Reno Project #6: Providing Better Training

This is it! Today is the last day of our Women’s Ministry Renovation Project!

Today we are going to tackle Training.

So let me just make a confession right from the start.

I have not done a good job of training my former teams.

I am making great progress in this area.

I believe one of the reasons God placed me in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) leadership as a small group leader was to experience training at its best. They are a well-oiled machine.

BSF leaders receive training sessions every week for about 32 weeks. Training is intentional and thorough. We have handbooks for reference. We role-play situations. We repeatedly revisit topics.

I have learned SO much.

Who in your ministry needs training?

1. Women’s Ministry Leadership Team
2. Bible Study Leaders
3. Prayer Counselors
4. Registration Coordinators
5. Hostesses/Greeters
6. Event Planners
7. Tech Assistants
8. Mentors
9. Incoming Leaders

What do they need training on:

1. Leading another to Christ, sharing the plan of salvation, etc.
2. Shepherding
3. Prayer
4. Running the computer, sound system, and/or PowerPoint
5. Registration process
6. Greeting procedures
7. Handling difficult circumstances and situations (women with depression/mental illness, eating disorders, death, abortion, abuse, etc.)
8. Motivating team members
9. Discipleship
10. Mentoring
11. Church policies
12. Reimbursement procedures
13. Room reservation procedures
14. Childcare procedures
15. Resources – locations and use
16. Phone calls
17. Prayer chains

Never assume everyone knows what you know.

As a leader, your job is to train your team to do their job well.

Training should:

1. Occur face-to-face
2. Include both written and verbal instructions
3. Set clear expectations
4. Involve modeling and role-playing
5. Allow time for questions
6. Take place over a reasonable amount of time and within the time limit set
7. Be Interactive
8. Ongoing
9. Be exhaustive, but not exhausting

Training doesn’t have to be boring.

Make it fun for your women. Incorporate games, set up team challenges, pair them with a buddy to complete the task.

If like me, training is not your strength or occupation, there are resources available that will help you. I suggest you start with your church staff and local/state church association. Not only are they accessible, but they are also often free!

I’d love for you to join me for the Gather and Glean Women’s Ministry Leader Training and Retreat. You can find out more information here.

If you’re looking for self-paced online training, please check out the current classes including Bible Study Facilitator Training and Women’s Ministry Event Planning 101 here.

What training resources would you recommend?

Be sure to check out these other renovation posts:
What area of ministry is God asking you to renovate?
Reno Project #1: Excessive Decorations
Reno Project #2: Your Mission Statement
Reno Project #3: Offerings
Reno Project #4: Updating Your Publicity
Reno Project #5: Technology