1.
Make your process for involvement
easy.
The
process your volunteers must go through before
involvement in your ministry should be easy to
explain, understand and do. You can have the
best ministry in the world, but if I have to
jump through fiery hoops to join it, I probably
won't. Remember, less is best. Your process should
have no more than five steps maximum. You should
be able to explain you process in 20 minutes
or less and you should be able to do so without
notes. Here is an example:
1. Join
us for an Informational Meeting (this can
be a scheduled meeting or a face-to-face
at a local coffee shop).
2. Fill out a Personal Information Card
and Background Check Authorization Form
(may not be required for all ministries,
but I highly recommend it).
3. Receive background approval.
4. Attend Training Class(es) or receive
an assigned mentor.
5. Placement.
2.
The best recruiting is handled with a
personal touch.
Contact
not content goes further in guaranteeing your
success. You or a team member should approach
each potential recruit personally.
However, don't underestimate the power of your influence as the leader. Most
people will join your team because of your leadership. They
want to be close
to you. A good practice is to make the first contact a face-to-face
invitation. Not a "we need more helpers in our ministry," but "I think you would
be a great fit for our team." This
should
be
followed
up
by
a
phone
call
providing
more
information about the ministry and a specific meeting time (ie: your Information
Meeting). One of these two contacts should be
personally handled by the ministry/team leader.
3.
Integrity, not skill, is the first qualification
for any level of leadership.
The
apostle Paul instructs Timothy to find faithful
men who can be made able. Skills are trainable,
faithfulness is not. Integrity is a conditioning
of the heart. The only One who can change men's
hearts is God. A skillful person can achieve
success, but without integrity the success cannot
be maintained. No one is offended by a ministry
that does not succeed, but a minister (we are
all ministers) who falls offends many. The true
first step to recruitment is observation. Watch
a person's interactions before you invite them
to join your team. Observe how they relate to
others; especially those already in authority.
It is easier to recognize potential problems
on the front end rather than having to deal with
them after they have infiltrated your team. Don't
ignore or downplay what you see.
4.
Passion cannot be trained.
Don't
over-pursue potential leaders. Once you have
made the invite and explained the role, allow
them to initiate the next step. Passion is imparted,
not trained. Once you have sown the initial vision,
back-off and allow them to pursue you. Remember,
you are providing an opportunity for them to
find significance. If their heart is truly after
God and they believe in the vision of your team,
they should be energized to join you. If they
are not energized, then it is a sign that your
team may not be a fit for them. One of the worst
things you can do is chase people down.
5.
If they don't have the time, neither do
you.
Once you have simplified your process and
made becoming a part of your team easy,
if a volunteer doesn't have the time in
their schedule to join you that's ok. Do
not bend over backwards to make them fit.
This is a good recipe for a backache. Many
high impact leaders are already very busy,
but if they believe in the vision of your
team they will make the time.
6.
Think globally.
One of the hardest things for a passionate
leader to do is remember that his department
is not the end all/be all of the
organization. If a person decides that
your team is not what they are looking
for, be sure to represent the entire organization
well in your further contact with this
person. You should make every effort to
go out of your way to greet that person
warmly and genuinely the next time you
see them. This is a difficult discipline
to
develop and will require you growing in
your maturity to do so, but it is vital
to the benefit of the church or organization
you are serving. A mature leader recognizes
his place in the big picture.
