Being a volunteer at a local church has been one of the great joys of my life.  The challenge that volunteers face is long-term sustainable commitment fueled by an attachment to vision.

The purpose of these posts is twofold:

  1. Encourage people to begin serving and give them a picture of what will happen in their lives as a result of externally-focused practices.
  2. To provide a documented framework for when volunteers become weary and need non-manipulative motivation, they can refer back to these 10 points for encouragement.

As a review, the first five privileges can be found by clicking here. Privileges 6-10 are the following:

  • Greater GenerosityChurch goers give sacrificially of their time and talent prior to giving sacrificially of their treasure.  By being generous with my time and giftedness, financial generosity has been a natural outflow of that behavior.
  • Greater Choices – When I used to teach Sunday School, I could have gone out many Saturday nights with the guys.  However, I learned early in the process that the best decisions come when you give up that which is good and provides immediate gratification for that which is lasting and provides delayed gratification.  
  • Greater  Thinking – Being a quality volunteer requires study, processing information, and preparation.  You develop a “bigger brain”.  The volunteer experience provides exposure (preparation) and then subsequent experiences that you would not have previously had.
  • Greater Influence – My daughter knows nothing other than her parents serving others.  A privilege I never planned on when I took my first volunteer role in 1986 was that one day I would be passing on a legacy of service to the next generation.
  • Greater Reward - Like many of you, I look forward to one day hearing my Heavenly Father say “Well done my good and faithful servant”.  What started by spending a week with five 2nd graders in July ’86 will ultimately culminate with that conversation.  Unbelievable!

In conclusion, John Maxwell once said that being a leader “allowed me to meet people I wouldn’t normally meet; go places I wouldn’t normally go; and experience things I wouldn’t normally experience.” I couldn’t agree more. 

If you are on the sidelines, I have four words for you – Get Into The Game!  You’ll be grateful for eternity that you did.

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