I recently read where someone said they learned more from failures than from successes. This made me realize I’d been strategically placed, sadly, to … shall we say … “learn a lot” from my old home church about church ministries and recruiting volunteers. A gathering with such potential for life eventually reached a morbid state.

The “face and feel” of this church seemed welcoming and ministry-oriented, and it appeared to be significantly involved in the local community. The worship bulletin noted their 20/80 statistic: Paid staff did only 20% of the church’s work and volunteers did 80%. But, a vastly different story was playing out behind the scenes. The way leaders structured ministries dictated a line of dominoes leading to disaster.

Yes, there were opportunities to serve. Yes, volunteers contributed hours of activity at this church and through it. But most were in ministry “slots” set by the staff. These roles merely required someone – anyone – to fill them. Result: Volunteer turnover rate was high. Some stayed long-term, despite it not being their real ministry niche, but often burned out altogether on serving and dropped out.

So, church staff spent a huge amount of time racing around, hunting down fill-in volunteers. Result: Staff had to pick up the slack and fill in the gaps. So, they, too, were burning out, trying to be eye-foot-hand-ears in the Body. Actually, by the time I relocated, staff at this church probably did 80% of the work.

Though it’d been suggested multiple times over many years, their senior leaders still refused to use volunteer assessment tools. They still haven’t put in place leadership training on how to help form ministries based on spiritual gifts, how to recruit volunteers and supervise them, or how to equip and encourage God’s people for meaningful service.

And the ultimate results there of having no realistic ministry strategy? Stress – and ministry meltdown. Volunteers are still treated like notches on the ministry belt of senior leaders, and no effort is given to helping them find their best God-given niche. Reportedly, many leave, frustrated by feeling blocked from doing anything relevant to their personality or passion. The congregation size is half what it used to be. Staff burnout and turnover has increased.

Here’s the take-away: To restore hope, we need to stop the line of dominoes leading to disaster. And that means leaders need to equip people for the work of ministry. Otherwise, we quench the Holy Spirit’s work in our midst (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and block the growth of our gatherings.

“Daddy, are we almost there?” I could read into this question from the backseat the excitement my kids felt as we neared our family’s favorite vacation spot, South Padre Island in Texas. This trip had us fishing in the bay, a first for us! We thought our fishing excursion would take place on the calm, relaxing, wave-free side of the bay. Instead, the captain – wanting us to catch lots of fish, took us outside the bay to the deeper, much rougher waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As the boat bobbed up and down we found ourselves holding on for dear life! We caught fish alright, but all five of us ended up experiencing sea sickness in one fashion or another! We still share that life experience with others and laugh about it when we tell it. Life reminds me of that family trip: At times unexpected things cause us temporary discomfort. Other times, unexpected things cause us much happiness.

One of my favorite parts of the assessment test and the PLACE class is the life experience section. This section is the shortest of all the tests, but it is always the most revealing. Walking through some of my own life experiences I have realized several things about how God works:

• God wants us to share our life experiences to connect with one another.
• God uses our life experiences to shape us into what He wants us to become.
• God uses our life experiences to prepare us for future ministry.
• Life experiences can be painful in the short-term, but ultimately God’s promises will be seen and His good accomplished in and through us if we continue to trust in Him.

Sharing our life stories requires vulnerability on our part and a huge amount of trust extended in the other person. Sharing our life stories can bring back painful memories, embarrassing moments, or great reflection. The benefits far outweigh the risks. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and be intentional about sharing your life story with someone else this week! You will be surprised how God can use your life experiences to impact other lives for His glory and His Kingdom!