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1. Focus on their skills: You’ve got to care more about their skills than your ‘holes’.  We know how many volunteers we need and where we need them.  But the truth is… if all we focus on is plugging holes we risk forcing a square peg into a round hole.  It’s great to start with filling holes, but have a system in place to reevaluate the placement at a later time.  Ultimately you want a volunteer to thrive in their role.  They won’t thrive if they’re not using their skills.
2. Focus on their heart: Care more about their spiritual development than your schedule.  If you find your volunteer needs time for spiritual development don’t hesitate.  Be the first to recognize and recommend they take time away to focus on their relationship with Jesus.  Send them out for a specified number of weeks.  Commit to follow up.  Then do it! Give them tools, resources and your blessing.
3. Focus on their ministry: Plugging into your ministry just might ‘light’ somebody up.  They might get excited about ministry to kids.  That’s the goal, right?  And sometimes it reaches a point where it’s time for your volunteer to move.  Sometimes a vision for ministry wells up in them that is outside of your scope of ministry.  That’s okay.  In fact… that amazing!  Allow this to be the positive, encouraging, challenging process that it should be.  Allow this to be the reason volunteers exit your ministry.  Not because you want another opening to fill!  But because you know the value in pursuing exactly what God has placed before us.  Bless them.  Equip them.  Encourage them.  Then step back and allow room for God to do what only He can do.

Holding our volunteer teams with a tight-fisted grip restricts growth.  Hold them with open hands knowing we serve a God of abundance.  God cares more than you do about your ministry.  He desires to work boldly in and through your volunteers.  Allow Him room to show up and work in ways you don’t expect.

1.  Ride the wave: In surfing, you don’t create a wave.  You wait for it to come then you ride it as long as you can.  Ministry opportunities come in waves.  You don’t create them.  They naturally happen.

There are natural times when people are looking to plug in…

• August/September when school begins and people are ready for a normal schedule again
• January when people are comtemplating  lifestyle change
• At the peak of a Vision message series

Be the surfer that recognizes when these waves naturally form.  Get prepared to ride the wave as it crests.

2.  Focus on the vision… not the need: Your team will focus on that which you focus.  If you’re focused on the ‘holes’ in your volunteer team then what comes out of your mouth is all about the holes.  Remain focused on the vision and everything you share will come from that angle.

Attract people with the need, you gain someone willing to fill the need… for a time.

Attract people with the vision, you gain someone willing to fight for that vision.

3.  Clear the path: Have a clear path to begin volunteering.  That path should be simple and obvious.

Ask yourself if the average ‘Joe’ knows how they initiate the process to begin serving.  Answer the 4 W’s.

• Who do I talk to?
• Where do I go?
• What do I do?
• When do I do it?

If you don’t have the answers to these questions written down, then you don’t have a clear path in place.