by Nick Blevins | Jun 27, 2026 | General
I've spent a lot of years around church staffing — as a leader doing the hiring, as a coach walking pastors through it, and lately as someone who looks at hiring data all day. And I keep coming back to one conviction: how you hire says more about your leadership than...
by Nick Blevins | Apr 10, 2026 | Church Communications
If you've ever sent a mass email to your congregation and watched the open rate hover around 20%, you already understand the problem. Email is slow. Bulletins get recycled. Announcements from stage get forgotten by the parking lot. Text messaging changes the math. SMS...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 30, 2026 | Family Ministry
The family pastor role is one of the most misunderstood positions in the church. Ask ten senior pastors what a family pastor does, and you'll get ten different answers. Some see it as a coordinator who manages the children's and youth departments. Others expect a...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 30, 2026 | Leadership
Church leaders who can't delegate don't have a time management problem. They have a systems problem. You know the type. (Maybe you are the type.) The leader who stays late every week. Who handles every detail. Who answers every text immediately. Who feels like the...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 30, 2026 | Strategy
Most churches approach prayer walls backward. They pick a design first, build it beautifully, then hope people use it. But here's what actually happens: the design sits pretty. Engagement fades. The prayer wall becomes church furniture. A prayer wall works when it's...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 30, 2026 | Church Communications
Email open rates keep sliding, social feeds bury your posts, and the church bulletin only reaches people who are already in the building. Text messages are different: roughly 9 out of 10 are opened within minutes. That's why a growing number of churches now lead with...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 30, 2026 | Uncategorized
You're planning VBS. Maybe you're expecting 200 kids this year. Maybe 150. Maybe you're honestly not sure. Either way, the same question hits you: How many volunteers do I actually need? You don't want to leave a classroom understaffed and watch things unravel. You...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
Church Volunteer Application and Screening Process: A Practical Guide Here's an uncomfortable truth: some people shouldn't be working with kids. Your job as a church leader is to do the due diligence to figure out who those people are before you put them in a role...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
Church Volunteer Job Descriptions: Why They Matter and How to Write Them Most churches don't have written job descriptions for volunteers. The thinking goes: “We're a church, not a corporation. People understand they're volunteering.” But actually,...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
How to Create a Volunteer Rotation Schedule for Your Church A rotation schedule is not just logistics. It's a statement about sustainability. When you build in rotation, you're saying “we want our best people serving long-term, not burning out in six...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
Church Volunteer Appreciation Ideas That Go Beyond a Gift Card Most churches appreciate volunteers the same way: once a year, a big event, maybe a t-shirt and a gift card. It's well-intentioned. It's also forgettable. Real appreciation is woven into your culture. It's...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
Church Volunteer Burnout: Signs, Causes, and How to Prevent It Burnout doesn't happen because someone cares too much. Burnout happens because the system is broken. Your best volunteers — the ones you rely on, the ones who are serving with heart — are the ones most...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
How to Use Volunteer Huddles to Train Your Team Weekly Most volunteer training happens once a year — a big event, a long meeting, everyone’s overloaded. Then volunteers go back to their regular work and slowly forget what they learned. Weekly volunteer huddles are...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
Church Volunteer Orientation: What to Cover in the First Meeting A volunteer’s first day sets the tone for everything that follows. If orientation is disorganized and overwhelming, they’ll show up to their second shift uncertain and anxious. If it’s clear, practical,...
by Nick Blevins | Mar 25, 2026 | Uncategorized
How to Get Youth to Volunteer at Church Getting teenagers to volunteer at church is a different problem than recruiting adults. Adults need a clear role, respected time, and understanding of impact. Teenagers need to feel like they’re part of something real. They need...
