By Brent Lacy

Sign-up sheets do not work. You know it. I know it. The three people who signed up on Sunday only confirmed what we already suspected: in a church of 50, the same 10 people do everything.

Here is how to recruit volunteers when your church is small, tired, and nobody thinks they have anything left to give.

Stop Asking for Volunteers. Start Asking for Help with Specific Tasks.

“We need more volunteers” is too abstract. Nobody wakes up thinking, “I want to volunteer.” People wake up thinking about their life, their family, their responsibilities.

Instead of asking for volunteers, try this:

• “Would you be willing to hand out bulletins for the next three Sundays?”
• “Could you bring a meal for the family in the hospital this week?”
• “Will you lead the opening prayer on the first Sunday of next month?”

Specific. Time-limited. Concrete. These kinds of requests get yeses. “We need Sunday School teachers” gets silence.

Identify Hidden Capacity

In every small church, there are people who could serve but have never been asked. They are not on any committee. They have never taught a class. But they show up every Sunday.

Talk to them. Not in a “we noticed you have not volunteered” way. In a “we have been getting to know you and think you might enjoy this” way.

Some of your best potential volunteers are:

• Newer members who want to connect but do not know how
• Retirees who have time but feel outdated
• Parents of young children who would serve if childcare were available
• People with disabilities who are never asked because leaders assume they cannot

Make It Easy to Say Yes

In a small church, the barrier to volunteering is not willingness. It is logistics.

• Provide childcare. If young parents could drop their kids in the nursery while they served, you would have twice as many volunteers.
• Provide training. Many people do not volunteer because they do not feel qualified. A one-page “here is what you do on Sunday morning” guide removes that barrier.
• Start small. Ask someone to try it for a month. Not “will you teach Sunday School for the year?” but “would you be willing to help out for the next four weeks and see how it goes?”

Use a Team Approach

Instead of asking one person to teach Sunday School every week for a year, create a team that rotates. Four people teaching once a month is sustainable. One person teaching every week burns out in three months.

This applies to everything: nursery duty, greeters, setup/teardown, even preaching. If your pastor is bi-vocational, having a rotation of members who lead worship or share a devotional once a month gives your pastor a necessary break.

Recognize and Appreciate

Nobody volunteers for recognition. But everyone appreciates being noticed.

Say thank you. Specifically. Not just “thanks for all you do,” but “the children in your class are growing because of your faithfulness.” That kind of specific thanks tells a volunteer that their service matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if we ask and nobody says yes?

Keep asking. But change how you ask. Instead of asking from the pulpit, ask one-on-one. Instead of asking for a year-long commitment, ask for one Sunday. Instead of asking people to fill a role, ask them to help with a task. The ask matters as much as the need.

How do we handle it when a volunteer is not doing a good job?

Address it early and kindly. Most volunteers want to do well. They just need feedback. A simple “here is what is working well, and here is one thing that could make it even better” goes a long way. Do not let a bad situation fester. It will only get worse.

Should we pay volunteers?

No. Paying volunteers changes the relationship from service to employment. Instead of paying people, make serving meaningful. Provide training. Give feedback. Say thank you. These things cost nothing and mean everything.

How do we recruit younger volunteers?

Give them real responsibility. Young people do not want to be helpers. They want to be leaders. Give a 25-year-old the youth group. Give a 30-year-old the worship team. Give them ownership, not just tasks.

Sources

1. Karl Vaters, “Recruiting Volunteers In a Small Church”
2. Nick Blevins, “How to Recruit Church Volunteers (A Proven 5-Part Framework)”
3. Pushpay, “How to Recruit Volunteers for Church: A Guide for Church Leaders”
4. Better Bible Teachers, “5 Methods for Recruiting and Keeping Church Volunteers”