When my husband and I were newly married, our first little home sat right in the middle of the city near a lake. It was tiny and imperfect, but it was close to my favorite ice cream shop.

I remember moving in with the screen door hanging on by a thread. Somehow, we managed to get every box in without knocking it completely off the hinges. I wondered whether we should do something about it, but then I remembered it wasn’t ours to fix because we were renters.

Later, we encountered a sticky door we had to force open. Then there was an issue with the lawn. Then the garage door didn’t work, and so on. Each time something needed attention, we called the owner. After all, we were renters, not owners. We didn’t need to invest in maintenance and upkeep, nor did we want to.

Home No. 2 felt different. We bought it. We were the owners. When the paint peeled off the front door, we hurried to the local hardware store to buy just the right brand and shade. The faucet in the kitchen broke, so we installed a nicer one, hoping it would last longer. We were all in. This home was ours, and it was worth our investments of time and money.

It is a tale of two mindsets: owners versus renters. In your church, you have both stories playing out. The renters come in and enjoy the surroundings for a solid hour a week. They sit, engage, and then move on to the next thing in their day.

Of course, they matter. As church leaders, we are thrilled when people come in, check out our services, and best of all, plan to come back. But the big question is, will they keep coming back as renters, or will they eventually become owners? Will they continue to see this as someone else’s investment, or will it become theirs?

Yes, it’s each individual’s decision. However, a major mistake churches make is failing to present the opportunity. Growing Christ’s church is one of the best and biggest investments anyone can make, but we have to offer pathways to ownership.

If we don’t release people to lead, they will come and go. They will remain renters instead of buying in, and settling in, as owners.

Owners do four things to help their churches flourish:

Owners believe in what they do and invest with the understanding that the return is eternal.

Owners understand the framework. I recently talked with a man who was adding on to his house. He knew all about the foundation. He understood how the water lines worked. He had taken the time to learn how his house functioned.

It is the same with owners in churches. They understand the purpose, mission and vision. They are actively volunteering and contributing to make sure the framework holds up well.

Not only are they involved in the day-to-day life of the church, but they also share firsthand how great it is and invite others to join them. Owners make churches grow.

Owners will fix stuff. When something breaks, it is the owner’s responsibility to fix it — not someone else’s.

In all my years of church ministry, nothing has been more beautiful than watching volunteers care. I have seen them repair chairs so people have a place to sit during the service. I have seen them adjust the curriculum so the child with special needs can understand. I have seen them set up meetings to bring clarity to hard situations.

Owners fix things. They make things better. They understand they must contribute for the church to fulfill its mission.

Owners go back after the storm. Homeowners in coastal areas may have to evacuate ahead of a hurricane, but they always return to their property to sort out what to do next. The owners go back.

For many in the Church, the pandemic has felt like a storm. From navigating shutdowns to moving ministries online, it has been hard. But something beautiful happened in the midst of it all: The owners came back. They showed up to lead their small groups on Zoom. They volunteered to deliver groceries. They pitched in to do extra cleaning so the church facilities are safer for those who enter them.

The owners are the ones who have been on the frontlines of ministry during the pandemic. They have understood the church is essential, and they have come back.

Owners invest financially. Owners give not only of their time, but also their financial resources. They know the food pantry cannot serve those in need if the roof leaks, so they help fund the repairs. They recognize how lifechanging it can be for students to see how God is working around the world, so they give to the teenage girl who is raising funds so she can go on the missions trip. Owners believe in what they do and invest with the understanding that the return is eternal.

Owners matter in churches. As church leaders, our job is to help renters move toward ownership. That means releasing others to lead and giving them opportunities to invest.

Here are five ways to develop an ownership culture in your church:

1. Fit the Volunteer, Not the Position

I grew up on a farm in Iowa. At a young age, I considered myself a fashionista, but it was hard to stay up on the trends when we ventured into the big city only about twice a year.

At times, not knowing when we would be back in town led me to make unwise decisions — such as cramming my feet into shoes that were too small because the store did not have my size in stock. Limping to study hall in eighth grade with blisters on my feet, I learned a painful lesson: Moving forward with the wrong fit is not sustainable.

In churches, we sometimes get the wrong fit with volunteers, and it hurts. It hurts the volunteer, and it hurts the church. They typically end up quitting. Worst of all, they may not raise a hand to volunteer again because of the last traumatic serving experience.

If we want people to take ownership of church ministry, we need to make sure they find the right fit as volunteers.

Start by talking with volunteers and asking about their passions and interests. If they’re unsure, a spiritual gifts inventory might help.

Give them a tour of the volunteer area, and answer any questions they may have before they commit. Let volunteers observe the ministry in action. Some people will enjoy being in a room full of energetic middle school students. Others may turn around and decide that’s not the place for them.

2. Make Everyone a Recruiter

If your church has just one volunteer coordinator, it’s time for a change. When churches place the responsibility for recruiting on one person, they miss out on valuable opportunities to multiply their reach.

The best thing you can do is get all your volunteers recruiting. Relational influence works. You buy the brand of truck your friend suggests because he swears it can haul more than any other truck he’s had, and you trust him. You buy the shampoo your friend suggests because she tells you it’s the only one that controls the frizz.

This is how we make many decisions in life; we trust the recommendations of those we know. It is the same with volunteering. Someone who is excited about what is taking place with the prison ministry is the best advertisement for getting others to join. If someone who loves to tend the church garden starts talking to friends about it, the odds of generating interest increase.

This does not have to be hard. In fact, the first step is as easy as telling your volunteers they can recruit. You would be surprised how many have no idea they are allowed to do this.

Provide some tools to equip volunteers for the task. Design a role description for them to use when talking about the position. Create no-pressure opportunities for volunteers to bring friends, introduce them, and show them around.

Acknowledge successful recruiting work by calling it out in a team meeting or sending a thank you card.

If you want owners in your church, let them recruit. They’ll probably do it better than you anyway.

3. Provide Training

A church’s leaders once asked me to do some consulting because they were struggling to keep volunteers engaged. I agreed to meet with the whole staff. My first question was what their training looked like.

They pulled the high school sophomore thing, where everyone looks around but not at the person speaking because they are terrified they might have to answer. So, I called on some of them.

“Women’s ministry?”

“Umm, we currently do not have anything.”

“Kids’ ministry?”

“Yeah, we are working on it.”

“Welcome team?”

“Same.”

I stood there and smiled before saying nicely, “Well, I think I know the problem.”

Everyone deserves training as a new volunteer. It can be five minutes long for the new team member stacking chairs, or an entire day for the new area leader of children’s ministry, but everyone should receive training of some kind. Instead of waiting for failure and frustration to set in, set people up to succeed.

Create a job description for each position, and walk recruits through each aspect of their new roles. Take your best volunteer in the group, and have newcomers shadow that person.

At the end of their first couple weeks of volunteering, do a Q&A time with volunteers so they can ask all the questions they may have.

If you want owners in your church, you have to equip them at the start.

4. Celebrate Community

If you want volunteers to stick around, create teams with members who care about one another and have fun together.

I once had an usher team that was like no other. The ushers were all in and did a better job than any other team I had ever led. There was one reason for their success: their leader.

Steve was a natural community builder. He was always throwing a picnic in the park for his team. Each week, he sent out an email asking for prayer requests, and he took the time to ask questions of people and take an interest in their personal lives. His love for that team created community and connection.

Teams of volunteers who outperform others do life together. It can be a matter of spending time together outside of typical serving moments, praying together, and celebrating birthdays and other special moments of life.

It’s also important to thank everyone for serving, either verbally or with a note.

If you want owners in your church, do life together, and have fun.

5. Focus on Others

When I was 24, my senior pastor asked me to transition from my position as a youth leader to take on a new pastoral role. I loved the volunteers and students I worked with, but after prayerful consideration, I agreed.

I wanted to complete our summer missions trips before announcing the move. I held the secret carefully, and it was painful. During a layover on the last trip, I was processing it all and feeling emotional. I wondered, Who will love them like I do? Who will go to their volleyball games and football games? Who will listen to them over coffee?

As I stood in the airport, leaning against a pillar and having my pity party, I looked over and noticed the students had moved. They were now in a big circle, and sitting in the middle were three of my volunteers.

The volunteers were going around the circle asking each of the students to answer these questions: “How has this trip changed you? How will you live differently when you go back home? How can you share your faith?”

In that moment, I started crying. I realized the students would be just fine. They did not need me because they had the best kind of volunteers possible: owners. That experience taught me it isn’t about me. It’s easy for pastors to make ministry all about their leadership. Even the most well-meaning leaders can start to believe the success of their ministry hinges on how much good they can do. So, they keep the spotlight on themselves and make sure their voice is the loudest as they try to shoulder the entire load.

However, that is not how Jesus led. He didn’t hold tightly to power; Jesus gave it away. He discipled, equipped, empowered, and released others to multiply the work of the Kingdom.

For those in vocational church ministry, it is our job to do the same. We should always be asking ourselves: Who else could do this? Who could do this better than me? Where is an opportunity for someone else to try leading?

Those questions should guide our ministry at every stage. The sign of a great leader is when they leave, the ministry keeps going because they released others to lead. In other words, it wasn’t about them.

In order to see owners in your church, you must learn it’s not about you.

Owner culture doesn’t just happen; it’s intentionally developed. It’s thoughtful, it’s clear, it requires time, and it has expectations.

If you want to see your church grow, if you want to see people deepen their faith, if you want to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ, let them lead. Hand over the ministry, invite them to become owners, and let them invest.

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This article appears in the January–March 2021 edition of Influence magazine.