Dearth of a Salesman

Several years ago, our church needed to rebuild its children’s ministry. No one stepped forward to lead it. The leadership vacancy raised several questions: Why didn’t someone offer to serve? Who would recruit leaders? And if we found no gifted leader, should we shut down the ministry? It became obvious that we couldn’t put a sign-up sheet in the lobby and expect people to “volunteer.” And we knew from experience that making the job easier wasn’t the answer. In fact, today we hear from younger people that we should raise the bar and require greater commitments.

Ultimately we asked Sharon, who had the talent, though we knew her interests were elsewhere. We explained our need and asked her for a one-year commitment. With the invitation came our acknowledgment that she preferred serving elsewhere. We offered to redirect her when the mission was accomplished. She said yes out of her faithfulness to the church.

Service will always be a combination of faithfulness to Christ and stewardship of our gifts. The goal, however, is to grow toward a gifts-based ministry, where people serve out of their gifts and passion. People will commit to responsibilities they are gifted for and passionate about.

If you love it, let it go

One church asked a lay leader to design a workshop on better ways of providing hospitality. Hospitality was defined as “a job”—coffee server, usher, and greeter. People did those things, but with little sense of mission.

The workshop leader suggested a new model, calling for people to commit to each other in prayer for the purpose of welcoming and serving new people more effectively. They would hold each other accountable for the mission. The workshop leader said, “If this committee does not take responsibility for the ministry of hospitality, it will not happen.”

The pastor said, “What if people don’t respond?”

The question was put to the participants: “Are we willing to let it go? Are we willing to keep doing ministry if people are not willing to take responsibility for it?” The pastor’s fears were never realized.

People tend to take responsibility when they are given authority to create ways to accomplish the mission, especially if they know that without them, the ministry will not happen.

Lift up the value

Nothing happens in an organization until someone takes responsibility for it. A critical question is: Who is going to lead your church’s lay mobilization effort? Who is going to see that people are recruited, trained, supported, resourced, managed, and celebrated?

Is that the pastor’s responsibility?

I would argue not. The pastor’s role is to preach and teach the value of gift-based ministry—not just occasionally but repeatedly and in many ways. The pastor’s role is also to model the importance of accountability with key lay leaders and, if the church is big enough, with staff. That means calling for ministry covenants and expecting people to fulfill them. This is the stuff of periodic leadership retreats.

A small, declining, racially diverse church decided to make the shift from “recruiting live bodies” to a Christ-centered ministry when its leaders gathered to pray about the future of the church. Over a period of four years, the pastor discussed it with key influencers and leadership boards. He brought in outside facilitators to moderate the discussion and process.

The church prayed for God to lift up a person within the body to lead this ministry. The leaders also committed themselves to grow their people by preaching and teaching gift-based ministry and developing a process to live it out. This year, the first time in many, they had 15 members in a class for discovering their gifts. They’ve begun seeking leaders based on their unique gifts. The energy and unity in that church are visible.

Appoint a point person

So who should be the point person for implementing a Christ-centered ministry?

I recommend the church a “director of lay mobilization”—someone with the gifts, talents, and passion to help others succeed—to run a ministry to lay ministers. That person will likely need training and to be connected with peers in other churches to learn what is working elsewhere. In smaller churches that person will be unpaid. In larger churches, he or she may be given a stipend or a full salary.

One pastor, upon taking a new call, brought with him the value for lay ministries. The church had a large percentage of senior citizens, and he feared their resistance. Much to his surprise, they liked the idea of being valued as gifted servants. Within a year they called a director of lay ministries.

The right people in the right places for the right reasons communicates to your church, your neighborhood, and the world that Christ lives in and through every person. Indeed, gifts-based ministry is ultimately the fulfillment of the Great Commission: God’s people living out their discipleship in ways that proclaim that the Savior changes lives.

Sue Mallory leads Leadership Connection.

Reprinted from Leadership, Fall 2005, Vol. XXVI, No. 4

Looking for more resources to equip a volunteer-based ministry?

Our Motivating Leaders download can help you nail down one important aspect of leadership.
Gifted for Leadership interviewed Nancy Beach on effective ways to lead volunteers—it’s worth checking out.
Sue Mallory continues along these lines in her article “Want-To, Can-Do Workers.”