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Why Your Church Needs Processes
In preparation for our "Trust The Process" webinar, I was asking ministry leaders if they had any Processes at their church. Processes for things like Guest Follow-Up, New Believers, New Members, and so on. About half of them said they did, the other half told me things like:
For the sake of simplicity and time, we want to take less than five minutes to discuss the following:
Cool Beans? Let's get started!
Simply put... What happens next?
Processes are not something we create just because. They actually help our ministries do...well...ministry ?
Answering the question of "what happens next" gives direction and clarity to the discipleship journey that's taking place in our church. By outlining the discipleship journey and answering the question of "what happens next", we have an outline for every person to follow. By having a process written out, we know that our team will do things a certain way every time. For example, I know that when a First Time Guest fills out our Connection Card, the following will happen:
This simple written out process ensures that every new Guest has the same experience and doesn't "slip through the cracks". There's no need to wonder things like... "have they been added to our church database yet...has the pastor reached out to them...is there a small group we could point them to?"
If the process is followed, these things will happen regardless of who is doing them.
Get with your team and determine the different processes your church is already organically doing. Even if you don't have processes written out yet, your people are already doing things a certian way. Write out what's currently being done.
Once you know how your team is doing things, brainstorm ways to make them better. Ask questions like:
Is this the most efficient way to do this?
Is this all hinging on one person?
Can this process be simplified?
[caption id="attachment_2353" align="aligncenter" width="803"]
Taking steps out of a process that may not be necessary[/caption]
Once you've figured out your process(s), it's time to write them all out and make copies for everyone. This way every person is in the know and has clarity as to how your ministry is walking people through the discipleship journey. After all, discipleship is a process and your whole team needs to know what that discipleship process looks like.
Seriously. Celebrate the fact that you brought your team together and made processes for your ministry. It's a BIG deal!
As we've learned in 2020, the church has to be adaptable. We actually wrote about this in our earlier post The Adaptable Church. Occasionally revisit your processes to make sure they're still relevant to your ministry. This is especially true as your ministry grows and changes. Occasionally look at your processes and ask your team if this process is still meeting the needs of your ministry.
If you haven't already done so, check out our Webinar "Trust The Process". Not only do we cover more of this stuff in great detail, but we walk you through making a process right in ChurchTrac!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alOZjrnxCwk&t=10s
As you create Processes within ChurchTrac, make sure everyone in your team has a ChurchTrac User Account. You can learn more about creating user accounts and configuring permissions for all of your church leadership HERE.
Need more help understanding processes or have a general question. Reach out to us and we'll help you out in a jiffy ?
Till next time 👋
We don't have time for processes.
We have a person who does all that stuff.
We'd like to create processes, but we dont know where to start.
Nobody will follow processes we make, so we stopped trying.
For the sake of simplicity and time, we want to take less than five minutes to discuss the following:
- What is a Process
- Why have a Process
- How to Get started with making processes
Cool Beans? Let's get started!
What is a Process?
A process is a series of strategic steps that your church uses to move a person from where they are to where you want them to be.
Simply put... What happens next?
Why have a Process?
Processes are not something we create just because. They actually help our ministries do...well...ministry ?
Answering the question of "what happens next" gives direction and clarity to the discipleship journey that's taking place in our church. By outlining the discipleship journey and answering the question of "what happens next", we have an outline for every person to follow. By having a process written out, we know that our team will do things a certain way every time. For example, I know that when a First Time Guest fills out our Connection Card, the following will happen:
- Their info will be given to our Church Admin
- Once the Admin adds them to the system, an email will be sent to them thanking them for visiting.
- The pastor will reach out to the Guest within 2 days to introduce themselves.
- After reaching out, the pastor will assign a small group leader to that person.
This simple written out process ensures that every new Guest has the same experience and doesn't "slip through the cracks". There's no need to wonder things like... "have they been added to our church database yet...has the pastor reached out to them...is there a small group we could point them to?"
If the process is followed, these things will happen regardless of who is doing them.
When ministry is dependant on a person instead of a process, ministry stops when that person is out sick, on vacation, or no longer serving in your church.
How to Get Started
Step 1: Figure out what you're doing now
Get with your team and determine the different processes your church is already organically doing. Even if you don't have processes written out yet, your people are already doing things a certian way. Write out what's currently being done.
Step 2: Make it better
Once you know how your team is doing things, brainstorm ways to make them better. Ask questions like:
Is this the most efficient way to do this?
Is this all hinging on one person?
Can this process be simplified?
[caption id="attachment_2353" align="aligncenter" width="803"]
Taking steps out of a process that may not be necessary[/caption]Step 3: Write it down and pass it around
Once you've figured out your process(s), it's time to write them all out and make copies for everyone. This way every person is in the know and has clarity as to how your ministry is walking people through the discipleship journey. After all, discipleship is a process and your whole team needs to know what that discipleship process looks like.
Step 4: Have a Process Party
Seriously. Celebrate the fact that you brought your team together and made processes for your ministry. It's a BIG deal!
Step 5: Revisit Your Processes
As we've learned in 2020, the church has to be adaptable. We actually wrote about this in our earlier post The Adaptable Church. Occasionally revisit your processes to make sure they're still relevant to your ministry. This is especially true as your ministry grows and changes. Occasionally look at your processes and ask your team if this process is still meeting the needs of your ministry.
While we're talking about processes...
If you haven't already done so, check out our Webinar "Trust The Process". Not only do we cover more of this stuff in great detail, but we walk you through making a process right in ChurchTrac!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alOZjrnxCwk&t=10s
One Last Thing...
As you create Processes within ChurchTrac, make sure everyone in your team has a ChurchTrac User Account. You can learn more about creating user accounts and configuring permissions for all of your church leadership HERE.
Need more help understanding processes or have a general question. Reach out to us and we'll help you out in a jiffy ?
Till next time 👋