The New Breed by Jonathan and Thomas McKee
I read The New Breed mostly in one day on our flights home to North Carolina from our vacation in California a few weeks ago. I find that one of the most challenging, yet one of the most rewarding part of my ministry, is working with volunteers. More specifically, it is finding the right people to volunteer in the right place. But, there is almost nothing more exciting than seeing someone who has found their place in ministry say, “This is it. This is what I was created to do.”
This book was featured in a monthly email newsletter that I receive from Group. I added it to my list of must reads. As we were on the plane waiting to leave LAX, I realized that I had finished reading It and needing a book for the ride home. So, I pulled out my Kindle, turned on the wireless, and quickly downloaded the book from Amazon before we left the gate. I was so glad that I did!
There were way to many quote and things to try to list them out. I think the best was to review this book is with some random thoughts and a story…
Practical was the best way to describe the advice. I felt like I could really implement the suggestions given. Most helpful to me were the instructions about how to “date” a new volunteer. We so easily get caught up in what needs to be done and filling a hole, but putting a square peg in a round hole never works and really hurts everyone involved in the long run. I need to spend more time up front getting to know a potential volunteer to determine if that person is a good fit with the rest of the team and what their passions / skills are.
It is so easy to fall into the “butt in the chair” syndrome. In my desperation, I slowed down and tried to focus on where a person would fit best rather than just filling a need. I knew when I saw this book profiled in that email that this was my next step. I had shifted to a practice closer to what was outlined in this about nine months ago. I’d started by creating an “application” for those interested in volunteer in communications. Here is an example of how I was moving in the right direction….
I found myself in a situation about 2 months ago, at my whits end. Lost. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. My advertising “organization” was, well, not organized. In the midst of my busyness and a move to a new building reservation system, I’d shifted into “make do”, “keep my head above water” mode. I just had to get through and there was no time to clean up and document the system. I was doing well to not forget to advertise an upcoming event. I sat at my desk one day, staring at the wall of my “cube”, and I silently cried out to God, “What do I do? I cannot do this alone. What is the solution?” I felt like God almost audibly answered with the name of a relatively new volunteer who had been do some miscellaneous projects for the last couple weeks. I had given her some things to do that she could do and do well, but I hadn’t tapped into her true potential and giftings. When God said her name, I looked back at her “application” and found what I’d missed: an interest and experience in event planning, a detail-oriented person, and interest in organization. Wow. I presented some thoughts in an email and asked her to meet with me. She came in the next day. I present my idea more fully to her in person. Her face light up and she said, “I could do the other stuff you gave to me, but this really fits me and gets me excited.” Now, Julie is my advertising coordinator.
But, in all that, I knew that I still had some missing pieces. The New Breed helped me fill in those blanks. Of course, reading a book alone isn’t going to change you or how you handle volunteers. Ephesians 4:11-12 is on of my favorite passages in the Bible. We’re called as ministers to equip people. Part of that means helping people find their gifts and find the opportunities that fit who God made them to be. Pairing the practical advice of The New Breed with earnest prayer over the people you know, meet, and who have any interest in your ministry and then taking time to figure out who they really are… well that can world-changing.
I’d consider this a must read for anyone who recruits and leads volunteer.
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