So far we’ve covered the steps to establish a solid foundation for starting or revitalizing a ministry, by launching and then giving away the ministry to a dedicated team of volunteer leaders. But how do you get those leaders? How do you continue to develop a pool of volunteers who’ll rise to leadership within your ministry? The next couple of articles will tackle this perennial sore spot.

As for the latest on our home church, we’ve begun the process of recovering from a rough start. We have about 40 people interested in attending small groups, and my wife and I hosted leadership training for those interested in becoming leaders. We started with three couple and two more individuals. At the conclusion of the training, two couples committed to leading groups through the end of May. They enjoyed the training but decided that now’s not the time to take on an ongoing leadership role.

This is exactly the way it should go when expanding your ministry.

Through the process of training and setting expectations, we were able to help people self-select out of a leadership role. Even so, as we presented the invitation to training we were cautious to say, “This is a next step to see IF leading a small group is a good fit for you.” We didn’t present the training as an automatic stamp of approval. It’s important to communicate that this is a process in which both you and those volunteering have the option to say “no.” It makes having to say “no” slightly less painful for both of you later on.

Building a system that continually feeds new volunteers and qualified leaders into your ministry isn’t as hard as it might seem. In the 1980s my friend Terry Kulat launched a hybrid ministry between small groups and recovery for widowed, divorced and separated singles called Helpmates,. Because of the transient nature of the newly singled experience, there was a high turnover rate. So Terry structured it in such a way that all leadership positions turned over every six months. That’s not a typo. Every six months the leadership roles of every Helpmates chapter (there were dozens around the Midwest at one point) were handed over to a new group of people. The longest anyone could serve in a role was one year.

This design forced Terry to come up with a system to identify and qualify good leaders quickly. He called his system “Percolating Volunteers.” Terry chose the old fashioned coffee pot as his imagery because all the water stays in the urn throughout the process. In other coffee makers new water is introduced that pushes the old water out. That’s not a good model.

Picture this, if you will: The large metal pot seated firmly in its plastic base. Inside at the bottom is the circular divot that receives the base of the long metal tube that runs the full height of the pot topped by the basket holding the coffee grounds. When you plug the pot in the water, in the whole pot begins to heat. The water in that center divot superheats, causing it to shoot up the tube into the top of the lid and spreading out across the grounds to pull the delightful flavor into the water below. After a little while, there would be a full pot of delicious coffee.

So, here are the principles to percolating volunteers and why they work:

Principle #1: Welcome everyone to membership. We even went so far as to make sure we never identified anyone as a “visitor.” Everyone who came through the doors was a member. Even if you only came once or were actually visiting from out of town, we considered you a member. Once we welcomed people into membership simply by showing up, it was time to move them to the next step.

Principle #2: See that they take ownership. Be intentional about getting to know people who are new. Learn about their interests, skills, passions and experiences. Once they’re in the door, begin giving away ownership. Share the purpose and vision of your ministry in compelling ways, being careful to talk about “our” ministry, “our” group, “our” mission — then listen to see if they’re doing the same. Invite people to get involved with the various functions of the group, such as helping with setup or bringing snacks.

Back to our coffee pot analogy. I’m not a coffee physicist, but I’m pretty sure that not every molecule of water shoots up that center tube. However, the water circulates and a certain amount does get to that center divot where it’s super-hot. And so…

Principle #3: Nurture them to leadership. Much like the hot center of the coffee pot, it’s the core of your ministry that will attract people. Your job is to see that those who are attracted are a good fit for leadership. These will be the folks who are excited about the vision and purpose of your organization. They’ll be “hot” for what you’re doing. Focus on this smaller group of people in the “pot” and begin the process of qualifying them for leadership.

This qualification process can include training sessions, personality assessments, even background checks. While you want to welcome everyone to membership, you want strong barriers to entry for leaders. One of the biggest mistakes churches make is putting people into leadership for the wrong reasons. Leadership is not a reward for faithful attendance or a good personality or a winning smile. Leaders carry key responsibilities for the integrity of your ministry. Choosing the right people and preparing them well is crucial to ongoing success.

So, you’ve identified the qualified folks that have been attracted to your ministry. You’ve taken the time to train them and equip them. They’ve shot up the tube, hit the top and spread out over the grounds. You’re on your way to moving your ministry from a bland pot of water to a delicious pot of coffee. But one shot of water up the tube isn’t sufficient to reach your goal. Teach your leaders how to repeat this process. Keep welcoming new folks into membership. Keep seeing that they take ownership. Keep nurturing people to leadership. It’s a cycle that continues for the life of your ministry and will continue to percolate your ministry.

Tim Kurth served as a Director of Christian Education in the Midwest for more than 20 years. During that time he assisted churches in starting a variety of volunteer ministries. He’s a husband, father, author and speaker. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Loveland, Colorado, where he currently serves as Camp Project Leader with Group Workcamps Foundation.