When Your Key Volunteer Quits

How do you handle the gut-wrenching moment when your star volunteer suddenly steps down? Join me, Todd Rhoades, on this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as we uncover crucial strategies for navigating this challenging situation. We promise you'll gain actionable insights on how to manage your emotions, express heartfelt gratitude, and understand the reasons behind their departure—all essential steps to maintaining your well-being and the health of your ministry.

Get ready to transform this setback into an opportunity for growth and renewal. We'll explore practical ways to rally your remaining volunteers and reassess your ministry priorities. You'll hear real-life experiences and tips on keeping your program resilient and effective, even in the face of unexpected changes. This episode is a treasure trove for pastors and church staff seeking to foster a strong, thriving volunteer community.

Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

hey there, thanks for joining me. I am todd rhodes and this is the healthy church staff podcast, also one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom. Check us out over at chemistrystaffingcom if you've got any kind of needs for your staff hiring, staff realignment, realignment, compensation. We do all of that kind of thing. If you need any help with your staff, I'd love to be able to talk to you. Check us out at chemistrystaffingcom. But today we're in a podcast. It's my sales spiel out.

Speaker 1: 0:35

But today we're talking about a scenario that if you're a pastor or serve on a church staff, it can feel like just an absolute gut punch. And that's when your star volunteer, the one who's always there, always reliable, always willing to go the extra mile, hits it out of the park every week. What do you do when that person suddenly quits? It's a sinking feeling, right, isn't it? And if you've been in ministry very long, it's happened to you. You might even feel blindsided, you might feel frustrated. Sometimes you even feel maybe a little bit betrayed and you wonder what did I do wrong? How in the world are we ever going to replace them? Is this the beginning of the end? It feels a two steps forward, three steps back, or maybe two steps forward, 10 steps back, two steps forward, three steps back, or maybe two steps forward, 10 steps back. But take a deep breath. While losing a key volunteer undoubtedly is a challenge, you'll find that it's not going to be the end of the world. It might feel like it. It might seem like it, but in reality it's not the end of the world. In fact, it can be an opportunity for growth and renewal and even a chance to strengthen your ministry. I know it doesn't feel like that now, but it can be. What do you do when your star player throws in the towel? Here are some suggestions that I would give to you, and I've lived this, so hopefully some of this can be helpful to you.

Speaker 1: 1:59

Number one is just feel the feels. It's okay. It's okay to be disappointed, it's okay to be frustrated, it's okay to be even a little bit sad. Don't try and bottle up your emotions. That doesn't do you or anybody any good. Don't pretend that everything's fine because it's not. Allow yourself to grieve the loss, but don't wallow in it. Okay, grieve the loss, but don't wallow in it, okay. Second of all, just express gratitude. Reach out to the volunteer and express your incredible, sincere appreciation for their service. Let them know what a difference they've made Hopefully you have all the way through the time that they were volunteering, but let them know how much their contribution meant, not only to the church but to you personally and your ministry, and let them know how much they're going to be missed.

Speaker 1: 2:55

And then, if it's possible, have a conversation with a volunteer to understand their reasons. Why are they stepping down? Maybe it was something that you did. Maybe there were unmet needs. It's good to know those things. Maybe there were unresolved conflicts with other volunteers on the team. Maybe there were other factors that contributed to their decision. But regardless, it's going to really help you with this feedback. It can be invaluable and it can help you improve your volunteer program if you know why this person decided to step down.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Next thing you need to do is rally the troops. You're not the only person that this volunteer worked with. They worked on a team, most likely. So don't let one person's departure derail your entire ministry, but this affects other people too. So gather up your remaining volunteers, remind them of the importance of their work, rally them to step up and fill the gap and a lot of times where there's a gap if you manage volunteers well and lead volunteers, they will fill that gap and you'll be surprised, maybe, who fills that gap, and they might just be an incredible future asset to your team.

Speaker 1: 4:09

It's always a good time, too, when you have a volunteer, a key volunteer that steps out, or even a key staff member. It's a good time to reset your priorities, re-evaluate, re-strategize, use this as an opportunity to really reassess your volunteer program. Are there areas that need improvement? I always like to do an autopsy. That's why it's important to really seek to understand why the person left.

Speaker 1: 4:33

What can you learn from this? What can you put into place so that maybe the volunteer got burned out or maybe there were some conflict? What can you do to make sure that there aren't more casualties or more people that step down in the future? Are there tests that can be streamlined or delegated differently? Are there new people that you can recruit to join the team? That's all part of just a natural re-evaluation and a re-strategizing that should take place during this time and then sometimes and there's not always a silver lining, but sometimes there is a silver lining if you look Every challenge presents an opportunity, and maybe this is a chance to discover hidden talents within your congregation or try a new approach to ministry. So there may be a silver lining here, you don't know.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Here's the bottom line for today, though. Losing a key volunteer man it is never easy, but at the same time, it's not the end of the world. By responding with gratitude and understanding and a willingness to adapt, you can turn this setback into a stepping stone for growth and renewal. As I leave here today, remember this Volunteers are a gift, but they're not a guarantee. Your volunteers, over time, will come and go, but the ministry will go on. So let's celebrate the contributions of those who serve, not just when they leave, but while they're serving. Learn from their departures, continue to build teams that are passionate and committed and buy into your mission and are ready to make a difference in the world.

Speaker 1: 6:19

I'm always available if you want to reach out to me to share your own experiences. Maybe you're navigating some volunteer changes or you just need somebody to talk to. Maybe your church is going through a staffing need. Maybe you're looking for a new church role. Anything, church staffing is what I help with as one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom. If there's any way that I can help you or your church, reach out to me anytime. Feel free to send me an email. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. All right, we will be back here tomorrow with one more episode this week on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. If you haven't subscribed, go ahead and subscribe. That way you'll get notified every time, monday through Friday, when we have a new episode. Thanks so much for joining us. I'll talk to you tomorrow.