Why Won’t More People Volunteer?

by William Cowles

If we’re called to serve as disciples, why is it so blinking hard to get people to greet … to serve meals at the homeless shelter … to usher … to lead a class … to host a group … to tutor kids after school?

And, what would a church searcher think about a church that constantly begs for volunteers? Can it be a good choice if they have so much trouble getting support?

I used to think that the bigger the church, the easier it would be to find eager volunteers. Wrong. More capacity doesn’t always lead to more commitment. The struggle to enlist volunteers is even more dramatic in larger churches because it takes so many more volunteers to feed the bigger monster. The problem is universal, and church pastors and leaders often struggle with it because they overlook some built-in barriers.

Popular author and church coach Tony Morgan recently wrote a spot-on blog for the Willow Creek Association about the “Five Reasons People aren’t Volunteering at Your Church.” Here are his five reasons, and then I have one more to add at the end:

1.      “You’re not asking correctly. It takes more than blurbs in the bulletin and pleas from the pulpit to move people into volunteer positions in your church. If you want people to serve, you’ve got to learn how to ask correctly.

2.      It’s hard to sign up. Signing up has to be simple and immediate. Hidden tables in the lobby don’t work. Remembering to email so-and-so isn’t a good strategy.

3.      It’s not clear. If you want people to do a job, they need to clearly understand the expectations and requirements. Pull back the veil and show people what’s it like before you ask them to get involved.

4.      You’re not saying thanks. People don’t want to toil away in a thankless role. Just because someone’s reward is in heaven doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear “thank you” on earth.

5.      It’s too hard. The super-committed will do whatever it takes, but if you want to mobilize a bunch of people, you need to make it easier. Take care of their kids, provide food, and make sure they have everything they need to succeed. A little planning on the front end goes a long way.”

I agree with Morgan – any of those alone is barrier enough to derail a program, class, or entire ministry. Put them all together in a church culture that has forgotten (or never known) how to engage, enlist, empower, and encourage people, and you’ve got certain volunteer inertia.

One additional factor, though, drives all of the others:

It’s not seen as a ministry. People generally hate being asked to take on tasks – it just feels like work. So, don’t ask volunteers to pile on more tasks – invite them to be a key part of an important ministry that truly advances God’s agenda for your church. For example, which of these feels more like serving God than working for the church – volunteering…

• On the Parking Attendant Team or in the Front-Line Ambassador Ministry?
• On the Door Greeting Team or in the Worship Hosting Ministry?
• On the Sunday School Teaching Team or in the Christian Coaching Ministry?

Simply changing the name of a task won’t make it a ministry, of course, but naming the beneficial reasons why you’re asking a volunteer to serve God will make a world of difference in their willingness to volunteer and serve. And to a church searcher, a visible and eager throng of volunteers is a sure sign that people in this faith community both accept and are committed to a shared vision and mission.