Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers

Notes and highlights for

Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers

Searcy, Nelson; Dykes Henson, Jennifer

part 1: adopting a ministry mindset

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The church is unique in that it is largely a volunteer - run organization . People who are willing to serve are crucial to what we do . But a lot of frustration and unanswered questions are inherent in that fact . Questions like : How do we get people to serve ? How do we make people want to serve , so we don’t have a bunch of Henrys showing up out of obligation ? How do we best utilize the people who are interested in serving ? How do we make sure they want to keep serving ? In short , how do we mobilize people for significant ministry ?

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An abundance of volunteers , or a lack thereof , comes down to one simple thing — namely , the quality of the ministry system operating in the church .

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As one of the eight systems at work in every healthy church , the ministry system is the system that asks the question just mentioned : How do we mobilize people for significant ministry ? In case you aren’t familiar with my operational theory when it comes to church organization , let me give you a quick rundown of the thinking behind the eight systems of a church .

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God is into systems . He organized the universe with systems . He established the measurement of time through a system . And , from the beginning , he formed our bodies

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A system is any ongoing process that Saves You Stress , Time , Energy , and Money , and continues to produce results .

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The same is true in the church . We know that the church is a body , so it follows that the church also has systems working beneath the surface . I contend that the church is made up of eight systems : the worship planning system , the evangelism system , the assimilation system , the small groups system , the ministry system , the stewardship system , the leadership system , and the strategic system .

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( To learn more about all eight of these systems , download the free “ Healthy Systems , Healthy Church ” report at www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com / connect . )

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In the same way , as church leaders , we all have a ministry system at work beneath the surface of our church . In some churches , this system is more highly developed than in others . The churches with well - developed ministry systems are the churches that always have plenty of volunteers who are willing and eager to find a place of service and dedicate themselves to it . These are the churches that are able to attract many more volunteers than they even have room for — which is a great problem to have — and who understand that wise recruitment of volunteers is actually a form of discipleship .

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The ministry system is an ongoing system that motivates people to serve for the first time and mobilizes them for a lifetime of serving .

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the ministry system is a far - reaching system . It affects every other system .

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Just as a cardiac failure would be devastating to the other systems in your body , a weak ministry system inhibits every area of your church . Why ? Because the ministry system is where you discover the servants whose time and efforts will go a long way toward making your church effective .

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To that end , there are four clear steps to creating an effective ministry system : Clarify your theology of ministry . Create first - serve opportunities . Cultivate a ministry ladder . Celebrate and reproduce servants .

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at its core , the ministry system is about helping people become servants .

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The word “ ministry ” simply means to serve .

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I’m convinced that Jesus was keen on creating servants because serving is the ultimate expression of love .

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“ ‘ You must love the LORD your God with all your heart , all your soul , and all your mind . ’ This is the first and greatest commandment . A second is equally important : ‘ Love your neighbor as yourself ’ ” ( Matt . 22 : 37 – 39 ) . Love is the greatest commandment , and service is the ultimate outward expression of love .

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Being a servant is an issue of the heart .

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If love is our motivation , however , we will be translating the gospel through action to the person we are serving .

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remember , every member in your church is a minister . You are not in this alone unless you choose to be . ”

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ministry . Sure , we may believe that every member is a minister , but if we haven’t worked through the associated why and how of that belief , we will have a hard time fleshing out its reality .

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A proper theology of ministry will rapidly expand your ministry system , while a small theology of ministry will constrain it . The theology you adhere to will determine your convictions and the confidence with which you call people to serve . In other words , once you have a strong theology of ministry in place , you will have deeper assurance and more passion about the details of ministry in your church . You will be more likely to invite people to take action steps of faith , and you will be able to do so with increased confidence .

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Not to sound preachy , but the truth is , when people serve , they become more like Jesus . When you encourage them to serve and then do what it takes to get them involved , you are discipling them — which is your role as their pastor . It’s not just so things at the church get done , ” Tim says .

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Foundation 1 : Ministry means to serve .

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Foundation 2 : Serving is the act of putting the needs of others before our own needs .

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As he says in Matthew 20 : 28 , “ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others . ”

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Foundation 3 : The goal of the ministry system is to help people become like Jesus .

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So , as you begin to think about developing an effective ministry system and doubling your volunteer base , the real question isn’t “ How many more volunteers can I have ? ” but rather “ How many of my people are more like Jesus because they are connected in serving ? ”

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Foundation 4 : You cannot become like Jesus Christ unless you learn to be a servant .

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Foundation 5 : Serving opens people’s hearts to God and therefore is part of worship .

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For Christians , service not only opens people’s hearts to worship but also stands as an act of worship in and of itself . When we present our bodies and our time to God as willing servants , we are worshiping him . Take a look at another piece of Paul’s letter to the Roman church : And so , dear brothers and sisters , I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you . Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will find acceptable . This is truly the way to worship him . ( Rom . 12 :

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If your vision is aligned with God’s purposes for your church , asking people to get involved with that vision is asking them to start doing the most important thing they can do in life . You are calling them to an act of worship .

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Foundation 6 : If people aren’t serving , they aren’t truly worshiping and growing in their faith .

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serving is a good way to measure worship and growth in your church .

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how much they are growing by implementing the 30 / 50 / 20 Rule .

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The Pareto principle , also known fittingly as “ The Law of the Vital Few , ” holds that approximately 80 percent of all results come from 20 percent of causation factors . In our language , this principle would equate to 80 percent of the ministry being done by 20 percent of the people . Sadly , in most churches , the percentage of involvement is much lower — which is why , I suppose , all of the books I’ve ever read on ministry contend that getting the Pareto principle going in our churches would be an impressive feat ; they think that having 20 percent of churchgoers doing 80 percent of the work would be a good thing . I don’t agree ; I believe God has more in store for our people and his church . The Pareto principle , while it has its place in many areas of economic thought , shouldn’t apply to our ministry efforts . God’s plan is for far more than 20 percent of his children to be actively involved in his work . Let’s challenge such limited thinking and take on God’s point of view instead . To that end , here’s how the 30 / 50 / 20 Rule works : At any given time , I want 30 percent of our church to be sitting on the sidelines . I think of them as pre - servers . There’s never been a week where we missed that goal , as you can imagine — sometimes we greatly surpass it ! Next , I want 50 percent of our church serving one hour per week . They may be leading a growth group , singing on the worship team , serving as an usher or greeter , working in the kids ’ area , or whatever else they are best suited to do . The point is that they are involved in serving in some way for an hour each week . As the church grows , the number of active servers expands accordingly . If you consistently hit that 50 percent mark , you will never be lacking for volunteers . The 20 percent part of the measurement doesn’t directly concern the ministry system . Briefly , I want to have 20 percent of the church involved in some kind of evangelism or outreach ministry . For example , they may invite a friend to church or take part in a formal evangelism project or event . That may not be where you want to focus the last 20 percent . Feel free to modify the measurement in the way that best fits your church .

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Foundation 7 : Mobilizing people for ministry is part of discipleship .

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Foundation 8 : The role of the pastor is to equip people for ministry .

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As Paul says in Ephesians 4 : 11 – 13 , Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church : the apostles , the prophets , the evangelists , and the pastors and teachers . Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church , the body of Christ . This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord , measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ .

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( For a free downloadable and editable copy of our Eight Foundations , visit www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com / connect . )

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( For a free download of this theology of ministry questionnaire to use with your team , visit www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com / connect . )

part 2: creating opportunity

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First steps are scary . They stretch us and push us out of our comfort zone .

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Part of the difficulty in recruiting volunteers for ministry is the simple fact that you are pushing against their natural tendency to stay within their comfort zones . You are asking them to expend time and energy — two things they may already feel short on — in order to step into something completely selfless .

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If you aren’t convinced of the importance of what you are asking your people to do — both for them personally and for the kingdom of God — you will struggle with inviting them into meaningful ministry .

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The first way is to increase the number of new people in your current ministry positions .

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The second way to mobilize new servers is to recruit people to new ministry positions .

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The first way you can begin to mobilize new servers is by creating first - serve opportunities in these existing areas . Here’s how :

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Encourage the involvement of new people by always putting a time limit on serving .

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More important for our current discussion , the gap created when your leaders take time off allows new leaders to step up to the plate . By putting a time limit on those currently serving , you create new serving opportunities .

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Divide all existing ministry areas into quads . Another way to give new people first - serve opportunities within existing ministries is to examine every volunteer area in your church and think about how you can divide the responsibilities of that area into four separate sections .

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Examine every area and divide them into four smaller areas . Then , find people to serve in each of those smaller areas . This is a simple way to create new volunteer positions within your current ministries .

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Create A - B - C teams for each ministry area .

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Let’s not let our limited thinking limit his plans . The principle of spiritual readiness says we must prepare and plan for the harvest before God will send it to us .

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Plan a shadow day .

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Hold a ministry / volunteer fair .

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Use big days and special events to challenge people to serve .