How To Get People To Volunteer At Church

 

The two biggest challenges in almost any church, both rural and urban, are diminishing membership and diminishing volunteers. If you are struggling to find volunteers at church, here are some tips that I have found useful:

  1. Be Joyful and Positive – No one wants to join a sinking ship, and no one wants to take on a job that is going to exhaust them. You may feel exhausted, frustrated, and maybe even desperate, but try not to communicate that to your potential volunteers. My grandmother used to say, “You can catch more flies with honey, than you can with vinegar.”
  2. Be Clear and Concise – It may seem silly in a small church to have job descriptions for your volunteer positions, but people often need to see things in black and white, and want to know clearly what they are signing up for. I also recommend having two versions of the job description—a small index-card sized version that you can hand out to people to consider the position, and then a fuller version once they have agreed to serve. It also can be good to put the index-card version on your website. The key for these job descriptions is to communicate to your folks that the job is manageable, and has a clear start and end date.
  3. Start with One-Offs – Instead of asking, “Hey, can you be our church projectionist?” Ask, “Any chance you could help run the projector on April 23rd?”
  4. Offer A Test Period and Job Shadowing – Once someone has done a job a few times, invite people to try the job out for a while before making a commitment. This can be good for folks who haven’t done a one-off yet too. You could also invite them to just job shadow someone else before making the leap of faith.
  5. Use Shorter Terms – People are often afraid of volunteering because they see that people get hooked for life. Volunteering at church is often like a game of hot potato. Make it clear that you are not expecting them to volunteer forever. In most cases a year-term is a maximum. For some volunteer positions it may even be good to make them 3 or 4 month terms.
  6. Break Positions Into Two When Possible – Sunday School teachers are often the hardest to find. It is a big commitment to teach Sunday School. Some churches have had great success using co-teachers and even co-superintendents. Sharing the load can be a great thing.
  7. Ensure Someone is Touching Base, Supporting, and Thanking Volunteers – There is nothing worse than a thankless job. It makes you wonder if you are even making a difference. Make sure you have at least one person who’s job it is to thank your volunteers. Thanking people in-person is best, but emails every now and then can be a great in addition. You also want to make sure the person isn’t floundering by checking in with them. Silence isn’t always golden.

 

Internet Resources

 

Books