Leading a Special Needs Ministry by Amy Fenton Lee

Author:Amy Fenton Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion/Christian Ministry/General
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Published: 2016-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

7. Volunteers: Leading, Recruiting, Training, and Creating Community

We know that without the help of volunteers, special needs inclusion and accommodation is virtually impossible. The churches with the strongest special needs ministries seem to know the secret: a ministry leader who values their relationships with their volunteers almost as much as they value their relationships with the families they serve. Time and again, I have found that behind every thriving ministry is a leader who lives out the love of Christ through their personal connection with the ministry’s volunteers. And that care and attention spills over into the relationships between the volunteers and the families the ministry serves. Let me illustrate this through my own experience with some of these special needs leaders.

In the introduction to Section 2, I shared some details about my research for this book. As I was thinking about people I should acknowledge, I sat down with a pen and paper attempting to recount every church leader who had obliged me with an interview or helped to answer reader questions from my blog. Within five minutes, I had written down more than fifty names. Without a doubt I didn’t recall every person who had helped me. But as I studied my scribbled list of recalled names, I realized that many had since become genuine and cherished friends of mine. I don’t think I knew any of the ministry leaders prior to contacting them for help regarding special needs ministry. But, over the course of the last few years, many of these leaders have become close personal friends. These are the people who have remembered my birthday, who have prayed for me when life has thrown a couple of lemons my way, who have graciously listened to me whine when the online world was a little cruel, and who have made me laugh until my sides hurt. These are ladies (yes, the vast majority are indeed women) who have endeared themselves to me personally and whom I have truly grown to love and appreciate.

And guess what else these ladies have in common? These very same people are directing ministries with the largest and most cohesive volunteer bases. In many cases, I have actually visited their churches or connected with those who serve alongside them. And every time, without fail, I discover that my experience with these ladies is the very same experience their volunteers have with them. The people serving around them feel loved and valued as human beings, not just for what they offer their ministry. And the volunteers and coworkers all echo a genuine enjoyment whenever they are around this ministry leader. Each of these ministry leaders has a gift for making life and serving fun. That’s not to say these ladies don’t have some grit! Whoa, do they! In fact, their willingness to get a bit feisty is one of the main reasons they are so loved.

Creating Community

Everyone craves connection and a sense of purpose. Whenever a church leader can facilitate a ministry environment that fulfills those needs in volunteers, there is a win for everyone.

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