If you have worked in ministry for three seconds you know this mindset is the fast track to burn out and eye twitching, no lie I sometimes get an eye twitch when I am over loaded.
You need volunteers. Real people who work full time jobs, 50 plus hours a week and most likley have families and pets.
After family and work they then give you time. The time you need from them should be an opportunity not shift work.
1. Is your weekly ministry volunteer friendly. If all your volunteers get off work at 5:30 planning a ministry that starts at 6pm gives no one no time to go home let the dogs out, eat and kiss the kids and then make it to their volunteer opportunity. Move your ministry to 7 or 7:30pm.
2. Is your ministry an opportunity or a shift work? The work you need your volunteers to do needs to be fulfilling and rewarding. Yes sometimes you do just need someone to stand there and make sure the place does not catch on fire. Remember that ministry is about people and even if their volunteer position is just standing there empower them to reach out to the people in the ministry that they come in contact with.
3. See them as a real person. It is to easy to treat people badly especially when you are busy and you need a job done. I almost blew up when one of my best volunteers did not communicate to me they had to work that night and could not help me out.... after calming down I realized I should have called him at the start of the week. If you need people to help you, you need to make sure they are actually able to help you.
You can feel burned often when working in ministry when you feel people stand you up. Yes, sometimes people do stand you up. But, many times it can be prevented with a few phone calls each week.
Ed Young's Church approaches volunteers with the idea that volunteers do what you inspect not expect. Remember volunteers are real people with full times lives first a blessing to you second and your help third.
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