Lead Volunteers: “Feel Free to Say No”
In ministry, I want to make sure that my own personal powers of persuasion are not being leveraged as a form of manipulation. People need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, not my voice. I do not want, in a pressure-filled yet persuasive way, to convince someone that they should be volunteering. That’s the job of the Holy Spirit.
Remove the Pressure
I do understand. You need volunteers. However, you don’t want the wrong volunteers. You do not want someone to respond to your persuasion, but rather you want someone to respond to the power of the Holy Spirit. I have overtly encouraged people to pray about their decision, and if they don’t feel that God is leading them to serve, then by all means, please say no. It would be a train wreck for them, and for you, if someone agrees to volunteer that doesn’t feel God is truly calling them.
Don’t forget that you may hold some form of authority in the life of your church. Be cautious. Don’t exercise or seek to leverage that authority in an inappropriate way. You are not the “Junior Holy Spirit.” We, as leaders, can, if we’re not careful, use our gifts and abilities to make people do what we think they should do. This can be very dangerous.
The Most Effective Recruiting Line
People need to be compelled to volunteer because the Lord Almighty is calling them to do this. How much more powerful would they be if God, not you, has called them. I don’t want to be a manipulative leader. I want to be a leader who leads people to see and act and respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Would you rather have people respond “no” to you, or for them to feel guilt, pressure, and persuasion to say yes to something that they have no business saying yes to? Please do everyone a favor and give them the freedom to say no.
