Pastors and church staff, who you select for a volunteer leadership position is far more important than what they do. Let me explain.
Let’s be honest, churches are so desperate for volunteers they will take almost anyone who can pass a background check. We cast a wide net when recruiting volunteers. And rightfully so, you never know what God will do in someone’s life through the sanctification process. I know I certainly was not anyone’s first round draft pick back in the mid-80’s when I first began serving.
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But rather than casting a wide net, we select leaders one at a time because we know everything rises and falls on leadership.
Recently, someone I know transitioned out of a leadership position at their local church. Afterwards, a person who served on their team sent him a very kind note thanking him for their time together. The following is a portion of that note edited for privacy reasons.
“While attending a men’s gathering a few years back this guy stands up and starts going on about one of the best books on leadership he’s ever read: Hard Work: A Life On And Off The Court. He probably said other meaningful things that day, but the passion he had for this book got me off my butt and into a used bookstore! Surprisingly, the same guy is outside welcoming my wife and I to church every Sunday without fail. He’s pleasant, upbeat, and inviting. Here’s a man who is steadfast in his faith, unflinching on his positions, not judging (and always hopeful) of others. Fast forward a year and I’ve become part of a circle of men meeting before church for bible study and then doing my best to welcome folks into my church with the same gusto, zeal and passion as he. I will miss our conversations and those moments just before church lets out, when it was just the two of us outside talking.”
As I read this unbelievably kind note I realized the writer had unknowingly penned a masterpiece. He had crafted the ideal job description of someone pastors and church staff should want in a volunteer leadership position.
The following are 15 Qualities Of A Person Pastors And Church Staff Should Want In A Volunteer Leadership Position
- Use The Position To Serve Others – The individual described was speaking at a men’s gathering and teaching leadership to those in attendance. A quality volunteer leader’s primary focus is on discipleship and serving others.
- Moves Others To Action – As a result of his teaching, the writer went out and purchased a book. Great volunteer leaders should always be enlisting others onto their teams as well as moving them to take action in some area of their lives.
- Readers – Leaders are readers. They are continually growing and learning from others. For a list of books I am currently reading click The Top 10 Books Leaders Need To Read In Spring 2023.
- Passion – In my new book Mighty: 7 Skills You Need to Move from Pandemic to Progress I define passion as owning the result. It is an “over my dead body” or “not on my watch”-type of mindset. The thing effective volunteers are most passionate is Jesus Christ and His Word. More on that later.
- Out Front Among The People – You cannot lead from the green room. You must be among the people. Shepherds smell like sheep.
- Consistent – A volunteer leader cannot be someone who attends church one out of every 1.3 Sundays. They must be in their position on a weekly basis. Consistency brings security to those who attend your churches. They know “that person” will be in “that spot” every week and it brings people comfort.
- Pleasant – The type of volunteer leader you want is kind and understands the inherent value of every human life.
- High-energy – The best volunteer leaders are not passive. Their lives are marked by proactivity and service to others. They initiate relationships and do not have to be told what to do. In fact, you may have to reign them in from time to time.
- Inviting – Their general countenance is “Welcome! We are so glad to see you!” A smile is constantly on their face.
- Steadfast – We have discussed a lot of soft skills up to this point. But now we will start discussing items related to their strength of character. The best volunteer leaders are firm and unwavering in their convictions. They are also steadfast in seeing the church’s mission and vision become reality.
- Unflinching – In addition to being steadfast, the best volunteer leaders are not swayed from their core beliefs and behaviors because of societal pressures or cultural trends. They are also the first ones to recognize unhealthy practices, unproductive systems, or shaking doctrine.
- Non-Judgmental – Though they are steadfast and unflinching, the best volunteers trust God’s sanctification process in a person’s life to do its work. They are patient with others because we are all on different stages of our spiritual journey. Which leads to the writer’s next point.
- Hopeful – Because we are all growing and maturing in our faith, we celebrate the fact our fellow volunteers are at least engaged in the process. Rather than being judgmental over someone’s political or social viewpoints, your sole focus is the following:
- Bible – The glue which best holds all volunteer teams together is a Bible study and the constructing of a theological framework. The ability to help your team craft a biblical worldview and then serve others through that lens is what distinguishes the best volunteer leaders from the rest.
- Relationships – People join volunteer teams for two reasons – they are wanting to do something significant with their lives and they are looking for friends. Simply put, if you are not a relational leader, you will never be a great volunteer leader. Interestingly, the real winner in this relational process is the leader himself or herself. This is because by putting the Jesus and His Word first and people second, they will make more friends than they ever dreamed possible.
Finally, did you notice I did not discuss the task itself or skills related to the task? Why? One reason is the writer of the note did not include them. Second, because in a post-pandemic and post-Christian world, who you are is far more important than what you do.
And for pastors and church staff, who you select for a volunteer leadership position is far more important than what they do.
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