Over the years, one of the things I have seen a good many new volunteers do is commit to a lot, really fast! Which, for me, I love that heart! I love the heart that says…”I’ve seen LIFE CHANGE, I am LIFE CHANGE, and I want be a part of more LIFE CHANGE in others!” Finding that heart in people is priceless! 
However, a question that’s been bouncing around my head lately is…”can they commit to do too much, too fast?” For instance, let’s look at the follow make-believe examples…
- “Joe” got plugged in immediately to the area he knew he wanted to serve
- “Sally” wasn’t sure where she wanted to serve so it took her a little longer
- “Jane” is pumped and has committed to 2-3 different teams
- “Max” isn’t sure and he’s scared to commit…he’s holding off as long as he can
Now, our reaction to each of these will be different. However, a new volunteer will (normally) fall into one of these examples. So, which one scares me most…?
Jane’s.
Here’s why.
Let’s assume all the people are fairly new Christians and PUMPED about what’s happening at our church. They have an energy we want to catalyst off of and continue to grow. So, how do we do that?
Put them in their “sweetspot!”
Sweet-spot: the area of service where God designed them for (based on their gifts, talents, time, walk with Christ and personality)
So, for me, one of the WORST things we can do is put them in 2-3 different roles to serve because we will probably see the following happen…
- They burn out and discontinue volunteering
- They never take on a greater role on one team (because they’re balancing 3 teams)
- They’re filling the role of another volunteer’s “sweet spot” (when it’s not their own)
- They begin to develop a mindset that feels growth is about how much I ‘do’
Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE their passion! However, as a staff member, I also feel it’s my job to protect them and help them grow with their next steps, not the other way around. For me a healthy volunteer…
- Serves on one team consistently (may miss 1-2 Sundays a month)
- Grows to take on more responsibility on their team (not less on multiple teams)
- Develops friendships and a sense of community with the team they serve with
- Continues to get the vision and thrive off seeing LIFE CHANGE the more they serve
At the heart of it my passion isn’t to hold “Jane” back. My heart is to help her THRIVE in a way she never thought possible by taking her next step in her spiritual walk with Christ! MY heart is to see MANY volunteers find their ONE sweetspot in serving in the church…not FEW volunteers plugged into MANY roles in serving in the church!
October 12th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Yep I’ve seen this happen. Particularly when new Christians can’t separate their identity in Christ from their place in His body. It’s a real tough one to learn but super important.
I challenge leaders as they join as well as on a yearly basis to think about where they are involved. Id rather not have them then allow them to burn out.
But what do you do with the ones that just seem to have a sweet spot for everything?
October 13th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Sarah,
Great question!
“What do you do with the ones that just seem to have a sweet spot for everything?”
My answer…nothing!
Because I don’t believe they exist!
I believe God fuses us with passions, talents, gifts and a personality. By those their may be many opportunities for us to serve that we are great at and enjoy, but that doesn’t qualify them as sweetspots.
Also, I believe sweetspots can change over time. A new believer may be a great greeter and every other role scares them, but 1 year down the road, that may not be the same case.
I’ve found that many times when we find someone that thinks (or that we might think) has a sweetspot for everything, the one things holding me back is the fear of just having that conversation with them (and I’ve had some tough ones)!
Also, I believe God isn’t a God of confusion…so one sweetspot will do ya! 
Thanks for commenting!
pudge
October 15th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Great topic!. It’s easy for leaders to let people volunteer for many things because it fills gaps that need to be filled, but I agree with both Sarah and Pudge — it’s not a good idea. I do believe though, that some people have more than one “sweet spot” — some people are just extremely gifted. God made them that way. They know they have a lot of talent in different areas and they’ve enjoyed using those talents their whole lives. Our challenge as leaders is to help them see the value of channeling all their energy into one specific ministry and saying “no” to some of their own interests. As we help people understand how they can have greater impact for the Kingdom of God by focusing on one area of ministry and we walk them through the process of choosing, many will decide to focus. When this happens, it’s great because they not only focus but are ready to pour all the energy into one area and really excel in that area.
Sometimes, however, people don’t want to choose so it may be that we need to make the decision for them. We can present them with several options and tell them they can pick one. Another way I’ve done this is to schedule two things (like drama practice and praise team practice) at the same time so they have to choose between the two. Sometimes they aren’t happy about choosing, but in the long run, forcing them to choose is better for everyone.
If people are just starting to serve, I am not as concerned about this because I think there is value in them getting to try out different areas of ministry, but once someone has been around a while, I will try to get them to focus on one ministry. It’s a “win” for the church, it’s a “win” for them and it’s a “win” for God’s Kingdom.