I was serving at a church in Monroe, LA in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit. Thousands of people fled the coast and over the next six months, our church became home for more than 200 people at any given time. We met all of their needs from providing food and shelter to locating family members to addressing medical issues to helping find jobs to marrying and burying. This was a 24 hours a day/7 days a week labor of love that required hundreds of volunteers to make it work.
Three men headed up the effort, working 8-hour shifts around the clock to ensure the process ran smoothly. In their careers, these men had managed and run businesses of their own. They understood the hands-on logistical and managerial requirements of the task at hand. Their leadership combined with the pre-existing leadership of our pastoral staff allowed our church to meet the needs of the hurricane
evacuees while still tending to the needs of our church family. Those three leaders are what I like to call executive volunteers.
An executive volunteer (EV) is a different type of volunteer. He is not the gentleman who has been your faithful head usher for five years running. She is not that ever dependable children’s Sunday school teacher. Those volunteer roles and countless others are well known both in their need and in their great value to churches. The EV position is something else. It allows members of the church body to use their professional skills and talents to serve the church and surrounding community.
Before you can begin to use executive volunteers, you need to know how to recognize, recruit and retain them. In the following, we’ll address each of these elements in turn.
Recognizing the executive volunteerWe tend to find what we’re looking for. When my wife and I moved and were searching for a new home, it seemed like everywhere we looked we saw homes: homes for sale, homes we would have liked to have been for sale, yards we admired, elevations that were appealing to us, you get the idea. The same thing goes for the executive volunteer. The reason many churches do not have them is that they are not looking. Consider a list of characteristics that are common for most EVs:
- They have a desire to serve God.
- They have a love for the church. This love translates into loyalty to church leadership and a belief in the vision and the values of the church.
- They are already leaders in their own right. They have served in a leadership capacity in other venues and are recognized as a leader by those around them.
- They have available time. This could be because they are self-employed, a stay-at-home parent, a part-time worker, retired or a consultant
- They have a specialized skill or gift and they want to use it to make a difference.
- They understand what a blessing it is to serve others.
Recruiting executive volunteersNow that you can recognize who the potential executive volunteers are, we’ll turn our attention to acquiring them. How can you bring them onto your team?
The Law of Attraction is key. You will attract people similar to yourself. If you are a strong leader then you will attract strong leaders. One exercise you will find insightful is to honestly evaluate yourself as a leader. If you want to attract better leaders, then you must become a better leader yourself.
The next point is an important one. Do not be afraid of executive volunteer leaders. Don’t be afraid of letting EVs see your flaws and weaknesses. Great leaders surround themselves with people who can add value. Too often pastors are afraid of how they will look if others are permitted to see how their church really operates. But the fact is, no organization is perfect and the people who make effective executive volunteers understand that principle. They have seen the good and the bad in other organizations and they know how to help.
Next, you will want to think ahead about how to approach potential EVs. Be aware of some of the unique needs in your church. When someone comes to you asking how they can help, don’t automatically throw them at the nursery. Find out what their passion is and go from there. When you identify someone who could become an EV, make sure you communicate a big vision. In my experience, “big” leaders are attracted to big vision.
Retaining executive volunteersLet’s assume that now you have an EV or two working with you. Following are some best practices to keep them on your team.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to set up executive volunteers correctly from the very beginning. Always introduce an EV with their position and their title. My daughter taught me this lesson several years ago when she worked at a large not-for-profit organization. Her organization depended heavily on volunteers but they made it a practice to never refer to someone as a volunteer. They introduced everyone by their title regardless of whether or not they drew a paycheck.
The reason they did this was to avoid a double standard. They did not want anyone developing a mentality that their volunteers were any less important or any less relied upon than the people who were being paid. That is a good take-away for churches. The “just a volunteer” mentality is toxic for the executive volunteer leader because it can devalue them in the eyes of others and consequently make their job of leading more difficult.
It is also good to ensure that EVs have the support and encouragement of the leader over them. Much of the executive volunteer’s motivation is to serve and please God. They are not interested in being busy; they are interested in being of value. So it is important that their leader validates them by recognizing their contribution regularly and by building and maintaining a strong, healthy relationship with them.
Finally, you should be aware of some of the challenges that executive volunteers face. Since this concept is new to many people, there may be some resistance from pastoral staff, support staff and lay leadership. As the leader of your church, you will set the tone so be prepared to champion your EV leaders and continue to cast a clear vision for your church.
Benefits of executive volunteersSuccessfully identifying, recruiting and retaining executive volunteers will benefit you, your church and God’s kingdom. These leaders can bring bottom line savings to your church. Three to four committed EVs can save $200,000 a year in payroll and benefits costs.
Additionally, executive volunteers will give you a fresh perspective from a non-pastoral view. Their communication isn’t filtered through the need for a paycheck so you can be sure it will be fully honest and frank. Finally, their energy and creativity will challenge you and the traditional staff to move to a more dynamic level of operation.
Action stepsBy now you may have caught the vision of what your church is missing out on. Are you ready for some action steps? The first thing is to consider what you can do to improve yourself. Read books on leadership, improve your listening skills and become an excellent encourager. Next, identify two or three areas in your ministry where you have a need that could be filled by an executive volunteer. They could lead a project, implement a new program, head up a task force or serve in a staff position that would otherwise be paid. Finally, identify some individuals who are potential EVs.
Your church has incredibly talented people right there within your walls. They love the Lord. They love the church. They are waiting to serve. Don’t deny them or your church the blessing of using skills and talents honed in the marketplace, to serve the Lord. It will benefit them, you, your church and God’s Kingdom.
Scotty Sanders has 20 years experience as an executive and administrative pastor and is the CEO of Life Catalyst Consulting, based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. [lifecatalystconsulting.com]
A real-life EV storyThe ministry leaders at a Dallas-area church were having trouble communicating with the artists on staff to effectively design themes and print materials to advertise upcoming events.
Frustrations were running high on both sides. Enter a recently retired vice-president of marketing for a major communications company. She came on staff and began working as a liaison between the pastors and the video and graphics designers.
Her marketing expertise and management experience allowed her to help develop ideas and provide clear communication channels from the pastors to the artists straight to their intended audiences. Everyone benefited.
Roles filled by executive volunteers- Guest Services Director
- New Member Coordinator
- Security Team Coordinator
- Media/Communications Director
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Building Team Leader
