Resources Help Widen the Circle of Volunteers

In too many congregations too much of the work seems to fall on too few people. Persuading people to volunteer for committees, for work parties, to teach religious education, can seem overwhelming.

Yet there are approaches that work better than others to invite people to share congregational responsibilities. They involve helping members and friends and understand that volunteering is a gift they can give their religious community — and themselves. And that every volunteer opportunity is also an opportunity to minister to others.

To that end Fia Scheyer has created a new curriculum, called Unison, Voluntarism and Spirituality. The time is gone, says Scheyer, former director of volunteer programs for the UU Service Committee, when congregations had parishioners with lots of leisure time to devote to congregational life. Still, many people, when asked, say they would volunteer if the opportunities were meaningful.

Leaders of the Northern Hills Fellowship, Cincinnati, Ohio (146 members), held a Unison workshop a year ago. "We always saw getting volunteers as drudgery. This changed that," said the Rev. Morris Hudgins. "What we got out of this was to look at everything everyone does as a ministry whether they're writing checks or mowing the lawn. And now we have an increased emphasis on recruiting others rather than doing it all ourselves."

Unison is $45 for a paper copy, $30 for a CD, either PC or Macintosh. Order from Trillium Books (trillium@smnet.net), 213 Highlands Rd., No. 67, Franklin, NC 28734; (828) 524-5274. Scheyer is also available for workshops.

Church consultant Jean Trumbauer has written two books that have been used by congregations of many denominations, including Unitarian Universalist. The first is Sharing the Ministry: A Practical Guide for Transforming Volunteers into Ministers, (Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1995, updated 1999, $49.95).

Her second book is Created and Called: Discovering Our Gifts for Abundant Living, Augsburg, 1998, $65.95). Both books can be ordered from the publisher at (800) 328-4648.

Another way to grow volunteers is through small group leadership. The Rev. Robert Hill, a leader of a movement that encourages the formation of small covenant groups in UU congregations, says church leaders are reporting that a side benefit of such groups is that group leaders tend to grow into other kinds of leadership roles. "A lot of churches are getting their leaders out of the cadre of these small group leaders," says Hill, who is completing a book, Small Group Ministry: Saving the World Ten People at a Time, to be published through the UUA's Southwest District office in mid-2002.

Here are more resources for helping people find their places:

• Letting Go: Transforming People for Ministry, by the Rev. Roy Phillips, challenges pastors to help lay ministries flourish. (Alban Institute, 1999). $13.95, UUA Bookstore (800) 215-9076.
  
• "Giving the Ministry Away," essay by the Rev. Barbara Wells in Salted with Fire: Unitarian Universalist Strategies for Sharing Faith and Growing Congregations, edited by the Rev. Scott Alexander (Skinner House, 1994) $14. UUA Bookstore.
  
• All Are Chosen: Stories of Lay Ministry and Leadership, edited by Margaret Beard and Roger Comstock. (Skinner House, 1998) $15. UUA Bookstore.
  
• "To Keep Committees Filled, Make Church Meaningful," InterConnections, March 1999.