Some churches have a waiting list of volunteers. What makes the difference? The need for volunteers never goes away in a church, nor does the lament over a lack of volunteers. But you can turn lament into laughter. Long-game volunteer recruiting builds relationships, shapes volunteer culture and thinks in terms of years.

We call ourselves a "Voluntary Cooperative Fellowship," but does that mean cooperation and fellowship are just optional suggestions? Or perhaps "Voluntary" means something else.

How can we equip volunteers for success? Sometimes we’re afraid to offer training to our volunteers. We tell ourselves people are smart and don’t need anyone to boss them around anyway.