Speaker and Workshop Leader
When a church brings in a volunteerism speaker, the event builds interest, brings people together for a shared experience and provides important information. Karen includes activity and discussion in her presentations, to increase engagement and application. The result is more unity and motivation to intentionally help people serve in your church.
Karen has been speaking to congregations and at conferences and workshops for ten years, teaching church staff and volunteers the practical "how-to's" and exploring the issues behind the processes. She speaks on these topics:
Big-picture topics
- Equipping Volunteers vs. Recruiting Volunteers
- Biblical truth on equipping people to serve
- How does a church help its people serve?
- Vocation
How-to topics
- How to Recruit Volunteers
- Designing Tasks for Today's Volunteers
- Creating and Using Ministry Descriptions
- Volunteer Retention (training, supervising and affirming volunteers)
- Ministry Conversations (Interviewing)
- How to Delegate
- Evaluating Volunteers
- How to Fire a Volunteer (handling problems with volunteers)
- Risk Management
Karen speaks at
- Conferences and workshops
- Church staff meetings
- To one congregation or local groups of congregations
- Church board and committee meetings
Beyond volunteerism, Karen also speaks to general Christian audiences on:
- Time to Serve - thoughts on time choices in busy lives and how it affects serving God
- The Body of Christ -- how we all fit together in the church
- Gifts of God -- the many gifts God gives to use in his service
- Vocation as taught by Martin Luther
- Jesus' Call to "Follow Me"
Presentations are adapted to the audience. Topics can be combined for half day (usually 2 topics) or full day (3-4 topics) events.
Karen also serves as a coach and consultant. For increased impact and cost savings, consider a package of services, or build your own package. Details.
Contact karen@theequipper.org for fees and references.
Getting the most benefit from equipping services
Congregations reap greater benefits from a speaker, coach or consultant when church leaders understand the basics of being an equipping church and are willing to follow through with implementation. A speaker/coach/consultant brings tools as well as ideas, information and enthusiasm. The tools are for work that must be done by the congregation, and that work is more likely to take place when leaders have begun preparations. Before engaging my services for anything other than a single presentation, I suggest a church invest by doing the following:
- A minimum of 3-4 people become familiar with the principles of equipping people to serve through such resources as:
- this website
- Me to We by Alan Nelson
- The Equipping Church by Sue Mallory
- The Equipping Church Guidebook by Sue Mallory and Brad Smith
- Key church leaders, including the pastor, understand and endorse the key principles of equipping people to serve, understanding especially that equipping impacts the entire church
- A team of 3 or more people, with an identified leader, has committed to lead the equipping effort.