Thursday Three For All: Portable Church Vols, Airplane Mode, And Replacement Nachos

It’s Thursday, kiddies: the day when I roll out a few things I’ve been reading over the past week. Three of ‘em, to be exact. Enjoy. (Remember: click on the big bold print to read the entire article.)

5 Keys For Developing Volunteers Who Thrive In Portable Churches

(via @portablechurch) I wholeheartedly agree with all of these.

All around the country, brand-new churches are experiencing explosive growth rates in their first five years. According to a recent Leadership Network study*, a new church or multisite campus grows 170% faster than the average of the following years. As churches grow, the need for volunteers to help serve in children’s ministries, welcome areas, and other teams also grows. The good news, which the study also reported, is that 31% more people volunteer regularly in those same five years than in the following years.

Interestingly, most churches launch in a rented space, so more volunteers are needed to set up and tear down the worship and community spaces each week. Having a strategy for finding, training, and keeping volunteers happy is critical for the success of your church.

Here are five key considerations as you begin your portable volunteer strategy.

 

Airplane Mode

(via @nbcnews) This is a lengthy, but fascinating article. Count me in as one who still (mostly) loves to fly.

When was the last time someone told you they loved flying? Or even said they liked it? Or that they couldn’t wait to get back in the air?

In the spring and summer of America’s flying discontent, it’s likely your anxiety began to mount long before reaching the jetway. You felt nickeled and dimed by charges for everything: extra leg room, a snack, a thin blanket, an advance seat assignment. If you weren’t blindsided by a tumultuous curbside check-in, you might have stumbled over new complexities at a security checkpoint (Coming soon: mandatory screening, in separate security bins, of almost ALL electronic devices!) or arrived at your gate to find there was nowhere to sit.

There’s now such a jumble of boarding groups on many flights that it’s hard to feel the system isn’t rigged, to someone else’s advantage

 

Cubs Shortstop Delivers Replacement Nachos

(via @laughingsquid) This is incredibly sad. But it ends well. The nachos are the best part of baseball!

photo credit: Jason Mathis