Everyone wants to make a difference with their life. They want to know that what they do matters. People love to make an impact.
The question is: If the church provides the greatest opportunity on earth to make an eternal difference, why don’t more high impact leaders “volunteer”?
Announcements, bulletin ads and sign ups may attract a certain amount of people, but for the most part I have found that high impact leaders in the business world are wired a little differently.
While we all want to make a difference, the high impact business leader has more of an “owner” mentality vs. a “volunteer” mentality.
1. Owners like to be asked.
It’s not that they think they are better than someone else. They simply understand the value they can bring an organization and appreciate being respected for their value. A simple, personal ask can bring great rewards for the leader as well as the church.
2. Owners want to be in charge of something.
We recently had struggled to get a child sponsorship program in Haiti to gain some traction, even with a couple of paid staff working on it. After passing the baton to a successful business owner in our church, the program is being taken to new levels we couldn’t accomplish on our own. It has been simply beautiful to watch.
3. Owners take great pleasure in progress.
We have another business owner who has such a passion for Jesus and the local church. He has close to 100 people that work for his company and it is not uncommon for him to donate 20 hours per week to the church. He generously oversees one of our largest volunteer teams, Guest Services, as well as leads two men’s groups where he mentors dozens of guys. Everything the guy has touched has turned to gold and he is not interested in getting paid. His reward is seeing the progress that God is accomplishing through his service.
While there are obvious steps that need to be taken before passing a baton to any leader, we have found the rewards have outweighed the risk of “owner” vs. “volunteer”.
Make the ask. You may find yourself celebrating on the other side of the conversation.
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