Stop Volunteering!

By Tom Dooley

An old story is told about a pastor who ministered in a small town with one main street. Right across from the church stood the local barber shop where the great sages of the community spent a great deal of idle time. The barber shop crowd began noticing that each morning precisely at 11 o’clock, the pastor exited the church, got in his car, and drove out of sight down the main street in the opposite direction of where he lived.

This happened every day with the exception of Sunday. Finally, the curiosity of the town’s statesmen got the best of them, and so a couple of fellows were dispatched to follow the pastor and discover what he was up to. To their bewilderment, the spies unearthed the great mystery.

The pastor drove to the outskirts of town and parked his car near a railroad crossing. He sat in his car until a train passed by, then started his car, made a U-turn, and proceeded back to the church.
The snoops' report to the inquisitive onlookers at the barber shop ignited a spirited discussion about what the preacher was doing. So, after 45 minutes of speculation and debate, the committee decided the right thing to do was to question the pastor about his behavior. The men who had followed him earlier were called to duty once again. Across the street they went and into the entry way of the church. They found the pastor in his study and asked if he would mind answering a question. The pastor assured them he would be glad to do so if he could.

They told him they had observed him leaving town every day at 11 o’clock and had followed him to the railroad crossing and were wondering what he was doing. The pastor explained. “I go out there and watch the train pass by on its daily run because it does my heart good to see something moving that I don’t have to push!”

Unfortunately, most pastors relate to our fictitious counterpart. Getting things done in the church isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Classes need teachers. Leaves need to be raked. There are babies to hold, floors to wax, and toilets to clean. The list goes on and on. Many tasks requiring time, energy, and giftedness must be done week after week for the church to function in a way that will truly bring honor and glory to our Savior. Yet, many essential assignments either fall to the paid help (the pastor) or get left undone, diminishing the effectiveness and impact of the church’s ministry. This problem is exacerbated by a growing trend toward spectator-driven church rather than participant-focused church.

Church Is Not a Spectator Sport!

What is the answer to this dilemma? Far too many church attendees take their place in the pews as if they were attending a school play. They watch, listen, and may even shed a tear, all the while seeing their role in the “production” as a member of the audience. Christianity, may I remind you, was never intended to be a spectator lifestyle.

With that being said, I believe the primary reason it is often a struggle to get Christians involved in the work of the church is an unwise practice that has been around longer than I have been alive: the practice of recruiting volunteers to fill ministry needs in the church. Why is asking for volunteers a problem? It is a problem because it perpetuates a mindset that falls short of what the Lord Jesus both expects of His followers and exemplified for them.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, the “greatest among you shall be your servant.” First Peter 4:10 teaches Christians to serve “one another.” Paul instructed his readers in Galatians 5:13 to “by love serve one another.”

On the eve of our Lord’s crucifixion, Jesus and His disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover. All the preparations had been made except for one significant detail. No one had arranged for the washing of their feet as they arrived. After they had concluded their meal, Jesus stood, laid aside His outer garments, wrapped a towel about His waist, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of His disciples. In doing so, Jesus provided an example He expected His disciples to follow.

He told them, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). What had Jesus done for the disciples? He served them as He cleansed their feet. And what is it Jesus intends for us to do for one another? Jesus intends for us to serve one another, and Jesus expects His followers to adopt a servant mindset.

Servant Versus Volunteer

A volunteer and a servant have vastly different attitudes. Volunteers choose what they will involve themselves in and the extent of their commitment. Servants, on the other hand, understand it is not their prerogative to pick and choose where, whom, or how they will participate in the Lord’s work. A servant readily responds to a need whenever it arises. A servant’s motivation isn’t pleasing himself but pleasing the master.

In January 2014, I preached a message from 1 Peter chapter 4 titled, “At Your Service.” During that message I told the congregation I would never ask for anyone to volunteer for anything again. I told them—from that day forward—we would no longer use volunteers, only servants. I made it clear: if they could not participate in the Lord’s work with a servant’s heart and mindset, they would not be needed. So, when preparing for Vacation Bible School, it is made clear that VBS is an opportunity to serve the Lord Jesus. In the spring, we communicate servants are needed to staff our grounds crew. We don’t have nursery workers. We have nursery servants. Whatever the task, we never recruit volunteers anymore. We simply ask servants to do their duty.

Scripture provides us with great examples of servanthood, like Epaphroditus (Philippians 2; check him out). His exceptional service to the cause of Christ was characterized by his willingness to go anywhere and do anything. Imagine what could be accomplished if the tasks needing to be done in our churches were approached with that attitude.

It’s time to stop volunteering and start serving!

About the Writer: Tom Dooley pastors New Road FWB Church in Austintown, Ohio. Adapted by permission from the Ohio Ambassador, January-February 2020.