Regardless of the size of your church, one of the biggest and most frequent challenges you’ll face is finding enough volunteers. It may seem redundant and overstated, but it doesn’t make it any less true. But the good news is that there are things you can do to help! Don’t settle for scrambling to fill volunteer roles when you can proactively increase your volunteer signups right now.
#1: Remind People of Your Ministry’s Mission and Vision
Your members love your church and want to see the Kingdom grow. But sometimes, people miss how their service connects back to the goals of your ministry. Volunteering at church may seem unnecessary or burdensome if they don’t understand the value of what they’re doing.
Take the time before a big push for volunteers (like the beginning of a new school year or a large event coming up) and remind your congregation of your mission and vision. Then, show them how serving in different ways fulfills that purpose. It may be difficult to see how packing candy bags for a fall festival or keeping children during praise team practice helps further the Gospel, so help your members make that connection.
And make sure you regularly encourage the people already serving faithfully and remind them that every minute they give has an impact.
#2: Buy Into What You’re Asking of Others
No one will want to serve if they think you don’t believe it’s important. If you’re trying to convince someone that the task you’re asking of them is vital to your ministry’s success, make sure you genuinely believe in the necessity of what you’re asking of them.
As Carey Nieuwhof said, if you don’t buy into the importance of the needs you’re asking others to meet, “at best, the pitch will be boring and unconvincing. At worst, this error leaves [you] with a mindset that says, ‘I’m bothering this person by asking for their time.'” You’re asking people to answer their calling in ministry, so don’t apologize for asking them to rise to their full potential!
#3: Personally Invite People to Serve
Research shows that one in four people don’t serve because no one asked them to. There will always be people who will respond to your usual ways of advertising for church volunteers. But there is likely a large percentage of your congregation who won’t step up unless you ask, either because they don’t know what you need or they don’t think they can meet those needs.
A personal invitation lets someone know exactly where you need help while simultaneously showing them that you believe they can fill that role.
#4: Show People Where They Can Serve
Communicating all the opportunities to volunteer in your church can be overwhelming. Still, one of the biggest ways you miss potential volunteers is not effectively spreading the word about needs. Even if you feel you’re overcommunicating to your congregation, utilize every platform to share ways people can serve. Take advantage of a captive audience during your services to make announcements, post on your social media pages, run slides during events, and send regular updates to all of your members.
In addition to your standard communication methods, host a volunteer fair at least once a year. Have all of your serving teams and leaders set up tables and invite everyone to mingle and hear about all of the opportunities to serve. If having one fair for all of your ministries is too overwhelming, break it up and have one each quarter focusing on a different serving area.
A volunteer fair gives potential volunteers a chance to ask questions and get an idea of what each serving role involves before committing.
#5: Show People the Benefits of Volunteering
While many people will sign up to serve without much motivation, others want to see the tangible benefits of volunteering for your church. Regularly share data and success stories with your church family so they can see how their efforts impact the ministry. Your congregants want to know that they are doing things with real purpose and are influencing the progress of your church.
In addition to seeing Kingdom growth, show people how serving can benefit them personally. According to a 2017 study by UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch, 75% of volunteers say that serving makes them feel physically healthier, 79% experience lower stress levels, 94% feel an increased sense of purpose, and 85% have developed new friendships through their volunteer efforts.
Volunteering time and talents is a sacrifice for many. While you don’t want people to focus solely on the personal benefits, showing them they’ll receive some of the good they’re pouring out may help pull new volunteers into the fold.
#6: Build Relationships
Recruiting volunteers should never just be about meeting physical needs within your church building. You aren’t just asking people to check things off a to-do list; you’re training disciples! Disciples grow as pastors, leaders, and others pour into your members.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 that we are one body made of many parts connected through the Spirit. That connection not only revolves around the relationship we have with our Savior but also the relationships we have with other believers. Your volunteers want to feel like they’re contributing to something bigger than themselves and that they are a part of a community. Take the time to connect with each volunteer on a personal level and prioritize building relationships over getting things done.
#7: Conduct a Survey
One of the best ways to identify potential volunteers already sitting in your pews is to conduct a survey. This can logistically be done in multiple ways, but the goal of the survey should be to get a better understanding of your congregation’s abilities and desire to serve.
Make sure you identify where people are interested in serving, how much time they have available to serve, and if there are any special skills or talents that would be useful in specific areas of your ministry.
You should also ask for suggestions on showing appreciation for those who serve. No one knows how to show appreciation better than the volunteers themselves!
Make sure you don’t sit on the data you collect. Distribute the answers among your church staff based on where people said they’d be interested in serving and connect with people individually about ways they can plug into the life of your church.
#8: Don’t Count Anyone Out
One of the worst things you can do when recruiting volunteers is decide not to ask someone because you think they’ll say no. Even if you believe they may be too busy or simply not want to serve, don’t decide for them. Rather than saving someone from saying no to your request, you may rob them of potential blessings if God is calling them to something. So don’t count someone out just because you don’t think they’ll say yes. They’ll know if they have the ability to answer a call to serve. Give everyone the same chance to step out in faith!
#9: Offer One-Time Opportunities
There are likely members of your congregation who would love to serve but don’t have the time or ability to commit to regular rotations or large events. Look for things in your ministry that can be done in 1-2 hours or remotely. Find smaller tasks that don’t require a recurring commitment.
The inverse of those who may be too busy to serve regularly are those who just don’t know where they fit. These potential volunteers may be new to their faith or just new to your ministry and aren’t sure what the best spot is for them. Offering one-time opportunities would allow those people to discover what interests them or what areas God may be nudging them toward. One-time roles and tasks open the doors to a large percentage of your church family who may not join your volunteer roster otherwise.
#10: Utilize Volunteer Management Software
Keeping track of who is scheduled to serve when, who needs a new or updated background check, and what roles still need to be filled is too much to manage with spreadsheets or notepads. Take advantage of technology like Volunteer Connect within MinistryPlatform to organize volunteers who’ve already signed up and easily see where you still need to recruit. Few things will chase potential volunteers away faster than feeling like you don’t have a handle on everything happening in your ministry. No one wants to be part of something chaotic and unorganized, so leverage every available tool to help your ministry succeed!
For more guidance on building your volunteer base, download our Increase Volunteer Numbers for Your Growing Church guide.
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