I remember my first few years in ministry—full of energy, eager to serve, and convinced I could handle everything on my own. Until one day, I found myself writhing in pain, all because of a music stand.
Yes. A music stand.
At my first parish, we shared our youth space with other ministries, which meant every week, I had to set up and break everything down. One day, I had a brilliant idea—I had seen another church with massive bean bags, and I thought, Our middle schoolers will love this!
I didn’t think about how I was going to move them.
If you’ve ever tried to get out of a bean bag chair as an adult, you know it’s an undignified process. But that wasn’t even the worst part. I had to drag these things across the carpet, along with our heavy, steel-framed tables (you know the kind—the ones that pinch your fingers if you breathe near them).
And then, after all that, I bent down to pick up a simple music stand… and bam! A sharp pain shot through my leg. The next morning, I couldn’t get out of bed. I had pulled my groin. (For the guys reading—top five worst pain of all time.)
At the doctor’s office, he looked at me and said, Chris, I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, but… you might need some help.
No kidding.
The problem wasn’t that I never asked for help. It was that when people didn’t show up or didn’t do things the way I wanted, I stopped trusting them.
Sound familiar?
We get frustrated when volunteers don’t step up or don’t follow through, so we tell ourselves, It’s just easier if I do it myself. And before we know it, we’re running a ministry alone—overworked, exhausted, and wondering why we ever said yes to this in the first place.
But here’s the thing: Ministry isn’t meant to be a solo sport.
If we want thriving, impactful, and joyful ministries, we have to stop trying to do everything ourselves.
So, what makes a great team? It’s not just about getting people to show up—it’s about recruiting the right people and setting them up for success. A great volunteer:
Takes ownership – They don’t just fill a role; they see themselves as part of the mission.
Grows spiritually – Serving isn’t just about others; it should deepen their faith, too.
Invests in others – They bring others into the mission, mentoring and inviting new leaders.
Think about one person in your parish who would make a great volunteer but hasn’t stepped up yet. What’s stopping you from asking them?
Recruiting volunteers isn’t about finding the “right” people—it’s about forming them. Sometimes, they just need someone to say, I see something in you.