Last night I watched the women’s NCAA basketball game where Brittney Griner from Baylor dunked the ball for two points! Yes, I said dunk! (Sic’em Bears!) This was her first dunk of the season and it was a game changer! After that trip down the court the entire team was different. They were fired up and playing like champions! It only took one move to change the entire flow of the game.
Making a game-changing move in ministry can produce the same effect. It’s those moves that can take a team from good to great, from showing up and serving at the same location to serving as a team that can’t wait to link arms and make Jesus famous. One game changer I have seen in guest services this past year is moving from a “positional volunteer” approach to a “do whatever it takes to serve the guest in front of you” approach.
We experienced our game changing moment when team members were given the freedom to leave their “position” or “post” to serve the person in front of them. Walking them to the environment they are looking for, children’s ministry or the worship center, instead of pointing in that direction. Finding the answers to their questions or walking them to the help center to get the answer. This sounds so simple, but it was an epiphany to many team members! They saw themselves as volunteers who did their job well. They were lacking the big picture vision. It was as if volunteers had an imaginary invisible fence around the area they served and if they took three giant steps away they would get shocked. Giving them the freedom to move has brought new meaning to the role volunteers play on the guest services team. They have moved from volunteers to team members, from opening the door and saying hello to greeting each guest and helping them feel like they are part of a community.
Yeah, it’s been that kind of game changer. Team members are fired up and serving like the spiritual champions they are!
To God be the glory!!
