Ambassadors for Growth leadership seminar

The 'Ambassadors for Growth' leadership seminar Saturday was great!  We've received so many compliments about our feature presenter, Thom Singer, from the many ministry leaders who attended.  He's such a dynamic speaker, and SJN is blessed to have him as our own parishioner!

Read Thom's reaction to the seminar on his own blog here.

Thom Singer, Ambassadors for Growth seminar, Sept. 18, 2010

Ministry leaders, Ambassadors for Growth seminar, Sept. 18, 2010

Thom Singer, Ambassadors for Growth seminar, Sept. 18, 2010

As you'll read on Thom's blog, the key idea that was taken from the seminar was the idea of our current ministry leaders going up to someone new at Mass, or any church event, every week and meeting someone they'd never before met.  With the 35 leaders who attended the seminar, if they did that every Sunday and then encouraged everyone in their ministries to do the same, our parish community would be so engaged and connected!  The leaders were all so enthusiastic about the idea, how simple it is to do.  The seminar had such great energy!

Thanks to everyone who came and, most especially, to Thom for putting on the workshop.  We hope to feature more similar workshops for our leaders in the future!  

Go forth and 'build the Kingdom!'

Link time!

Raye Cekuta with the Mary and Martha Guild inviting people who had recently entered the Church to learn more about her ministry at an RCIA Recruitment Evening, April 2010

• 10 spiritual lessons for leaders -- Women Reaching Women
• 10 leadership practices for altar servers -- Today's Parish
• What is limiting young adults? -- Young Adult Ministries
• Faithful stewards of God's gifts and mysteries -- Zenit
• Forming and informing catechists -- Preparing for the Revised Roman Missal

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Ambassadors for Growth: A Workshop on Servant Leadership

Ambassadors for Growth is a workshop on Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon designed for the leaders of the 60 St. John Neumann Church ministries and partner ministries as well as those who have been identified as future leaders.  This interactive program and facilitated discussion at SJN will inspire the various ministries in working together to serve the community as "ambassadors," welcoming the new families that are beginning to join our parish as a result of the positive buzz being created by the construction of our new church.

The workshop will be facilitated by Thom Singer, local author and international professional speaker (and member of our St. John Neumann Church family).  His message of "All Opportunities Come From People" and the power of relationships will entertain, inspire and motivate the ministries to cultivate relationships with new and existing members of the parish.

We have all been called to be servant leaders in our parish, and establishing stronger relationships across the community will allow St. John Neumann Church to prosper as we continue to grow in size and in the Holy Spirit.

Please plan on having the leaders of your ministry participate in this half day program.  Additionally, each ministry is encouraged to identify one or more future leader to participate in the program.

We will begin the day with Mass at 9 a.m. in the Worship Space then head over to the St. Timothy Room afterward for breakfast and our program.  The event will end at noon.

For more information or to RSVP, contact me.

6 ways to kill a ministry

1. The leader spends too much time telling everyone else what to do instead of asking for input from other volunteers.
   Volunteers want to discuss the most effective ways to minister, not be told what to do and how to do it without having the freedom to express their own ideas.  Allow them to be creative and use their God-given gifts to serve as Christ's hands and feet.
   
   
2. The ministry focuses on solving an immediate problem, rather than coming up with a solution to implement a long-term change.
   Always steer the ministry to help come up with a way to implement long-term results.  How will this ministry survive and evolve once you're out of the picture?
   
   
3. One or two volunteers sign up to do everything, leaving nothing for others or others not being asked to help in a specific way.
   When there are no tasks to be assigned because a small group of people is doing everything and other volunteers aren't getting asked to do anything, volunteers will become bored and move on and out of the ministry.  This could be prevented by trying to evenly divide the tasks so everyone has an investment in the ministry and is responsible for something.
   
   
4. Volunteers minister in their own time without regularly meeting as a group face-to-face.
   It's important to spend time on fellowship within ministry.  If volunteers don't know each other, they won't see the impact and gifts everyone is using to make a difference for the same cause to which they have a call.  Fellowship not only creates and deepens friendship but it allows each other the opportunity for affirmation and problem-solving, motivating each other to persevere.
   
   
5. One volunteer tells another what he or she must do.
   Form leaders with specific areas of accountability, and then train those leaders.  Make sure everyone in the ministry knows to whom they can go if they need help or have questions.  This also takes the pressure off of one person being in charge of everything, sometimes resulting in ineffectiveness.
   
   
6. Volunteers are critical of each other in how they minister.
   Work hard on establishing a loving and encouraging environment.  Again, fellowship will help to support this.