Recruiting, Training and Empowering an All-Volunteer Staff
Taught by Karl Vaters
1. RECRUITING
Recruiting volunteers starts with giving them something worth volunteering for
Discover what your church does well, then do it on purpose
Front-load the value: feature what you do well
Move out of a destination mindset and into a process orientation
Adapt to how people make commitments now
People have changed how they make commitments in four fundamental ways:
- For blocks of time, not long-term
- Through relationships
- Because we ask
- To causes and relationships
Build a bridge
2. TRAINING
Start with one
Church leaders are not called to do the church members’ ministry for them
- We’re called to equip the saints to do ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Build your training around relationships, not curriculum
- Mentoring, not just finishing a class
- The smaller the church, the more likely your leadership programs will be one and done
Use the Jethro system to raise up leaders
- 10, 50, 100, 1,000
- Look for Level 10 leaders, first
- Find leaders by looking for servants
3. PLANNING
Why planning is harder with an all-volunteer staff
- Volunteers can just not show up
- Losing a key person can wipe you out
- Most planning ideas come from context of paid staff
Schedule meetings around their calendars, not yours
- Sunday stand-ups
- During children’s events to facilitate childcare
Planning Step 1: Get Annual Events On The Calendar NOW
Planning Step 2: The 3-2-1 System for Better Quarterly Planning
Planning Step 3: A Checklist For More Effective Leadership Meetings
Karl Vaters • CornerstoneFV.com