{"id":31846,"date":"2022-09-10T15:46:19","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-steps-to-take-when-your-volunteers-might-be-leaving\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:46:19","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:46:19","slug":"4-steps-to-take-when-your-volunteers-might-be-leaving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-steps-to-take-when-your-volunteers-might-be-leaving\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Take When Your Volunteers Might Be Leaving"},"content":{"rendered":"
Edgar Pereira photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Brian Boyles<\/em><\/p>\n

She was a key leader in the college ministry and had served there for almost a decade. The entire church knew who she was, where she served, and everyone seemed to speak of how great of a job she did.<\/p>\n

Not only did she serve faithfully for years, but she always had a smile on her face and never seemed to be upset about anything regarding the church. That is why it was so surprising when she didn\u2019t show up one Sunday.<\/p>\n

We heard she was attending another church. We were shocked, disappointed and unsure of what to do.<\/p>\n

Sure, there were some thoughts of letting her know of our disappointment in her, and letting her know that she was leaving us with a void to fill, and how \u201cthe least she could do was help to find a replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I couldn\u2019t help but wonder if there were some signs we missed that could have helped us avoid this situation.<\/p>\n

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Had we upset her?<\/em><\/p>\n

What went wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n

Where had we failed to be there for her?<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re paying attention to those who are serving in your ministry, it\u2019s not hard to notice when their interest begins to wane. Maybe they miss a leadership meeting, and then they miss another one. Maybe they seem disengaged on Sunday mornings.<\/p>\n

You notice they stay out in the hallway or lobby chatting or scrolling through their phones during the worship service, they\u2019ve missed more Sundays than normal, or their kids start making posts about another church\u2019s student ministry (This last one actually happened to me recently!).<\/p>\n

These could be signs of a person losing interest in your ministry. If they\u2019re skipping your meetings, it could mean your meetings aren\u2019t worth attending. If that\u2019s the case, make your meetings worth attending and see if they return.<\/p>\n

Or, it could be their interest level in your ministry is truly declining. There are many reasons why this may be. They could be burned out from being in a certain ministry for a long time, or there could be some level of offense that they\u2019ve experienced within the church.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the reasons, be careful how you choose to respond.<\/p>\n

The easiest and first reaction is almost always the wrong reaction, which is to point the finger at the one waning and begin to tear them down and criticize them\u2014even if in your own mind. Not only is this not a Christ-like response, it\u2019s simply not helpful. It does nothing to improve you, your team, nor the ministry, and it certainly won\u2019t keep the person engaged.<\/p>\n

As you begin to notice a leader from your ministry begin to wane, there are things you can do to make a difference\u2014for them<\/em>, as well as for you.<\/p>\n

1. Treat them as you\u2019d want to be treated. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Imagine being the one who is starting to wane in the ministry you lead. Do you want the person to be offended and upset at you, or do you want them to be understanding and helpful? Have you ever served in a ministry, but knew it was time to transition?<\/p>\n

Approach the one beginning to wane the way you wish someone had approached you.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t make assumptions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t treat them like they have betrayed you, or like they\u2019re turning their back on the people you\u2019re serving. In fact, don\u2019t assume anything at first.<\/p>\n

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I recommend finding a time when the two of you can speak in a non-confrontational way, maybe over coffee or a meal. Or, even on a Sunday or Wednesday when they\u2019re already at the church.<\/p>\n

You may say something like, \u201cHey, I\u2019ve noticed that you\u2019ve seemed like something is on your mind lately. What\u2019s on your heart?\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Be intentional about understanding their struggles.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sometimes when I\u2019ve noticed a person seeming to wane, it\u2019s because of something going on their personal life that\u2019s occupying their mind\u2014and their time.<\/p>\n

One way you can help the person is by giving them freedom to take some time away until they feel they\u2019re able to return. Be a servant-leader by serving them<\/em> for a time.<\/p>\n

Yes, allowing a leader to take time away means you\u2019ll have to find someone else to cover their area, but it\u2019s more important that you care more about the person<\/em> than you do about their contribution.<\/p>\n

As the leader over a ministry, your focus needs to be on those serving under your care. If you do this well, more people will want to serve under your leadership.<\/p>\n

4. Give them space to make a needed change. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another point to consider is that the person may not actually be upset about anything or with anyone, but they just need to make a change. It would show great maturity to tell that person if they feel like it\u2019s time to make a change that you support them completely, you celebrate all they have done for the kingdom, and you\u2019ll continue to love them and be their friend.<\/p>\n

You may be wondering how to say these things when you don\u2019t really feel that way. If that\u2019s the case, then I think we\u2019ve identified the problem: you.<\/p>\n

You may have pushed the person away by treating the ministry as a job rather than as worship. This will almost certainly lead to burnout and hurt feelings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a matter of whether you can make a case of why a person should stay. Don\u2019t focus on facts in a time like this. Often, as a ministry leader, you\u2019re not managing facts<\/em>; you\u2019re managing emotions<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The people serving with you are likely not struggling with the concept of the Christian disciplines of sacrifice or service. If their heart is wounded, your facts will not reach them, but your care will. And if you ignore their emotions, they\u2019ll ignore your facts.<\/p>\n

Consider helping the person transition to a ministry that better suits them for a time. I once recommended a different church for a person to attend where I thought they would be able to rekindle their passion for God.<\/p>\n

This was not a person I wanted to part with; in fact it was quite the opposite. But I cared about this person and their walk with God. That has to be the priority. When you value people more than their contributions, the better off they\u2019ll be\u2014and the same goes for you and your ministry.<\/p>\n

BRIAN BOYLES (@brian_boyles)<\/strong> is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Snellville, Georgia, and serves as a consultant for Revitalized Churches.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n
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The Volunteer Church: Mobilizing Your Congregation for Growth and Effectiveness<\/h2>\n

Leith Anderson & Jill Fox<\/p>\n

FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Edgar Pereira photo – Unsplash By Brian Boyles She was a key leader in the college ministry and had served there for almost a decade. The entire church knew who she was, where she served, and everyone seemed to speak of how great of a job she did. Not only did she serve faithfully for … Continue reading “4 Steps to Take When Your Volunteers Might Be Leaving”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31846\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}