Who has been a mentor to you? Is there a teacher who made a major impact on you? Do you try to model your life after a certain family member or friend? If you are a person of faith, whoRead more…
You Can Be/Grow a Volunteer Champion
Imagine a world in which every Christian church, no matter its size or budget, had an acknowledged volunteer champion in their midst, a leader who helped people use their God-given gifts in their Lord’s service within and beyond the church;Read more…
God’s Timing at Work
If you’ve taken St. Peter’s new member class in the past 10 years, you remember meeting with one of our volunteer ministry guides for a friendly conversation about your gifts and interests and ways they might be used at St.Read more…
Add a Little More Joy to Your Serving
If we’re driving, we need to know how much gas is in the tank. When we’re serving, it can be equally helpful to look at how much joy is in our tank! Let’s do a self-check. Do you look forwardRead more…
Add a Little Jesus to Your Serving
“I never thought of that as serving Jesus!” I hear this a lot. We all tend to equate ‘serving Jesus’ with volunteering that is at church or that is specifically religious. But St. Paul says, “. . . whatever youRead more…
Simplify Your Serving
Some of us don’t need to be encouraged to serve. We’re serving at church and elsewhere so much so that we’re running nonstop. If you’re overwhelmed by obligations, if a relaxed family dinner is a rarity, if you say ‘yes’Read more…
The Jungle Cruise and Insubordination
What can we learn from Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise? What Laszlo Bock has to say here about employees is actually MORE true of volunteers. Empowerment can be key in keeping volunteers, particularly the highly skilled ones. How does a leader ofRead more…
On Your Feet
Note: This is the fourth in a series of five reflections. The series begins here. If God’s calling us to specific tasks (see Eph. 2:10), how do we know what they are? It sounds like a high-stake guessing game. What jobRead more…
A Question: Is a Retreat Worthwhile?
I am thinking about hosting a winter retreat for my church’s volunteers. Do you think it’s worth it? — a reader Response: Is a retreat worthwhile? Jesus certainly thought so! “Then, because so many people were coming and going thatRead more…
A Question: What Will a Volunteer Coordinator Do For Me?
The budget of our church’s volunteer program got a substantial bump this year. Thankfully, we are now able to hire a full-time coordinator. What are the most important parts of a volunteer program that we should shift to her, theRead more…
Three Little Words
I clearly remember the day I uncovered three little words with a huge impact on retaining volunteers. I was talking to a man who set up coffee and donuts every Sunday. He was new to that ministry, so I asked,Read more…
Experiments in Video Blogging
I’m experimenting with video blogging as a communication tool to promote serving opportunities. Check out my first efforts under the “Watch our videos” heading here. My criteria for success are that I can be reasonably ‘myself’ on camera, that itRead more…
Good Stuff: Are You Wearing Your Oxygen Mask?
Self-care is important for all of us, but especially so for those who lead volunteers. If we don’t “put on your own oxygen mask first . . .” we’ll hinder and hurt (and probably lose) the volunteers who work withRead more…
Want Volunteers? Throw a Party!
Ministry fairs are popular church volunteer recruitment events. Each ministry (such as Sunday school, food pantry, the garden club, etc.) prepares and mans a table. People stroll around the room, viewing the volunteer opportunities, and signing up if interested. EffectiveRead more…
Time & Talent & Spiritual Gift Surveys
Time and talent surveys and spiritual gift inventories are two common data-gathering tools in churches. Information about a volunteer’s skills, spiritual gifts, and preferences is always helpful. It allows us to direct our recruitment effort to those most likely toRead more…
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