Recruiting!

Need or Vision

      

Recruiting is a continuous process in children’s ministry. As volunteer leaders, it’s vital that we have others join our team to accomplish all that needs to be done.  As a children’s pastor, I try to schedule time each week to take people to lunch, or meet them at Starbucks, or treat them to frozen yogurt, just to have a chance to sit and talk and get to know them. Relationships that are established in those kinds of times, enable us to share with others the opportunity to serve in areas that match their giftings and personalities.

But I don’t have as much time as I'd like... anyone else with me?  More often, my conversations with potential Greenhouse team members are snatches of sentences, quick comments on vacations or their kid’s sports accomplishments, and the occasional church function when I can sit and talk with one family for 20 minutes.

This means that when I do have the opportunity to talk with someone about serving, I need to choose my words carefully. No one wants to jump on board a sinking ship. No one wants to be part of a struggling team. I would venture to guess that BP’s Human Resources department hasn’t been flooded with applications from successful executives who would like to be a part of their team right now.

People do not want to be a part of something that is dying. They want to be part of something that has life. Something that has a purpose. Something that will make a difference. If you can share the vision God has given you of where your children’s ministry is going, others will be much quicker to join and help you get there. Some people will help to fill a need, but more will help to accomplish a vision.

But, before you can share that vision with others, you must be sure of it yourself. How do you view your ministry? Are you looking for people to fill blanks on a nursery rotation? Or are you looking for people who will give the babies in your nursery their first idea of how much God loves them by how much those volunteers love them?

Recruiting is duplicating. You duplicate your perspective in those that you bring to your team. Are you duplicating need or vision?