Equipment, Administration and Ministry Guides

There are many processes that team leaders and staff know from experience but have not documented. Having instructional materials on hand allows for new staff and volunteer teams to function more autonomously.

We will work with you to create documents and guides for your Administration and Ministry areas. We have outlined several of the main areas below:

Equipment Guides

Pinch-points are often created when the setup and use of equipment relies on the knowledge of one or two people. When a “knowledge person” leaves the church, the remaining team members often struggle to keep things going because the process has not been documented.

When you have a team of volunteers who serve once or twice per month, a documented
setup guide ensures that the system is set up in a standard manner no matter who
is serving that day. It minimizes the need for certain leaders to be on hand for
setup and troubleshooting and allows newcomers to the team to learn the ropes
quickly. It reduces stress when key technical people are not available
(example, vacation) as the team can refer to the user guide for setup and
troubleshooting information.

Some examples of guides that we develop are:

• The 1-2-3 process for Sunday morning Multimedia Setup
• Recording the Sunday service
• A guide to the security system
• A staff "how-to" guide for the church database
• The basic functions of the telephone system
• How to schedule meetings in MS Outlook

Administration

• Job descriptions for Administrative and Ministry staff and volunteers - The advantage of a written job description is that the duties, expectations and responsibilities of both the volunteer and the church
  are outlined clearly. Knowing the requirements of individual volunteer jobs in advance simplifies the selection/recruitment and management of volunteers. A job description should be prepared for every
  volunteer position, no matter how big or small.
  
  
• An Organizational Structure Chart - An organization chart is an essential, central and critical piece of documentation in your organization. It clearly defines the roles of each individual within the organization and clarifies the broad accountabilities of every position and their interrelationship.
  
  
• Facility room and key allocation procedure
  
  
• Forms:
  • Volunteer Application Form
  • Background Check Form
  • Driver for Transporting Minors Application Form
  • Facility Key Request Form
  • Room Request Form
  • Vacation Request Form

Volunteer Guidelines, Information and Security Policies

Ministries more often than not work with teams of volunteers. Each volunteer
should be given a ministry handbook covering all the rules and regulations of
the ministry. This guide could include topics like:

• Guiding principles for the ministry - why we do what we do.
  
  
• Volunteer Commitment - specifies exactly what the expectations are of
  you as a volunteer.
  
  
• Mandated Reporting laws - what the laws of our state are and what your
  responsibility is regarding those laws.
  
  
• Background Check - why we need it, what company we use and what
  information is required from you.
  
  
• Age Requirements - at what age can I become a volunteer for a certain
  position within a certain ministry area.
  
  
• Security - how are we ensuring the safety of the children and youth
  within our care and what is my responsibility as a volunteer.
  
  
• Ministry-specific rules and responsibilities

In-house Printing

In addition to the above, we provide customized Word and PDF templates/documents
for in-house printing. This is often more efficient and cost effective than outsourcing.

• logo envelopes and letterheads;
• giving envelopes;
• lanyard tags for ministry volunteers and ushers/greeters