Redeemed nature in Christ will overcome our old nature as we choose to follow Jesus’ example, listen to the prompts of the Holy Spirit, and therefore seek to put others first.
Putting God and others first is still a battle, but now the battle can be won. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
As leaders we can champion the process of spiritual maturity in our volunteers by encouraging and inspiring each person, challenging them with something meaningful and making the connection to God’s purpose and plan clear.
2. They Possess Big Picture Thinking About People Development.
It’s easy to fall prey to small thinking under the pressure to increase the size of your volunteer teams. We can even get stuck there. That kind of limited thinking sees and responds only to the immediate demands of the week or the current season.
Big picture thinking allows you to see with a longer view in mind.
Volunteer development is an invitation for someone to participate in something much larger than they could achieve on their own. It’s an invitation to join God’s purpose and plan. It’s eternal in nature.
This invitation to serve others is:
- Redemptive: It values people on a spiritual level
- Strategic: It advances the Kingdom of God
- Empowering: It gives people the opportunity to discover their specific part in God’s purpose.
Now let’s be honest, those three bulleted thoughts are not the first things that come to mind when it’s Saturday night and we are short on volunteers in the nursery for Sunday. At that point, we just need to make sure its covered. We all understand that.
But the more we think this way and lead our volunteer culture to function with these three underpinnings, candidly, the less we’ll have Saturday night scrambles.
3. They Feed People More Than Need People.
If you need people more than you feed people, you will soon be leading from empty. And when you lead from empty, in time, your leadership lacks meaning and joy.
This may sound counterintuitive because “feeding” (shepherding and caring for) people can empty you.
But here’s the difference.
