Because Parishes have more volunteers than staff, Pastors often want to talk about how to recruit and retain the best volunteers. So, with that in mind, I decided to write a blog post about it. Hope it helps.
Pastors are suffering a similar pain point. They want to move their parish from maintenance to mission, but are stuck.
Most Pastors do not have the time or energy to do more, so they would be happy to enlist volunteers if only they could find them. Pastors are excited that someone will be taking a few things off their plate. But then sobering thoughts come to mind: Who is going to train the volunteers and hold them accountable? What if a volunteer is put in charge of an important ministry but cannot do the job? How do you “fire” someone when they are giving their time and energy for free?
Pastors may become paralyzed because they do not have answers to these questions. And they are important questions. If they remain stuck for long, the parish culture fortifies and nothing changes.
Pastors are suffering a similar pain point. They want to move their parish from maintenance to mission, but are stuck. They do not have the time or energy to do more. Share on XWhen nothing changes, nothing moves forward because change always precedes progress. So, in order to get different results, we need to do things differently.
Here are five new ways of thinking about volunteers.
#1: It is not about operating as a business; it is about becoming great. This discussion started years ago and continues today – should our parishes operate like a business? I do not think this is the right conversation to have for two reasons:
- Most businesses are mediocre. Why would the Church, with a mission as important as ours, adopt practices from organizations that are mediocre?
- Terms such as innovation, strategic planning, measuring results and accountability are not business terms. These terms come from the language of greatness and should be discussed as passionately by pastoral councils as by executive teams in board rooms. Our mission is the most important mission in the world – we need to get this right!
We need to forget about business-speak and embrace the language and practice of greatness. Great organizations all around the world are committed to great practices done by great people for great purposes. That is what makes them great.
Some businesses are great. Some non-profits are great. Some educational institutions are great. And yes, some parishes have reached that level of greatness. If we do not seek greatness in how we approach volunteers, we will entrench mediocrity into our Parish culture.
Great organizations are committed to great practices done by great people for great purposes. That is what makes these organizations great. If we do not seek greatness, we will entrench mediocrity into our Parish culture. Share on X
#2: Never settle. Some Pastors settle for the wrong person because they do not have the time or understanding to recruit. The best volunteers (and staff for that matter) possess three attributes:
- Time available to invest. Actually, the best volunteers do not have the time when asked, but they make time by re-prioritizing their life around this new commitment.
- Talent, skill, and competencies to excel in the responsibility so it does not come back to the Pastor.
- A personal passion for the ministry which empowers their enthusiasm and drive.
Pastors settle in two ways: One, by shying away from asking their most successful people (business executives, professionals, educational leaders) to volunteer. Two, by settling for volunteers that have the time to give but not necessarily the competency or passion, which never ends well. Either the volunteer burns out, leaves frustrated, or they continue in the role but never get much done or similiarly, create more problems than solutions for the Pastor to deal with, on top of everything else!
The more times a Pastor is forced to navigate these unhealthy situations, the more likely he is to stop asking for volunteers. It is self-defeating.
Some Pastors settle for volunteers that have the time to give but not necessarily the competency or passion. This never ends well. Share on X#3: Right people in the right seats. How we place volunteers in key positions should mirror the hiring process. I call this Right People, Right Seats – thank you Jim Collins and Gino Wickman.
Leaders often ask, “How do you install core values into your people?” The truth is you do not, you cannot. Getting the right people means selecting volunteers that already embody the core values of the Parish. If volunteers do not own the core values, they are not the right fit.
Compromising on this principle never goes well. Misalignment on values will be smoked-out over time, every time. Either the volunteer will lack engagement, not produce results, cause division or worse.
Getting the right people means selecting volunteers that already embody the core values of the Parish. Compromising on this principle never goes well. Share on XThe right seat means that the volunteer is operating in their ‘sweet spot’ where his or her unique cluster of passions and talents aligns well to the position. When they fit, they are in the right seat. Volunteers in their ‘sweet spot’ bear fruit in their ministry, are energized by the work, are always seeking ways to improve the system and others enjoy working with them.
#4: Delegate responsibility not tasks. Pastors can have control or growth, but not both. You must make the decision between the two.
If you retain all the authority and responsibility, you have chosen control. Choosing control means micro-managing and a ‘go-for’ system of delegation. Go do this, now do that, then do this and after you are done, do that.
There are two negative consequences when Pastors micro-manage. First, the best leaders leave because they are not allowed to lead. Second, the burden continues to rest solely on the Pastor’s shoulders. Rather than easing the burden, micro-managing increases the burden.
There are two negative consequences when Pastors micro-manage. The best leaders leave because they are not allowed to lead. And the burden continues to rest solely on the Pastor's shoulders. Share on XThink about it: For every volunteer the Pastor is micro-managing, he makes every decision, communicates decisions to all stakeholders, identifies key areas of work then breaks big chunks into smaller pieces. He prioritizes tasks, maps those tasks onto a timeline, delegates assignments to other volunteers and has them report back on progress. What a burden!
The best volunteers want responsibility and authority, not for personal ambition or selfish gain, but to bear the most fruit and to serve the Parish as well as possible. Of course, Pastors have final authority on everything but as they learn to empower others, much growth can happen. If Pastors recruit the right volunteers and retain them in the right seats and delegate the authority they need to own the responsibility, those volunteers will bear more fruit than a Pastor could ask for or even imagine.
If Pastors recruit the right volunteers and delegate the authority needed to own the responsibility, those volunteers will bear more fruit than the Pastor could ask for or even imagine. Share on X
#5: Make it Personal. The best volunteers are people with leadership ability – influence, vision, strategic thinkers, servant-minded. Generic pleas for volunteer service will never get you the right people. As John Maxwell says, “Leaders don’t flock.”
The best leaders in the parish are already busy, too busy to respond to an announcement after Mass or a notice in the bulletin. It is never an effective strategy to put the word out there and hope for the best. Hope is not a strategy nor is it a plan.
The best leaders in the parish are already busy, too busy to respond to a generic announcement after Mass or a notice in the bulletin. Make it personal. Leaders don't flock. Share on XWhen a Pastor has a ministry responsibility to delegate, that is, something important and requiring leadership, prayerfully discern who would be the best fit and ask personally. Share the vision, how important this role is to the Parish and why they would be a good fit. Request the volunteer to pray about it and get back to you with a commitment.
When you have a responsibility to delegate, that is, something specific, important, and requiring leadership, prayerfully discern who you think would be the best fit and make a personal ask. Share on XI’ve shared five ideas that might help transform our Parish volunteer strategy. I’m sure you have your own ideas, feel free to comment below.