recruit, recruit, recruit...then do some more...

When you are reaching new people it will always take more volunteers to serve those new people! That is mind boggling! Really - it takes people to reach people and it takes passionate volunteers to serve those new people. It is a crazy cycle and when you do not stay on the lookout for new leaders it will hurt your chances of connecting with new people who check out the ministry you lead. Right now our team is in the middle of trying to find new leaders for all of our family ministry areas. Every church we talk to is trying to figure out how to discover, train, encourage, and support their volunteer team. There is no easy way to do this! Here is what we are learning...

• RECRUIT ALL YEAR - yes, always be willing to bring new leaders into your area all year and make it a constant priority!
  
• REFER...encourage everyone on your staff to look for volunteers that might fit your area. I pass on names for the worship team and they scout for children's volunteers as well. We all work together because we all need leaders!
• PRAY...all year for God to help bring the right people. This is huge! You can not gripe about not having volunteers when you are not praying about it. After you pray commence griping...just kidding!
• HAVE A INTEGRATION AND TRAINING PLAN...it can be simple but have system of allowing people to check out your area and learn. Some will stick and some will walk away. It is OK!
  
• COMMUNICATE QUICKLY with potential volunteers! Timing is huge!
• ENCOURAGE CURRENT VOLUNTEERS TO BE ON THE LOOK...this is huge. If your environment is one that is exciting your current volunteer can help to get new volunteers. Take care of your people that they will help take care of the need for more help!
• TRUST GOD...this is so huge. God knows who you need before you know who you need. Recruiting never goes away so do not let it kill your joy for ministry!
• TRUST YOUR GUT...sometimes people are not a good fit. Do not hesitate to help a volunteers find another area. Usually your first impression is right. Bad volunteer fits cause more trouble than it is worth. Doing ministry is not "plug and play" it involves buy in and teamwork.

Ok so we do not have it all figured out! What is working for you as you look for new volunteers?