The Equipper Newsletter
November 2, 2021
Churches Equipping Saints for Service
   
 
 
 How to Discourage Your Church's Volunteers
 
 
(This article, written 20+ years ago, may be outdated in its examples, but the meat of it, sadly, remains too often true.)
 
Why are so few doing the bulk of the work in most of our churches? Are those not serving less spiritual, less dedicated than those who are? Sometimes spiritual reasons are involved, and these need to be addressed with those people.
 
But first, let's imagine your church with no volunteers for a week, then look at some common practices that discourage people from volunteering.
 
 
 
 If Every Church Had a Volunteer Champion
 
 
 (My vision for a more positive future for our Lord's church! ) 
 
Odds are good your church does not have a staff person who focuses on healthy volunteerism. Few churches do, and the numbers are decreasing. But I’m willing to bet your church does have a person or two or ten who care about volunteerism. So imagine with me . . .

Imagine a world in which every Christian church, no matter its size or budget, had an acknowledged volunteer champion . . . (read more)

 
 
 You Can Do This
 
 
My vision is for healthier church volunteerism and intentional, impactful everyday serving by all God's people. If you share that vision, here are some immediate steps you can take. 
  • Share this newsletter with a friend, colleague, fellow volunteer, church leader
  • Browse The Equipper website for resources that speak to your church's needs
  • Network with others who share your vision and desires and also face challenges. Meeting for coffee every other month is a network! To avoid it being no more than a mutual gripe session, begin and end with prayer and commit to sharing at least one positive experience or resource. 
  • See if your community has a local volunteerism center or network of volunteerism leaders. 
  • Communicate with The Equipper. As I know more about your challenges, I will be on the lookout for more specific tools.
  • I am seeking a few churches to pilot a new small group resource on growing our everyday serving in early 2022. Let me know if you're interested. 
 
 Resources
 
 
Volunteerism resources from Energize, Inc.  

God's gifts of a heart for serving others and the interdependence of people in community are also visible beyond his church.


 
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The Equipper Newsletter published monthly by
Karen Kogler, Equipper Church Volunteerism Resources