Every church has a “Top 20%” of volunteer leaders. These leaders have this level of position and influence for a variety of reasons – friendship, tenure, professional accomplishments, ministry accomplishments, financial capacity, character, loyalty, attitude, competency, potential as well as many other reasons including sometimes having no other options.
However, what all pastors and church staff will tell you is within this select group, there are both great volunteer leaders and bad volunteer leaders. Think about it, there are some leaders you simply cannot wait for them to rotate off your Board.
Using my own personal experiences as well as interviewing three separate church leaders last week, I gleaned 10 Qualities Separating Great Volunteer Church Leaders From Bad Volunteer Leaders:
1. Love
- Great Volunteer Leaders love Jesus.
- Great Volunteer Leaders love the Bible.
- Great Volunteer Leaders love their family.
- Great Volunteer Leaders love their church.
- Great Volunteer Leaders love their pastor.
- Great Volunteer Leaders love people. Their attitude is, “People matter to God so they matter to me.”
2. Joy
- Great Volunteer Leaders are enthusiastic.
- Great Volunteer Leaders genuinely buy-in to why they do what they do.
- Great Volunteer Leaders would not want to be anywhere else.
- Great Volunteer Leaders’ smile overcomes any lack of ability they may have.
3. Peace
- Great Volunteer Leaders are truly grateful to serve.
- Great Volunteer Leaders’ objective is driven by the mission.
- Great Volunteer Leaders know who they are and who they are not.
- Great Volunteer Leaders know what they can bring in order for the church’s mission to be accomplished.
4. Patience
- Great Volunteer Leaders do not put a major emphasis on minor items.
- Great Volunteer Leaders allow inexperienced but passionate leaders the opportunity to make mistakes and give them time to grow.
- Great Volunteer Leaders see what other volunteer leaders could be rather than what they currently are.
- Great Volunteer Leaders handle pointless and ridiculous questions from church members with graciousness.
5. Kindness
- Great Volunteer Leaders put the church’s mission above their own personal agenda.
- Great Volunteer Leaders recruit other leaders.
- Great Volunteer Leaders honor the previous generation and protect the next generation.
6. Goodness
- Great Volunteer Leaders have high morale character and conduct.
- Great Volunteer Leaders have the trust of the people.
- Great Volunteer Leaders are above reproach.
- What Great Volunteer Leaders do gives weight to God’s call and gives purpose to their lives because they see themselves in the mission.
- Great Volunteer Leaders are humble and continual learners.
7. Faithfulness
- Great Volunteer Leaders are reliable. You can count on them.
- Great Volunteer Leaders bring contagious energy.
- Great Volunteer Leaders make great sacrifices for the church and its members.
8. Gentleness
- Great Volunteer Leaders put out fires as well as start them.
- Great Volunteer Leaders diffuse potentially negative situations.
- Great Volunteer Leaders serve other without need of fanfare.
9. Self-Control
- Great Volunteer Leaders are good communicators. Jeff Henderson says, “Leadership comes with a microphone.”
- Great Volunteer Leaders are not shopping for opportunities.
- Great Volunteer Leaders are focused. They see the bigger picture and are not side-tracked.
10. Against Such Things There Is No Law
- Great Volunteer Leaders go above and beyond.
- Great Volunteer Leaders want more responsibility.
- Great Volunteer Leaders think ahead.
- Great Volunteer Leaders do not wait to be told things.
- Great Volunteer Leaders make their area of responsibility better.
- Great Volunteer Leaders are fiercely loyal.
- Great Volunteer Leaders leave a lasting leadership legacy.
Final question – How should you lead Great Volunteer Leaders?
- Value is more important to Great Volunteer Leaders than Appreciation. Do not give them a token gift. Show them you value them.
- Give Great Volunteer Leaders influence and significance. Not a title.
- Allow Great Volunteer Leaders to lead leaders.
When you look at this list of 10 qualities, are there people on your leadership team who should not be there? Are there some you need to add?
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