On Volunteers...

In gardening and botanical terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a human farmer or gardener. Volunteers often grow from seeds that float on the wind, are dropped by birds, or are inadvertently mixed into compost before it is used.

Unlike weeds, which are unwanted plants, a volunteer may be encouraged once it appears, being watered, fertilized, or otherwise cared for.

A botanist friend tells me that volunteers can be heartier than intentionally planted plants, because they naturally had to find their way into the soil and worked their way up into life.

Do I really have to help you connect this post to the volunteers who serve in your ministry—and about how you can encourage them?

Thanks to Jake Bland for sending this to me.

Do you see the volunteer in the picture?

Need help finding, motivating, and retaining great volunteers?  Here's what you need.