Consultants' Corner

Q: I have several volunteers who commit to a lot of ministries and then end up not doing a good job in any area. They let everyone down and burn out quickly. How can we prevent this from happening?

A: You know what they say about the jack of all trades? He's the master of none! I'm wondering who invited these eager servants into ministry? If they've been placed in a position, then a ministry leader must have contacted them and asked them to serve. It sounds like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing when it comes to volunteer placement. When a church has multiple staff and ministry leaders, it's important to coordinate the communication of member involvement churchwide. People with the gift of Helps often overcommit to ministry and end up, as you said, not being very effective in any area.

What tracking systems are you currently using to monitor the activity of your people? Without a centralized system it will be hard for the Youth Director to know that the Children's Ministry Director has already enlisted Sally to teach VBS this summer (and neither of them know she's singing in choir and serving as the Greeter Coordinator in her spare time!). Many software programs can post member involvement as past, present, or interest, for each ministry area that's offered. If your database is churchwide, ministry leaders can check a person's current area of service to make sure they're not being overloaded. Our Church Volunteer Central Staff Manager can do some basic tracking and may meet this need. Remember, if one person is doing four things, that means three people are without a ministry role to serve in.

Does your church have a discovery system that helps people identify their gifts, passion, abilities, and uniqueness? It sounds like you might be operating under the "find a warm body" method, where everyone latches onto a willing volunteer who will say yes to anything. A system that honors people for their unique gifts will match them to a ministry that grows them as they serve. Spreading people out over too many roles is counter-productive. It doesn't serve the ministry or the person, which is why the burnout rate is high.

I would schedule a time to meet with these overcommitted workers to discuss which ministry they want to continue and which roles they want to drop. You may find they'll be relieved to know they have permission to be released from wearing so many hats. It will also communicate that you value them as people and care for their success in ministry. Let them decide where they want to serve without pressure from ministry leaders who may not be willing to let them go.

Bob D'Ambrosio serves as a volunteer leadership consultant with Church Volunteer Central after 25 years of experience in education, discipleship, and equipping ministry. For help with your volunteer questions, contact one of our ministry experts by clicking here.

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