No matter the size, there is one thing every church needs more of: volunteers. Yet finding volunteers remains one of the biggest challenges in ministry, although it is something all churches agree is essential. Volunteers regularly prove difficult to enlist and retain for a variety of reasons.
But the truth is, managing to fill all three dozen spots to cover your nursery rotation isn’t your biggest problem. Neither is finding enough people to prepare and serve the meal for your ladies’ Christmas dinner. And it’s not ensuring you have greeters at every entrance on Sunday mornings to welcome members and guests with smiling faces.
Your biggest problem is that your staff is doing too much without enough help. As Director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Scott Thumma said, “There’s no congregation, whether it’s a megachurch or a church of 50, that has enough staff to do everything the congregation needs to do.”
I hear you saying, “Isn’t finding enough volunteers going to fix that problem?” The answer is yes. And no.
Filling your rosters and implementing strategies to keep your church volunteers happy would definitely take a load off your staff members’ shoulders. But then, what do you do when an event needs to be planned? Or when seven different people have the same question about what time they need to be there on Wednesday to set up tables? They’re all calling, emailing, texting, and maybe even dropping by to ask, you guessed it, the staff.
So, what is the best way to find all the people you need to help your ministry run smoothly AND alleviate some of the stress sitting squarely on your staff? Volunteer leadership teams!
What are volunteer leadership teams, and why do you need them?
No matter your position within your church, you have a ton on your plate. Numerous things have to be done every day to keep your ministry running. But it doesn’t all have to be done by you!
Volunteer leadership teams work directly with the staff but take on most of the planning, organizing, recruiting, and maintenance. Then, the staff can focus on the areas of ministry that volunteers can’t do. While the staff member leading each ministry area would be part of the teams that fall under his or her umbrella, the leadership teams would be doing much of the legwork.
But how do you go from scrambling to find people to saving time and meeting needs?
Step 1: Establishing your team needs
This goes without saying, but your church staff should not be doing everything. So, the first step to building successful volunteer leadership teams is to determine where your staff needs assistance.
Think long and hard about what areas your staff needs help tackling. What are the things your staff does day to day that can be done by someone else? These things will form the basis for the team structure within your church.
Each of your main ministry areas should have its own team, such as children, youth, women, men, etc. Other major areas that could benefit from having teams are worship/music, hospitality, first impressions/welcome, kitchen/food services, and security.
There is no one list of what volunteer leadership teams a church should have since every staff and congregation has different needs and priorities. While you don’t want to waste time trying to develop a team that ends up being unnecessary, if you think having a team in a specific area would benefit you, go for it and see where it takes you.
Step 2: Identifying your team goals and responsibilities
Determining what ministry areas need team leads to figuring out each team’s goals and responsibilities. Some goals may be similar or even overlap, but most teams will have their own.
One of the main goals for every team should be to help your staff carry and manage the weight of leading your church. Other goals include building up new ministry areas, targets to improve established ministry areas, or maintaining the current trajectory of ministry areas that are running smoothly.
Next, identify which responsibilities on your staff members’ to-do lists should be migrated to a team. These might include deciding what time to set up for an event, planning every aspect of that event, finding volunteers to help, and publicizing the event. Or it may look like passing out the name tags to your greeters on Sunday mornings and puzzling out their rotation schedule.
Whatever responsibilities you decide each team should have, make sure you’re specific about who is expected to do what. You should even write it all down for easy reference when questions inevitably arise.
Step 3: Determining your team roles
Once you’ve figured out where you need teams and their goals and responsibilities, you need to establish the roles within each team.
While churches are not businesses and, in many ways, shouldn’t be run as if they are, when it comes to leadership, establishing an organizational structure for each team is vital to creating an environment of success rather than adding more chaos.
Each team should have a “team lead.” This person functions as the team’s manager, leading meetings, following up on project status, making sure all needs are covered, and acting as the go-between for the team and church staff when necessary.
The team lead acts primarily as the team’s facilitator, while the rest of the members take ownership of the team’s responsibilities. The members may have their own areas that they focus on within the team (e.g., fundraising, volunteer recruitment, special events, curriculum, etc.), but they are all part of making sure the ministry’s needs are met.
Within a larger ministry, having additional team members who don’t have a specific area of focus is also beneficial because these team members can easily switch between tasks to cover every need.
But be mindful that more hands don’t always make lighter work. Keep your leadership teams small and functional. You can always enlist additional volunteers outside of the team when necessary. Most teams will function best with three to eight members.
For example, seven members may work well for a children’s ministry team. It could include a team lead, a fundraising coordinator, a special events coordinator, a Vacation Bible School coordinator, a curriculum coordinator, a family outreach coordinator, and a volunteer coordinator. The children’s ministry director and any floating members would round out the team. Each coordinator would have a specific area they take ownership of while supporting the needs of the other areas and the ministry.
One person may take on multiple roles within a team, but be mindful of who is doing what so you don’t overwhelm anyone. The whole point of having teams is to make things easier for everyone!
Step 4: Recruiting your leadership team
Now you’ve come to arguably the most challenging step: filling those roles.
Recruiting volunteers is always easier said than done, but remember, you’re just trying to enlist people for your leadership teams first. Then, they can help you fill out the rest of your volunteer rosters and get others involved in your church.
You may feel like you’re grasping at straws to even think of a few names. And there’s a valid reason for that. According to a Lifeway Research study on serving published in 2023, only 42% of adult churchgoers are serving regularly within their ministries. How do you convince people of the needs and even benefits of volunteering in church when you have less than half of your congregation willing to participate?
As with everything within your church, praying is the first thing you should do when recruiting. Pray that God will place names on your mind and in your heart of those who would be good fits for your leadership teams.
Consider those who have served faithfully in the past, have proven leadership qualities, are good at staying organized, and have a track record of reliability.
Then, just ask. Explain what the volunteer leadership team looks like, what they’re responsible for, and what kind of commitment you’re asking of your volunteers. Then, give them time to consider your request prayerfully.
If you need to figure out who to ask or need help to think of enough names to fill each team, start with just one or two people and ask them for suggestions. While you may be familiar with a large percentage of your congregation, others have different spheres and may have suggestions you haven’t considered.
So, what now?
Now that your volunteer leadership teams are established, you have to sit back and let them lead. One of your biggest jobs as church staff is to equip the saints. Don’t get them going and then walk away completely, but allow them the space to take ownership in your ministry. Let them take things off your plate so you can focus on other things that need you.
God will bless your efforts to serve His church and care for His flock. It’s time to save time, avoid burnout, and help your ministry thrive!
To help you get started, we’ve put together a guide, Increase Volunteer Numbers for Your Growing Church.
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