People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Atmosphere Affects Volunteerism
by James W. Moss, Sr.
Bethel Church is alive and well. Attendance has grown for several years. There is a positive attitude around the church. Volunteers are affirmed and appreciation. All the existing slots are filled. It is not unusual for someone to come to the pastor and suggest there is a ministry they would like to do that is not being done by anyone. They know they will be affirmed and set free to go to work.
By contrast, Yellow Church is going through some difficult times. Attendance is slipping. People are picking on the pastor and each other. Someone is critical of virtually everyone doing any kind of ministry. The volunteer pool is shrinking. About one-fourth of the volunteer slots are vacant. An election is due on Sunday. The nominating committee is having real trouble finding anybody to say “yes.” No new ministries have begun in the last 4 years.
What causes the difference?
Atmosphere has a lot to do with whether people will be willing to give of their time. A Christian church is an organism and not an organization. Paul said, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5). I had a bad gall bladder a few years ago. It was really bad. I ended up being very sick. One bad part affected my whole body. In fact, I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good. When one hurts, we should all hurt.
No bench!
We are living in a spectator age. Thousands of people go to a stadium to watch football, baseball, or basketball. Millions more watch on the tube where our greatest exercise is the move from the couch to the refrigerator and back during a commercial. The Christian faith is an action faith. The challenge of Christ and the gospel is that we should act out our faith.
I’m an old man, but I still love playing softball. The young men put up with me. I went with a group to Doubleday Farm where baseball is played the old fashioned way. The manager said, “Jim, if we don’t have nine, I will use you.” I got all excited. Took some batting practice. I then began to count and saw there were nine. My heart sunk. I had gotten the juices flowing. I wanted to be in the game. I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t even pout while I kept score. But the young man who managed was wise. In the last inning with the other team leading substantially, Jay said, “Jim, grab a bat and pinch-hit.” "YESSS!!!" was my immediate answer. I was in the game. I hit a line drive and it was caught. That was ok. I got to play! I have seen that same sense of excitement in the face of someone who has just been given the privilege to serve meaningfully.
In the Christian faith there is no bench for spectators. Everyone who has confessed Christ is on the team. Everyone who is on the team must play in the game. We have to find things for people to do so they too can be in the game.
Understand the climate
We must understand the climate of our church. How are volunteers treated? How are they affirmed? Conflict discourages and eliminates volunteers.
Recruitment is an intentional process. There are five critical mistakes to be avoided when recruiting.
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Don’t ask for volunteers. Two people tend to volunteer. One is a person you can’t use and another is a person who volunteers for many things and can’t do any of them well. |
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Don’t use the telephone. If you are looking for someone to give the church many hours of their time, you should make that request face to face. |
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Don’t ask in front of someone where a “no” would be an embarrassment. You may get a reluctant yes that will result in a person not functioning. |
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Don’t undersell the job. We frequently minimize the potential involvement of a volunteer position thinking we will get a quicker yes. |
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Don’t ask in a negative manner. “You don’t want to be an elder do you?” That seldom results in a yes. |
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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March 10, 2005. Volume 8, Issue
5.
People Spots Online
is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life
Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.
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