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Leading Volunteer Staff

How one pastor came to terms with leading volunteer staff and saw it as an opportunity rather than a curse.

Leading God’s people well is the task of a pastor. We embrace the responsibilities and opportunities of shepherding a precious commodity—God’s flock. We will be asked to give an account of how we treat God’s children: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1*).

For many years I was frustrated with the members of my congregation. There were never enough mature, committed Christians to meet the needs of the church. I lived in a constant state of agitation. Why couldn’t people be more faithful in their service, their giving, their prayer time, their attendance, and in a host of other expectations I held? I regularly prayed that God would send a more mature group of Christians for me to pastor. Certainly, the current group was substandard.

In a Damascus Road experience, I was confronted with a brutal fact: The congregation was not at fault; I was. I faithfully prayed for mature Christians to arrive. In truth, I was praying that someone else would do my job of training volunteer staff and then send me the end product. I realized my opportunity in the Kingdom was to walk alongside unbelievers or immature Christians and help them mature in their faith. A congregation filled with problems was an opportunity, not a curse.

I began to change my attitude toward the people I ministered to and toward the tasks at hand. The results have been remarkable. We have experienced exponential growth in almost every aspect of congregational life—attendance, conversions, baptisms, ministry enrollment, and giving. Pastoral ministry has become a joy.

I learned a lesson that redirected my life. For God to produce change through me, I must embrace change within me. It is so simple, yet I had spent untold hours agonizing over the needs I saw in others. In truth, I was the barrier to God’s best.

A familiar phrase from Scripture began to echo in my mind: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

To transform is to change in potential. To change the potential of my life was going to require a transformation in my thought processes.

I had to change the following areas.

My feelings

Instead of being angry and frustrated, I decided every person in the congregation was a valuable piece of God’s design for the congregation and my ministry. I began to ask God to help me see a strength in every person within the faith community. Just as God gave Jonah an object lesson to help him grasp the depth of God’s grace for the Ninevites, I needed a grace perspective toward people.

My theology

I was convinced my beliefs in scriptural authority, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and holiness would limit opportunities for a growing ministry. I was convinced the church needed to dilute the truth to reach a broad group of people. I was wrong. Ineffective communication of the gospel repels people; the truth does not.

My leadership

I had to accept responsibility for the poor morale and ineffectiveness of the congregation. I had to grow my leadership skills if there was to be an increase in fruitfulness. It became imperative for me to cast compelling vision, develop leaders, create momentum, encourage people, and establish a spiritual tone that defined our culture.

My vision

I had to believe we had an opportunity for effectiveness. We didn’t have a collection of Stanford degrees, but with God’s help, we could be light in our community. When we became intentional in our desire to be an effective congregation, all the rules seemed to change. We had permission to say no to ideas—even when they were godly—that drained resources and energy. We had a mandate to say yes to practices that enabled us to move toward our objective.

My work habits

I had to identify tasks that would produce results, not just tasks I enjoyed. Previously I had filled my calendar with responsibilities. Even if they were not helpful, at least I was busy.

My learning pool

I had a collection of college degrees, a personal faith, and a theological system, but little understanding of effectiveness. I had to humble myself and become a learner. I began to search for additional mentors—people who were effective at building consensus, motivating people, resolving conflicts, and anticipating needs. Wherever I saw effectiveness, I asked questions and began to learn new skills.

My responsibility

I accepted responsibility for developing disciples. If there was a shortage of mature Christians, I was not performing my duties. Effective pastoral ministry included all aspects of congregational development, not just pulpit duties. The nursery, children’s ministry, ushers, and clean facilities are all components of effective ministry.

My expectations

Recruiting for ministry opportunities was no longer a burden or an imposition on already busy people. I was extending an invitation to participate in the kingdom of God. We would provide training for effectiveness, support when problems arose, celebrate victories and the joy of making a contribution into the lives of others. An invitation to ministry is a privilege, not a burden. If it is perceived as a burden, we would prefer you not participate.

The transformation of my attitude and behaviors did not take place in a day or even a month. It was similar to training for a marathon. I was required to build a little extra strength and endurance each day.

One day I was weary with the struggles. I had scheduled a lunch appointment with a friend who managed a manufacturing plant. During lunch I complained about a conflict between nursery workers. I had helped reorganize the entire team a few weeks earlier, and the solution had only brought a short-term respite from the conflict. My friend looked at me and said, "If everything stayed fixed, they wouldn’t need us. Just be quiet and find a solution."

I have often found comfort in Solomon’s prayer.

" ’Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this" (1 Kings 3:8–10).

I am reminded that the task is to care for God’s people in a way that honors Him. If I truly care for His people, God will provide all that I need.

God created each of us for effectiveness in His kingdom. Your life and ministry are an incredible resource. Whatever your past experience, allow God to begin to shape a new future for you.

For more on this subject, see the sidebar, "Finding and Discipling Quality Volunteers" in the article "Managing the Church Office: An Ever-Changing Challenge."

—Allen Jackson, senior pastor, World Outreach Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

*Scripture references are from the New International Version.