Discover the Treasure by Don Simmons

In Edgar Bronfman's book The Third Act: Reinventing Yourself After Retirement said, "The United States today possesses the fastest-growing, best-educated, and most vigorous population of older adults in the history of the world. The whole structure of volunteerism is about to be reinvented. There exists a virtual tidal wave of skilled professionals, talented individuals, and top drawer executives who are ready to do good.” We have a highly educated group of men and women moving into retirement. We need to reinvent how we engage them in volunteering.

Ephesians 2:10 is the foundation. We are "created in Christ Jesus to do good works." In 1 Peter 2:9-10 it says we are not just a volunteer but "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God."

The Challenge is that the church has historically performed inadequately in discovering and unlocking the treasure found in the average member. Our systems of discovery are outdated, unrealistic, and cumbersome. And the church has looked for strategy in discovery which have proved to be dead ends.

The Process is assessment tools are only useful as supplements, not the primary resource. Nothing can replace the power of relationships. And changing the language can change the culture.

Watch your language. Change it from volunteer to servant, recruit to invite, placement to negotiation and agreement, supervision to support, retention to sustainability, recognition to acknowledgement, program development to people development, and volunteerism to experiential discipleship. We must shift our thinking from filling slots to fulfilling people.

How do we do this? The most effective tool is an intentional conversation doing just what Jesus did. You invite them personally to come alongside. Whether we admit it or not people want authentic relationship. The best discovery is through authentic relationship. Churches may not allow enough time and space for authentic relationships to flourish. Start the conversation with "Who am I," Who are you," and "What's your story?" People don't know how to articulate after the first words.

Don told the story about a woman he didn't know whom he asked if she could serve at a shelter. She told him repeatedly, "I can't." He finally learned that she had actually lived at the shelter. He should have gotten to know her first.

"How do you get them?" You provide them History, Heroes, Highs, and Hopes. And you listen with your heart. Listen with God's agenda in mind. Reexamine motives. Be ready to provide as you listen. If you cannot listen, you cannot lead. Small churches can particularly excel in listening.

When and Where do you engage? You engage people at a designated time, not on the fly with intentional timing in small group or individually during serving. It isn't an interrogation, trying to get them to cry, spiritual therapy, or a job interview. It is getting to know them.

Robert Greenfield from book Essentials said, "The best test and the most difficult to administer is this: Do those served grow as a person? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely to become servants?"

Keep your system for knowing people invisible. Ask them if you can write things they are good at down. A database is an important tool to be used in crisis not to recruit. Help people be there best with the information gathered. How do you gather stories? You do it through small groups. When you hear the stories, put it on a blog. Use systems already in place such as the small group. Glenn added that you do not have to buy an expensive system. Google Desktop will reorganize your hardware to search desktop as fast as the internet. You can search for names or giftings recorded in your system. You can also use Outlook.

Challenges that the conference participants added are that it this is a slower process than recruitment, it requires strategic planning, and you have to know relationally in depth. It takes time and effort.

Glenn brought up the example of Barack Obama's mobilization of a lot of volunteers. Don said he did it by broadening way the information gets to people. You can use blogs, texts, letters. Once you set up the system to contact people, you can keep using it. Glenn continued that Obama was doing it relationally, because people were calling their friends.