By Laura Stephens-Reed

For a long time, the number of member-in-ministry hours has been on the decline in many congregations. Retired people – who make up the largest percentage of church members – often travel, take care of family members or have calendars full of social and non-church volunteer commitments. Parents of children and teenagers are constantly on the move, shuttling kids to their extracurricular activities on evenings and weekends.

Working adults put in ever-longer hours due to an economy that both emphasizes productivity and barely pays the average person a subsistence wage. Add to these realities the shift in priorities during and after the pandemic (in which church has fallen further down the list for a lot of people) and we have a situation that is not conducive to a strong volunteer base.

What, then, is a congregation to do?

First of all, it’s important to understand the current landscape and not to guilt members about it. There’s much to learn about how we can be church from hearing the hopes and struggles of those present in and absent from our pews.

Secondly, don’t stop asking members to serve. While this might seem contradictory to what I just said, most people want to be part of a community that makes a difference in their lives and where they can make a difference themselves. (Could it be that we are not asking enough of those in our midst?) So, extend bold invitations to ministry opportunities, trust invitees to know their own bandwidth and honor invitees’ responses, whatever they are.

Here’s what you need to make robust requests:

Start with prayer. Inviting people into leadership is holy work, so it requires a spirit attuned to where and how God is moving. Take time to get into a discernment posture before you get down to the task at hand.

Note the gifts you see in the people you are inviting into specific ministry roles. Sometimes people don’t recognize their own strengths or ways they can make significant contributions to a particular ministry. Name the reasons this church member is being asked to serve in this way. That is important fodder for their discernment – and it lets the person know that this is not just a “we’ll take any warm body” situation.

Clarify the commitment. Church members are much more likely to consider an opportunity to serve if they know exactly what is involved. How long is the commitment? What is the role? How does it contribute to what the congregation is trying to do overall? How much responsibility does this position confer, and how does that align with the amount of authority the position has?

Communicate the difference between governance- and ministry-focused positions and recruit accordingly. Some people love to help organizations run smoothly (governance). Others thrive on doing hands-on ministry. Both kinds of roles are essential, but church members might be much more excited about and gifted for one of them.

Make participation as easy as possible. We all learned during the Covid pandemic that meetings can work on Zoom. Zoom is great for people who don’t like to drive at night or who have young children. Speaking of parents who might serve, if there are in-person meetings involved, offer childcare.

Give lots of entry points into ministry. Not all opportunities for service need to happen at the church, and they might not even require coordinating times with other people. Identify ways to minister that can be done asynchronously and/or at different places (e.g., home, library, coffee shop).

Offer needed support. Let church members know that they won’t be on their own to figure out their roles. Train them; check in regularly with them about needed support for or obstacles to their ministry; and privately and/or publicly celebrate their ongoing commitment.

Make use of short-term teams and one-off projects. Not everyone has the capacity for a monthly commitment for three years, as many committee assignments are. And not every ministry that contributes to the congregation’s vision needs to go on forever. Gather people with time and passion for a very focused purpose. These kinds of seasonal roles are much more likely to fit well with the ebb and flow of members’ non-church obligations.

Encourage initiative. When members are clear about and on board with the congregation’s vision and values, they can be set free to bring fresh ideas and even start new ministries that excite them and others in your church.

Show the difference members-in-ministry are making. When you point to the good that is happening, who is making it happen and how it is contributing to the congregation’s vocation and good in the world, those volunteers will feel seen and valued and those not currently serving will get a glimpse of what might be possible for them.

Connect doing to being. Make sure service is not just about meetings and numbers and making the church run. These are opportunities to grow in our connection to and understanding of God, one another, God’s world and ourselves. Show the link between doing the work and being a disciple of Jesus.

In the end, something all churches can do (and what they must do) is make service as meaningful as possible and thoughtfully and lovingly invite members into the work. Given the Church and world as they are, you still might not have all the volunteers you think you need. If that’s the case, it might be time to re-evaluate your congregation’s structure to make it smaller and nimbler. (You might even want to do this even if you can fill all the slots in order to make your congregation more ready for ministry to neighbors.) And if that’s your situation, hear this: It’s ok to do less. Just make sure you do what you are doing with purpose and love.

Laura Stephens-Reed is a clergy and congregational coach based in Alabama. She has been credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and as a Certified Mentor Coach, and she sits on the faculty of two coach training schools. She has also been trained as a Congregational Consultant and an Intentional Interim Minister by the Center for Congregational Health.