Every ministry needs people to be a part of it, to run it, and to make it grow and thrive. The safety ministry is not different except it is a ministry in which failure is not an option. I stress this quite a bit when I talk to church leaders and safety ministry leaders. It is a delicate balance of ministry and capability. In today’s episode I discuss how to recruit and select your initial team, how to utilize people that have the heart but not the physical ability, and who to avoid.
3 Typical Applicants
In my experience the safety ministry attracts 3 categories of people.
Wannabe Heroes:
These are the folks that are highly motivated internally by a protector’s heart, externally by a recent event, or egotistically by a drive to have authority and power. You can do a lot with a person with the right heart, but beware the person driven by ego.
Priors (First Responders and Veterans)
These are folks that have the experience and a desire to plug it in somewhere beneficial. Many of these folks are retirees wanting a second crack at service. Your team can benefit a lot with people like this, but again, beware the egos. There can be a tendency for prior folks to have egos based off of their training and experience; aka “know-it-all” syndrome. If you are a ministry leader you really need to examine the heart of these folks and be prepared to call them out if you feel they are ego driven.
Misfit Toys
My team all lovingly refer to our ministry as the “land of misfit toys” after the Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer claymation movie. The safety ministry can become a catch-all ministry for people that don’t belong in the “typical” church ministries. This can be a powerful avenue for God to move in the ministry and the lives of the people in it. These folks can be some of your biggest contributors because they fall in love with the community the safety ministry creates for them. They may not have experience, or even be fully able-bodied, but they’re hungry to learn and serve.
Backbone
If you’re just getting started out, the initial group that your recruit and bring in is going to function both as your beta test AND you the potential backbone of your ministry. When my church first started its team they did a church wide announcement stating that they were starting a “security team” and were looking for folks with their license to carry (CHL at that time). We have over 30 initial applicants, 19 of which showed up to the first training day. After that first training day it whittled down to about 12.
Out of those 12 that stuck around 10 fell into one of the 3 categories and had servant’s and protector’s hearts, and the other 2 were driven by ego. Eventually, the 2 with egos got their egos bruised and left, and the remaining 10 became the backbone of the ministry. This is not an atypical evolution. You can expect to get a lot of interest initially, a drop in motivation by some, a weeding out of others, and the remainder end up being your core.
With that core group you need to do an initial, basic training in key skillsets and then turn them loose to start operating. It will not be smooth at first, but you will quickly identify areas that need shoring up, security gaps and needs, and training needs; but you will at least have the ball rolling for the church to see the new ministry. DO NOT try to have it all perfect immediately. The key to a well-functioning emergency response team is adaptability. If you try to have everything perfect at once, that rigidity will translate into a fear of making changes or suggestions.
On-Going Process
Once your initial team is operating you can start implementing a structured application, training, and qualification process. This process does a lot in favor of your ministry.
It creates mentorship and discipleship opportunities in which existing team members get to train, mentor, and disciple new trainees.
It demonstrates organization and functionality by avoiding the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants vibe. My team started out with that vibe and it cost us a lot of potentially really good people. People looking to serve and protect their families and friends want an organization that has their poop in a group. Not a ragtag group of wannabe gunslingers.
It weeds out ego and fly-by-night motivation. If you have a wannabe hero that is motivated only by a recent event or by ego, a good onboarding process will either weed them out, or at the very least reveal where their heart is at and whether they are moldable or rigid. Moldability is good; rigidity, not so much.
As you bring in new people and operate continue to make adjustments to your processes; both for onboarding and for operating. You may need to shift your security posture. You may need to lengthen or shorten your qualification process. You may need to make exceptions to the qualification process if you have an applicant with an applicable background, experience, and heart. I have made many exceptions for folks with prior experience. Many have proven to be very beneficial to the ministry; others didn’t pan out very well. The overall goal is to let God mold your ministry and work within it.
Conclusion: God and Ministry
At the end of the day it’s a ministry that we MUST trust God with in order for it to work. If we hold too tight to the reigns we don’t allow Him to operate. You will experience booms and famines. That’s the nature of a ministry. If the goal and focus of your ministry is to bless God and put Him first then you’ve done all you can do. He will do the rest.
If your church can swing it, I highly recommend getting a consultant or advisor who can help you with the process. Find a church that has an already thriving ministry and reach out to them for advice. There are lots of “consultants” out there who are in it for the money and not the ministry. Learn how to spot them and avoid them. A telltale sign is that if their heart is in the ministry of safety then their focus will be serving God and helping your church do the same with their safety ministry. If that’s not their focus, then it will be purely about security.
Feel free to reach out to us at Zero 5 Safety Training. This truly is our ministry and calling. Paid not not, we love helping churches grow their ministries.
PROTECT HIS PEOPLE. GIVE HIM THE GLORY.
Mike
