Practical Guidelines | Building God's Way

Cast a Vision

Why are we doing this? It is difficult to maintain motivation and focus in the absence of a clear and well articulated vision. A vision is usually written in the form of a Mission Statement which provides common goals for everyone involved in the building process.

As new people join your organization it will be essential that they are provided a copy of the Mission Statement so they will have a clear understanding of the overall goal of your organization. Consider the following guidelines:

Develop the Mission Statement before the building program is initiated
The Governing Board and the team leaders must be the “evangelists” of the Mission Statement
Work with ministry leadership to cast the vision for the PCS process
Compile the initial list of potential subcontractors
Work with Development team to ensure there is no “double-dipping”
Establish a subcontractor negotiation team

Brain Trust: Use Collective Wisdom

Teams often forget to seek outside input when making difficult or new decisions. Including wise counsel from a wide array of people, both locally and nationally, is prudent. These “advisors” do not have to be full time team members or paid professionals to be useful. You may find their insight to be helpful beyond the scope of this project – perhaps a brain trust of advisors will emerge! Consider the following guidelines:

Identify people who can provide guidance, direction or resources and who may not be on your team or live in your community. Contact them and ask them if you can consult with them from time to time. Make sure you indicate that you want only a few minutes of their time and not a long commitment
Consult outside advisors routinely to expand options and visions
Outside advisors do not have the same emotional investment and therefore can give objective input
Avoid burning out your advisors by calling on them too frequently
Use an outside advisor for a difficult or complex question
After you have utilized an outside advisor, make certain that you find an appropriate manner to show your appreciation for the counsel provided

Communications

Creating formal communications procedures at the start of your building development program is critical to your success. Despite the fact we live in the information age, our inability to communicate effectively remains one of our greatest shortcomings. Conflict and inefficiency can be directly related to poor communication skills or procedures.

The ministry governing body or board should be responsible for monitoring conflict, confusion, and inefficiency with communication in mind. Are information and directives delivered in a manner which produces the intended results? Do teams support each other by providing clear and concise information? Consider the following guidelines:

Formal guidelines must be implemented for inter and intra team communication
Information procedures must be created, explained and enforced within each team
Team meetings should be recorded and distributed to appropriate people in a timely manner to ensure accuracy and distribution of information
Action items should be clarified and assigned to specific people
Frequency of communication must be agreed upon for both inter- and intra- team information
Create definite deadlines for action. ASAP means NEVER!
Understand who has both the authority and the responsibility to act when communicating action items to teams
When misinformation or conflict arises, timely communications will reduce inefficiency and strain on relationships

Procedures

Enthusiasm alone will not create success when working with volunteer teams. What’s more, they will have a hard time retaining people if there is a lack of process and organization, and conflict will be continual when responsibility is uncertain.

Many organizations see operating procedures as boring, and therefore, do not address them. The alternative is trying to accomplish tasks using the seat-of-the-pants method, which is foolish. Operating procedures are like a safety net to a trapeze artist – they are only useful when you fall or have a problem. Consider the following guidelines:

Create written procedures for conducting business, communicating, and making decisions within your organization
Distribute written procedures to everyone within the organization
Operating procedures help define team responsibilities and relationships
Create an organizational chart that identifies the entire organization and identifies lines of authority and communication

Boundaries

The issue of responsibility began in the garden of Eden. Immediately after Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, God confronted them with their actions (Gen. 3:17-19). Adam blamed the problem on Eve. In turn, Eve blamed the Serpent. This is a classic story of passing the buck. When we understand what we are responsible for, it becomes difficult to pass it off onto someone else and, it will also keep us from doing someone else’s job.

A boundary is a simply defined limit. There are several kinds of boundaries: Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional. Boundaries are meant to protect us and serve us within these realms. In the absence of defined limits we tend to go beyond what is necessary and healthy in our relationships, or we let one another down.

God is in the business of setting limits. In Genesis, God established the first boundary regarding the eating of the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve were free to eat any of the fruit with one exception. This is the first boundary mentioned which was specific to man. When we ask for special consideration from God and He says no, we experience a spiritual boundary established by God.

Boundaries help us understand what our responsibilities are in our relationships with others. When it comes to teams, understanding responsibilities is critical to its effectiveness. Boundaries must be flexible to meet unusual situations or demands. However, the boundary must be restored as quickly as possible to maintain team balance. Boundaries should be evaluated routinely, modifying them as required to best serve your organization or team. The benefits include the following:

They avoid duplication of efforts within the organization
They help clearly define the scope of team responsibility
Boundaries avoid confusion when it comes to responsibility
Boundaries enhance coordination between teams within the organization
They avoid burnout of valuable team members
They aid in the recruitment of new team members

In creating boundaries, consider the following guidelines:

Limits of responsibility must be clearly stated – in writing – for each team
Formal training or discussion concerning the limits of responsibility should take place with every team
Team members working beyond the agreed limits should be confronted in a loving manner
Establish interpersonal accountability within each team
The team chairperson must be ultimately responsible for adherence to established boundaries
Boundaries should be flexible enough to respond to unusual needs.

Conflict

Whenever two or more people begin working together on anything, conflict will inevitably occur. Conflict does not mean you have poor relationships, in fact, it is one of the many ingredients which makes a healthy relationship. Christians often feel they have failed God or themselves if conflict occurs, especially when working for a Godly purpose. Countless organizations have failed due to the inability to resolve conflict among its members. Conflict is often the by-product of poor communication and absent boundaries. Consider the following truths about conflict:

Conflict can be a healthy way to deepen relationships
Avoiding conflict makes anything worse
Truthfulness is always the best path toward reconciliation
The shorter the period between when the conflict occurs and the resolution occurs, the simpler the solutions
Conflict is never enjoyable when you both share a common objective
Conflict will occur sooner or later
If you are unable to resolve your conflict, seek outside assistance

In addition, consider the following guidelines regarding conflict:

Pray for wisdom before you attempt conflict resolution
Seek first to understand before you attempt to be understood. Listen!
Work on one issue at a time
Separate the person from the problem
If you do not have first-hand information, you are participating in gossip
Seek compromise or win-win situations
Gather all people who are a part of the conflict if possible
Protect each other’s reputation when another is not present
Avoid unresolved conflict at all costs

Succession

In most business settings leaders must deal with the issue of succession or passing the torch to a successor sooner or later. Businesses who do not prepare for succession often suffer in terms of efficiency and profitability. When it comes to teams using volunteers, the issue of preparing someone to take the leaders place in a moments notice is critical. As your organization moves forward in the building process it cannot survive the loss of a key leader or team chair for any period of time.

In order for any team to avoid being paralyzed, or worse yet dysfunctional, it must make provisions for a successor from the onset. Due to the speed at which the building process moves, teams must think about this issue at their inception. Unexpected illnesses, vacations, or unforeseen resignations are all issues for which each team must be prepared. Keeping two people in the leadership loop for each team is vital in any volunteer team structure.

The Governing Board must take responsibility to ensure every team has a backup leaders (or co-leader) ready to assume leadership at any moment. Consider the following guidelines:

Backup leaders for each team must be identified in harmony with the team leader
Successors must be kept within the information loop of the team chair at all times
The Governing Board must maintain accountability with each team to ensure successors are in place at all times

Sample Guidelines for Construction Site Safety

We will be providing ministry activities on an active job site where safety is of paramount importance. Heavy equipment will frequently be moving; therefore, during the workday, the following guidelines must be followed by all who are involved with the ministry:

All visits to the job site must be coordinated through MOC Coordinator at least 24 hours prior to the visit. The Coordinator will check with the site superintendent, who must approve the timing of the visit. The project manager and site superintendent literally own this site and no one should go onto the site without their permission.

When possible, scheduling events one week in advance allows adequate time for communication
No unexpected visits are permitted
Upon arrival at the site, visitors must check in at the construction trailer
As a courtesy, please wear a name tag – first name only. A supply of name tags will be kept in the construction trailer
Visitors must not proceed beyond the trailer and picnic table area without an escort from the construction company
No children under 12 may go beyond the trailer and picnic table area, regardless of escort
Please clean up the service area

In particular, when it comes to scheduling, consider the following:

Plan ahead
Please be aware of the importance of time. Servers must arrive on time but prepare to be flexible, as frequent work on a given project may not be able to be stopped just at the prearranged time
Coffee or breakfast serving will be provided between 6:00-7:00 am. Lunch is scheduled for 1/2 hour on most days
The timing of all food service and special projects must be coordinated and delivered within the allotted time
Announce upcoming events (coffee, breakfast, lunch, special meals, activities, etc.) with a laminated announcement posted on the site bulletin board at least 3 days prior to the activity. Coordinate announcement posting with the MOC Coordinator
Seek to involve as many people as possible. We don’t want to have others miss the blessing of being involved

Sample Guidelines for Construction Site Effectiveness

Because we are aware that everything we do and say is part of our testimony which will outlive this construction project, we want to model, in all of our words and actions, the highest levels of integrity, honesty, and respect. We will commit to following these guidelines:

Actions

Pray. “…we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” Acts 6:4
Be aware that our words, appearance, and actions should reflect the highest standards and bring glory to our God
We will do what we say we will do
Females are to go to the site in groups of two or more
All groups must have at least one male in the group; names of men who may be available during the day can be supplied by Jane or John
All requests for assistance or issues of concern brought up by the workers should go through the Deacon Liaison; the most complete range of options for help in any situation can then be delivered. Please call the Deacon Liaison directly with this information
Please do not exchange personal phone numbers, emails, or personal addresses with workers. We are working as a team and will be better able to genuinely help if we do not try to do it alone

Attire

Consider 1 Timothy 2:9. “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety…”
Females (teens and adults): Because we are representing our church and our Lord and want to model the highest standards, at the job site, please do not wear:
- Short shorts”. (Shorts of modest length, Capri, pants, jeans, or slacks are appropriate.)
- Spaghetti strap, tops, halter tops, or midriff bare tops
- Swimsuits, even when washing vehicles. ( A shirt and modest shorts may be worn over swimsuits)
- If there is any doubt about it, don’t wear it
No sandals or flip-flops at the job site. Tennis shoes or more protective footwear must be worn
You will be advised if hard hats are to be worn. (Several will be available in the trailer.)