Where have all the volunteers gone?! We’ve all been asking that question. When the Covid pandemic caused shutdowns across the country, people who had been serving regularly for years suddenly found themselves with no volunteer responsibilities. Instead of showing up for youth group on Wednesday nights, they were eating pizza in sweatpants in front of their TV. Rather than getting up early on Sunday morning to usher or serve in the nursery, they slept until 9am and enjoyed a late breakfast. And they did it for a year – or more. Many people enjoyed a slower pace with fewer competing demands on their time. They began to re-evaluate their priorities and became more protective of their free time.
When churches began to meet in person again, some volunteers who were in a higher risk category decided that was a good time to step down from their regular volunteer roles, leaving open positions. And some volunteers who had been faithful attendees and servants had formed new habits that filled their former volunteer time commitment, and they just never returned to in-person worship attendance at all. As a result, many church leaders are operating with significantly fewer volunteers today than they had pre-Covid, and they’re re-evaluating their expectations and recruitment methods. How about you?
We need realistic expectations for our new reality. People today want more flexibility and autonomy than they did pre-pandemic. How can you modify your volunteer schedule to accommodate that? Can you set up multiple volunteer types, including some who serve on a regular rotation, some who serve less frequently, and some who serve on a drop-in basis?
When church leaders ask me how we recruit volunteers at Resurrection, my answer is typically “every way we can.” Recruitment is an ongoing process for us, and a method or message that speaks to one volunteer may not speak to another.
Methods
Here are some of the methods we use for recruitment, and some notes about their effectiveness:
Messages
Many people who could volunteer but don’t tend to think: a) you don’t need them, b) they’re not qualified, or c) they’ll be locked in for life. Let’s look at some messaging that works when you’re inviting people to serve:
Do it this weekend…Craft your inspiring, encouraging CRO message to share with current volunteers; then develop your 30-second invitation to your mission and practice inviting one new person to try it out.
Yvonne Gentile is our Guest Experience & ShareChurch Lead Director, a former retail industry executive, and co-author of four books. She and her husband Frank have been part of Resurrection since 1996. Together they enjoy movies, road trips, and spending time with family.