Church staff work hard. They often work long hours for lower-than-average pay. They don’t have time for all that’s on their plate, yet still dream of more ways to expand their ministry impact. And they frequently have church members suggestingRead more…
Top Ten Things PASTORS Can Do to Help Others Serve
Leadership matters. Whether in the military or the family or business, the leadership influences outcomes. In the church, Jesus Christ is our leader, the one we follow. You, our local pastors, are His under-shepherds, guiding us as we gather forRead more…
Volunteerism Resources
Googling will get you thousands of articles on healthy church volunteerism, and most are worthwhile. This is my curated list of specifically church-focused resources, and especially useful secular volunteerism sources. Church-specific TheEquipper.org is my website, created to encourage churches to intentionallyRead more…
How to Write Great Recruitment Copy
Words have power. Words can stir our emotions and those emotions drive our actions. But if this is true, why don’t the words in our newsletter announcements bring us the volunteers we want and need? Compare the time, money andRead more…
Creating Volunteer Roles
Want more volunteers in your church? Consider creating new volunteer roles. Just because people aren’t signing up for publicized volunteer needs doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to give their time and talent to opportunities that match their skills, interests andRead more…
Serving in an Election: Part 2, Affirming Best Practices
I recently served as a worker in a local election — a new experience for me, and one I hope to repeat. My main take-away, detailed in Part 1, was how much it taught me about my community. But IRead more…
Serving in an Election: Part 1 – Community Learnings
Serving as education? That’s not how we usually think of serving. But an education is just what I received recently, when I served as an election volunteer. What I learned from the experience had nothing to do with politics; norRead more…
What is a Discipling Relationship and Why You Might Actually Want One
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…
The State of Church Volunteerism
Presidents annually give a State of the Union address, and effective leaders regularly share their view of the past and vision of the future. Perhaps similarly, my step into retirement has prompted reflection on the state of church volunteerism –Read more…
More Serving? or Better Serving?
Quantity or Quality? When we talk about serving, it’s almost always about “more” serving — its quantity. As volunteers retire, leaders need to replace them with more volunteers. When new ministry opportunities arise, leaders need more volunteers to make themRead more…
Spiritual Gifts? People Eager for More
Younger respondents have bigger and more emphatic responses to . . . gifting. “Gifted for More” is a new resource on spiritual gifts with convincing evidence that the time is right for churches to help people identify, develop and shareRead 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…
Church Volunteerism in a Changed World
Twenty-one months after the covid pandemic first threw us for a loop, we’re still in upheaval. Vaccines are prevalent, but many still suffer and many more are fearful. When it comes to church volunteerism, ‘normal’ is a distant memory andRead more…
If Every Church had a Volunteer Champion…
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 whoRead more…
Where in the World is The Equipper?
Susan, a colleague from 10+ years ago, emailed me earlier this year and noted, “I see your website hasn’t been updated in a while. I hope all is well with you.” All is well with me, Susan, but you’re right.Read more…