Celebration Church is a force in our community, propelled by a generous and powerful army of volunteers – I thought we would enjoy these thoughts from Granger Community Church’s senior pastor, Mark Beeson, posted on his blog about volunteers and their motivation to serve. He says it well, so here it is.

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Let me offer a few reasons why good people volunteer. It’s not an exhaustive list but it summarizes a few key points for team-building and might be worth considering. 

Eight Reasons Good People Volunteer to Help You

  1. They want to see done the thing you’re trying to get done.  What you’re doing isclear to them, and clearly important to them.  Because they value what you value,what you’re doing is clearly worth their sacrificial effort.
  2. They see the need and want to help meet the need.  Whether they jump in to help for a moment (helping with one step of the process), or stay with you for the entire mission (laying down their life for ultimate mission success), they see how they can assist you and they do.
  3. They want to be involved. After considering their other options (how they could otherwise be using their time, energy, knowledge and skills), they prioritize your mission above other competing values. The success of your work – for one reason, or another – is important to them.  They believe the work is worthy.
  4. They’re invited. They feel welcomed and valued. They recognize you’ve made it possible for them to join the effort. There is a place for them on the team. Affirmation and appreciation are hand-in-glove with a mission strategy that organizes all available human resources.
  5. They understand how their personal involvement improves the work. Once they understand your mission, most people know themselves well enough to realize whether their skills, training, education, strength, possessions and experiences can be leveraged against your need. They see how they can add value and advance the mission.
  6. They want you to succeed. Your ultimate success in life matters and they believe your mission success in the particulars of the moment will serve as a step toward the ultimate fulfillment of your life. For reasons you may not even understand, they want you to succeed. Since they care about you, and want you to fulfill your destiny, they volunteer to help you all along the way.
  7. They love working with you. You are inspiring, encouraging, positive, expectant, trustworthy, successful and fun.
  8. They love working with the other volunteers. They want to be with the other volunteers on your team. They love the way they’re treated and valued. It’s fun, fulfilling and rewarding to do what you’re doing with you and your team.

Conversely, good people will quit, and leave your team, if they no longer feel welcomed, don’t feel valued, lose their vision for mission success, can’t make a contribution worthy of their effort, don’t like you or find the rest of the volunteers unkind, unreasonable and impossible. 1 Samuel 26:5-7  -  David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.  “Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother. “I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied.  So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp