3 Ways To Prepare Your Volunteers To Take Ownership

One of the hardest aspects of leadership is to create a culture where volunteers take ownership of the mission of the ministry.

And if you are a leader that is halfway worth his/her salt, you understand the importance of your volunteers taking ownership.

Ownership can take on various forms and even look different for different people, but it is rooted in our volunteers realizing and fulfilling their roles in God’s mission for the church — to make disciples in our cities, states, nations, and the world.

While this is our desire, often our volunteers’ ownership is attached to everything but the mission!

Over time, allegiance shifts away from the mission and starts to cling to the building, rooms, programs, or committees.

Your church will never move forward until your people take ownership.

It’s likely your volunteers have a heart to see God’s mission reign supreme in their local church. They simply need someone (YOU) to cast the vision and equip them to think, lead, and serve differently.

As I have been attempting to shift this mindset in our church, I have realized that I am responsible for more than charting the course. As the leader, I am responsible for preparing our volunteers for the journey.

Call it equipping.

Call it training.

Call it whatever you would like, but the truth is that you have to provide for every step of their journey.

Here are a few areas you have to provide before your leaders will take ownership.

Three Ways To Prepare Your Volunteers To Take Ownership

• Leaders Must Provide Resources

If you expect your volunteers to take ownership, you have to supply them with quality resources. Failure to supply is failure to equip.

Volunteers need the assurance that you are going to cover the financial costs, invest your own time, provide necessary supplies, and train them appropriately for them to get the job done.

If you don’t provide for them, they will become frustrated by the unrealistic expectations you have placed on them and will quit your ministry.

Don’t throw your volunteers in the game without the proper equipment.

Want them to send cards to new visitors? Provide cards and postage. Want Bible studies for kids to be creative? Stock a central supply room and provide instructions. Want youth leaders to bond with students outside of Bible study time? Organize some structured activities to get the ball rolling.

• Leaders Must Provide Energy

Does your ministry give or take energy from your volunteers?

I understand serving is hard work, but is your ministry sucking the life out of your leaders? Do you experience constant turnover?

Don’t overlook the need for positive energy in your ministry. You are the key spokesperson for your ministry. You must create a volunteer culture that is known for its fun, creativity, and purpose.

Two easy ways to create this culture is to celebrate (encourage) wins and clearly/consistently communicate lessons, events, and updates. Nothing kills a volunteer’s energy than receiving a lesson one day before they are supposed to teach. If you do your part to be prepared, your volunteers can do theirs.

• Leaders Must Provide Protection

When you fulfill your responsibilities, you protect your leaders.

No one likes correcting misalignments, enforcing policies, or asking hazardous participants to leave. But guess what? As a leader this is YOUR job. When you avoid making hard decisions you put your volunteers in a bad spot.

Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to run new check-in system and defend its validity to parents because you didn’t communicate why the system is important. Similarly, volunteers shouldn’t be expected to continue running a program that isn’t going well and needs realignment because you don’t feel like making a tough call.

When you avoid your responsibilities, you are not protecting your volunteers’ time, energy, and effort.

When you fulfill your responsibilities your volunteers will take ownership.

 

What are other key provisions a leader can make for his/her volunteers to make their experiences better and their ministry more effective?