One of the continuing frustrations for small church leaders is finding enough volunteers to offer successful ministry programs. Here's how we tackle that issue at our small church that has an average attendance of 80 to 100 for Sunday worship.

Determine how many leaders you need for any new church program.

A good rule of thumb for the number of leaders needed for any church program is 1 leader for every 3-5 participants. In addition, the younger the age group, the more workers you need.

We have observed that we have 15-20 leaders for our weekly Sunday School program, which averages about 50 each week. In worship, we utilize 20-30 people to produce worship services for about 80-100 each week. If you're starting a new program, or trying to rejuvenate an existing one, start with adequate staffing. Nothing will kill a new program more quickly than an inadequate number of leaders.

Intentionally limit the number of weekly programs you offer.

A small church should recognize that there is a limit ...