Recruiting Volunteers
Leith Anderson
We need to look for ways to harness people's dissatisfaction for ministry.
—Leith Anderson
Most of the work of the local church is done by volunteers. If the volunteers are ministering effectively, the church is ministering effectively. If they're not, the church is not. It would be difficult, therefore, to conceive of a pastoral responsibility more important than helping volunteers be effective in their ministries.
Working with volunteers in the church involves three basic responsibilities: motivating people, guiding them to the right ministry, and supporting and supervising them as they minister.
Motivating People to Minister
Motivation is not an arcane science. It begins with an understanding of people and what they need. As I have reflected on that, I have developed a few guidelines for motivation within the church.
Use gratitude rather than guilt
Guilt is probably the most powerful motivator in the church. It's quick and effective. When people are desperate to get a job done, they readily employ guilt.
But it also carries a high price tag: resentment. People motivated by guilt develop a subconscious hostility toward the leader and the institution. It is far better to motivate by appealing to gratitude—gratitude to God for all he has done.
I once attended a fund-raising banquet for the seminary from which I graduated. Before I walked in, I had my check made out. For me, at the time, the gift was substantial.
When the banquet host launched his appeal, he told how seven or eight faculty members were paid less than garbage collectors in New York City. (I remember thinking, So what? Most people in this room are paid less than garbage collectors in New York City.) His underlying message was, "You, the supporters of the school, don't ...
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