Summary: Acousting people in the hallway is not a relationally healthy strategy for recruiting. It is a guilt-based, quick fix move from a position of desperation. Your goal is to get people to see the value in serving and join you.

You want to win at recruiting. Me too. There are things that will work. There are things that will not work. Last time we talked about cute videos. Generally, they are a fail. And remember the high failure rate of the“Senior Pastor Pleading”. There is no recruiting easy button.

Today I want to share a particularly sinister and likely the most ineffective tactic for recruiting. I call this one “Acousting People in the Halls,” otherwise known as “Drive By Recruiting.”

Let me explain. You see someone that you think would be a viable candidate for serving in your area. You lower your head slightly, like a bull getting ready to charge the matador. You walk with an aggressive stride. You have zeroed in on your target. You likely have tunnel vision. Listen, you look like a stalker. BECAUSE you are! You know what I am talking about, right? I have been there and I have done that!

The last thing you want to do is have people see you in the hallway, CRINGE and want to duck down a different hall. Your goal is to get people to see the value in serving and join you. And the anti-goal is people RUNNING AWAY from you. Think about that for a moment. Acousting people in the hallway is not a relationally healthy strategy for recruiting. It is a guilt-based, quick fix move from a position of desperation.

But listen, I get it. You may be thinking, “I never see them unless we are at church. Here we are! Let me talk to them about serving.” That is what you think. Here is what they are thinking: “I am here to connect with God and hopefully connect with others. I don’t have my calendar on me and I am not forced to think about commitments.” Trust me, snagging people at church may seem easy to you. It is a bother to them.

Quick Tip: don’t hunt down people to try to get them to serve with you on a Sunday morning. It may be quick but it is less effective. Bottom Line: it all comes down to relationships and a personal ask. Be sure to check out LeadVolunteers.com as your one-stop-shop to help you recruit, train and retain volunteers.