ABSTRACT

The purpose of this project is to develop a viable and applicable model for finding and recruiting volunteers to serve the local church and create a culture of Biblical servanthood. The project focuses on: where to find potential volunteers; discerning the volunteers giftedness; the enlisting process; interviews; and training the volunteer to serve. It also provides practical methods that allow the local church to create a culture of Biblical servanthood. The content of the project is built on the foundation of Gods Word coupled with resources from experts in the field.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This thesis project concentrates on volunteers and volunteerism in the local church. It spotlights the methods necessary to find, recruit, implement, and create an environment of Biblical servanthood. Volunteerism is a problem in todays church. Almost every church conference offers topics such as, How to find volunteers. Tony Morgan states, We see that about 20 to25 percent of people end up doing most of the serving at church.1 Obviously churches all over America are dealing with the same problem of finding enough volunteers to fulfill the ministry needs of the church. Many churches do not communicate the importance of volunteering, or struggle to be effective in finding people to serve. Service within and to the church is vital if we are going to equip the saints to reach this world for Christ. The current church culture, created over many years, must experience a seismic shift; a shift from, its all about me to, what can I do for the glory of God. Understanding true Biblical servanthood allows the local church to redefine its strategies and to develop believers who choose to be more involved in service. Churches sometimes turn people away because of an inward focus on themselves, Church traditions, or unwillingness to change. The Millennial Generation those born between 1980 and 2000 is the largest generation in Americas history.2 Since Millennials are the largest American population, the church needs to become aware of how Millennials think, what they want to do, and what motivates them. Thom Rainer writes, Millennials are already beginning to think about how they can make a difference in the world. Three out of four Millennials believe it is their role in life to serve others. If 75 percent of Millennials begin to serve others, the impact for the future will be significant.3

During his 20 plus year ministry career, this writer has experienced this same epidemic the constant struggle to find enough willing people to staff all the ministry needs of the church. The need for a more effective method to find and deploy volunteers first became evident to the writer while attending a childrens ministry conference. As staff members from churches all over America began to discuss issues of the church, a recurring question from the group was, How do you get people to serve in your ministry The writer thought that since his current church was a megachurch,4 surely there would be enough volunteers to staff Sunday school. It did not take long to see that the larger the church, the greater the need would be for volunteers. As ministers in the church, the following questions need to be answered:

1 Are we more concerned with people experiencing a worship service or developing them into servants of God

2 Is it more valuable to connect with others in small groups or to serve

3 Why are churches finding it difficult to find volunteers to staff the strategies and programs the particular church itself is so passionate about

4 Is there something missing when it comes to people committing to serve

Answering these questions may not be possible within the confines of this project, but this project will develop a better strategy to recruit and deploy volunteers to serve while simultaneously creating a culture of Biblical servanthood within the church....Get Complete Material.