A Different Look at Recruitment

Almost every ministry within the church wonders what to do about recruitment. I’ve given it a lot of thought over the past few months, but I’ve felt as stumped as everyone else on how to recruit new people any differently than what has already been done (sign-up sheets in the bulletin, a cute skit during announcements, and asking every person you meet if they would be interested in serving in your ministry). Then, one Sunday when I didn’t have any obligations at church, I contemplated skipping the service altogether. Yes, even someone called to full time ministry has those thoughts. It got me thinking . . .so, why do I occasionally contemplate missing a Sunday service?

The weeks I am most tempted to skip are the weeks in which I have no commitments or accountability to others. Even on the weeks I serve, there is a temptation to only attend the service in which I am scheduled. That wasn’t true for me in high school. I never wanted to miss anything back then. So what has changed or what is missing? What do certain ministries seem to have them make them attractive? I was able to identify four components that draw people to participate: socializing with others, a level of commitment, learning and growing, and a spiritual connection to others.

First, let’s look at the social aspect. In high school, my church offered Sunday school in the morning and youth group in the evening. These were times when I could socialize with a smaller group of people with whom I related well. Were there times I missed those events? Yes, but not often, and I terribly disliked being absent.

Next is commitment. You might not think of a youth group meeting as a large commitment for a teen, especially since we didn’t have small groups back then. But there were those of us who participated in more. I was on a leadership team, visited people in the nursing homes, went on weekend retreats, and attended church camp. After I got my license and a car, I picked up several other kids on my way to events. For those just checking out the group (or church in general), we offered a Thursday night outreach service that was mostly fun and games.

Obviously there was a spiritual component in both Sunday school and youth group, but youth group had the largest spiritual aspect. The worship and prayer portion lasted an hour or more every week. We prayed for one another during those times, and I don’t just mean “my dog is sick” prayers. We prayed for areas of struggle and for each other’s burdens. We felt accountable to the group and one another.

Ok, so the learning component seems fairly obvious, but I went to Sunday school, because I wanted to learn something. That’s where we dug deep. I attended most youth group meetings for the three reasons listed above. Sunday school was our version of a Bible study. We would spend an entire quarter reading and studying one book of the Bible or one concept. I learned a lot in Sunday school and enjoyed it.

Now you might be thinking, “That’s all fine and dandy, but what does any of this have to do with recruiting? This sounds more like an article about getting people to attend church than a way to recruit for a ministry.” I would tell you that it’s both.

Were you ever on a sports team, a member of the band/choir, or part of a club in school? Why? What made you want to be a part of a team or group? Did they have to sell you on participating or did you seek them out? Did they have to beg you to join or did you ask someone when, where and how you could sign up? So, what did they have that we don’t always have in our ministries? You might be catching on by now, but I will lay it out for you just to make sure we are all on the same page. They had a social aspect, they required a commitment, there was a spiritual component, and they learned something. And, there is one more thing they had, a season of beginning or an entry point. Interestingly enough, these same aspects were present in Jesus’ ministry and in the early church.

First, there was a definite beginning or entry point. Jesus’ ministry had a beginning as did the church. Of course, people could join his ministry or the church at any time. However, there were special times or seasons that were natural entry points for guests and visitors (i.e. feasts and celebrations, Pentecost, etc.).

There were times for socializing. Whether it was during a wedding, a meal or other event, they socialized. The church had social events, as well. They came together during certain times of the year to celebrate what God had done (the same feasts and celebrations mentioned above).

People were asked to make a commitment. Jesus asked the apostles to make a large commitment. Others that followed his ministry also made a commitment to assist (Mary, Martha, others who fed and housed the apostles, etc.). Some people made a large commitment, others made a smaller one, but they were always required to make some sort of commitment.

The apostles had a definite spiritual connection; they spent all of their time with Jesus and with each other. They surely shared their hurts, fears, and struggles with one another. When opposition came, they gathered together for support. They were friends. The spiritual bond between them was greater than with acquaintances from social events. They became a family.

Ok, this is probably one of the more obvious components of Jesus’ ministry, but those around him learned something. That was one of the biggest attractions to his ministry – people learned something. They called him ‘Teacher’.

            So, if we model our ministries after Jesus’ ministry, they should have those same components –obvious entry points, times for socializing (not just doing ministry), different levels of commitment, a spiritual connection with others in the group, and ways to learn and grow. Allow me break these down a bit. 

1. Create times for socializing, and I don’t just mean ten minutes for a doughnut before the service begins. That’s a good starting point, but it’s not enough. Put a few dates on the calendar for those in your ministry to socialize with one another. Examples would be lunch at a restaurant, going to a sporting event, having a cookout, playing silly group games, or whatever creative activity you come up with. The point is, don’t make your serving or training events the only place for socialization. It isn't enough.
2.  Every ministry needs different levels of commitment. Yeah, it would be nice if every new volunteer wanted to be a leader in your ministry. However, that is just not realistic. First, new volunteers need a little time to understand the vision of your ministry and understand how your ministry operates. Some people need a chance to decide if they even want to participate in the ministry. Others know they want to participate, but they want (and need) to go in gradually. Still others, and these are the kind we love, are ready to jump right in. It’s also good to recognize that different skill sets and seasons of life may determine a different level of commitment. (Someone with three young children might be willing to make phone calls or do data entry, whereas a single person might be willing to be a leader with a larger time commitment.) By creating levels of commitment and separating the duties within your ministry, more people will be willing and able to participate.
3. Create times for spiritual connection and accountability within the group. Sometimes, this aspect can be combined with the social or learning component, but make sure it exists. Create a prayer chain for those in your ministry. Make a Facebook group. Get together twenty or thirty minutes before the service to pray together. Have a corporate worship service with your volunteers a couple of times per year. There are many ways to invoke the spiritual component, but just having social events won’t do it. Maybe you can even form small groups or hold Bible studies for those in your ministry. Just do something that connects people to one another on a deeper, more intimate level.
4. Be sure to have some sort of training events. Even though your volunteers may be able to handle preparing a kids’ lesson every week, that doesn’t mean they know what you are hoping to accomplish throughout the year. An email might give them the information, but a quarterly or monthly training session is much better. We wouldn’t expect a football coach to email a workout to the players. We cannot expect our volunteers to ‘get’ everything about our ministry in an email. We wouldn’t expect a basketball coach to say, “Prepare all of this at home and we’ll see you on Friday for the big game.” Neither should we expect our volunteers to prepare on their own with only some curriculum and then “knock one out of the park” on Sunday. On the other hand, don’t have too many meetings. People don’t like to sit and listen, but they do enjoy learning. We work hard to make hands-on learning stations for youngsters but expect adults to enjoy a two-hour session of information. Be creative. Cast vision. Invoke learning.
5. Last, but certainly not least, we need to intentionally create natural entry points into our ministries. Maybe, the congregation as a whole will share those entry points, or maybe each ministry will have their own entry point. Nonetheless, those entry points need to exist. Yes, volunteers will be added all throughout the year, but there must be intentional on-ramps for most people. Determine what seasons are best for those entry points. The beginning of the school year, an overnighter, or summer camp creates a fairly natural entry point for children’s ministry. However, a Christmas or Easter production is more acceptable for creative arts. What about the first impressions team? Again, a holiday might be acceptable, but I would also include a major outreach event such as a concert. These are great times for people to check out your ministry (going back to those commitment levels) and decide if they want to continue serving.

So, recruitment is more about our current volunteers than the prospective ones. If we focus on making our ministry fulfilling to our current volunteers, then it will be attractive to others. Also, those already involved will want to invite their friends. We have to be careful not to create a ‘click’ where others feel like outsiders. On the other hand, as pastors, we must minister to our leaders. Trust me, there are leaders within your ministry that will gladly step up and assume some of the responsibility of the items I’ve listed. You don’t have to do it all, nor should you. Mentor a few exceptional leaders and allow them to take some responsibility. Jesus did not tell the apostles to just sit back and watch. He involved them in what he did. He trained them. He discipled them. 

Follow Jesus’ lead and watch your ministry grow!