What Gets Rewarded, Gets Repeated (Part 2) – Casting a Vision for Volunteers

If you find yourself lacking in a certain area inside of your Church…if you find yourself having to give energy to a certain area inside your Church, it may mean that you’ve not been celebrating that area. Because people will do, people will take next steps toward, and people will act on that which you celebrate.

Let’s say, for example, that you need more volunteers in the children’s area.  Now, first of all, if you’ve listened to my Ministry Seminar or if you have read my book “Connect,” you know in the ministry system you never “need” volunteers.  If you’re running ads that say, “We ‘need’ volunteers,” all that’s telling you is, “You haven’t cast a vision for that area.”

People are attracted to vision. They’re not attracted to need.

Part of vision is to celebrate what’s happening in that area and then invite people to be a part of what God is doing in that area. Let’s say you have an opportunity for people to serve in the kid’s area. One of the things that you can do to highlight that area is to look for ways to celebrate what God is doing in that area. Let me tell you a couple of ways you might do this.

We had a membership class a few weeks ago, and one of our primary sources for volunteers in the kids’ area is people who go through membership class.

Why?  Because one of the things we take time to do in membership class is to celebrate what God has been doing in the kid’s ministry. The way you celebrate is you share statistics about how the kids area is growing. I’m sharing stats about how lives are being changed. How last month, we gave away X number of children’s Bible’s, because of all the children that are coming to the Journey Kids area that don’t have Bibles.  Then I share a story about someone whose life was changed through that ministry.

Now, when you’re sharing and celebrating, you not only want to celebrate through numbers, but you also want to celebrate through people. Most of us tend to go one way or another.

If you’re very people-oriented, and you like to share stories, you’re probably missing out on the engineers, and the accountants, and the numbers-oriented people who need the numbers.

If you’re only doing numbers, you’re missing out on everybody else who relates to stories. You really want to do a combination of both.

In one membership class, I shared a story and we celebrated what God was doing in the kid’s area. Then I gave those who were interested an opportunity to get signed-up to serve in the kid’s area.

Out of a membership class of 50-60 people, we added seven new volunteers in our children’s area.

Because that which you celebrate draws people, attracts people, excites people, mobilizes people, and recruits people through celebration.

To learn other ways to use this idea in other areas of your ministry, Click Here to listen to my complete podcast, “What Gets Rewarded, Gets Repeated.”

Your Partner in Ministry,

Nelson

 

P.S.  What would you do differently if you had the maximum number of volunteers serving in ministry?  What impact could your church have if everyone was serving somewhere in your church?

In the Ministry Seminar, I will teach you how to have the maximum number of people involved in serving.

You will learn:

  •  How to create a culture that attracts volunteers
  •  How to have an abundance of volunteers, and not just the minimum needed
  •  How to recruit new volunteers
  •  How to double your volunteers in a day
  •  How to grow your volunteers
  •  How to (really) delegate
  •  How to treat volunteers (it’s not the way you think)
  •  How to “fire” a volunteer
  •  How to train volunteers (and how not to over-train them)
  •  How to keep volunteers motivated
  •  How to recruit volunteers in areas “where no one wants to serve”
  •  How to appropriately celebrate volunteers so they can’t wait to do it again

Click here to pick up your copy of the Ministry Seminar at HALF OFF (available only through July 31st!).

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© 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.

Nelson SearcyMinistry, Uncategorized

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