Yes, You Can Get Them! 

 

How many church leaders can honestly say they have enough volunteers for all the ministries within the church?  If I had to guess it would not be many.  Over my 20+ years of ministry I was constantly recruiting volunteers for various ministries such as ushers, greeters, nursery workers, teachers, and many other positions.  The one thing I figured out a long time ago is that if you can match up the passion and spiritual gifts of the individual with the ministry position you will have a happy volunteer.

Here are some recruiting tips that I have learned over the years. 

• Always be in the recruiting mindset.  Keep your ears open to what the people are saying about their passion for ministry and where they have served in the past.  It is very helpful to identify a person’s S.E.R.V.E.  (I’m not sure where this originated but I have borrowed it through the years)

Spiritual Gifts: The gifts given by the Holy Spirit to empower someone for service.
Experiences: The events in someone’s life that molds them into a servant leader.
Relational Style: This is someone’s personality that makes them unique and gives them a particular leadership style.
Vocational Skills: The abilities that someone has acquired through their training and experiences.
Enthusiasm: The passion God has placed in someone’s heart for a certain ministry to others.

• When recruiting make sure you have a list of qualifications and what is expected of them in the position you are seeking to fill.  If you expect nothing out of a volunteer then you will get nothing out of them.  Share with them the vision you have for the ministry position and why you think they would be a good fit for the position.  
   
• A face to face meeting is always the best way to engage a person for a ministry position.   However, you should never ask for an answer on your first contact.  Ask them to pray about the position and set a date to follow back up with them.  I have found the least effective way of recruiting is from the pulpit on Sunday morning.  While this can be helpful it should not be your primary way of recruiting volunteers.  If you do mass recruiting, make sure you have way to sign up online and in person.
   
• Never down play the position by saying “I have this slot to fill.”  Rather, you can say “I have this opportunity for you to serve the King of Kings in our nursery.” 
   
• Be honest with the person.  Let them know the challenges that they may face in serving and how the church will help them overcome those challenges.  Make sure they know who the point person is for the particular ministry.
   
• Distribute a list of ministry opportunities within the church that includes the time commitment of serving and a brief description of the position. Include a commitment card for members to turn in to the church. This should also be available on the church’s website.
   
• Never guilt someone into saying yes.  
   
• Be sure you pray.  Prayer is the most important part in finding leaders in the church.  You should pray that God will lead you to the right person and that the Holy Spirit will be opening the hearts of the people to serve.   Also when you meet with the prospective volunteer you will want to pray with them about the position.  

These thoughts above are from Rev. Darrell Williams, our partner based out of Morehead City, North Carolina. His primary focus is working alongside churches in Eastern North Carolina. For more information about how he can help you, contact him at 252.808.7353 or rdwilliams@ec.rr.com.