Getting Volunteers on Track

Toolkit

Jack, a local businessman, had a passion for outreach, but our church had a hard time finding a place for him to serve. His schedule kept him from committing to any regular responsibility.

Renee was different. She signed up for almost every ministry and time slot on our volunteer registration form. So I plugged her into everything she showed interest in. After a month, her enthusiasm faded.

Figuring out the limits and preferences of volunteers is a challenge even for seasoned pastors. How can we know if we are asking too much or too little of our volunteers? I've tried to answer this question by creating spreadsheets and elaborate registration forms for volunteers. But what I've found most useful is a metaphor borrowed from running: some volunteers are sprinters and others are marathoners.

Marathon volunteers are in it for the long haul. They prefer to serve over a series of months, if not a year. They pace themselves, serving a few hours each week. Sprinters, on the other hand, concentrate their efforts. They aren't prepared for a long-term ministry. They will not teach Sunday school every week, but they'll spend all day Saturday fixing a widow's home or leading a week of summer camp.

If I ask sprinters to serve in marathoners' spots, they usually miss many of their weekly obligations, leaving them frustrated and the leaders without help. Meanwhile, a marathoner volunteering in a sprinter's position will feel overwhelmed by high intensity, short-term activity and may not be able to give it the energy it needs, causing them to feel like failures.

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