Leading Beyond The Walls

Carol Cartmill is the Director of  Community Life. 

God can accomplish much more when all of the members of the body of Christ are fulfilling the purpose for which they were created—serving by using their God-given gifts and abilities.  The purpose of this article is to help you begin to think strategically about how you, as a church leader, can be more effective in unlocking the service potential of your church as you unleash your members into meaningful volunteer roles within and beyond the walls of the church.

The use of the word management is deliberate.  Management is the art, act, or manner of directing.  It involves skill and careful treatment.  Managing volunteers takes thoughtful planning.  When it is well done, an effective volunteer management system is seamless and invisible to the volunteer.  The volunteer’s focus is not on the system, but rather the ministry and the people being served.  A good system can be described in four simple steps: 1) invite, 2) connect, 3) equip, and 4) sustain.

Step 1:  Invite

The first step in the process is invite, and it is all the word implies.  Before we can invite people to join us in ministry, we must give thought to what service opportunities exist.  A leader in Children’s Ministry might identify a need for ten Sunday school teachers, one administrator, three drama leaders, six nursery workers, and so forth.  Define your needs as specifically as possible—quantify the opportunities for service and set dates for filling open positions.  Define the specific mission of the ministry, how it supports the overall mission and vision of the church, and describe the role with enough specificity to provide clarity to the potential volunteer.

Now it’s time to move to the obvious—asking an individual to serve.  Consider giftedness, and availability when identifying people to invite.  Pray to God to help you be open to the possibilities when looking for someone, and involve others in your search.  Every person in your church has a unique sphere of influence and encounters a completely different group of potential candidates than you. 

Here are a few characteristics to look for in volunteers:
• Commitment to spiritual growth
• Spiritually gifted for the role
• Supportive of the church’s vision and mission
• Teachable—an active and eager listener
• Problem-solvers

After identifying a potential volunteer, take the time to personally invite the person and share the vision of the ministry you represent.  Affirm the individual’s gifts and share the specifics of the role so he or she can make an informed decision.  Pray for the individual.  Thank the person for considering the role, and give a timeframe for an expected answer.  Follow up within that timeframe.  Be prepared to overcome the objections of reluctant volunteers.  People sometimes have a difficult time picturing themselves serving in a church.

Step 2:  Connect

Do not squander the “ask.”  Be diligent in your efforts to get your new recruit serving as quickly as possible.  Once serving, check in to ensure the placement is a “good fit,” both for the sake of the individual and the ministry.  This demonstrates God’s love, and your value of the person involved.  It speaks to the importance of the ministry in which the individual has been connected.  There are times when a volunteer discovers the service role isn’t exactly what was expected.  A conversation between the volunteer and a leader may yield a better match for service.  Your church will develop a reputation for putting people first when you utilize an effective connection process.

Step 3:  Equip

To equip a volunteer for service is to provide the initial and ongoing support, training, and resources needed to be effective.  It is literally doing all you can to “set volunteers up for success.”  People want to feel competent when serving—especially when serving God.  Strategies for this step encompass initial training, including job shadowing, providing ongoing feedback and coaching, and opportunities for personal and spiritual development.  Try to incorporate a learning component during meetings.  Even small investments in the growth and development of volunteers can produce fruit in the form of creativity, competence, and effectiveness.

Step 4:  Sustain

This oft-neglected step is critical to the vitality of your volunteers and ministry.  Churches can be famous when it comes to burning out volunteers.  Because we experience a chaotic pace in our lives outside the church, we must work extra hard to provide times of renewal within our walls.  We are preparing ourselves and the people of our churches to be in service over a lifetime—not just for a quick sprint.

Here, it’s important to nurture people with intentional means of affirmation and recognition.  Celebrate ministry accomplishments, tie back service to the fulfillment of mission and vision, and take time for post-service reflection and evaluation.  Personal expressions of gratitude go a long way in sustaining people’s enthusiasm and joy.  Making the “thank you” specific and personal is key.  Another great way to renew our volunteers is to plan events or retreats for your ministry teams.  Fellowship opportunities are renewing as well.

You’ve considered four steps to holistic volunteer management—simple in theory, yet difficult to put into practice.  Start by taking small steps in each of the four areas.  Help your church focus first on developing in areas where it has the most potential for growth.  Work with your team to bring balance to its efforts to holistically prepare people to serve, and watch the potential of people and ministry be realized through God honoring service!

 Carol is the author of  Leadership from the Heart: Learning to Lead with Love and Skill. Carol will be leading several workshops on leadership at this years Leadership Institute.  Visit www.cor.org/li2009 for registration information.