The Lead Ministry Podcast

#138 - Lead Volunteers is a proven system meant to help ministry leaders recruit, train, and retain volunteers in a way that helps volunteers feel seen, heard, welcomed, and valued in their role - which ultimately means they’ll stick around longer AND enjoy serving on your team. On today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Shannon Teague, a Children’s Director and Lead Volunteers...

#137 - When it comes to leading volunteers, one of the best ways we can connect and better understand our volunteers on a deeper level is by getting to know their SHAPE. The SHAPE assessment helps you gain a deeper understanding of the gifts, passions, and desires of your volunteers so you can equip them to live into their God-given purpose. In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our...

#136 - How much is too much when it comes to asking of your volunteers? It’s easy to ask your best volunteers to keep showing up more and more because they are so great, but when we ask more than we celebrate, we tend to burn people out. In today’s episode of the podcast we sit down with our friend Wayne Murray and discuss the importance of developing a culture of health, feedback, ownership, and...

#135 - One of the simplest ways we can help our volunteers stick around is by making it easy for them to volunteer. How do we do that? Well, in todays episode, we sit down with our friend Jonny Radcliff and discuss three specific ways we can make it easy for our volunteers to serve: 1) By being clear and reasonable, 2) By being concise in your communication, and 3) By having relational and task ro...

We may not always think of it in these terms, but ministry is a stewardship, and your volunteers are a huge part of that stewardship. However, unlike finances and time, when it comes to our volunteers, we're talking about people. So, how do we steward people well? In today's episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Evan Fortunato, Kids Pastor at Grace Assembly of God in Greenwood, IN, a...

#133 - If we had a multiple choice option in front of us to decide between a fully engaged and passionate volunteer, and a “warm body” who’s simply there to fill a slot, we would choose the fully engaged leader every time, right? But what if there was a way we could equip leaders to engage and take ownership as a part of our training? In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with Youth Minis...

#132 - Engaging High School students in preteen ministry might be the best way to engage the next generation in a developing relationship with Jesus. There is an untapped resource of High School students in your church who not only have a desire to serve with kids and pre-teens, but will benefit greatly from the ownership and leadership that comes from serving in a high capacity. On today’s episod...

#131 - The job of a pastor is to build up the body to do the work of the ministry. One of the BEST ways that you can begin doing that in your ministry is by training coaches to be co-laborers alongside you, rather than doing ministry alone. In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Kenny Conley, a 20-year veteran of kids and family ministry who currently serves as the NextGen...

#130 - We all likely have at least one name that immediately pops into our head when we think of a challenging person in ministry. Part of doing life together in community is getting to know people at the best, and at their not so best. So then, how do we react, and minister, to the “challenging” ones? In today’s episode of the Lead Volunteers Podcast, we sit down with our friend Kim Botto and dis...

#129 - What’s the best way to recruit and engage new volunteers? This is a question ministry leaders have been discussing and debating for years. While there are so many nuances to this question, we think there are just as many overlaps that can help you better recruit and engage new volunteers. On today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Mike Howard, who has been on the front l...

#128 - Looking for the best way engage your church and volunteers on 5th Sundays? Rather than stretching your volunteer pool, or barely skimming by, why not engage your entire church in a culture building day that makes a Kingdom impact in your local community? In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Mike Howard, who walks us through their church’s 5th Sunday model and why i...

#127 - When doing ministry, it can be easy to think that only a certain type of leader can work in a certain type of role. However, what would it look like if we expanded our definitions of what a good youth, kids, adult small group, etc. leader is? Often times, the people we don't think of have the potential to bring life experience, perspective, connection, and passion that we would otherwise gl...

#126 - We’ve all felt the weight of ministry before - especially for those of us who have been leading through a global pandemic these past couple of years. It can be hard to be a leader, but it can also be incredibly fulfilling when we live into the calling Jesus has placed on us. In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Vance Martin and discuss the “Work” vs. the “Weight” o...

#125 - Let’s all be honest - it can be hard to keep volunteers around sometimes. We’ve all been there - just when we find the last piece of the puzzle, another piece manages to fall off the table. At Lead Volunteers, we believe that one of the best ways we can keep volunteers engaged and passionate about the area they’re serving is by investing in the ways we train them. In today’s episode of the...

#124 - When asked what the hardest part of their job is, many ministry leaders will point towards the difficulty of recruiting volunteers. It’s a task that, for many, never seems to get any easier. But what if it could? What if you could improve your “ask process” that helps open the door for more volunteers? In this episode of the lead volunteers podcast, we sit down with our friend Christen Clar...

#123 - We’ve all read books and articles, attended breakouts and seminars, and listened to so many podcasts and speakers talk about what it takes to lead at large churches and organizations - but the reality is that a majority of churches in America are not mega churches. In fact, the average church size in America is 65 people, which begs the question - why is it that so much of our leadership tr...

#122 – As much as we wish the Christian life was void of obstacles and hardship, we know that just isn’t the case. In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Hannah Denhart, and talk about how we can keep the faith during harder times of ministry. We hope you enjoy episode 121 of the Lead Volunteers Podcast and share it with a ministry leader you know who may f...

#121 – In this week’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Doug Wolter and discuss the importance of counseling for ministry leaders, and a few easy and specific steps you can take to get you connected with the right counselor so you can keep living into the calling God has for your life. We hope you enjoy episode 121 of the Lead Volunteers Podcast and share it with a ministry leade...

#120 – When leading large-scale events, it can be easy to shoulder the weight of responsibility yourself. We don’t want to place the burden on others, so we can take it on. However, as more and more ministry leaders are burning out, we’d like to offer up a solution that not only takes some of the weight off of your shoulders, but enables others to thrive and grow in the process. In today’s episode...

#119 – On today’s episode of the podcast we’re talking biology, ministry, and creative ways we can engage kids in serving. We loved getting the chance to sit down with our friend Hunter Williams to discuss ways to make a kingdom impact in our kids’ lives. We hope you enjoy episode 119 of the Lead Volunteers Podcast and share it with a ministry leader you know who may find this beneficial for their...

#118 – What is the best way to train our volunteers? That’s a question I’m sure all of us are asking throughout the year. It’s hard to get everyone to a training event, watch training videos, or even read our emails at times. So, how do we effectively train our volunteers to be the best they can be? Well, on today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend David Rausch and discuss some...

#117 – What is the best way to plug a middle/high school student into a volunteer position? Let’s face it - we’re looking for passionate, but responsible, people who can poor into the ministry we’re leading, and students aren’t always the most responsible. Well, in today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Trisha Peach and discuss some of the best ways we can use the passion and...

#116 – In today’s episode of the podcast we sit down with the CEO of AWANA, Valerie Bell to discuss the importance of healthy adult influence in a child’s life. We hope you enjoy episode 116 of the Lead Volunteers Podcast and share it with a ministry leader you know who may find this beneficial for their ministry context! If you would like to gain INSTANT access to the bank of resources mentioned...

#115 – Have you ever had a volunteer who was eager and ready to serve, but after a while you noticed it may not be he best fit? What do you do in that situation when you know this fit won’t last? Well, in today’s episode of the podcast we sit down with our friend Jim Wideman and discuss ways that we can better lean into our volunteers’ gifting and create authentic leadership that lasts. We hope yo...

#114 – Nobody likes attending a boring meeting. Whether you are a paid staff member or a volunteer, being a part of a meeting that lacks organization, direction, and fun can lead you to ask the all-too-familiar question: “why am I even here?” In today’s episode of the podcast, we sit down with our friend Brittany Nelson to discuss ways we can not only ensure we never lead a boring meeting, but way...