226: Why You’re Struggling to Get Church Volunteers (It’s Not What You Think)

Most churches assume they have a numbers problem. They’re trying to get more volunteers, when what really needs attention is the experience people walk into. It’s rarely a recruiting problem. It’s a culture issue that started long before the ask - shaped by what people have seen, heard, and come to expect from “volunteering.”In this episode:Why “we need more volunteers” is often the wrong starting pointWhat’s really influencing whether people say yes - or quietly opt outThe hidden patterns that make ministry feel like drudgery instead of joyWhy this changes how you approach everything … even if you’ve tried all there is to recruit more volunteersRESOURCES MENTIONEDGet your FREE ticket to the Small Church KidMin + Youth Ministry Conference: Summer EditionJoin our free Facebook CommunityGet the Ministry Bundles here!Support the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

When everything gets inconsistent, connection matters more - not more programming. Summer might actually be the easiest time to bring people together in simpler, more natural ways. Not perfect, not polished. Just real moments across ages that help your church feel like a community again. If you try one or two of these, you might be surprised what happens.Why mixing ages can actually make summer easier (not harder)Simple ways to create connection without extra volunteersLow-prep ideas that work even with inconsistent attendanceHow this shifts the feel of your whole churchRESOURCES MENTIONEDGet your FREE ticket to the Small Church KidMin + Youth Ministry Conference: Summer EditionJoin our free Facebook CommunityGet the Ministry Bundles here!Support the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

Every summer, we quietly start competing—with travel, sports, family time—and it gets exhausting. But what if the problem isn’t where people are going … It’s how we’re responding to it? People having full, busy lives isn’t a threat to the church. It might actually be the starting point for better ministry.The tension between church and real life in the summerWhy we feel frustrated (even when we don’t say it out loud)What changes when we stop competing and start noticingMeeting people where they already areRESOURCES MENTIONEDGet your FREE ticket to the Small Church KidMin + Youth Ministry Conference: Summer EditionJoin our free Facebook CommunityGet the Ministry Bundles here!Support the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

What if the thing we keep trying to push through… is actually the thing we need? Summer changes the rhythm of everything - attendance, energy, schedules - and instead of fighting it, we might be invited to work with it. Not as a setback, but as a shift. This isn’t about lowering the bar; it’s about leading differently. Why summer always feels “off” (and why that’s not failure)The pressure to keep everything running the sameLetting go of school-year expectationsWhat it looks like to lead the season you’re actually inRESOURCES MENTIONEDGet your FREE ticket to the Small Church KidMin + Youth Ministry Conference: Summer EditionJoin our free Facebook CommunityGet the Ministry Bundles here!Support the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

We close Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making with one of the most uncomfortable conversations of all — quitting. When there’s no clear exit, service slowly turns into obligation. In this episode, we talk about why healthy ministries build off-ramps on purpose — and how giving people freedom actually builds more trust, not less.In this episode, we cover:Why every volunteer role should have a clear and normal way to endHow guilt-based retention quietly damages cultureWhy vacation days, sick days, and honest capacity conversations matter in church tooWhat it looks like to honor people beyond their roleRESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunityGet the Ministry Bundles here!Support the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

In Mistake #6 of Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making, we rethink recruitment altogether. Instead of building programs and then scrambling to fill roles, what if our people shaped our ministry? This episode explores the difference between recruiting and developing - and why unique churches grow when we build around the gifts already in the room.In this episode, we cover:The difference between recruiting to fill roles and developing people over timeWhy cookie-cutter ministry models keep us stuckHow to let the people God brings determine the direction of your ministryWhy development builds long-term health (and recruiting often protects our programs)RESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunitySupport the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

This episode in Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making looks at how we unintentionally sideline volunteers before they even begin. We’ve been taught in leadership to make plans first and ask for help later. Turns out, that’s a great way to make people feel unnecessary, unimportant, and often unseen.In this episode, we cover:How early planning decisions limit participationWhy people disengage when they’re brought in too lateWhat shared ownership actually looks like in small churchesRESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunitySupport the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

In Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making, we’re talking about meetings - and how they often do more harm than good. We say we value people’s time, but when we gather by default instead of by necessity, purpose, or engagement, we teach people that showing up doesn’t actually matter.In this episode, we cover:Why meetings are often more about leader comfort than team supportHow requiring presence can quietly drain goodwillEasy alternatives that respect people’s time and still develop volunteers like rockstarsRESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunitySupport the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

In this episode of Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making, we talk about something subtle but powerful: the way our language and posture shape culture. When we treat people like “just volunteers,” we reinforce hierarchy instead of partnership, and “helping” instead of ownership.In this episode, we cover:How subtle language changes send powerful messagesHow hierarchy creeps in without us noticingSmall shifts that move us toward shared ownershipRESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunitySupport the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership

In Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making, this episode looks at a mistake that feels kind - but ends up weakening people and teams over time. When we over-simplify roles in the name of “helping,” we don’t just remove responsibility - we remove meaning. People don’t stay because a job is easy. They stay because it matters.In this episode, we cover:How doing too much for people isn't always helpfulWhy easier isn’t the same as healthierPeople who feel needed show up with different energyRESOURCES MENTIONEDJoin our free Facebook CommunitySupport the showSUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!FOLLOW US:Website: smallchurchministry.comInstagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministryFacebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministryCreative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministrySmall Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership