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Group Publishing's Simply Strategic Volunteers: Empowering People for Ministry by Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens offers 99 straightforward solutions to help you recruit, train, motivate, and keep volunteers in ministry. The Inside Track is delighted to give Church Volunteer Central's members a peek at this resource. You can order this book at the members' 20% discount by clicking here. Tip # 15 — Real Leaders Lead Volunteers “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” Having spent several years in leadership roles in the marketplace prior to moving into ministry, I know firsthand that there are unique challenges to both environments. In the marketplace, for example, leaders face the challenges of leading people who don't share a Christ-centered perspective. That influences decision-making as well as relational interactions. Though we Christ-followers are still human and make stupid mistakes from time to time, my experience has been that the working environment in ministry is much more positive. Also, people in ministry generally make better and more consistent decisions because those decisions are based on a set of core values driven by their walk with Christ. In the marketplace, a good leader tries to earn the respect of those he or she leads, but those working for the leader follow directions because they're paid to do so. The bottom line for many employees in paid roles is that they work to take home a paycheck. Though money can't be the only motivating factor in the marketplace, it does give a leader the leverage that leaders of volunteers don't have. Additionally, if people don't work out or if they just aren't a good fit for a particular position, it's a lot easier to fire someone you've hired than someone who has volunteered. That's why I think the true test of leadership is leading volunteers. Volunteers don't serve in order to get a paycheck. Neither do they follow just because someone is in a leadership position. That's why leaders of volunteers must be able to communicate a compelling vision and effectively focus ministry efforts toward fulfilling that vision. These leaders must help people find their core purpose and match them to ministry roles in which they feel valued. They must help volunteers find and pursue their unique calling. Leading volunteers requires a different type of leader. Rather than focusing on positional leadership, a good ministry leader will excel in developing collaboration, giving volunteers appropriate ownership, and creating authentic relationships where team-based ministry is the expectation and not just something that's talked about. Leaders of volunteers do much more coaching than dictating. It's that leadership style that keeps volunteers in the game. It's still possible for a command-and-control leader to survive in the marketplace. There are certainly more effective leadership styles for most work environments, but that type of leader can still make it. That same leader, however, won't last long leading volunteers in ministry. Because volunteers have the easy option to walk away from a serving opportunity, it's in a leader's best interest to focus on an approach that brings out the best in those giving their time and gifts. Otherwise, the ministry leader is likely to find he or she is the one just taking a walk. —Tony Copyright © 2005, Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens. |
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Simply Strategic Volunteers