“No one will ever agree to do that job; it is just too small and seems so easy and unimportant.” I have heard that statement more than once by someone in a place of leadership who is trying to recruit volunteer team members.

I believe the opposite is really the disease in ministry organizations; we make jobs too big.

Sure it may seem that it is easier to recruit people to a seemingly important job, but often those seemingly important jobs are really overwhelming because they are really a group of tasks put under one title.

In recruiting volunteers for ministry positions I believe we must communicate the following:

There is no such thing as a volunteer position in a ministry. All positions are places of service that are filled with people who are called by God for that service.
The mission of the ministry, first as the whole and then more specifically the sub-ministry. Ex: whole = church; sub = children.
How the position fits into the big picture. This is often where we fail by not helping the recruit see how important the ‘small’ job may be and how if not carried out successfully can bring down the ‘big picture.’
The requirements of the position. (What skills are needed; how much time is required.)
What is expected if they say yes to the position? (What is the expected attitude; when are they expected to be on the job)
Our appreciation of their commitment.

Once we have recruited and got a person in place in a new ministry position we must then:

regularly check up on them to make sure they are thriving
continue to provide resources
ask for their input about the ministry
if needed give them a chance to re-evaluate their commitment and if needed find them another place to serve

There is no such thing as a small ‘ministry position’ because every position is important.

There is no such thing as a volunteer position because every position is a place where people called of God serve.