The Reluctant Recruiter:  7 Psychological Profiles

Edition 1

Mobilizing volunteers to do the Lord's work is God's design and desire. But for the mobilzer, it's unfortunately complicated. Most people think that all the challenges and complications lie within the person being recruited. But in reality, much of the challenge lies within the recruiter himself. For a number of reasons, he choose not to recruit. He is reluctant. This is a sneak preview into the mind of a reluctant recruiter.

1.  The Reluctant Recruiter (henceforth "RR") is someone who would rather do the work alone.
He wants to be left alone to do the work. It could be a personality issue where he simply does not enjoy working with people. Or it could be a philosophical decision where he chooses not to work with others simply because that's his philosophy of ministry. Regardless, his ministry is his ministry and no one is invited to be a part of it. And when he is pressed to recruit, he is reluctant.

2.  The RR is someone who believes that the work can be done better when he doing it.
There is a saying: "If you want it done right, do it yourself." He is the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. Deep down inside, he may lack a basic trust of other people. Along with that, he may have an abundance of confidence in himself. He has also seen too many problems associated with team work. He has seen too many projects in the church messed up, and he is fed up. He will do the work to ensure its success. So when he is asked to recruit, he is reluctant.

3.  The RR is someone who considers it too much work to recruit volunteers.
He has enough on his plate. The sheer work of the ministry is difficult and time consuming itself. Adding the work of recruiting would be the straw that broke the camel's back. He himself is a volunteer (though this attitude applies to those who are paid staff as well). How does a volunteer also make time to recruit other volunteers? His time is limited and his energy is almost drained. Because of such limitations, he is reluctant.

4.  The RR is someone who feels insecure.
He is insecure about himself. He doesn't want to get turned down when he asks people to serve with him. A rejection is taken personally, and it hurts him deeply. So, the last thing he wants to hear is "NO." So, his own insecurity makes him reluctant. But sometimes, the last thing he wants to hear is "YES." His insecurity is not comfortable with a "yes" answer either! Because accepting an invitation means that he must now work with others, and an acceptance could be worse than a rejection. Becausee he must now work with people who might be better and more skilled than him. His inadequacies and insecurities will be exposed. And so, he is reluctant.

5. The RR is someone who complains about the work being too much.
He is reluctant to recruit help, but he still complains that the working is too much with no one to help him. He understands that he needs to recruit. But he still is reluctant. And so, he is caught in the middle of his own internal struggle - to recruit or not to recruit. This struggle comes out in the form of a complaint as he remains reluctant.

6. The RR is someone who considers himself sovereign over the work
He claims his work as his own. It is his territory. And so, he ordains himself sovereign over his own realm. This is an expression of control as he patrols his land for any intruders. Any crossing his clear demarcations will lead to sudden border skirmishes. All perpetrators will be prosecuted. Day and night, he stands guard. The idea of distributing passports to visitors who might help him in running his small country makes him scoff. He is very reluctant.

7.  The RR is someone who only sees the present and not the future
He goes through the weekly grind of serving in his own area. But he is able to sustain his work because he knows that it will all come to an end soon, because he only committed himself for a short and specific period of time. Like a short term missionary, he sees his last days in sight. So, he paces himself. And with that comes a simple plan to finish his present work. There are no goals set. There is little thought about the future. If he is asked to recruit, he would rather spend his days finishing up his work. He knows he should help find a replacement, but he is reluctant.

A Response
Serving is complicated. Our reasons are very personal. But ministry is more than a personal opportunity. It's about the kingdom of heaven past, present, AND future. It's about doing God's work God's way. We are to mobilize God's people to do God's work simply because it's God's way of carrying out his kingdom plans. Along the way, there will be issues and challenges that will not be agreeable to us. But it's about seeing the larger plan and humbly being a small part of it.

God desires that his children serve him together as a team. This will involve hard work and even discomfort. But the greater plan that God has should override any personal reluctance we may have. We should examine our reluctance and be reminded of the great work that is before us and the sheer lack of servants to do it.

Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Is our reluctance to recruit part of the problem?

This short perspective is part of an ongoing mini-series on recruiting...
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