No church or organization can run long without a high level of quality volunteers from within. Although it’s not an easy task, finding and maintaining those volunteers is not impossible. In meetings with pastors and staff members I’ve often heard, “Well, all churches suffer from a lack of volunteers.” But that’s simply not the case. In fact, the most effective leaders are those who are able to enlist and employ people into ministries regularly.

A strong volunteer base is not just helpful in doing ministry for the long run, it’s a biblical mandate. Ephesians 4 beautifully lays out the roles and responsibilities of church leaders — pastors, teachers and evangelists among them. But what is their main purpose? It’s not to do the work of ministry, but “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”. Ephesians 4:12.

In short, that means our job as church leaders is not to do the work, but find and release people within our church for works of service.

Two Ways to Recruit Volunteers
But you’ve heard this before. You already know the importance of getting people involved in every area of church ministry. But the task can often feel just out of reach. So we tend to fall back on one of two approaches to volunteer recruitment with little or no results.

The first way is to plead from the pulpit that it’s the duty of every member to get involved. I call this guilt-based recruitment. We demand and command our people to get off their seats and get into a place of service. Or we make it a requirement of membership, dangling the right of belonging over them like a carrot with the responsibility of service in hand like a stick. We expect this obligation-centered plea to work, but it usually only leaves people feeling worse.

The second way is needs-based recruitment. Instead of hammering people about their responsibilities, we go on and on about the desperate needs all around the church. This kind of plea usually ends up sounding like we’re begging them to fill a shortage. Worse, it makes our ministries appear inadequately staffed. That’s a reflection of our leadership more than anything. No one wants to serve in an area that doesn’t run well.

A Third, Better Way
I want to suggest a better way to recruit volunteers. I call it discipleship-based recruitment. This way turns obligation into an offer and urgency into opportunity. Instead of focusing on how volunteers fill our needs for ministry in the church, we turn it into a chance to fill one of their needs, growth. When people use their God-given talents in God-honoring ways, they grow stronger in the Lord as a result.

The most effective leaders are those who are able to enlist and employ people into ministries regularly.

Discipleship-based volunteer recruitment should focus on pastors talking about volunteerism in pastoral terms with a pastoral heart, focusing on the spiritual growth of people. Instead of pleading for help, we’re offering outlets for them to use their gifts. The result is joy and excitement in doing church ministry.

How to Put Discipleship-Based Recruitment Into Action
Discipleship-based volunteer recruitment is focused on discovering the ways people are shaped by God individually for personal acts of service. Instead of plugging people into roles of drastic need, you place them in an area that is complementary of their bent as a person. Instead of a drag on their time and talents, it becomes an area of increased growth and development.

Start by making it a part of your discipleship process. Hopefully you’ve already thought through how you plan on taking a person from making a decision to follow Christ to becoming a devoted follower of the Lord. One step in the journey should be an evaluation of their unique gift-set. There are multiple spiritual gift inventories available to help believers discover their skills and abilities. Once they’ve done that, show them how implementing their unique skills in the church is part of growing in Christ.

Another way to turn the focus from your need to their growth is by promoting the benefits over the cost. A guilt-based approach says, “This is what we expect from you.” A needs-based approach says, “This is what we need out of you.” But a discipleship-based approach says, “This is what we want for you.” Instead of promoting the cost, show them how service is an integral step in their growth as believers.

And the benefits are not confined to spiritual growth either. Not only are volunteers receiving spiritual rewards for their works of service, but they are also seeing lives changed, meeting and doing life with other people in the church, finding creative outlets for their God-given talents, and becoming a vital part of building up the church.

Finally, stress the real need. Let’s face it, you need people to fill positions and run ministries. But there are more important things you need from them. You need people to wake up to the idea that God has something planned for their lives. You need believers to see how their gifts fit into the overall mission of your church and the vision for its future. You need them to want to continue growing in the Lord day by day, week by week. The real need is their growth.

The next time you have a volunteer drive in your church, try implementing a discipleship-based approach. Instead of highlighting the great needs and lack of help, highlight the great growth that accompanies each work of service in the church and in the world.