Are you only organizing volunteers for ministry?

A Baptist, a Nazarene, and a Methodist all walk into a Starbucks. (Insert your own ending to the joke here.)

My disciplemaking friend, Crazy Pastor Steve (on the left), took this picture and sent it to me. (From left to right is Benny the Baptist, Josh the Nazarene, and Trent the Methodist.)

It turns out that these three disciplemaking youth pastors in Central IL were gathered together to prepare for a collaborative time of equipping students and volunteers to live and share disciplemaking friendships that multiply to others.

Pause and re-read the italics and bold lettering above one more time.

I know and love all three of these youth pastors. We've study Jesus together in our Disciplemaking Learning Community. I've preached in each of their churches. I've enjoyed numerous lunches and lots of coffee with these guys.

But there is more to this picture than meets the eye.

I think this picture is remarkable on a several levels.  

 Ponder the following with me...

First, many ministry leaders organize volunteers for their programs. Way fewer ministry leaders actually encourage AND equip volunteers to live and share disciplemaking as a way of life with others.

Second, their friendship with each other is big enough that it doesn't matter that they are from different denominations. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is enough reason to partner together for making disciplemakers with the next generations.

Last, they totally left me out of this meeting. I wasn't even invited. And I couldn't more filled with joy about it (see Luke 10:21).

So what does this have to do with you?

Possibly nothing... and maybe everything. That all depends on you.

The big question is this: Are YOU only organizing volunteers for ministry?

Answer that question. Be honest. I dare you.

If you only focus on organizing volunteers for ministry, you're using volunteers to build your ministry —when you should be using your ministry to build volunteers.

If you REALLY want to train volunteers but don't know where to start, then THIS IS FOR YOU. (It's a FREE downloadable book I wrote that will help you help others. Feel free to share it with others who are only organizing volunteers for ministry.)

Here are some more germane questions for you to explore and reflect upon...
1. Need help finding, developing, and retaining volunteers?
2. What training are they doing?
3. How can YOU bring this training to your church/ministry?
4. What is a Disciplemaking Learning Community?
5. Who else do you know that is making disciplemakers?
6. Who is Crazy Pastor Steve?

"We haven't made disciples like Jesus until those we disciple make more disciples."

You, Me, and Coffee Monday... 
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