14 Things Pastors And Church Staff Must Know About Top Volunteers

14 Things Pastors And Church Staff Must Know About Top Volunteers

Recently, a high-capacity volunteer I know declined a meeting invitation to attend a gathering of executive staff and other key volunteer leaders to discuss of all things, developing a volunteer culture at their church.  A proactive staff member called the volunteer and inquired about this person’s scheduled absence.
The volunteer noted, “Everyone in that room hears me all the time.  I think they will just glaze over.  You’ve got new voices in the room.  I just think it will be more successful if I’m not there.”
The staff member replied, “Everyone in that room respects your opinion.  You’ve got a lot to add.  And we really need you to deliver a portion of the content.”  To which the volunteer replied, “O.K. I may be a little late but I’ll be there.”
When you dig below the surface, there is some fascinating leadership principles embedded in this conversation.  These principles are critical to your church’s ability to attract, engage and deploy high-capacity volunteers for maximum Kingdom impact in your church.
The following are 14 Things Pastors And Church Staff Must Know About Top Volunteers:

1. High-Capacity Volunteers Love Their Church – Your church’s top volunteers are not without options.  Yet, they have made the strategic chose to leverage their time and talent to serve at your church.
2. High-Capacity Volunteers Want Influence.  Not Titles.
3. High-Capacity Volunteers Steward Their Time, Talent, Money And Influence Well – Top volunteers do not have time to waste.  They want a maximum Kingdom ROI.
4. High-Capacity Volunteers Are Best Influenced Through Personal Relationships – The relationship with the staff person was the catalyst for the engagement of the volunteer.
5. High-Capacity Volunteers Love Their Staff – Top volunteers are deeply invested in their church.  Therefore, they desperately want to see their staff flourish.
6. High-Capacity Volunteers Value The Contributions Of Others – Notice the volunteer acknowledged the contributions which could be made by others.  For your top volunteers, their success is often found in the success of others.
7. High-Capacity Volunteers Should Frequently Be Shown Appreciation – As should all your volunteers.  Appreciation is your best weapon against burnout.  Do you have an effective appreciative system in place for your volunteers?  The best one I know is Volunteer Rocket.  You can click HERE to sign up for a free trial.
8. High-Capacity Volunteers Don’t Require Credit – They want organizational success over their personal success.
9. High-Capacity Volunteers Are Best Engaged One-On-One – You can’t leapfrog your top leaders.  The good news is your top volunteers are highly relational.  However, this can sometimes be high-maintenance as well.
10. High-Capacity Volunteers Want To Know They Are Making A Difference – Top volunteers are not inspired by maintenance but rather life change.
11. High-Capacity Volunteers Perform Better When Given Clear Instruction – Clarity is your friend when dealing with top volunteers.  They are most successful when given a clear target and marching orders.
12. High-Capacity Volunteers Bring Solutions – The answer to every problem is a person.  High-capacity individuals can help solve your toughest challenges.
13. High-Capacity Volunteers Want To See The Kingdom Advanced – The meeting was then held with much success.  The church was helped.  The volunteer was encouraged.  And most important, the church’s mission and vision was advanced.
14. The Power Of An Encouraging Staff – In my opinion, the hero of this story is not the high-capacity volunteer.  It is the staff person who recognized their potential, saw something in them, reached out, and encouraged them to use their talent and giftedness to help the church and for the glory of God.

To all pastors and church leaders, what volunteer(s) do you need to reach out to and encourage today?  Take a moment RIGHT NOW, and make a call or send them an encouraging email or text.  You have no idea what you may unleash in their life and the life of your church.