No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Convocation of Association of Conference Directors
of Lay Servant Ministries
Saturday, January, 24 from 1:30 to 3:30
It is getting harder and harder to find people with the time, skills, energy and inclination to volunteer at church.
Join us to discuss a whole new way of looking at this issue. We will explore the biblical imperative of serving
and learn a radically different approach for finding, recruiting and motivating people to serve!
Have you ever heard this?
“No one volunteers
anymore”
“Why do I have
to do it ALL?”
“Doesn’t
anyone care
about our
church?”
“People are just too
busy to volunteer these
days.”
Ask the RIGHT Questions
“How can we teach
and model the biblical
understanding of
Christian
servanthood?”
“How can we lead in a
way that offers our
busy church members
meaningful and
realistic opportunities
to serve?”
Paradigm Shift
Must move from. . .
VOLUNTEERS
to. . .
SERVANTS
John 13: 1 - 17
“Do you understand what I have done for you?
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so,
for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also
should wash one another’s feet. I have set you
an example that you should do as I have done
for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater
than his master, nor is a messenger greater than
the one who sent him. Now that you know these
things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
Luke 22:27
“But I am among you as
one who serves.”
Mark 10:43-45
“…whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant, and
whoever wants to be first must be slave of
all. For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve. . .”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but
in humility consider others
better than yourselves. Each
of you should look not only to
your own interests, but also to
the interests of others.”
John 12:26
“Whoever serves me
must follow me; and
where I am my servant
also will be.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“There are different kinds of gifts, but
the same Spirit distributes them. There
are different kinds of service, but the
same Lord. There are different kinds of
working, but in all of them and in
everyone it is the same God at work.”
Ephesians 4:11-13
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for
works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
4) We should facilitate the service of others
Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider how we
may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds,”
1 Peter 4:10
“Each one should use whatever gift he or she has
received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s
grace in its various forms.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
4) We should facilitate the service of others
5) When we serve others, we serve Jesus
Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for people, since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the
Lord Christ you are serving.”
Ephesians 6:7
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the
Lord rather than for people.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
4) We should facilitate the service of others
John 12:26
5) When we serve others, we serve Jesus
“If any person would
serve me, let that person
6) When we serve, we are blessed
follow me; and where I
am there shall also my
servant be; if any person
serve me, that person
will the Father honor.”
1 Peter 5: 5
“And all of you,
serve each other
in humility, for
‘God opposes
the proud but
favors the
humble.’”
Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due
season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
4) We should facilitate the service of others
5) When we serve others, we serve Jesus
6) When we serve, we are blessed
Rather than
simply doing
good works,
Christians are
defined by their
obedience to
the Savior.
How?
To facilitate the blessing of serving,
church leaders must move from
Doing or
Filling jobs
to
providing
opportunities for
Christians to act
upon &
deepen their faith
Group Activity
At your tables, describe & discuss the
most successful service opportunity
that you have been involved with.
What factors contributed to making it
so successful?
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
7
Empowering
Imperatives
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Church leaders must
faithfully remember and
communicate the context of
a task’s HOLY PURPOSE.
Call
Mission
Goals
Facts
Tasks
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Constantly Develop Interest Pool
Leaders facilitate the service of others by actively
finding servants with a passion for the ministry.
Who has the interest?
Who has the heart?
Who has the skills?
Constantly Develop Interest Pool
Consistently conduct activities &
conversations to ascertain who has the
interest/heart/skills for ministry area.
Constantly maintain a list of people who have
shown interest in particular ministry areas.
Constantly Develop Interest Pool
Where do we look for Servants?
Members who serve all
the time
Members who serve
sporadically
Members who don’t
serve
Members who don’t
come to church
NonMembers
People should not have to
earn the right to serve
Group Activity
At your tables, discuss other ways to connect with people
and develop interest pools.
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
All jobs can be
broken into
various sized,
manageable
tasks that are
more realistic for
today’s potential
servants.
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Example: “Day in the Country”
Promotion
Vendors
Entertainment
Children’s
Games
Mission
Interpretation
Food &
Drink
On Site
Logistics
Example: “Day in the Country”
Promotion
Vendors
Entertainment
Children’s
Games
Mission
Interpretation
Food &
Drink
On Site
Logistics
Tickets
Food
Research
bands
Petting Zoo
Slideshow
Ticket
System
Premises
Map
Advertising
Flea Market
Contract with
bands
Bounce
Games
Information
Booth
Cashiers
Directory
Signage
Design
Craft Booths
Prizes
Community
Relationship
Food
Signage
Electricity
Carnival
Games
Mission
Sign-Ups
Food
Donations
Parking
Signage
Distribution
Media
Contact
When ministry responsibilities are broken down into many
opportunities to serve,
the impact grows exponentially!
Restrooms
Information
Booths
Keys to success:
Clarity of outcomes & expectations
Keys to success:
Clarity of outcomes & expectations
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Proverbs 3:1
“There is a
time for
everything,
and a season
for every
activity under
heaven.”
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Design
commitment to
be
TIME BOXED
People will no longer make perpetual commitments.
Commitments must have a start & an end.
Think in terms of ‘seasons’.
Youth Choir (every Wednesday night)
Senior Home
Concert
Summer Choir Tour
Christmas Concert
Bell Concert
Group Activity
Think of a commitment in your church today that is
‘daunting’. Discuss & determine ways to frame that
commitment into a set of distinct time-boxed opportunities.
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Prepare & deliver a
COMPELLING
ASK
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Design
commitment to
be
TIME BOXED
Deliver Compelling Ask
“ASKS” should always . . .
•
•
•
•
•
Be sincere
Be personal
Be connected with HOLY PURPOSE
Include clear explanation of desired outcome
Be time boxed (in a season)
“Compelling
ASK”
Effectiveness of Recruitment Practices
Use the methods that get the best response
rather than the easiest to execute.
Effectiveness



 personal phone call
personal voicemail
 personal letter
pulpit announcements
 announcements
 form letter
 website
 mass email
 sign up sheets


face-to-face
personal email
bulletin announcements
Difficulty
Developing & Delivering
a compelling ASK
takes Advance Preparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
best fit?
impact?
setting?
practice!
Group Activity
Develop & discuss a compelling ASK for someone to be a
Lay Servant in your conference.
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
Less training
MORE
EXPLAINING
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Prepare & deliver a
COMPELLING
ASK
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Design
commitment to
be
TIME BOXED
Less Training – More Explaining
Keep it Simple!
Provide ministry shepherds for questions
Provide on-the-job opportunities
Provide shadowing experiences
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
Remember to
DEBRIEF &
CELEBRATE
Less training
MORE
EXPLAINING
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Prepare & deliver a
COMPELLING
ASK
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Design
commitment to
be
TIME BOXED
Debrief to Learn
≠
“How did it go?”
Debrief to Learn & Adjust







“Did the work feel meaningful?”
“How did this ministry help you to grow in your faith?”
“Was your emotional energy high or low?”
“Did you get to know someone?”
“Would you like to serve in this capacity again?”
“What would make your experience even more meaningful?”
“What do you want to try next?”
Celebrate!
Which conversation most effectively
communicates your appreciation?
Nice job!
You are so
good with
kids.
Your work in our nursery
is exactly what we need.
You greet everyone with
Being specific
with praise
joy & you confidently
interact
with the
lets
children. The parents
feel that their
people know
thatchildren
they are
are treasured & well
valued
vital
cared for. &
Thank
you for
all your work with the
to the babies
ministries
of the
of our church
&
community!
church
Let’s give
our
volunteers a
big round of
applause!
Paradigm Shift
Must move from. . .
VOLUNTEERS
to. . .
SERVANTS
The Biblical Witness is Clear
1) Jesus served
2) Jesus taught that his followers should serve
3) God has provided everyone with gifts for serving
4) We should facilitate the service of others
5) When we serve others, we serve Jesus
6) When we serve, we are blessed
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood
Connect to the
HOLY
PURPOSE
Constantly
develop
INTEREST
POOL
Remember to
DEBRIEF &
CELEBRATE
Less training
MORE
EXPLAINING
7
Empowering
Imperatives
Prepare & deliver a
COMPELLING
ASK
Break job into
REALISTIC
COMMITMENTS
Design
commitment to
be
TIME BOXED
No More Volunteers!
Reclaiming Christian Servanthood