So, your church has identified a volunteer opportunity and you have prayerfully considered it. After all, you have a lot of experience with the type of project; it suits your abilities, talents, abilities and spiritual gifts. Although it may be an exaggeration, you are sure that you are the right person for the job. You approach church leadership and offer your skills. You are so convincing and enthusiastic that they choose you to lead the project.

in front of the project? Didn’t you volunteer just to help out in some way? What do you know about leading anything? You suddenly lose your passion, finding yourself doubting the very skills, abilities, and gifts that gave you the confidence to volunteer. This is obviously new territory and leading a group of volunteers is very different than leading a team at work. This will definitely test your skills. Well, where do we start?

People volunteer for many reasons. They may have skills and love to contribute or they may enjoy being in the mix. Maybe they step up because no one else volunteers. Maybe you’re suddenly in charge and maybe just for the last reason… no one came. Rick Warren wrote in Purpose Driven Life that the reason many churches fail is because the workers are not working.

Here’s another fact, 90% of businesses fail within the first five years. you think that is

Unbelievable, 90% of those businesses fail after the next five years. That’s sobering, and it has a lot to do with vital project management skills that many leaders lack. These are basic skills that are transferable under any situation. If the churches cannot successfully complete the projects, they will never survive.

The crucial first step in good project management is to properly identify the need and communicate it. This is your opportunity to create a vision that aligns with the direction your organization is headed. Ask for instructions and provide feedback from the leadership or committee that assigned the job. This insight is critical to understanding in advance. If you can’t communicate it in a relatively simple paragraph, then you and leadership are not on the same page. Consequently, you will not be able to adequately motivate those who will work in your team.

Vision is critical. Unlike the office, you may not have an official position, wear a uniform, or be able to command a performance with a prepared team. Dr. John Maxwell, successful pastor, author, and motivational speaker, said that leading a group of volunteers is the most challenging leadership situation. You don’t pay them, they don’t have to work for you, and you have no authority. While you don’t provide these attributes in a traditional way, you can provide them as you create a vision and communicate. More on that later.

Once you have an idea for the project and have created a great vision, the next step is to recruit the team. Having the right people in place will set you up for early success. Think about it, you took the job because you knew you could do it and you were passionate about it. Why would you want anyone else on your team except those with the same desire? This does not mean turning away all volunteers. All the different members of the body can contribute in some way. This just means focusing your efforts on actively recruiting quality, qualified leaders. You know you can count on them to do their part.

With your vision clear, break the project down into small parts or something you can manage in subgroups. For example, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Madison, Alabama, is celebrating its 150th anniversary. They wanted to have a big celebration to mark this important milestone. The head of the project communicated his clear vision and divided the complex project into many different subcommittees that reported to her. The subcommittees covered needs such as publicity, creating a portable museum, writing a book, creating events for children, cleaning up the campus, and about ten others. He had the right people in place.

How do you recruit capable people? Start by identifying those who are skilled and capable of leading the subtasks. They are trustworthy and have influence in their inner circles. Once identified, let them know that you really admire their skills in the areas you need and think they are the people to lead. You may have to approach them multiple times to get a commitment. Then use them to recruit your own crew. See what you just did? He recruited a leader who is capable of bringing together the people he will work with.

Continue this process until you have recruited enough leaders to handle all major parts of your projects. Offer encouragement and continue to share your vision with the leaders you have recruited. Keep the team focused.

Then assemble your team. At this crucial meeting, develop a reverse timeline. This timeline starts at the absolute last date the project is due to finish and ends with your next meeting. This will provide structure and focus for future meetings. Agree to make meetings count by discussing only the progress or gaps needed to finish the project on time.

Remember, these meetings focus only on the project. You must be the one who imposes the direction and discipline. Keep in mind that the completion date you agreed to is at least a few weeks before your required date. For example, if your church cleanup day needs to be completed before the first day of the fall Sunday school session on September 15, be sure to tour or inspect the area before September 7. This allows one week to resolve any contracting issues to repair tables, fix playground equipment, or order supplies that you may have identified as a result of the cleanup.

Invite the pastor or staff members assigning the project to the first meeting. Allow them to open with prayer, share their vision, and give inspiring words. This will set a positive tone and provide credibility. Again, you have nothing to offer volunteers other than motivation and a desire for success. So use whatever you can to make the project equally valuable and exciting for all members.

As mentioned above, keep each meeting focused on the big picture. It is important that everyone involved knows what success looks like and how they will benefit. As the project leader, encourage the subgroup task leaders to outline their plan in relation to the project schedule. Set them up for success by showing them how to organize their homework meetings. Their meetings are where they solve problems.

Once again, solve the deficiencies at each meeting. Either at the task level or the project level, resolve issues or set a separate date to resolve them. Nothing deflates motivation faster than making a plan and not tracking progress. Suppose that at the meeting, the publicity committee reveals that it has hit a likely roadblock trying to get the church to budget $300 for flyers. To resolve the issue, agree to speak with the deacons or the budget committee. Suddenly a month has passed and you haven’t taken a step towards resolution. He did not follow up and has nothing to report to the committee. This leads to disappointment as well as setting the standard that allows everyone a free ride from liability. Always follow through with plans and solutions.

Of course, you are going to successfully deal with shortcomings with a good plan that can be followed frequently. As a result, it provides vital information to the church. You are candid about success and shortcomings. He also makes sure the report reaches the rest of the congregation so they feel “in the know.” The more people are emotionally involved, the better support you will get for the project.

Leading volunteers is a rewarding experience and definitely a challenge to anyone’s leadership skills. Many people are counting on you, even though they are not traditionally accountable to you. However, there is no great mystery to successfully leading complex projects at any level. Start with the established vision, image of success, resolution management, follow-up and accountability, and you can motivate a committed team to achieve great things.