Over the last few weeks I’ve shared the first six biblical principles that guide us at The Journey for recruiting new volunteers. Below are the final two. As you read them, know that my prayer for you is that these principles will help you in developing a system which will equip your people to do God’s work, and to build up His church in doing so.

Principle #7: Mobilizing people for ministry is part of discipleship.
If someone in your church is not serving, he is not growing as a disciple. If he isn’t serving, he’s less likely to be sharing his faith, spending time in Scripture and in prayer, and giving in a God-honoring way. In short, if he isn’t serving, he is not going to be able to honor God with all of the other areas of his life. Your job and mine, as church leaders, is to disciple people. We are called to help them down the path of offering their whole lives to God. Mobilizing them for ministry is an indispensable part of that discipleship.

Principle #8: The role of the pastor is to equip people for ministry.
As a pastor, if I am doing everything by myself, I am robbing the people in my church of opportunities to grow. Having a do-it-yourself attitude is dangerous when it comes to ministry. It’s in my best interests not only as a pastor but also as a kingdom builder to mobilize as many people as possible to be involved in ministry. I am called to equip them as Paul says in Ephesians 4:11-13.

Too often you and I are hesitant to call people to ministry because we think the request will be seen as self-serving. We fall into feeling like we are trying to recruit people for our own purposes. Such thinking is completely off base. If your vision is aligned with God’s purposes for your church, asking people to get involved with that vision is asking them to start doing the most important thing they can do in life. You are calling them to act of worship.

Click here for Part 1 of this series.

Click here for Part 2 of this series.

Click here for Part 3 of this series.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.