Summary: When I started in ministry, no one told me that as a Shepherd, sometimes the sheep bite. But it happens.

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I have been in ministry long enough to know the normal ups and downs. There are emotional peeks and valleys. During those emotional valleys, however, is where we need to take extra care of ourselves.

You begin to feel exhausted, disappointed and frustrated. You just wished people could “Get It”. You are a shepherd. You have been called to help lead these sheep. It’s hard, though, isn’t it? Being a shepherd is hard.

When I started in ministry, no one told me that as a Shepherd, sometimes the sheep bite. Then it happens. At just the wrong emotional moment, someone lashes out at you. You feel disenfranchised. You feel demoralized. You feel like hiding. You feel….unqualified. You still have to lead volunteers, but you wonder who will attack next. From where might the next attack come? Don’t they know that this is hard? Don’t they know that it would be easier with just a little additional support from volunteers?

But you now have this sense of paranoia. You start to ask, “Who is trustworthy?” I understand. Betrayal and hurt are part of the ministry. Welcome to the club. It’s happened to me. It hurts. It heals, sure, but I sometimes found myself a little paranoid, honestly. I have lived this life. Take heart. In this world you will have trouble. Rise up, don’t fight back and keep leading.

I want you to be a part of our deeper learning community. Listen. So many other people in your life DO NOT UNDERSTAND what it is like. You can feel alone. I want you to feel supported and understood. What is holding you back from joining the Lead Volunteers learning community? When you join the community, you become an exclusive member of a closed Facebook group of like minded leaders who are learning what you are learning, experiencing what you are experiencing and sharing victories as well as strategies. Beyond this, I do offer a personalized coaching package where you can meet directly with me for one-on-one video calls through Zoom.

Learning awaits. Leadership growth awaits. Practical resources await. Community awaits. Join us today.

Summary: Regardless of our specific ministry context or event the tasks before us, it is all about the Gospel. Everything we do is for one end: The Gospel. We want nothing more than the message of Jesus to be clearly communicated to our community.

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Regardless of our specific ministry context, we all have projects, programs or events that require huge amounts of effort. It can feel overwhelming at times. In the midst of it all, in the quiet of our hearts, we will inevitably ask ourselves, “What is the point?”

Well, it is the Gospel. Our labor is for the Good News of Jesus Christ. We organize for the opportunity to proclaim salvation. We recruit and rally a regiment of moms, dads, senior saints and seniors in high school for one end: The Gospel. Our drive, our determination and our dedication are singularly directed: It is the Gospel.

The fun is a bonus. The laughter from games is a joyful noise. The challenge of scheduling is an outlet for our well-managed OCD. And — in a weird way — we love it. Yet, when it is all said and done, it IS about the Gospel. The songs point to the cross. Our prayers are ratcheted up a notch. Our hearts swell as we see impromptu gatherings of volunteers in prayer.

We all want nothing more than the message of Jesus to be clearly communicated to our community. It is about the Gospel. The Gospel compels me. It is the why behind every late-night push, the fuel behind every conquered roadblock and prize at the end of this race. It is about the GOSPEL. May we never forget the promises found in scripture concerning our efforts. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Nothing you do in the Lord is in vain.”

One of the reasons I created Lead Volunteers was to help YOU find joy in this journey. I would like to personally invite you to become part of this powerful community. Today. Join LeadVolunteers.com and let’s help each other keep the main thing, the main thing.

Summary: You have likely been in a place where you felt as if you had exhausted all your resources and had no options for finding volunteers. Join us in Lead Volunteers to make steps forward in a strong ministry foundation.

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Tell me if you have ever been in this space: You feel you have exhausted your relationships and resources. You do not even know where else you would go to find someone to volunteer with you. It feels like you have exhausted all of your resources.

Have you ever been there? You feel you have asked EVERYONE you know to ask and you are still coming up short. Somehow you feel like you have not been faithful to your post. You fear that if you do not find some people to serve with you, that you will be personally letting people and the church down.

You know that the appearance of an “Understaffed Ministry” causes people to view this as a potential “Failing Ministry”. This then self perpetuates like an uncontrolled SNOWBALL rolling down a hill. You fear losing face, embarrassment and possibly even being let go from your ministry position.

I have had these fears. I imagine you have had these fears as well. Here is my advice. Follow me into the Lead Volunteers Course. Come back and check it out again. Let’s take steps toward your growth. I want you to think of it this way. Those who have joined the Lead Volunteer Learning community are able to log into the site, watch a video, read a section, reflect, and add ONE MORE well laid brick in their future ministry house. I want to build that ministry house with you. I want to help you make every brick matter. I want you to set that next brick so solid and secure that it builds not only a foundation but a fortress for their future.

Here is the commitment: 45-minutes per week for 6 months. That is it. You work at your own pace. The material is yours for life. The material is completely linear and straightforward. Think of it as a mini-breakout session with me, Josh, once a week. Trust me, you will be glad you did. Join what others have found to be a helpful and healthy path toward Leading Volunteers. Join us today.

Summary: Volunteer leadership is delicate, and the heart of your ministry can take a hit if volunteers leave with a bad impression. It takes work to protect volunteer health and maintain a thriving ministry ecosystem.

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Volunteer leadership is a very delicate thing. It is kind of like a very tender and delicate ecosystem where the balance is fragile. Just like a complex rainforest depends on certain species to remain in order for there to be health and sustainability. Ecosystems are fragile in many ways. You have an ecosystem at your church. You have the job of cultivating that garden and maintaining that tender balance.

Yet, it all begins to crumble when a key volunteer leaves with a bad taste in their mouth. And like an uncontrolled fire that spreads down the halls of the church, people start to ask the question, “Is there a problem here?” This in turn, leads to others who consider leaving as well. Morale is lowered and the entire heart of the ministry takes a hit.

It IS a tender ecosystem. So much of this weighs heavier when you are at a smaller or medium sized church. People notice challenges or problems and word spreads. “That ministry used to be so fun and encouraging. They used to seem so prepared and it is just not that way any more.” Potential volunteers see chaos and do not want to join. Things CAN quickly spiral out of control.

Here is the thing. We have a lot of things on our plates. However, the volunteer plate is likely the most important one. I want you to join me today and become a part of the Lead Volunteers Learning Community. I want to help you maintain your ministry health. Let’s make sure YOU are vigilantly protecting that fragile ecosystem called Volunteer Health. Join us today and start learning. LeadVolunteers.com is built for you, the ministry leader, to have all the tools you need to build a healthy volunteer ecosystem. Join today.

Summary: Have you ever been told about a new church endeavor that would require you to staff a program requiring even MORE volunteers? This could be on top of already managing untold pressures and relying on a team of people who give their time without pay. Ministry leadership can be hard and at times painful, but you don’t have to do it without support.

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Have you even had one of those seasons where you feel you are walking into a sleet storm pushed by driving winds? You feel like your face is being pelted with small little ice daggers.
Listen, ministry can be hard. Not to mention, it doesn’t pay well. You have untold pressures and need a team of people willing to give their time without pay. Remember, our “staff teams” are volunteers and they do this for free.

When that driving storm includes being told by senior leaders that they are starting a new endeavor that will require MORE volunteers, a deeper sense of stress settles into your heart. I have sat in that chair. I can visualize it right now. I remember being told we were starting a Saturday service in 4 weeks and it needed a full scale Sunday school…or I suppose a SATURDAY school in this case. I was devastated. Not only did my workload instantly increase, my volunteer load did as well. Not to mention, I had just 4 weeks to make this happen.

Maybe you have been there as well. You enter into the “Gotta Make It Happen” mode. Yet, you are edging dangerously close to full-scale burnout. Those closest to us start feeling the brunt of this situation; our loved ones get hurt and feel abandoned. How is it that you feel I know you just a little too well? How is it that you feel I am somehow reading your journal or even reading your mind?

Here is how I know. I have lived it. I am sorry that it gets this hard and even painful. I am here to support you. The best way I can support you is to sit down with you and work through some of these things. Here is the cool thing, because of technology, we can meet and move your ministry ahead ANY TIME YOU you want.

I want you to join the Lead Volunteers Learning Community. Lead Volunteers is like a breakout session that is ready and waiting for you – anytime. Let’s do it. Let’s set a time, very soon, and make progress on your goals. We can meet through this platform each and every time YOU are ready. This is made for you. Join us today. Join Lead Volunteers and let’s get you prepared for whatever comes tomorrow.

Summary: A time is coming when you are going to need your leadership game to be a level up from where it is now. You don’t know what is to come or when the next challenge will be, but now is the time to be prepared for that next level.

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I am not really a big sports guy, but I have been exercising pretty consistently for the last couple of years. At the place I work out, they have these things they call, “Bench Mark Challenges.” They are like annual “Check-Ins” to see if you are making progress. One is the “one-mile-challenge”. Umm, yes. Running a mile. I had not done this since they made us do it in junior high. The first one I ran was an 8 minute and 34 second mile. Not bad. But I was dying.

Here is the thing, these challenges come up just a few times a year. They do not tell you when the “Bench Mark Challenges” are scheduled. You just show up at the gym and BAM. You learn that is the day you are running the mile and they are marking your time. I ran my second one. I ran it in 7 minutes and 32 seconds. I shaved over a full minute off of my time. How did this happen? Well, I worked out 3-4 times a week and pushed just a little bit during each of those workouts. I did not over exert. I just did a little bit at a time. And, guess what? I got better.

A day is coming when you are going to NEED your leadership game to be higher than it is right now. You do not know when that time is coming, however. When it comes, the moments of “Should have...Could have...and Regrets” is pointless. It is time PLUS consistency of behavior that will yield results.

Join me. I want you to consider joining the Lead Volunteers Learning Community. Let’s hit the leadership gym. I do have one important promise, however: We will not be running the mile. Join Lead Volunteers today.

Summary: Can you dream about a time when your volunteer issues were being addressed and managed well? How would you be able to approach your ministry with more enthusiasm, seeing health, growth and a different culture?

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I want you to dream of a day in your future. I want you to dream of a space where your volunteer issues are being addressed and managed well. What would that feel like? I imagine angles would sing and the heavens would open. It would be such a freeing feeling. It would be like a weight would be lifted off your shoulders. You would finally be able to approach your job with more enthusiasm. You would begin to see EXPONENTIAL growth and a completely different culture. You would finally feel more alert and on top of things. You would be living out your calling, not constantly responding to all of the pressing needs. You would recapture that illusive margin missing from your life. Finally, longevity in ministry starts to feel possible all over again.

There are many ways to get there. But here is the thing: You could invest in THIS course. It is one of the best ways to get you toward that special space you are dreaming of. I want you to become a member of this elite learning community today. Join the Leading Volunteers learning community and make a deposit in YOUR future. What are you waiting for…

Summary: You may have stopped pouring into your personal growth to meet the day-to-day demands of ministry. But you can jump back in.

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I want you to envision a space where life, work and ministry are happily coexisting. I want you to picture the life satisfaction level in your life, your family’s life and your volunteer’s lives growing. There would be a great sense of internal AND external unity and togetherness.
Suddenly, you find yourself wanting to give more to your calling.

If your volunteer problems were solved, you could do SO MUCH MORE. If all the right people were in the right places, you could finally pour into the LIVES of those around you. If you were not constantly recruiting, you could actually do some of the real and foundational work of the ministry.

This pathway can be yours in some measure. But it is earned. It is not given. There is no shortcut to growing as a leader. If you have STOPPED pouring into yourself, I do not judge you. I have lived the life of directing a volunteer-lead organization. But, here is the trick. Jump back onto your growth game. Dust off your boots and get back up on the horse. 90% of success is just showing up. I want you to have access to all of the resources we have created through the Lead Volunteers platform. Let’s do this.

Summary: Through diligence and hard work, you could go from managing a group of volunteers, to watching volunteers go above and beyond the call of duty, fully leveraging their gifts with commitment and enthusiasm.

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How amazing will it be to see your volunteers going above and beyond the call of duty. How cool would it feel to see them fully leveraging their gifts and abilities with commitment and enthusiasm?

I want to tell you of a success story. A leader took over a pained and weary group of volunteers. Through some hard work and years of effort, that same leader now had a waiting list of good people who WANTED to serve in certain areas of volunteer leadership. That success story is true. That story was about me. I got to that sacred and coveted space through hard work and through God’s favor. I was just trying to make it all work and not burnout.

Once very positive and yet unforeseen outcome of all of that hard work is this very course, Lead Volunteers. I want you to have full access to all that is offered through Lead Volunteers. I want THAT future for you. I want you to have your wildest volunteer dreams fulfilled. Let’s do some hard work together. Can I challenge you? Can I ask you to reconsider joining the Lead Volunteers learning community? Sign up today and let’s make progress in your leadership life together.

Summary: ust like a sports team, you need a deep bench of volunteers to allow the good ones to stay healthy.

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Have you ever heard the phrase “You Need a Deep Bench”? Sports teams need to have back up quarterbacks or back up wide receivers. They need a “Deep Bench”. Good teams have deep benches. Good teams have trained and qualified people several layers deep in all positions.

You need to have a deep enough bench on your volunteer team to allow the good ones to stay healthy! You know it is important but it seems like such an elusive goal. How amazing would it be to have key leaders trained and able to pinch hit for absences and more. I want you to begin leading and learning so you can have a waiting list of qualified leaders who are ready to jump in. I want to help you fulfill your deep desire for a unified team. I want to work WITH YOU until that dream comes into focus.

How do we do that? How can we get there? Well, you can take a best first step and invest in yourself by getting this course. Here is the thing. You can gain a lot of inspiration from the material we have labored so hard to create. Join the Lead Volunteer Learning Community today and let’s take your next step together.