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| Leading Ideas - Lewis Center for Church Leadership "Christmas Eve Opportunities for Newcomers | A Choir Director Shares Recruiting Tips" for Wednesday, 19 November 2014 |
by Cynthia D. Weems
I have discovered over the last several years a surprising source of energy in the preparations for our church’s Christmas Eve worship service. Relative newcomers to the church become the best source of volunteer support for this special night of worship.
Typically, one month before Christmas Eve, I begin making general announcements in worship about the need and importance of Christmas Eve greeter and hospitality support. (I learned the hard way that many of our regular volunteers leave town at Christmas.) When issuing the invitation, I remind the congregation of the many visitors we receive, most from out of town, and how helpful it is to have a friendly face at our entrances and at the hospitality table after worship (where, in Miami fashion, we eat cookies and drink hot chocolate outside in the garden).
What surprised me a few years ago, when I started making a more public appeal for assistance, is that many who volunteered were newcomers to the church. By and large they were also new to Miami. It caught my attention that perhaps some were spending the holidays in a new city alone and distant from family. Others seemed excited to participate in a Christmas Eve service for the first time in a new church home. Whatever the reason, I was thrilled with this development.
Currently, because the public appeal provides more than enough volunteers each year, I also send word to our regular ushers and greeters that they can have the night off. I know if the regulars are present, it tends to leave the newcomers with little to do. I also know our regular volunteers need a break. So I kindly thank them for always being willing to serve and ask them to celebrate with me the willingness of the new volunteers to be present on such an important night.
When Christmas Eve arrives, I make it a point to be the one who greets the volunteers as they arrive in advance of the service. I do this in order to thank them personally and to cast the vision for what our church hopes Christmas Eve will be like for our congregation and visitors. I remind them that we are in downtown Miami and our guests will include people coming straight from the beach as well as our homeless brothers and sisters. I want the new volunteers to be prepared. I also want them to be excited to welcome people into a unique and diverse church home on Christmas Eve.
Finally, I commit each year to sending an email on Christmas Day to all of those who volunteered the night before. I thank them for going out of their way to serve God and others on Christmas Eve, and I ask them prayerfully to consider becoming a regular part of our greeting or hospitality team.
Dr. Cynthia D. Weems is pastor of First United Methodist Church of Miami, Florida.
by Scott Glysson
Some people like to recite a phrase “it’s not the size of the choir, but the heart of the people participating” that matters. This sounds beautiful and may have some moral truth, but you will notice that directors of programs that are actively gaining members and are full of energy in recruitment never make this statement. People are drawn to growing ministries, and repelled by shrinking ones. If you want to have a vital and energetic program, it must also appear to be vital and energetic from both a visual and aural perspective. What are some tangible ways to be successful in recruitment?
Make recruiting an everyday commitment.
A leader must decide that bringing people into the fold of your program is a top priority. You must decide that it is not something that will simply take the form of specific events or seasons of recruitment, but something you will spend time on every single day.
Remember, it never hurts to ask. You do not know who might say “yes.” I can honestly say that I never once received a hostile response from an invitation email. I received plenty of “no” responses of course, but nobody ever got upset that I asked. Many wonderful instrumentalists and singers are looking for opportunities to play and sing. You will be surprised at how many encouraging responses you will get when you ask, even if they are “no” responses.
Create a culture of recruitment.
Once you are willing to invest the daily time and effort, the next step is to create a culture where recruitment is the rule, rather than the exception. Imagine a ministry where, without having to be instructed to do so, choir members were always seeking to bring others into the program. When prospective choir members came to rehearsal, the current members would surround them. They would never stake claims on particular seats and would seek to make new members feel completely welcome. They would help gather essential materials needed for the evening. This philosophy must be in place for active recruitment to take place, or your effort to bring people into the fold will resemble throwing darts at a concrete slab. Recruitment is everybody’s job, but it is your job to create the culture of recruitment.
Recruit at times when it will have the greatest impact.
Consider times in your church year when people will be present for the first time. Rarely have I attended a church during a Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday service and received an invitation to join choir. Yet, recruiting at these times makes complete sense. Your music program is most active and most prepared during this time, so your product will presumably be of higher quality, and thus more attractive. There will be people there who may rarely attend church, but may love to sing or play an instrument. Remember that many long-term church members have found their niche in the church already, and are less likely to join your ministry than someone who is brand new and has not yet committed to any other church ministries. Choose the times that you recruit carefully so that they will have the greatest impact.
Follow-up is critical.
Once you have mastered timing, the final step is making it easy. Always remember that the longer the time between the invitation and the action, the larger the number of people who will fall by the wayside. In any recruitment situation, the most important step is the follow up. It is crucial that you follow up within two days maximum. People need to know that you are serious about reaching out to them. It is also essential that you contact them in more than one way.
A great option is to send an email the day after you receive an expression of interest, and to follow up with a phone call the next day. It is also best if the music director is not the one making the calls. Have volunteers from your choir make the calls and make sure they give specific information about rehearsal times, requirements, materials, and answers to any and all questions they might receive about getting involved in your ministry.
With some hard work and effort, you can break through that recruitment barrier. It takes commitment, timing, and planning, but your hard work will pay off!
Scott Glysson is Director of Choral Activities at West Liberty University in West Virginia. He formerly served as Music Director at Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. This material is adapted from an article that first appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of Antiphon, the official publication of the Arizona state chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Used with permission.
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The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Effective delegation requires monitoring but without giving the impression that you do not have confidence in the person assigned to do the task. Some of these questions may help with the check-in conversations along the way:
Can you walk me through some of the steps you have taken since our last conversation?
How far along is the project today as compared to where you thought it would be? Which steps have been easier or more difficult so far than you had expected?
Want more Right Questions? Check out “Right Questions for Church Leaders, Volumes 1–3.”
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Editors: Lovett H. Weems, Jr., and Ann A. Michel. Production: Carol Follett
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary.
4500 Massachusetts Ave NWLewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary.
Washington, DC 20016 United States
(202) 885-8757lewiscenter@wesleyseminary.edu
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