Our leadership demands shape those who are actually able to volunteer

When you become an adult the way you get involved in church has to change.

You work full time.

You may be married.

You may have kids.

You’ve got financial duties.

You’ve only got limited holidays.

As a young adult, these pressures can be far less. 

You can arrive at church by 3pm on a weekday.

You can stay late on a Sunday night.

You can commit to a weekly roster.

You can set aside a week for a mission trip.

Part of the reason that church volunteers, especially within their ministries to children and teens, are primarily young adults and retirees is due to the demands that we place upon our recruits.

These don’t work for many adults.

For, they need to work long into the evening.

They need to be up early on a Monday morning.

They need to juggle family and extended-family responsibilities.

They only have a limited or fixed amount of disposable income or holiday allotment.

In short, life isn’t as flexible.

So, this inhibits what they can be involved in.

Can this be used as a convenient excuse? 

Sometimes.

Should it make churches even more appreciative of their adult volunteers?

Absolutely.

Most importantly, it shouldn’t come as a surprise - when they consider the demands or restrictions they place upon those who volunteer - the kind of people who are willing or able to step and and actively help out.