From Frantic to Fantastic
by Ashley Cornelius
posted 10/27/2006
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I love Starbucks coffee. However, I can't imagine how people can visit their neighborhood Starbucks to read a book, work on a project, or just relax.
I grew up in a big city, and still lived there until a month ago. So the only Starbucks I know exists as over-crowded, under-staffed, and mighty loud. The coffee tastes great, but the atmosphere is absolutely frantic.
Surprisingly, what I hadn't realized until recently is that I'd come to enjoy this crazy setting. In fact, I've grown to expect it. Why? Because the appearance of craziness behind the counter makes me think things are actually getting done.
I certainly don't intend to sound somewhat strange, but I love standing in line knowing the employees are near exhaustion as they work to serve me as fast as possible. It's reassuring as they run from the pastry cabinet to refilling the brewed coffee to working the cappuccino machine in seamless motion. And if the barista doesn't have at least three drinks in the works at once, I think something's wrong. To see sweat running down the sides of faces and hear an occasional chastising of a new employee is good. I think to myself: Okay, things move here. This is a well-run and highly efficient store.
I was in a relatively slower Starbucks the other day. The cashier called out my order. Calmly. The barista actually tried to engage in small talk before starting my drink. What are these people doing? I thought. My frustration climbed. Move, move, move! If you think you have time to be calm and talk to me or anyone else, well …you're certainly not doing your job.
Before you write me off as an over-bearing bully, consider this: what do we expect—and often find—our children's ministry volunteers to be?
Frantic? Or calm?
Frantic often seems the norm. It's easy to picture a room where a volunteer talks with two or more people, scissors a craft, and deals with a behavior issue all at the same time. And if we don't see a certain level of chaos, it's equally easy to believe something is wrong. If sweat isn't rolling down faces, uncertainty reflected in the eyes, and tears absent, do we wonder if our volunteers are really doing the job?
We even tend, unintentionally, to encourage and value people more when they're frantic. How quickly we say "thank you" and encourage the behavior of someone who has nearly passed out from their morning in ministry. We point out the millions of things they juggled and commend them for a job well done.
When we walk into a room and see a leader in a quiet conversation with a child over a game of checkers, what then? Especially when considering the other 15 boys running around—and this volunteer has the audacity to just sit there and play a game.
As children's ministry leaders, we need to be proactive advocates of a positive serving environment with a healthy, sustainable pace for our volunteers. Instead of accepting "frantic" for our children's ministry, let's work toward a solution called "calm."
Here are a few steps on that journey:
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