Churches have always relied on volunteers, and church leaders know that if they want to see growth, volunteers are the key. How can churches engage and honor those who serve to sustain this ministry?

While engaging those who serve in our church communities, one rule of thumb that Pastor and author Leith Anderson points out is to never make assumptions about a volunteer.

“Sometimes we sort of assume that because someone is a physician, or a school teacher, or a business executive during the week, that that’s what they want to on weekends. Maybe that’s true, but often it’s not, often they want to do something that is very different.”

Someone’s work experience doesn’t always translate to their deepest passions. Leith shares a hypothetical example,

“You have a business executive who loves to sing, but really can’t sing at staff meetings at a large company. He doesn’t want to be in the administration of the church, but wants to be in the music ministry of the church. So it’s finding out what is that person’s gift? And what is that person’s interest?

“On the other hand, there are those who are really good at something, they do it during the week and they want to bring that same skill and level of experience over to the life of the church.”

Recruiting volunteers starts with building a relationship.

“It’s not starting with filling a position; it’s starting with the person, asking ‘Who you are? How we can best minister to you by putting you in the place where you can serve God and others?’”

Spiritual gift assessments can also help volunteers find their place in the church and increase their desire to serve.

“I taught a class on spiritual gifts for 25-30 years straight, it would be maybe 50 people at a time and it was one of the more popular courses that we ever offered. I think it was transformational in the lives of a lot of people. It was the freedom to know that, ‘I should do and I should be what God designed me to be,’ rather than ‘I have to’ out of guilt, pressure, or some other reason take on a task because it’s an organizational need.”

As Christians, we were not designed to serve in every area of the church. Leith says that there are some things we just can’t do. He shares an example from his childhood,

“When I was 5 years old my mother decided that I should be a musician. She signed me up with a piano teacher who sent a note home after a year or so saying, ‘I don’t want to see him again.’  Then the piano teacher’s wife took me on and then after a couple years she sent me home with a note saying, ‘I don’t want to see him again.’ My mother, she couldn’t get this. I took piano lessons for 8 years and I never finished the second book. That’s because I can’t play the piano, I can’t carry a tune.

“People need to see that when somebody can’t do something it’s OK.”

By building relationships with volunteers and honoring their unique abilities, God will be able to equip and sustain this important ministry within the body of Christ.

Leith’s book is titled  .

Highlight: Volunteer engagement

Volunteers and the church