One of the challenges Church Volunteer Central faces in helping churches mobilize all believers into ministry is the perception pastors sometimes have of their church's systems, ministries, and people. The first step in a 12-step program is admitting you have a problem. Sometimes that's the hardest step.

In Made for a Mission, David Posthuma writes, “I have found that most pastors believe they are effectively '[preparing] God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up' (Ephesians 4:12). In contrast, most lay people feel they are totally ill-equipped for ministry and cannot specifically cite how their pastor(s) have equipped them. Furthermore, they believe that their church lacks any intentional and consistent strategy for equipping.”

Why the disconnect between the pastors and the people? Part of it is a difference in perspective on the definition of “preparing God's people.” A pastor who pours himself or herself into teaching each week can easily feel like much of the work of equipping people for ministry has already been done. And that does provide a necessary theological base, but it's only a small part of the puzzle.

Perhaps the pastor feels that it's up to the individual ministry leaders to equip people to succeed in ministry. That's largely true, but have those leaders been trained how to do that?  Have they been given the systems and resources necessary to make that happen effectively?

Posthuma says, “I have observed a consistent pattern: Pastors of churches with fewer than 400 members are most likely to criticize their members for a lack of commitment.  I constantly hear negative comments, such as, 'I can't get my people to do anything' or 'I can barely get people to come to church regularly.' ”

Part of the problem is the transition churches go through during their lives. In the beginning, the pastor needed to focus heavily on relational skills. He or she was personally involved with everything, providing needed leadership and keeping the vision fresh. But as the church grows, the pastor must change styles if the church is going to avoid plateauing (and stagnating). As Jesus poured most of his time into the disciples, so the pastor must invest primarily in the lives of his or her leaders. Pastors realize this as they discover they're burning out trying to keep everything going. But standing in the pulpit crying for help isn't a sound equipping strategy.

The first step is getting a truly accurate picture of where you are. Church Volunteer Central provides our members with numerous ways to do that.  Among our resources are forms that provide a format for interviews with volunteers who are currently serving or on their way out of service, and assessment tools designed to help churches find out their strengths and weaknesses related to the process of preparing God's people for ministry. These will help you determine if you're one of those pastors whose flock would love to help but doesn't know how.

Another part of the problem is that we all tend to attract (and spend most of our time with) people who are like us. So the relational pastor is likely to be surrounded by ministry leaders with the same temperament. That means that none of them has a personality geared toward creating the kinds of systems needed to take the church to the next level. The situation can potentially be aggravated further in the case of a church plant, because church planters are typically strong, confident people--who may find it hard to truly let go and let the ministry leaders have authority over their areas. Those who might have had a temperament that would complement the pastor's can find themselves frustrated as the pastor keeps trying to steer them in the way he or she would have done it.

Spiritual gift assessments such as the one we offer our members (and even let you place on your own church's Web site) serve a valuable role in helping people determine the best matches for ministry. But they serve another important purpose: They give people permission to be different! A church cannot thrive if people (especially leaders) are encouraged to think and act like the lead pastor. If you're a relational, visionary sort of person, then the systems and process-oriented people are likely to drive you nuts. Go out of your way to recruit them anyway! They will do invaluable things that you can't (and don't want to) do.

Assessments like the ones we offer can bridge the gap between perception and reality. They can help you find where you really are, and they can help you identify the people most able to help you move to the next level. The rest is up to you.