When beginning a new cm leadership position – how to recruit new cm team members

Your Question:

“I am directing a CM that hasn’t had a CM director before me.  How do I recruit new CM team members?”

The Issues:

Recruiting new CM team members is one of the top challenges and hopes for every CM leader. The work of serving in the CM requires faithfulness, patience, and confidence.  Those who volunteer to join the CM team see beyond their own needs or fears and they willingly step into the challenging ministry of the CM because of their commitment to Jesus and to the “Great Commission.” CM leaders cannot “get” people to volunteer, they must, with God’s Spirit guiding them, create an environment that attracts others to join the work.

Scripture Foundation:

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring out your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him…”  Psalms 37: 4-7

Short Answer:

There are three critical factors to remember when recruiting new CM team members: 1) This is God’s ministry. The more you honor, obey, and please Him in the ministry, the more He will bless the work of your hands. 2) People respond to vision! The clearer the expression of the ministry’s vision, the greater attraction to people. 3) People want to serve in an environment that is positive, fun, supportive, and filled with a successful sense of teamwork. Those three factors should direct your recruiting efforts. 

 

Successful ministries are those ministries that are being blessed by God. A leader cannot “get” people to join! The business world has created many books on how to motivate people and how to grow the business.  These principles are not “bad”; they are just incomplete.  Throughout scripture we are given examples of God blessing leaders, and God not blessing leaders.  Those who are blessed (and whose kingdoms are also blessed) are those who honor and obey God.  Those leaders whose kingdoms are not blessed honor themselves and disobey God. 

 

There are also scriptures that clearly state that God will bless those who are “faithful in the small” (Matthew 25:23). Every CM would benefit by having more volunteers on the CM team. God may be waiting for you to correct something in yourself, or in the structure of the CM before He brings more people to join you.

 

CM leaders too often focus on “getting more people” without first “becoming” a person or ministry that God blesses.  Consider Cinnabon. This company produces delicious cinnamon rolls. You may have seen them in shopping malls. I once asked the Cinnabon employee, who was serving me a warm cinnamon roll, if Cinnabon blew the attracting smell of cinnamon rolls baking out into the mall.  This employee leaned toward me and whispered, “Yes!”  We can all learn much from the Cinnabon philosophy.  They bake quality cinnamon rolls and blow the captivating aroma of the cinnamon rolls baking out where people can smell it! 

 

In the CM, you must use “quality” ingredients in yourself and in the ministry.  These “ingredients” are the “fruit of the Spirit” within you, encouragement, training, and kindness for those on your CM team, and a significant amount of fun and team spirit. 

 

The “aroma” of a happy CM team will “blow” out into the church and the reputation of the CM team environment will draw others to join the ministry! Your current CM team are your best recruiters!  Are they happy? What will they tell others about their experience on the CM team?

 

This is a different paradigm than what you might be used to. Most recruiting techniques rely on salesmanship, marketing, and vibrant imagery. There is nothing wrong with those attempts, but if God isn’t blessing your work, people won’t join you!  For more help in recruiting, click on the links below.

 

Visit other articles in the “Leading The Ministry” APPENDIX

Back to the “Leading The Ministry: New Job, New Position” page.