This is one of the strongest reasons to invest in continuing education for your church. It is a simple concept: the more a person becomes skilled at their job, the more productive they will be and the better-quality work they will produce.

Millennials are now the largest generational group in the U.S. workforce, at about 1-in-3. A recent Gallup Research report on Millennials makes a fantastic point: Millennials are not pursuing job satisfaction — they are pursuing development. Showing ALL of your volunteers that you are willing to invest in them with continuing education and professional development programs is an effective way to improve employee retention, especially with the generation shift in the workforce that we are experiencing.

Another effective means of using training to improve your organization is through cross-training. How many times have you come across a situation in your office where a task needs to be done, but the lone person that knows how to complete is out sick or on vacation (or even worse, has left the organization)? Making sure that roles in your team have at least one "backup person" make your team much more resistant to delays or gaps in coverage.

Most volunteers will have some weaknesses in their skills. A good training program allows you to strengthen those skills that each team member needs to improve. A development program brings all team members to a higher level, so they all have similar skills and knowledge. It allows the team to all rise to their highest level of competence.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development is a critical piece in demonstrating to your volunteers that you recognize them as people with hopes, dreams, and convictions. A learning and development culture encourages your volunteers to get better which will in turn make your team and church better. A learning and development culture promotes growth, awareness, and an opportunity to focus on learning and developing the strengths of your team.

A robust training and development program ensures that team members have a consistent experience and background knowledge. The consistency is particularly relevant for the church’s basic policies and procedures. All team members need to be aware of the expectations and procedures within the church. Increased efficiencies in processes results in overall gain for the church.

You’ve likely experienced this before. You attend a training that really sparked something inside you and that spark quickly became a fire. And then one fire led to another fire – a lot of ideas all coming off that one spark. Ongoing training and upskilling of the protector team can encourage creativity. New ideas can be formed as a direct result of training and development.

Having a strong and successful training strategy helps to develop your team brand and make your church a prime consideration for new members. Training also makes your team more attractive to potential new recruits who seek to improve their skills and the opportunities associated with those new skills.