4 Ways to Discover and Activate Servant Leaders in Your Church

Are there some ways you can begin to uncover committed servant leaders in your own congregation? Here are four ideas.

By Lynley Mandrell

Jenny became an active member at the church my husband and I planted and served in for several years in the Denver area. She was the mother of five kids and became a staple in the life of our congregation. But she soon began to feel like she was more of a consumer than a producer.

She approached me one day at church and said, “I feel convicted because I’m sending my five kids to the church’s programs, and I’m not volunteering in that space.” But signing her up to volunteer in the kids ministry wasn’t so simple. Sundays were often her one time during the week when she wasn’t corralling or supervising children.

After spending more time in conversation with Jenny, I learned she was detail-oriented. And we realized together that just because she had children involved in kids ministry each week didn’t mean she was relegated to serving directly with kids.

Soon, Jenny began serving on Sunday mornings on the administrative side of kids ministry, ensuring each child was placed in the correct classroom. Not only was this a meaningful contribution for her but it was also another measure for us to take to help keep kids safe.

How many “Jennys” do you have in your church? I can’t help but believe every church—especially those hurting for ministry volunteers—have hidden gold, waiting to be discovered. Seventy-five percent of pastors say they grapple with the issue of apathy and lack of commitment among church members. But are there some ways you can begin to uncover committed servants in your own congregation? Here are four ideas.

1. See them as people, not merely as a means to an end

The people who serve in your ministry should know they are valued for who they are more than for what they can do. That’s one of the reasons I suggest not doing the “all call”—the big announcement from the stage on Sunday morning asking for servant leaders. We did it for years before realizing how ineffective it is. And not only is it ineffective, but it’s also deeply impersonal.

When we identified gaps in the ministry where we needed people to use their gifts, or when people would say they wanted to serve, we’d meet with people one-on-one. We’d chat with them and give them a brief tour of the spaces. Then we’d give them an overview of the ministry and provide a sample schedule so they felt prepared.

The people who serve in your ministry should know they are valued for who they are more than for what they can do. — Lynley Mandrell Share on X

This is not only helpful but also deeply personal. It’s hard on a servant leader when they’re thrown into the deep end of the pool on the first day.

The people in your church want to be helpful. Most don’t want to sit back and watch. And this personal approach to recruiting and onboarding is a far more important step than training a mass group of people, which is almost never inspiring and purely informational.

Take a personal interest in the people who want to serve. And be sure to follow up after their first experience or two with questions like: How was your experience? What was confusing? What went well? Or what didn’t go well?

2. Be creative in the spaces you form for others to serve

There are people right under your nose ready to serve. But there are also undiscovered opportunities for people to put their gifts to use. Churches so often miss the mark on that.

Are there any gifted writers warming the seats on Sundays? Perhaps they could write some articles or devotionals to bless or challenge the rest of the church. There’s also likely a population of church members who wouldn’t describe themselves as a “people person.”

I had a team of four women who came and cleaned baby toys. Nursery volunteers could leave the rooms messy, and they knew someone was coming to sterilize everything.

There are creative, unconventional ways to give many in your church an onramp to service that don't involve teaching or even being a "people person." Share on X

Some other ideas for servants who aren’t as socially inclined include:

• Assembling crafts for kids behind the scenes
• Preparing games or snacks
• Monitoring safety and/or security

Another thought: Perhaps you lead and/or worship in a small church that doesn’t have the budget to have an extensive staff. Are there any people in your congregation who have weekday hours free? Consider enlisting them to help with light office work, such as stuffing envelopes, filing papers, answering the phone, or sorting incoming/outgoing mail.

These are creative, unconventional ways to give many in your church an onramp to service.

3. Facilitate meaningful connections

One of the worst mistakes a church can make in the area of volunteers is not talking to someone eye to eye and asking for help. Once we took this approach, we rarely had volunteer problems. This is heavily due to the ability to create meaningful connections through intentionality.

Think of it this way: One of the chief goals of church life is to create spiritual depth. Some specific ways we do this are through sermons, small groups, and serving. And we often miss the mark on spiritual growth and community depth when we’re not intentionally connecting with our servant leaders.

One of the worst mistakes a church can make in the area of volunteers is not talking to someone eye to eye and asking for help. — Lynley Mandrell Share on X

We’ve all been in spaces designated for volunteers to kick back and grab a snack. This is a kind gesture, but ultimately, servant leaders aren’t looking for snacks. They’re looking for deep connections. They want relationships.

Consider creating events for volunteers to express your appreciation. This creates a context for them to spend time with you rather than simply receive instructions. Also, on Sundays, your servant leaders need to see you in person and hear you thank them for serving. Have cookouts for different teams. Once a quarter, give a gift and hand it to them in person. Don’t leave it at a desk or in a room for them to pick up.

When volunteers feel seen and happy, they stick around. There’s a saying that has rung true as long as Ben and I have been in ministry: Those who row the boat don’t rock the boat.

4. Be proactive—not reactive—in your communication with them

If you begin to see signs that a volunteer is burning out, it’s too late to keep them engaged. But too often, ministry leaders find themselves scrambling to “fix” the circumstances of that volunteer—or quickly find a replacement.

The missing component here is proactive communication. Here are a couple of examples of what this might look like:

“I’ve noticed you’ve served for three months without a break. We know you have your own family and full-time job, and we don’t want to wear you out and lose you as a volunteer. Do you need a month off?”

 Or …

“I know you’ve been at this for a bit, but I want to make sure you’re enjoying this and that it’s what you expected. Are you enjoying this? If not, we can re-evaluate and find a more suitable place for you to use your gifts.”

It seemed half the volunteers admitted they didn’t love their post whenever I had some variation of the second conversation above. You might be surprised if you asked your servant leaders the same. It’s more important to keep them engaged in your church’s mission rather than keep them in a specific role.

It’s more important to keep volunteers engaged in your church’s mission rather than keep them in a specific role. — Lynley Mandrell Share on X

As leaders, it’s our job to be proactive in communication with volunteers and staff. If my kids ministry volunteers are happy, they will love the children well. And the same would go for other areas in the life of our church.

So, leader, as many of the ministries within your church are ramping up for another season and you find yourself short of volunteers, I hope you’ll remember these principles for engaging people invested in the work. You may be surprised at what you discover when you think—and look—outside the box.