Solving the Volunteer Challenge

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I don’t know of a single church leader who wouldn’t say, now more than ever, that getting volunteers is hard. Each would speak of a heavenly, saintly “core” that serves faithfully and selflessly, but adding to that core is becoming increasingly challenging.

People just aren’t volunteering like they once did.

But why?

You could point to the rise of the “nones,” along with the number of people who have left churches altogether. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has seen membership decline for the last two decades. And they are doing better than most.

But in truth, the answer is more pervasive. It’s not about the loss of people from the church, but rather the loss of the church from within people. The cause of Christ does not burn in the lives of enough Christ followers. Too often, the consumer culture that has become increasingly self-oriented permeates Christians more than the call to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus—or even to drape a towel over an arm and pick up a wash basin.

Instead, we increasingly do only what we must or what serves us. This has infiltrated all things volunteering. For example, if you want your child to play sports, and the league requires parents to serve the team in some way, parents will then volunteer. Not because they want to, or even because they know they should, but because they have to if they want their child to play that sport.

It’s a consumer decision. I serve, but only because I receive something in return. It’s a transaction. It’s not really “serving” at all, which is something selfless with nothing expected in return.

The Christian dynamic of serving follows a different mindset. As Jesus Himself said of His own life, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, NLT).

This will not be solved by expressing the needs of the church.

This will not be solved by heaping guilt or shame on those not serving.

This will not be solved by becoming as transactional and consumeristic as the world, offering rewards to coerce volunteer commitment.

There is one and only one solution.

We must help people become more like Jesus and cast the vision that the cause of Christ is the most important thing anyone who wants to follow Jesus can throw their lives into serving.

Like He did.

And to help them see that in so doing,

... they will receive much more than their child’s placement on a team.

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James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.