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Recruiting: The Common Cold of Ministry
The word recruiting gives some people an uneasy feeling. Maybe even you (or just "someone you know").
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The word recruiting gives some people an uneasy feeling. Maybe even you (or just "someone you know"). Queasy just thinking about the rejection last time you tried? It's possible those butterflies come from your belief that church people have given the word a bad reputation—and, uh-oh, you're a church person. C'mon. What's all the fuss about? Why are we so obsessed with negative stereotypes when it comes to recruiting? Ask any number of people about their biggest challenge in ministry, and without fail recruiting volunteers will emerge the most popular answer. And unflattering associations will, undoubtedly, come traipsing after. Difficulty in recruiting has become the "common cold" of ministry. Think about colds for a moment. Everybody gets one, there are tons of ways to treat one, but nobody can seem to find the cure. But we try. Oh, how we have all fallen victim to the latest trend in cold treatments; sucking on zinc tablets, taking a high dose of vitamins, and even medicine-infused hot tea. There seems to be no shortage of new ideas as to how to rid ourselves of the problem. Same goes for volunteer recruiting. The buzz around this topic is always high; you'll have no problem finding tons of resources and books on recruiting tips and techniques. Yet, it still remains the pesky little area of ministry we don't quite know what to do with. But the need hangs around. Never goes away. And, finally, can no longer be ignored. Better find the Kleenex box: Sounds like we all have the recruiting cold. But maybe we ought to check the accuracy of the diagnosis before popping the zinc tablet and sipping that awful tasting tea. MIS-DIAGNOSIS #1: Recruiting is too much pressureNeed volunteers? Feel pressure to get them? Chill out. Where is this pressure really coming from? Chances are strong that it's from you. Free yourself from feeling like you HAVE to recruit, by realizing the truth that you GET to recruit. REALITY #1: Recruiting is offering someone an invitation to serve GodOftentimes, we try to pass off recruiting responsibilities to someone else who has the time to recruit. Someone with talent for the job. Someone—no, anyone—other than us. But, that's not the way Jesus did it. When recruiting His disciples, Jesus simply said, "follow me" (MT 9:9). With two fishermen, Simon Peter and Andrew, Jesus said, "Come along with me, and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men" (MT 4:19). Jesus' actions show four key steps we can apply to our recruiting needs: First, we must take action ourselves ("come along with me"). We individually need to show up; recruiting is a critical need that begins with you. This doesn't mean others aren't also involved. Indeed, they must be. But recruiting at its finest is individual relational endeavor—and that individual is you. |
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