The Volunteer Church

Some will say that this is especially true for men. In many cultures, women socialize around conversation while men socialize around tasks. When lonely men are offered a circle of talk, they may decline; when lonely men are offered a circle of activity, they are likely to accept.

the volunteers should be confident that their leaders listen to them and stand up for them and their needs.

Set a goal of two handwritten thank-you notes a week. In ten years you will be shocked at how many people will have saved and reread your notes.

When pastors and other church leaders hint or imply that success and effectiveness are because of the pastor or the church leadership, this diminishes and demeans the hard work of volunteers.

When we ask people to volunteer, we should highlight the specific needs of the ministry and how they match with the interests of potential volunteers. The goal is never simply to fill a spot with a warm body

Church leaders who use this approach pray with their volunteers to teach them how to pray, invite them home for dinner so they will know about hospitality, study the Bible with them so they know how to research and understand the Scriptures, and take them along to resolve interpersonal conflicts so they will see how it is done. When a church leader tells a volunteer, “You can call me at home or on my mobile phone any time day or night,” that volunteer will probably consider saying the same to those in his or her small group.

we do want to emphasize that pastors, elders, and other church leaders must themselves be recruiters and disciplers. This is what we call the Jesus Approach. When leaders value volunteering, it demonstrates to the rest of the church how to relate to volunteers.

It’s also why prioritizing volunteers should be woven into the fabric of church leadership and emphasized as a core value, rather than limited to a once-a-year push or a volunteer appreciation Sunday.

church that values people, that recruits and trains them, that nurtures and rewards them, will end up with more volunteers.

volunteer church begins with good leadership.