Leadership Basics

The Pentecostals of The Woodlands performs ministry as a team. As team members we are to be familiar with and are to follow the Guidelines for Leadership and Public Ministry. Since you are on a team, it is vitally important that you work in harmony with the other ministry directors. You need their support equally as much as you need the support of the pastor and the associate pastor. As a team member you are accountable not only to the pastor and associate pastor but to the entire team. We are all laboring together to fulfill the purpose of the church, and we all count on each other. When planning, think of how your plans will interact, interfere, or enhance the plans of other ministries. It is important to also consider staff involvement and whether the people you lean on have other commitments. There is a limited number of workers, so we have to share the labor pool with the other ministries. This does not mean that you cannot use people with other commitments; it simply means that you should consider the other ministries in order to minimize conflicts.

As a department head you should make yourself familiar with the The Pentecostals of The Woodlands Manual. This manual includes all of our legal documents, policies, and ministry covenants. For your purposes you need to be familiar with the policies and ministry covenants relevant to your ministry. For example, if you use the building, kitchen, or nursery during a meeting or seminar, there are policies for proper use of these facilities. There are also policies on supervising children and many other things that may not seem relevant to your ministry at first glance. Nonetheless, you should be familiar with them in case a situation arises where the policies would apply. Many of the policies will apply at one point or another.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of your ministry. Before asking someone to help in your ministry, obtain the pastor’s approval of that person. Educate all your volunteers on the policies relevant to your ministry and give them copies of the policies.

You will be responsible for planning the functions and overseeing the operations of your ministry in accordance with your written job description and your personal conversations with the pastor and associate pastor. Consult the church calendar prior to planning an event. There is a copy of the calendar on the church website. After consulting the church calendar, check with the office secretary to verify any recent changes. All dates and scheduled events should be brought to our leadership team planning meetings. These occur at least once per quarter, sometimes more often. As the meetings approach, you will receive an email from the office secretary requesting your dates. We will try to work out any conflicts with the other ministries. This does not mean you cannot or should not discuss your plans in advance with the pastor and associate pastor. However, all dates should be approved at the leadership meetings. In unusual circumstances the pastor or associate pastor will approve dates between team meetings; however, they prefer that most dates go through the meeting. Events approved at the leadership team meeting will automatically appear where necessary. If the event is cancelled or changed, notify the office immediately to prevent the event from being announced incorrectly.

Ministry events held at the church should be conducted according to the relevant policies. Note especially the following: (1) Follow the Kitchen Policy every time your ministry uses the kitchen, which always entails cleaning the kitchen after use. The “Cleanup” section of the Kitchen Policy gives important directions for cleanup; especially important are the instructions for properly cleaning the stainless steel to avoid scratching it. (2) Conduct fundraiser lunches according to the Fundraiser Lunch Policy. (3) Conduct conferences and any special services sponsored by your ministry according to the Conferences and Special Meetings Policy. (4) The sanctuary should be closed if not directly related to your event, and all access to the sanctuary should be restricted. (5) Children must be supervised at all times by qualified persons according to the “Policy for All Children’s Workers” section of the Sunday School and Children’s Ministry Policy. (6) Always clean up and lock up after an event. If there are two or more groups using the building at the same time, each should assume responsibility to make sure their area is cleaned and should communicate with the leader of the other groups to make sure the building is closed. (7) Food and drink may be served in appropriate places, but red drinks must never be served; red dye is impossible to remove from carpet and tile. (8) If your ministry needs to reserve a room, equipment, or the vans for your event, contact the office secretary to reserve them.

Any time you have an event at the church, please clean as follows: (1) Vacuum carpet and sweep hard-surface floors (tile, foyer, etc.) in all areas used during your event, including the kitchen and bathrooms. (2) Put up all tables and chairs used. (3) Take out all of your trash, which includes the large trash cans on wheels, the main trash can in the bathrooms, the smaller trash cans in the stalls of the ladies restrooms, and the trash cans in the hallway. (4) Flush the toilets. (5) Clean mirrors in the bathrooms if water has been splashed on them. (6) Clean kitchen as follows if you use it (this includes preparing food for Sunday school classes): Clean up all spills immediately. Mop the floor after your event if the floor has been soiled. Wipe down appliances, counters, and cabinets that have been soiled. If you use the warmer or oven, be sure to wipe them out if there are spills or crumbs. Most of the appliances are stainless steel. We must clean it properly to avoid breaking down the stainless steel’s passivity layer, which could allow corrosion. Use only non-abrasive cloths when cleaning. Avoid steel pads, wire brushes, or scrapers. Generally, when you need to clean the front of the appliances, water and dish soap should be sufficient. If it is not, use the cleaning product provided by the cleaning coordinator for cleaning stainless steel.

If the building is not left in a good and clean condition after your event, then the church staff is forced to take time away from their responsibilities in order to accomplish this task. If this proves to be necessary, a minimum charge of $100 will be charged to the responsible ministry, which will be deducted from the ministry's fund. In case of a major event, the charge may be greater.

Each year each ministry is responsible for submitting objectives that outline how the ministry will contribute to fulfilling the stated goals of the church. These objectives outline how the ministry will help to fulfill the goals of the church as stated in the church manual. See the associate pastor for more information.

To help keep ministries on track in fulfilling their objectives, quarterly ministry reports are to be submitted by March 15, June 15, September 15. The annual report is to be submitted by December 15. With each report, please include a list of your current volunteers.

In addition to the objectives, each ministry director is responsible for submitting an annual budget by December 15. Once the budget is approved, funds can then be accessed. Make all ministry purchases according to the “Requisitions and Cash Advances” section of the Expense Reimbursement Policy. Note especially that a requisition form is required even for purchases already approved in a ministry’s budget and that all purchases over $100.00 require pastoral staff approval. In addition, all purchase requisitions must be signed by the ministry director. Submit the requisition form to the secretary-treasurer at least one week prior to the time the money is needed. A check made payable to a specific vendor can be requested in advance, or if an item is purchased with personal funds, a reimbursement can be requested. In no situation should sales tax be paid. Tax exemption forms can be obtained through the office or on the website

Communication is a vital part of successful team ministry. We operate from a position of trust and loyalty, so it is very important that you approach the pastor, associate pastor, and other staff as needs arise. Do not assume that others are aware of particular issues. If you have a question, dilemma, disagreement, frustration, or problem with another team member, please make the appropriate contacts to resolve the situation. Conflicts should be handled at the lowest level possible. Email and telephone are very effective and are the preferred ways to communicate with the pastor, associate pastor, and office staff for routine matters. However, if you need a face-to-face meeting with the pastor, associate pastor, or a staff member, they are readily available to meet with you in person.

Any publicity or advertising outside of The Pentecostals of The Woodlands must be approved by the pastoral staff. Announcements must be submitted via text or email by noon on Thursday. Announcements for Tuesday night services must be submitted via text or email by noon on Tuesday.

The office staff is available to support your ministry. If you need keys to the vans, copying, printing, or have other operational needs, contact the office in advance for assistance, and they will either assist you directly or point you to the appropriate person who can help. With adequate notice, the office can help with most clerical needs, but with all requests for assistance, please keep in mind that the office staff has regular duties to perform and may not be able to complete your request exactly when you want it done.