One of the words we hear often when it comes to people
and a particular responsibility or assignments is the word “trust.” I remember
my children often saying, “Don’t you trust me?” when we were setting
boundaries, limits on activity, or checking to see if their homework was
completed. As parents, my wife and I often had to explain that it’s not about
trust but about training. The concept of trust, while important, is not as
important as other things. Other things like training, equipping and generally
gaining experience are the way people establish trust.
This concept and understanding of training and trusting
is important in our churches and ministries. When we have important processes,
tasks and responsibilities, it’s best not to rely solely on trust. Its only
through training that we can truly expect that important processes, tasks and
responsibilities are executed properly. Training provides the appropriate
knowledge transfer and an adequate period of time for the employee or volunteers
to gain the experience needed to do their job properly.
No shortcut in training
While all jobs and assignments don’t have the same
complexity or skill level required, all require some measure of training.
Personally, I rely on the three-step training process:
- I do it
- We do it together
- You do it, I watch
I’m not sure exactly when I first heard about this model,
but I have learned that not only does it work but it also can’t be bypassed.
This doesn’t mean that as a pastor, I need to train every staff member and
volunteer, but it does mean that everyone being trained needs to have someone
that personally demonstrates, supports and then supervises in order to verify
knowledge and skill have been transferred.
Trusting is not a substitute for training
When we hear someone use the words “trust,” one of the
things we can do is try to discover if the word trust is being used as a
substitute for training. All too often we press new employees and volunteers
into the job without adequate training. Most of us have experienced
inadequately trained employees and volunteers from receptionists to preachers.
When this happens, these newer and inadequately trained appear to be less
“trust-worthy” when it really isn’t a matter of trust but a
matter of training.
Trusting should not be a substitute for training. Trust
is earned and developed through very intentional orientation and training
processes that transfer knowledge and experience. The three-step training
process: “I do it; we do it together, you do it, I watch” is a great and
necessary part of developing trust.
Reprint from ChurchExecutive Magazine September 2012
