I recently addressed the challenge of not having enough volunteers in the post 3 Strategies For Church Volunteers Recruitment. However, the thought of adding more volunteers to the team may be overwhelming. You are maxed out. You are doing everything you can to keep up with your responsibilities and the people who are already on your team. For you, the time to manage and care for even one more volunteer is beyond your capacity.
You may recall a story from the Old Testament where Moses found himself in a similar spot. He was trying to do everything himself. He was leading and making all the decisions. As a result, he was worn out. That’s when his father-in-law, Jethro, encouraged Moses to identify some other capable leaders–leaders of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. When you find yourself overwhelmed with responsibilities, that should be a warning sign that goes off in your head reminding you, “It’s time to identify and empower another leader.”
Hoping for leaders doesn’t magically produce more leaders. It requires intentionally carving out time to identify, develop and disciple potential leaders. You can’t just drift to a healthy leadership team. You have to prioritize it and then build new systems to make it happen.
That’s why I routinely challenge church leaders to implement a 20% rule to recruit more church leaders. However many hours you are paid for or volunteer, you should take 20 percent of those hours to invest in other leaders. So, if you work or volunteer 10 hours a week, take two hours to develop relationships with potential leaders. Prioritize time with a few people with influence. Disciple them. Study leadership books together. Learn together. Tackle projects together. Share life together.
You may not be able to start at 20 percent, but start somewhere. By doing this, you will be multiplying your time and influence in the future. As you raise up more leaders, they will help you lead and care for more volunteers. You will expand your span of care, by pouring into a few.
