The Volunteer Engine

Church ministries run on volunteer fuel, and yet rarely does it seem that their tanks are full. Even when momentum is good, energy is abundant and it feels like a well-oiled machine, leaders know that without proper maintenance and a scheduled refueling the engine will soon sputter and die.

The best recruiting campaigns can always tap into new energy sources, but it’s not a quick refueling that we need. Getting new volunteers should not be a quick stop at the gas pump every time we need help, but rather a careful look at the specific design, construction and special features of the person we are inviting onto the track.

The focus of recruiting should be designing the pathway each volunteer will experience and training the technicians who will point the way on the journey.

It should be people-focused, not need-based. It should be relational, not organizational. Volunteers are not simply names to place on lists to fill holes, but individual members of God’s kingdom who need to be known, loved, equipped and nurtured as they begin to explore their spiritual gifts and become all God created them to be.

Getting beyond the panic of an empty fuel tank takes a great deal of thought and effort, but it’s well worth the investment in people. As individuals discover their purpose and giftedness, lives are changed, and the impact can be felt both inside and outside the church.

But how do you begin?

1.  Start by reading The Volunteer Revolution by Bill Hybels
2.  Design the ideal Volunteer experience that includes training and equipping
3.  Write up job descriptions that cast vision and link jobs to the greater cause
4.  Train leaders in every department to become relational technicians
5.  Offer trial runs and establish pre-set time commitments
6.  Inspire people to join you on the journey and make a clear ask

Remember this is just the beginning. Maintenance and refueling will still be needed along the way, but quick pit stops are no longer an option. You’re choosing to end the tyranny of the urgent and begin relational pathways that allow people to discover gifts they didn’t even know they had, so that they can be used by God in ways they never imagined.