An Achilles’ heel is a fatal weakness in spite of overall
strength, actually or potentially leading to downfall. While the
mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, metaphorical
references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to their
downfall are common. For a full explanation click here.
I
believe every ministry has a fatal weakness that if not addressed or
tended to will lead to, and this not getting over dramatic, burnout,
poor volunteer retention, mediocre and often poor ministry execution,
dissent, an utter disaster -- you get the picture.
Now every
ministry is different. And by tending to this one specific variable I
will mention it does not mean that you neglect everything else.
However, if not done this will guarantee failure. In my 20 years of
serving in the church and 16 of those years on the staffs of large
churches here is what I have learned.
First Impressions or Guest Relation type ministries (i.e. Ushers, Greeters, Guest Services, Service Hosts)
Achilles' heel: Vision
These
ministries are often referred to, at least in our setting, "easy entry"
type ministries. We often tell new people that a good place to start
in ministry is in one of these teams. They are described this way because the
preparation level is minimal, and the skill level, though for
extroverted personalities this may come easier, is simply to convey a
genuine -- warm and friendly greeting. Now there is a little more to
it than that -- these type of guest teams need a working knowledge of
the general layout of the church to give directions and they need a
general understanding of ministry life to answer guests questions.
So why is the Achilles' Heel "Vision?"
It
is Vision because the these teams need to be constantly envisioned that
what they do matters. What they do is making a difference. And what
they do does not have to be a stepping stone to another ministry. What
makes these teams easy to recruit for, is also the very thing that
needs to be addressed regularly. If it is "easy in," it is also "easy
out." The tendency for many who join these teams is that they will
serve here for a while then move on to something more challenging and
"more meaningful" once they figure it out. For some this may be the
case. But for others these guest teams can be a long term serving role
for years to come. I serve with some who have been greeters and ushers
for 10 years and still going on with passion.
Why is this is important?
Because
we need quality people on the front lines! How many of us have been
turned off by rude cashier or clerk who was not able to answer the
simplest of questions in many of the businesses we frequent.
It
has been said that the ball game is won on the front lines. But we
often fall into same trap that many businesses do that preaches that
mantra but does not service it with the type of personnel that can make
a difference.
We need to continually envision these teams that it
is there positive first and often sometimes lasting impression is what
can lead to a guest to deciding to make this their church and in some
instances making their first step in journeying toward Christ. Most of the times a guest impression of their experience is made before they hear word spoken or song sung.
These teams are that important! And they need to know that!
