God, for . . .

• Thousands of volunteers who teach Sunday School each week.
• Parents who bring their children to church each Sunday for worship and Bible study.
• Parents who teach the Christian faith to their children as part of their daily family routine.
• Dorothy and Carl Felten, neighbors who reached out to my brother and me during our childhood to make sure we had the opportunity to attend Sunday School. Dorothy taught my Sunday School class for at least five years in a row; Carl provided transportation and regular incentives to keep us coming back (yea for Dairy Queen!).

Thanks, God, for the blessing of teaching Your children Your Word.