“If you would like to sign up to be a part of the _____________ Team, please see Sheila after church.”
Have you heard this statement at church before? I know I have. Honestly, I have no idea who started this method or why. Maybe it feels inclusive. Maybe it seems like a straightforward way to build a team. But can we just cut to the chase and admit it’s ineffective?
The best teams are never assembled haphazardly, by appealing to the masses. Instead, they are built through intentional recruitment. Where do you begin the process of recruiting? Effective team recruitment can be simplified into two specific steps: determine who to recruit and make the ask.
Determine Who to Recruit
The first step in recruiting is to determine which individuals best fit the team. Several steps to recruitment are both biblical and strategic.
Pray for discernment. Prior to selecting His disciples, Jesus spent all night in prayer on a mountain. Prayer was not merely a ritual for Him; it was an essential practice that shaped His decisions and actions. Take time to pray about individuals under consideration for ministry and volunteer teams, allowing God to shape your decision-making process.
A simple place to start is with a pen and notepad. Jot down names God brings to your mind for specific roles. Then continue to pray through the names over the span of days or weeks asking God for clarity.
Assess commitment and passion. It can be tempting to recruit talented people with the hope they will become committed and passionate. However, merely holding a position rarely creates these qualities. Instead, look for individuals who already demonstrate genuine commitment to the church’s mission and who are passionate about using their gifts and talents to serve others. Those faithful in little will also be faithful in much.
Focus on leadership potential. Identify people who not only possess the necessary skills and qualities to serve in an area, but also show potential for leadership within the ministry. Leaders display initiative, influence others, demonstrate creativity, and are willing to accept responsibility.
Make the Ask
Once potential team members have been identified, it’s essential to “make the ask” in a compelling and upfront way. Here are a few tips:
Lead with vision. Begin the conversation by sharing the vision and goals of the ministry team. Remember, people invest more deeply and sustainably in vision than necessity, so, help them see what you see. What could this team accomplish? Where do you see it going? How would it enhance the overall ministry of the church? Could it change people’s lives?
Take a personal approach. Use a personal approach rather than mass communication — no pulpit announcements, no mass texts or emails. Instead, schedule one-on-one meetings or have an informal conversation to discuss the opportunity and answer any questions.
Set clear expectations. Be transparent about the expectations, responsibilities, and time commitment required to serve on the team. This helps manage expectations and ensures individuals are fully aware of what is being asked of them.
Taking the time to build ministry teams with Spirit-led intentionality will take more work than making a quick request for volunteers from the pulpit. However, the result — teams passionately serving others from their God-given strengths — is well worth the effort.
About the Guest Columnist: Stephen Kimbrell is the pastor and lead church planter at Grace City Church in Irvine, California. He and his wife Lauren moved to Irvine from North Carolina in 2015 with a team of committed families to start a church that would reach people of all nations. The Kimbrells have three children: Lilly Kate, Ainsley, and Carter.
