Orange Week | Integrate the Strategy | Part 2

When we decided we needed to align our programming with a plan that encompassed birth-18, we also needed to create a staffing structure to support that. We currently have about 25 full and part-time paid staff in family ministries who care for about 800 volunteers. Thankfully, we have some key super-volunteers who help make that easier than it sounds.

We’ve gone with a model that looks most like the Integrated Model. Reggie Joiner defines this in Orange Thinkers as “A centralized team responsible for family ministry.”

Here is a bird’s eye view into our family ministries staff org chart. Not all of the positions are there, but you can get the picture. We’re still trying to figure this out as we add campuses and services. However, at this moment this is working well.

Practically, this plays itself in a various combination of meetings depending on the need at hand:

Weekly:

Family Ministries All-Staff: This entire team meet for a short meeting of prayer and celebrating ministry wins. This meeting is a great time for all of us to hang out and hear what God is doing in each area of family ministries. We also have a chance in this meeting to hear about upcoming events and have an opportunity to pray that God will use those events for his glory.
Children’s Ministry Direct Report: In order for the children’s ministry team to work off the same page, the Director of Children’s holds a weekly meeting for vision casting, upcoming events, brainstorming and problem solving. We work out how events will be marketed and figure out the best way to cross pollinate throughout children’s ministry.

Each of the departments hold their own weekly meetings to concentrate on their area of ministry. Those on staff who direct children’s ministry on our off-site campuses attend meetings for both preschool and elementary. This is the same for our music coordinator as well.

Bi-Weekly:

Our Senior Pastor of Family Ministries holds a bi-weekly direct report meeting. He is continually working out how this meeting works to affect change in family ministries at Ada Bible Church. They discuss transitions, philosophy, and strategy in this meeting and work towards keeping the train moving in the same direction with regards to transitions and milestones.

Quarterly:

Every quarter this entire team meets for a morning in order to review and set goals. Each department reports to the others. This is a great chance for us to discuss why we do what we do in family ministries. We are able to comment and ask questions about what each department is doing. This also gives us time to discover ways to ensure that a child will transition well to each stage of family ministries.
When a team goes Orange, the key is communication. The left hand MUST know what the right hand is doing; otherwise you’ll have a fresh dose of confusion or worse chaos. All of our welcome centers in children’s ministry also have information for our student ministry and milestone initiatives which helps for one-stop shopping for a family. Our family ministries staff should be able to answer most questions about each area of family ministries or at least be able to direct a parent in the right direction the first time.

When parents are cared for in this regard, they will begin to see that you have an integrated strategy, maybe not consciously but definitely in the attitude they will feel toward your ministry. After all, knowing what’s going on is a good thing… always!

How has your team implemented an Orange staffing structure?