I don’t know when/how your church enlists workers. Your congregation may have an ongoing strategy. Whatever the process, here are some “does not equal” statements to keep in mind in the recruitment process.
- Willingness does not always equal giftedness. A member may be willing to serve, but his willingness does not always reveal itself in giftedness. In fact, some “willing” people wind up serving in the wrong place because we ignore the question of giftedness – and their willingness becomes frustration and ineffectiveness.
- Giftedness does not always equal compulsion. Even if a member shows giftedness, the church should not be compelled to immediately place that person in some ministry. For example, new believers may be great teachers, but that doesn’t mean they should be quickly given a teaching role.
- Theological affirmation does not always equal theological orthodoxy. Saying, “I believe the Bible” really doesn’t mean much. The person whose word you accept without further assessment may well prove otherwise when you give him or her a leadership position.
- A church “letter of transfer” does not always equal a church’s affirmation. Here, I’m speaking of new members transferring their membership to your church. Their previous church may send a “letter” of membership, but a generic letter should not be read as affirmation of their walk with God. Some churches grant a membership letter while choosing to ignore real issues in the person’s life.
- “Calling” does not always equal calling. One of the biggest mistakes I made in ministry was, as a young pastor, accepting a young man’s “calling” based on his word. His actions proved otherwise, but only after we had given him too much responsibility. An unaffirmed calling can quickly become a problematic one.
- Faithful attendance does not always equal godliness. It’s easy to recruit people based only on their faithfulness. We certainly cannot ignore faithfulness, but nor should we assume that strong attendance equals deep obedience.
- A pulpit announcement does not always equal recruitment. Let’s face it: people probably more often than not don’t listen to announcements. Too much is going on their minds to pay close attention to what is often “added on” to the worship service. If you want to recruit workers, do it like Jesus did: face-to-face.
- Inactivity does not always equal apathy. Sometimes, members don’t serve because no one has ever asked them. Others want to serve, but they fear (rightly so, in many cases) that the church won’t provide training for them. Some have never been taught what it means to be part of a 1 Corinthians 12 church.
- Materials do not always equal training. I was leading a Sunday school class long before I was trained to do so. I had the materials – the curriculum – but I didn’t have a mentor to guide me. Providing resources is hardly sufficient when not accompanied by training.
- Today’s effectiveness does not always equal tomorrow’s growth. A member’s successful ministry today is no guarantee that person’s ministry will be effective tomorrow. Simply recruiting the same workers year after year with no assessment can become a recipe for mediocrity.
What other equations would you add to this list?