The Church Is NOT A Volunteer Organization

David E. Parks

In the course of my studies, I sometimes encounter articles by management experts advising church leaders on the efficient recruitment, motivation and utilization of volunteers. At the risk of sounding picky or authoritarian, may I say that the church is not a volunteer organization. Elders, Deacons and other Christians make a serious mistake when they fall for the modern, democratic idea of the church as a volunteer organization.

Where did this idea of the church as a volunteer organization originate? Certainly not the Bible! God's chosen leaders were never called volunteers in the Word. Imagine James writing, "James, a volunteer of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ," (James 1:1). Could you picture Paul writing "Paul, a volunteer of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1).

The members of the Lord's church were never addressed as volunteers either. Paul did not write. "To the volunteers in Christ who are in Colosse." (Col. 1:2).

It is true that we enter the kingdom of God of our own free will. From that perspective we were volunteers. However, once we become Christians, we are not members of a volunteer organization. We are members of the "family of God," the "body of Christ," and the "kingdom of the Son." (1 Peter 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:26; Col. 1:13).

This differentiation — between volunteers and servants of God — is important because volunteers and their leaders frankly do not expect very much of each other. Leadership experts tell us that the leaders of volunteer organizations tend to expect a very low level of performance and quality from the volunteers because they are: hard to get, working for free, and can quit on a whim. If a volunteer fails to perform as promised, what can his supervisor do — dock his pay, or give him time off?

The Lord does not give us the option of treating ourselves as volunteers. The words servant and serve are used over 130 times in the New Testament. The Word volunteer is not found in the Bible. We are not called to volunteer. We are called to serve (Gal. 5:13). Following are several points from the Bible concerning how are we to serve:

According to the ability God has given us (Mat. 25:15-23; Lk. 19:13-25; 1 Pet. 4:10).
According to the Opportunities presented to us (Gal. 6:10; Phil 4:10).
With all of our hearts (Col. 3:23; 1 Sam. 12:24).

From these passages we conclude that each Christian should pray for wisdom to determine what abilities God has granted him or her and use them diligently as God presents opportunities to do so. It does not matter what your circumstance in life is. God has called YOU to serve.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

1 Peter 4:10