7 Secrets of Staying
Keith Johnson
It’s a simple mathematical fact: If you keep more of your volunteers from this year, you can make fewer recruitment calls for next year! The key is keeping them motivated to maintain their ministries.
Secret #1—Place volunteers in positions that mirror their gifts. When you place volunteers in positions where their effort matches their skills, it seems effortless and filled with joy!
Secret #2—Go deeper in your ministry descriptions. Don’t ask one person to do everything! Recruit people who love to do crafts and ask them to do only that. You create more positions for people and so you need more people, but by doing this, you’ll keep more people if they’re only doing what they love.
Secret #3—Put a time limit on the commitment. Gone are the days where you can recruit and forget about your volunteers. It’s disrespectful! Set them on a nine-month commitment, then toward the end of their service, thank them! Ask them to pray about what God would want them to do for the next year.
Secret #4—Appreciate your volunteers! Statistics show that only 10 percent quit because they don’t feel appreciated, but that doesn’t mean that those who stay are still motivated!
Secret #5—Train each volunteer. Training volunteers means investing time in the personal development of individuals. Customize your training to meet the unique demands of both the position and the volunteer’s personal growth in that position.
Secret #6—Evaluate each volunteer. You can’t train unless you know the growth areas of your team members! Often we’re afraid to evaluate because it could lead to hurt feelings, frustration, or even resignations. But having high standards will result in a team that’s highly motivated and committed.
Secret #7—Staff teams, not “Lone Rangers.” Jesus sent out his own team members two-by-two (Luke 10) because he knew that in the middle of tough times, we all need someone standing beside us. There are also subtle side benefits to a two-per-team rule.
First, you secure legal advantage for their success in the event any accusations are made against them. Second, you create a close bond between team members that’s hard to break even when the term of service is up.
Keith Johnson is author of Teacher Training on the Go!
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
