People Spots Online
Produced by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries

Recruitment

by James W. Moss, Sr.

Why do we have trouble recruiting people to function in the life of the church? I hear a lot of comments like, “People just don’t want to make commitments any more.” Maybe that is right. Let me make several other suggestions if the person being considered truly has the gifts to do the job.

Sometimes people are reluctant to say “yes” to a plea for recruitment when they don’t know what they are being asked to do. We have to explain precisely what we expect when looking for volunteers.

Sometimes people are reluctant to say “yes” to a plea for recruitment when they don’t know how to do the job they are being asked to fill. In the church we assume people who have attended church for a decade or more will instinctively know how to do various jobs they may be recruited to fill. Many churches have abandoned formal training in their midst. People need to be trained not only how to do a job but how to do a job the way you want it done. That way they can receive satisfaction for doing a job very well.

Sometimes people are reluctant to say “yes” to a plea for recruitment when they don’t feel motivated to do the job. Why should I do that job? What difference will it make if I do that work? We have to work with people to have them understand the value of the work we are asking them to do. People will be reluctant to commit time and energy to busywork. They want to think that the job they are being asked to do has the potential to make a difference in the lives of people.

There are four mistakes you ought not to make when you are recruiting people.

You should never ask for volunteers. Frequently, there are two kinds of people who tend to volunteer. The first is someone who for some reason or another is unacceptable. The second is the person who has a compassion for the church and just volunteers for everything and can’t do anything well.
You should never ask someone in front of someone else where a “no” would be an embarrassment. We want to be very gentle with potential recruits. One “no” might not be their final answer. If they do say “no” to this request, they might say “yes” to a different one.
You should never use the telephone when recruiting a person who must make a serious time commitment to do the job you are asking of them. This effort needs to be made face to face.
You should never undersell the job. Sometimes in the church we try to make a job seem insignificant so we can get a recruit. All the while the person was looking for something more challenging.

You need volunteers. Make certain that you a very clear in what you want that person to do. Explain very carefully how you expect the job to be done. Also, explain the potential impact in the lives of people and in life of the organization.

Carefully think: who is the best person to do that job? Go to them one-on-one and invite them to prayerfully consider this effort.

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July 10, 2007. Volume 10, Issue 4. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.

Recruitment

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