Are You Recruiting Volunteers or Leaders?

One of the biggest problems we face in ministry is volunteer recruitment. In fact, if you are in Kids Ministry, you probably feel this need on a daily basis.

That said, it might be time to ask yourself a few questions:

•      Am I merely trying to fill the time slots I have open?
•      Am I settling for anyone to come help?
•      Am I looking for volunteers or leaders?

If you answer yes to questions one and two, then your answer to question three is “volunteers.” In some circumstances, a vetted and willing church member is exactly what you need—a volunteer. However, if you are seeking a committed and called person to serve alongside you in ministry, then you are looking for a leader.

Leaders are distinctive from volunteers. Leaders have a bigger vision for your ministry and their roles within it. They are with you for the long haul and desire to see kingdom outcomes. Your volunteers are important but they will come and go; leaders are your partners, co-laborers, and encouragers. Surround yourself with these people so that you can be who you need to be, which is ultimately a leader of leaders.

So, how do you recruit leaders?

• Identify people in your church that have potential skills, gifts, talents, and passions to serve in your ministry.
• Invite them to coffee or lunch.
• Cast the vision that God has given you for the ministry you steward.
• Purposefully ask them to serve alongside you.
• Promise to prepare them, pray for them, and serve them as they are faithful to their commitments.

Continue to pray that God would provide not only the volunteers you need this year, but servant leaders to co-labor alongside you in ministry.

“But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.” Ephesians 4:15-16 HCSB

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Lifeway Kids. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and curriculum writing. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children attend Forest Hills Baptist Church where she teaches The Gospel Project to preteen girls.