When you read Charlotte McCorquodale’s recent Illuminating Trends study from Ministry Training Source, you won’t find ministry leaders asking for better games or more curriculum.
One of the clearest challenges pastoral leaders are naming right now is finding adult leaders. That’s not a creativity problem.
It’s a sustainability problem.
And if you’re honest, you feel it. You’re already carrying confirmation prep, events, parent communication, emails, volunteers who need support, and whatever else landed on your desk this week. The idea of “fixing volunteer recruitment” can feel like one more responsibility you don’t have margin for.
So instead of asking, What new program should I try? maybe the better question is:
What would make this livable?
Because the solution to a volunteer shortage is healthier systems, clearer equipping and leadership that multiplies instead of absorbs.
Here are three shifts that don’t require you to reinvent your ministry.
Most of us default to bulletin blurbs and pulpit announcements. Then we conclude, “People just don’t want to serve.”
But recruiting isn’t an event. It’s a system.
That doesn’t mean more work. It means rhythm.
What if once a month you personally invited one person?
What if once a quarter you highlighted one volunteer’s story?
What if every retreat included a clear next step for adults who were present?
You don’t need a marketing campaign. You need consistency.
If you feel stuck, look around your parish. Is there someone who works in HR, recruiting, or marketing? Ask them one question:
“How would you build awareness if this were your organization?”
You don’t have to solve this alone.
One reason finding adult leaders feels so hard is because we’re constantly replacing the ones who leave.
Retention is recruitment.
If your current volunteers feel unclear, underprepared, or disconnected, turnover becomes inevitable. But when they feel confident and supported, they invite others naturally.
If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t create a massive training binder.
Sit down with your current team and ask:
Then adjust one thing based on their answers.
Formation doesn’t have to be elaborate. Sometimes it’s clarity. Sometimes it’s better communication. Sometimes it’s simply checking in consistently.
Small improvements reduce turnover. Reduced turnover reduces pressure.
You are not just managing tasks. You are forming leaders.
If you see yourself as a steward rather than the sole operator, delegation becomes formation instead of survival.
Start small.
Identify one responsibility you currently carry that someone else could own — not just execute, but steward.
Instead of saying,
“Can you help with this event?”
Try,
“Would you be willing to take ownership of hospitality this semester?”
Ownership builds investment.
Investment builds longevity.
Longevity builds sustainability.
Finding volunteers feels hard because you’re trying to solve a capacity issue with creativity.
You don’t need to fix everything this month.
You need one sustainable next step.
If you’re looking for practical tools that help you build healthier systems — without adding more to your workload — that’s exactly why we built Ministry2Go.