“Subject=Consistent Language”

S1=”We equip churches with the right tools to help recruit volunteers and place them in a ministry that best utilizes their gifts and talents.” – this is a quote from your getting started page. From video blog you make the point its about “servants” not “volunteers.” To be consistent may I humbly suggest you change your wording here? You appear to have a great process as I am checking things out. I have a personal passion as a mission coach about helping people discover their purpose.”

I first want to thank this minister who took the time to carefully read and reflect upon our website.  Secondly, I want to explain the apparent inconsistent use of “volunteers” vs. “servants” on our site.  We recognize that most churches use the word “volunteers” in recruiting members to serve in various positions within the church.  I wish this were not so, but it is what it is.  My desire is to change the word from “volunteer” to “servant”, but in order to communicate to those who are seeking to use our tools, resources and process I must start with what is familiar to those wanting to learn about PLACE Ministries.

I stated in the video blog http://www.placeministries.org/videoblog/ the words volunteer, volunteers, volunteered are only used 4 times in the entire Bible while the words, serve, servant, servants are used 1010 throughout the Bible.  I passionately desire that churches would move away from using the word “volunteer” and talk about those who serve as servants like we see in the New Testament.  Jesus stated in Matthew 20:28 that “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…”.  Paul encourages us to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).

I would like nothing more than one day to not have the word “volunteer” listed on our website as something someone does within the Body of Christ.  But until the culture and language is changed at times I am stuck with using words like “volunteer”, “volunteers”, “volunteering” or “volunteered”.  Consider being a part along with our ministry in changing the language from “volunteer” to “servant” in your culture.

Evangelism, assimilation, and discipleship are interdependent and so closely intertwined, that the more common strategies employed by churches fall short of ultimately connecting the person to the body in a meaningful way. Common to most church’s models, strategic assimilation programs are largely information-oriented vehicles designed to educate the visitor on the ‘benefits’ of membership, sprinkled with enough ‘touches of love’ to make the visitor feel valued. Membership is the goal. What is completely absent from the strategies are steps needed to get the person plugged in and SERVING in the body. Servanthood evangelism is largely ignored by most church assimilation programs.

A visitor will much more readily connect to a body if they are made to feel that they have a God-ordained purpose to serve and are needed within that body to serve others in the name of Christ.

Three steps in making this happen-

1) Put their gifts and talents to use for the Lord. This will motivate membership, and membership retention, far more than a friendly letter and a keepsake mug.

2) Focus more on discipleship than membership, and discipleship involves serving God and serving others. Too many assimilation strategies stop at getting the visitor to attend a membership class and becoming a member. Some programs may include getting them in a small group. But then what? Once on the membership rolls, the new member is often anonymously folded into the congregation and the attention shifts back toward the next visitor and the pursuit of another membership to make the numbers.

3) Connect Evangelism (winning them to Christ), Assimilation (connecting them to Christ ? the body), and Discipleship (conforming them to Christ through serving). All three intimately related toward shaping visitors/members into disciples. By helping the member discover his spiritual gifts and then connecting them to his talents and passions, a new ambassador for Christ within the body will be surrendered and serving so that the exponential effect of the evangelism cycle can begin anew.

Actively serving and loving others are the surest signs that the church has properly assimilated and discipled the new member. Simply connecting them to a small group, an inwardly-focused, holy huddle is the surest sign of failure in this area.