The Hidden Secret to Gaining Volunteers

There is a carefully hidden secret that can unleash waves of new volunteers into the ministries of your church.  If you are a pastor it can be harnessed to release new men and women into everything from youth group to ushering to men’s ministry to small group leading.  If you are a ministry leader, it can double the size of your ministry team.  If you are serving in a ministry in your church, it can help you find others to serve along side you so that you can serve on a larger team and focus your energies more.

This single secret can radically transform any ministry.  What single force can possibly unleash a world of talent into your ministry?  It is a simple but catalytic question: “Will you help us?”

That’s it.  That’s all it takes, but most leaders often don’t use it.  Leaders prefer to depend on announcements, emails, and Facebook blasts to get new volunteers.  They assume that anyone who is interested will come and ask about getting involved.  Even those these seldom work, most leaders continue to depend on them.

Why?  Because most leaders feel awkward asking for help.  Most of the time they feel like even a simple question puts too much pressure on people.  They are afraid that anyone they ask will feel obligated to help.  These expectations may be born of good intentions, but they happen to be completely wrong.

Here’s the irony.  Most leaders are walking around thinking that they shouldn’t ask for help because it would put too much pressure on people.  Most church-goers, however, are walking around silently wishing they could help somehow.  The very people you wish would volunteer are probably assuming that no one needs their help.  They are actually assuming that if you needed their help, you’d just ask.  They are taking your failure to ask for help as a sign that either you don’t need their help or you don’t want their help.

They greatest favor you could do for an uninvolved person in your church is to invite them to serve in your ministry.  They’ll probably be happy to help.  If they don’t want to, then they’ll probably let you know.  Either way, asking for help costs you nothing.

So this week, when you go to church, I challenge you to identify one person that you can invite to serve in ministry in a new way.  Don’t be cautious.  Be clear about what you need, then clearly ask for help.  Give them a clear opportunity to say “yes” or “no.”

Who knows?  That one person might be the beginning of a volunteer revolution that rocks your entire church.

Have you ever had someone ask you to help in a ministry at church?  What was it?  How did you respond?