The painful reality is that church staff meetings are not always fun. If we’re honest, most of us hear the word “meeting” and may even cringe a little. Meetings generally feel long, boring, and uninspiring. It doesn’t have to be that way, though! Your church staff meeting can be fun and exciting! It can be filled with inspiration. With these 11 proven ways to make your church staff meeting more fun, we will turn those gatherings from something we want to do to something your team looks forward to!
1. Celebrate Everything
Every meeting is a party! So many things that happen in the week-to-week life of the church are worth celebrating. Take the time to do it! Celebrate the big wins and the little ones. Never miss an opportunity to celebrate the good things happening around you. Some examples of things that you can celebrate:
- Big wins for the church as a whole
- Big wins for a specific team in your church
- Exceptional moments with specific team members
- The stories of change in people’s lives
- Salvation stories
- Baptisms
- Small group stories
- And the list goes on….
2. Change It Up, Often
No two meetings are the same. Keep changing up the meeting agenda to keep it interesting. Your team will tune out mundane and repetitive information and experiences, but they will be more engaged if you keep switching it up! You can choose the specific “meeting elements” you want to go over and then pick and choose different items for the meeting as needed. For example:
Week 1:
- Prayer
- Celebrations
- Important information
- Team building activity
Week 2:
- Celebrations
- Team building activity
- Important information
- Prayer
3. Stick to the Plan
Making a plan and sticking to it doesn’t scream “fun,” does it? You’d be surprised. People really enjoy well-run meetings. The informational portion of a meeting, which could be considered “boring,” is much more enjoyable when it’s in a managed setting. Keep it moving, keep it brief (when possible), and keep it on track. Your team will certainly appreciate it when you make a plan and stick to it. Meetings become less fun when they become unpredictable.
In middle school, I had a teacher who would ramble on and on about things. Her classes were so boring because they were unpredictable. We didn’t know if we would dissect a squid or listen to a 45-minute lecture on the local prison system. As a result, most of us dreaded her class. Don’t be that way for your church staff meetings. Stick to the plan. Your team will thank you!
4. Food
Who doesn’t love a good snack? Enjoy a meal or a fun treat with your team when you can. Don’t make this a regular thing, but instead include it in your church staff meeting on occasion. You can implement this for birthdays, holidays, random celebratory lunches, etc. The options are endless! Not only will this make your church staff meeting more fun, but it’ll also help your team feel appreciated and celebrated.
5. Make It about the Family
Meetings and kids don’t usually go together, but when you can, include your church staff family. You can have staff family days in lieu of your meeting, invite the whole family to lunch after the meeting, or do one or two “family” meetings that include the whole family! Not every single meeting needs to be informational and productive, so use a few of those to do something fun for the whole family of your staff members.
6. Ask for Feedback or Input
Feedback and input are occasionally hard to receive, but including your team in this way will help them feel more bought in and excited. If they know they can come to the staff meeting with their ideas and input, they will look forward to it all the more. People always enjoy being heard, so make space for it! In addition, the feedback strengthens the team as a whole. We are all far more impactful together than individually!
7. Include Many Voices
So many church staff meetings are about the Pastor sharing heart and vision, but rarely include others. In your meetings, use many voices. Bring in guests and include other members of the team. Let your staff hear from more than just you. This will keep things far more interesting and help them tune in more closely when they get an update directly from you.
8. Play Games
Play games with your church staff. A little competition is fun during a meeting but also helps build team culture. Make your church staff meeting more fun by being fun! You can play games for prizes or just for the fun of it! If you don’t do staff family days, this would also be a great thing to incorporate.
9. Make It Personal
The formalities of meetings are generally more informational and less personal. You can help make your church staff meetings more fun by including many personal touches. People are more inspired by the stories of others than by facts or figures. Use the opportunity in each meeting to share the personal stories of people in your congregation and how God impacts their lives. Your church staff will be engaged and excited to know the personal stories and how their contributions impact others. Most of us want our lives to mean something, so take the time in these meetings to help the team see how their hard work impacts others.
10. Manage Time Well
We’re already covered this slightly in other points, but this is extremely important. Your staff will enjoy meetings so much more when they know they will start on time and end on time. Show your team that you value them and their time by managing the time well. In your planning, map out how long each thing will take and try your best to stick to that. Some talking points may go quicker and others will take longer, but managing the time well is important. Don’t let a specific talking point drag on and on with your team, but instead keep things moving along. Wasted time always makes meetings less enjoyable, but one great way to make your church staff meetings more fun is to manage the time well. That skill can take practice, but be willing to put it in practice, and your team will be grateful!
11. Provide “Sneak Peeks”
When you have new initiatives or efforts, give your team many sneak peeks. Show them the drawings, the processes, and the plans. Everyone gets excited about exclusive opportunities, so bring your team in on the behind-the-scenes looks at things going on across your church.
Meetings aren’t always necessary, but fun in meetings is essential. You want your team to feel valued, appreciated, and excited to be a part of the team. That’s why these 11 proven ways to make your church staff meeting more fun are important for you today! I would encourage you to implement 1 or 2 of these in your next church staff meeting and see what happens!
Was this article helpful? You might also enjoy:
