volunteer training

We’re so grateful for your servant leadership at East Cobb Pres! We want to equip you with the tools and training you need to fulfill your role in our church body. Whether you’re a ministry leader, a volunteer, a small group leader, or serving in some other way, here you’ll find the information you need and answers to questions you didn’t even know you had yet. Thank you for being part of the team that God is using to reach our community, our city, and our world with the reconciling grace of Jesus Christ.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your ministry team leader or any one of our staff members at any time.

unsplash-image-Ti9DCQDR4E0.jpg

Volunteer Training Manual

 

+ Welcome

Welcome to ministry here at East Cobb Presbyterian and thank you for engaging with us and for using your gifts and talents to help us build the church and reach our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want you to get started with as much direction as we can provide so that you’ll be as effective as possible.

Please take a moment and quickly look through the entire manual and get a picture of what it contains. Once you’ve got a handle on what it contains, start the process of working through the manual. As you work through this booklet, make notes and write down questions that you might have, which you can ask our staff later. Make sure to get through the whole thing, watch the videos, and write down your questions. Then, once completed, schedule a time to meet with a staff member or ministry leader to get answers to your questions.

We’re all excited about your ministry and believe that God will use you to help our church become a stronger influence of the gospel in our community.

+ Mission, Vision, Values Playbook (MVV)

Our MVV playbook is a series of videos and exercises that you and your team need to go through at the beginning of the ministry year (July-June). The purpose of the MVV playbook is to help you and your team think through and implement strategies and goals that align with our overall purpose, vision, and mission statement. You should have received one from your ministry leader, but if you didn’t, make sure and ask for one.

MVV playbooks are due each year in late August, unless you and your team are coming online at another time. Then, work with your ministry leader and set a goal for submitting them in a timely manner.

+ General Organization and Administration

Organizational Representation Each ministry volunteer is assigned a staff liaison. Before you continue, make sure you know your staff representative. If you need help, take a quick look at this organizational chart. Your staff member should meet with you regularly (monthly) to encourage, provide direction, get approvals, and pray for you. Your staff member is always available to help, so don’t hesitate to reach out anytime.

+ Working With Children/Youth

Background Check

Working with our children or youth is a great opportunity with even greater responsibility. Our young people are the most vulnerable among us and require the utmost protection. Before anyone is permitted to work with our children/youth, they must complete the security process: submit an application, provide references, have a background check and a security interview. All of this is handled by our Office Administrator and Children’s Ministry Director. To get started, visit eastcobbpres.org/cmvolunteers and fill out a Volunteer Application and follow instructions for submitting Volunteer Reference Forms. After you submit your application, you will receive an email from Checkr regarding giving permission and information to them to perform a background check. Please respond within 24 hours. Once the background check comes back clear, a security interview will be set up by the Children’s Ministries Director or Student Ministries Director.

Rules for Working With Children

We take our role of coming alongside our parents seriously—including the area of safety and security. All of our Children's Ministries programs are staffed by volunteers who are members of our ECPC congregation and who have completed a national background check and security clearance interview process. All adults who serve with our children (nurseries, Gospel Kids, or youth ministry) must:

  • Be members of East Cobb Presbyterian Church
  • Complete Youth Volunteer Application
  • Submit two references
  • Submit to a nation-wide background check
  • Be interviewed by an elder and our Children’s or Student Ministries Director

Teen Volunteers

  • Teens in junior high (6-8th grade) may serve with their parents as assistants in Children’s Ministry. Teen assistants will always serve alongside two approved adult volunteers.
  • Teens in senior high (9-12th grade) under 18 years of age, may be approved to serve alongside one approved adult as volunteers, but must be complete the security interview with a parent present.

Caring for Your Child

  • When working with our children from birth through fifth grade, there are several things to remember. Our full policy is available at eastcobbpres.org/cmvolunteers.
  • Our classes and groups are set up so that there are always two approved volunteers present with children at all times. No teen or adult volunteer should ever be alone with a child.
  • Diaper changing stations are located in our nurseries. Diapering changes may only be done by adult volunteers who have completed our health screening process, or by supervised teens.
  • For those inevitable potty breaks, remember our one-foot-out-the-door policy. Do not enter the restroom with a child. Escort the child/children to the restroom nearest your class, and remain in the doorway, propping the door open with your foot while you remain in the hallway. If a child requires assistance in the restroom, a second adult or child’s parent should be called.
  • Gentle words and time-outs should be used for any disciplinary issues that arise. Should physical intervention be necessary, or should a child need to be removed from a class, the child’s parent should be called at the earliest opportunity.

+ Facility Use/Coordination

  • Getting Access :: For many things that you will need administratively, please see the Church Administrator. You can sign for the necessary keys you need, learn how to use the copier code your ministry uses, and postage machine, if needed.
  • Office Supplies :: The office supplies in the copier room are for general church use. If you need something specific for your ministry that is not routinely stocked (e.g., a specific paper color), that may be something that your ministry will be responsible ordering/paying for. The admin can order office supplies and your ministry would be charged when the bill comes in.
  • Church/School Coordination :: Our school is a significant ministry of our church and steward many of the rooms of our facility. As you reserve rooms, you’ll need to coordinate with the school for rooms they steward. To do this, make sure you follow the scheduling procedures and communicate with the school in advance by emailing admin@eccs.org. They can coordinate with the teachers in advance to make sure desks are moved and other items are put away. In addition, we have dividers that can be used to create cleaner visual space for your event if you desire. Let the Facility Coordinator, Matt Benson (matthew.benson@eastcobbpres.org) know you need a divider, and he’ll make sure you have one.

Calendar planning happens in July and January, so it’s best to get your events in during these planning sessions to make sure you have what you need. This will help us work together for our common purpose.

+ In Case of Emergency

While unlikely, emergencies do happen. In case of an emergency, immediately dial 911 and get help on the way. Each of our buildings has a defibrillator, in case of someone having heart failure, mounted above one drinking fountain in the hallways of Building A and Staley Hall. Please familiarize yourself with their locations. Each unit has voice and visual prompts which are activated when the AED lid is opened to help guide the operator through the rescue.

In addition, each building has multiple fire extinguishers available in case of a fire. The purpose of the extinguisher is to tamp down the fire to allow guests to get to safety while waiting for the Fire department to arrive. Please familiarize yourself with the procedures for use at the back of this manual.

  • Incident Forms :: Whenever there is an emergency or an accident, you or a member of your team will need to fill out an incident reporting form and turn it in immediately. As you fill out the form, make sure to get the details right. The details are important in the event of an insurance claim or police report. You can find the form here: https://ecpca.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/451/responses/new.

+ Minutes

When your ministry holds a meeting, you are asked to take minutes. Those minutes should be uploaded to the Ministry Leaders Group on CCB to aid in ministry-wide communication and planning. See format attached. You can copy it and use it in your committee meetings.

  1. Set the agenda
  2. Open in prayer, list who did it and time.
  3. List those present.
  4. Review the agenda at the beginning of the meeting, adding items for discussion.
  5. Move through the discussions noting decisions that were made. We don't need detailed notes of the discussions. What did the team decide?
  6. What time did you conclude the meeting? Who prayed you out?
  7. List action items at the end of the document.

Once the minutes are agreed upon by the team, submit them to this page for the rest of us to read.

Please note: eliminate discussion on issues that are sensitive or shouldn't be public knowledge. You can say something like, "the needs of a member were discussed. See the chairperson for more details."

LEAD app (signup/take attendance) https://churchcommunitybuilder.force.com/s/article/How-To-LEAD-APP-Install-and-Setup

+ Accounting

  • Office Internet :: When working in the church office, you may need to access the church Wi-Fi. Should this need arise, please select the ecpc-guest network, using the password 1Peter13.
  • Budget and Financial Procedures :: Below is an abbreviated list of accounting processes and procedures you will need to know in order to manage your ministry, make purchases, or request reimbursements. Should a question or need arise not covered here, please contact the Finance Manager in the church office at extension 103.
  • Budgeting Process :: Each year, in March, we begin our budgeting process for the fiscal year, July-June. Our Finance Manager will send the Ministry Team Leader or staff representative a budget packet that contains three documents: Instructions on how to complete your packet, a ministry plan, and a ministry budget. Work with your team to complete these documents and meet with your staff representative to submit the forms prior to the due date given in the instructions.

While not all ministry requests are fully funded, it is our desire to make sure that you have what you need to accomplish your ministry goals. Please do your best to put together your goals and budget.

  • Approvals for Spending :: All purchases should be pre-approved by the Ministry Team Leader or staff representative responsible for the budget. Any large expenditures, or deviations from budgetary allocations, the Ministry Team Leader should first inform the Finance Committee. The FC chair will submit the request to the Session or Governance Commission for approval. When a non-budgeted expense arises or allocation changes occur, submit the request to your staff representative. The staff representative should inform the Finance Committee. The process for approvals involves prayerful discussion and available finances. If the Governance Commission or Session believe the expense is critical to ministry fulfillment, every consideration will be given. Be careful not to spend un-budgeted money before receiving documented approval. The church will not assume responsibility.
  • Purchase: Reimbursement :: All purchases should be pre-approved by the Ministry Team Leader or staff representative. To receive reimbursement for an expense, the person requesting reimbursement must use the c. Original receipts for the purchase must be attached to the check request form and the Ministry Team Leader or staff representative responsible for the budget must approve the reimbursement. The form should then be submitted to the Finance Manager who will generate a check. The check request form, back up documentation, and check will be reviewed and signed by two Deacons and returned to the Finance Manager. The Finance Manager will place/mail the check where designated on the check request form. This process is approximately two weeks.
  • Purchase: Check Request for Payments :: All purchases should be pre-approved by the Ministry Team Leader or staff representative. The person requesting the check must use a check request form. An itemized list of goods or services to be purchased (or the invoice if the purchase has already occurred) must be attached to the check request form. The Ministry Team Leader or staff representative for the budget must approve the check request. The check request will be submitted to the Finance Manager who will generate a check. The check request form, back up documentation, and the check will be reviewed and signed by two Deacons and returned to the Finance Manager. The Finance Manager will follow the directions on the check request form as to whom the check should be given/mailed to. This process is approximately two weeks.
  • Collecting Funds :: Occasionally there may be ministry events where cash and/or checks are collected. Please complete a Distribution of Funds for Deposit form listing date, your name, ministry name, and name of event. Count all the cash and enter it on the Cash line item. List each check individually including the amount, check number, and name on the check. Please total all funds and enter that at the bottom of the form. Place this form and all cash/checks in an envelope and place it in the Finance Manager's mailbox in the church office.

+ Terms Glossary

  • AC - Administrative Commission
  • CCB – Church Community Builder
  • CM – Children's Ministries
  • CRU – Student Ministry Student Leaders Team
  • FC – Finance Committee
  • FPC – Facilities Partnership Commission
  • MMT – Missions Ministry Team
  • SH - Shepherding Commission
  • SM – Student Ministries
  • SMT – School Ministry Team
 

 

unsplash-image-slItfWbhijc.jpg

about your ministry

Click the buttons below to find ministry-specific information and training for leaders and volunteers.

unsplash-image-Mw1efRU1qcU.jpg

 ECPC DATABASE TRAINING

myECPC is the online community of EastCobb Presbyterian Church. The training videos below will help you understand and maximize our database (hosted by Church Community Builder) in order to better connect with those within your ministry.

unsplash-image-Hcfwew744z4.jpg