How Well Does Your Church “Place” Your Volunteers?

In his latest ebook, Your Volunteers: From Come-and-See to Come-and-Serve, CCB’s Chris Mavity discusses how to better enable, empower, and equip church leaders to better enable, empower, and equip our greatest ministry asset: Our people. Church volunteers.

After all, church volunteers are our boots-on-the-ground. And since churches typically have more people than money, space, or staff, volunteer operations require a solid game plan to help develop people from those who “come-and-see’” into those who “come-and-serve.”

So what if–much like a sports organization–we started to see the people in our church as our greatest asset, and we scoured our pews like scouts from the bleachers in search of the right people for the right positions? The returns from such efforts would exceed the investment of time and energy exponentially.

Recruiting and Training Volunteers

But before we delve headfirst into placing your volunteers, let’s quickly recap recruiting and training your volunteers. Consider this your ICYMI for the first two building blocks of healthy volunteerism.

Recruit

There are two common recruitment tactics employed in ministry: Slot filling and person selection. Each approach meets specific needs, and both recruiting strategies are necessary because not all volunteers are created equal.

For roles and positions that are short-term and have less influence, filling a slot works fine. But then there are ministry positions where it’s important to select the right person with a specific skill set, such as a singer or a worship leader.

When church leaders are intentional and thoughtful in their volunteer recruitment approaches, it elevates the importance of each and every volunteer. Ministry isn’t just for some; it’s for us all. We’ve all been called to get involved, and ministry leaders have the added distinct privilege of choosing the right person for the right role at the right time.

Train

There are two types of training: Orientation training and ongoing training. Each allows you to communicate expectations, prepare volunteers for service, and impart wisdom.

Orientation training helps your volunteers understand the role, responsibilities, and expected outcomes of the assignment. Ongoing training is focused on life-skills development–helping your volunteers become a better version of themselves. This type of ongoing training communicates that you care about them as people–not just in a ministry capacity–and that you will pour into them to make them better in all aspects of their lives.

Training your volunteers takes commitment, time, effort, and energy–and it’s worth it. When you make a commitment to train your volunteers, you’ll find that your training will keep everyone focused on growth, your volunteers will become influential members of your congregation, and you’ll be able to better anticipate what’s next.

Your Job Is Not Done Yet

Of course, recruiting and training are only two of the many components of a thriving volunteer ministry. Download CCB’s free resource for the full playbook: Your Volunteers: From Come-and-See to Come-and-Serve!