Recruiting Additional Coaches for Church-Wide Campaigns

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One of the most exciting aspects of a church-wide campaign using the HOST strategy is that they make it possible to start waves of new groups.  Almost every other strategy is addition (i.e., your apprentice is finally ready to leave the next, so you go from one group to two).  A church-wide campaign using the HOST strategy, on the other hand, allows you to start 30 new groups at a time (or 300…depending on the size of the church).

And that is a very good thing.  But like I often say, there’s an upside and a downside to everything.  In this case, you’re multiplying the number of leaders, the number of groups, and the number of people in groups.  That’s a big upside.  You’re also multiplying the number of leaders who really need to be cared for…right now.  And that brings us to the downside.  It means that instead of adding 1 coach this year, you might need to add 6 (or 60 depending on the size of the church and the span-of-care you’re comfortable with).

Then again…since there is no problem-free, that’s a very good problem to have.  Don’t you think?  Who would’t want the problem of having to recruit more coaches (or come up with other care strategies) because you were adding so many groups it was overextending the capacity of your current coaching team?

But how to find the number of coaches you need?  Where will they come from?  What will motivate them to say “yes?”  Can you find enough?  I think you can if you are looking in the right places and asking the right way.  We talked yesterday about how to find potential coaches.  Today, I want to talk about a special technique that makes it easier to recruit what I call launch-phase coaches for church-wide campaigns.

Recruiting Launch-Phase Coaches for Church-Wide Campaigns

There are three keys to this strategy:

First, make a list of 100-fold players that if they would say “yes” would provide a great experience for every new host in their care.  Don’t compromise on this.  If you take 30-fold players, you will be providing a 30-fold experience (and that is not the kind of thing that sustains new groups). See also, How to Identify a Potential Small Group Coach.

Second, develop a launch-phase job description that makes your expectations crystal clear and at the same time expertly addresses the big concerns of 100-fold players.  Here’s the one we used just this past fall when we did Transformed.  Go ahead and click to open it note a few things:

  1. I’m recruiting them to a limited term (10 to 13 weeks) commitment.  That is really big.  When you recruit for a church-wide campaign, you need lots of help right away.  But…you really want to get them in the door with an easy first commitment (note the similarity to the way we think about recruiting hosts which is a 6 week commitment).
  2. I’m recruiting them a specific time commitment that is significant (1 to 2 hours), but with explanation that “most weeks it really will be more like an hour.  Just imagine though, what might happen if as you’re making your calls you come across a really tough situation.  That might add to your commitment that week, but it’s for a limited duration (10 to 13 weeks).
  3. I will be providing full training (see the second page of the job description).  This is a big thing.  Note that I’m providing 4 conference call training sessions.  They’re not driving in to do these centrally.  They’re in the evening after the kids are down.  They can even be in their pajamas.

Individually meet with the prospective coaches on your list for coffee, breakfast or lunch.  It will be tempting to call them.  It will be even more tempting to hold a centralized meeting and recruit them all at the same time.  That is much less effective.  See also, How to Recruit a Potential Small Group Coach.

You can do this.  You’ve got the people.  There are no exceptions to the rule that every church has untapped (or at least out of position 100-fold leaders) who will respond and make a huge difference if they’re just given an opportunity.

What’s next?  Be sure and read Life-Threatening Situations Call for Extreme Measures.  Did you miss yesterday’s post?  (Three Immediate Action Steps That Pay Off Big Time)

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4 Comments

  1. Anonymous on June 7, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    Really appreciate the focus on individual meetings with people. Somehow as we grow in numbers, we forget how important face to face connection is.



  2. Anonymous on June 7, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Thanks for jumping in here Mark! Life on life is modeled. There may be times for centralized meetings. The initial ask is not one of them.

    mark



  3. Matthew Smith on August 17, 2011 at 5:31 pm

    Excellent article Mark! I love the important point of restressing the limited commitment. So many times people shy away b/c they think they are signed up for eternity. (Often, as you know, the limited commitment becomes a lifelong joy. But that’s up to God to bring about!)

    Thanks for a well organized plan! Keep up the great coaching!



  4. Anonymous on August 17, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    Thanks for jumping in here Matthew! Appreciate the feedback!

    mark