Want to move pew-sitters into active ministry? The interview process is one way to make that happen!

An interview process allows the volunteer the opportunity to express what he or she is passionate about and to hear the range of places available to put that passion to use. The goal of a volunteer interview process is to help place the right people in the right ministry role.

Here’s a four-step process to get started:

1. Set the appointment. Give people the opportunity to set up a time to talk about volunteer opportunities. Confirm the time and place of the appointment.

2. Conduct the interview. Train the interviewers with the skills to make people feel at ease and develop fearless conversations. Use open-ended questions and utilize active listening skills.

3. Refer the potential volunteer to a ministry leader for follow-up. Assuming no red flag arose to indicate the potential volunteer should not serve, you’ll now recommend one or more ministries in which the interviewee could serve. Provide the ministry leader the contact information so they can move forward with an invitation for placement or to explore further possibilities.

4. Confirm that the placement was successful. Make sure the ministry leader follows up within a week of the referral. It’s this step where too often the ball is dropped and potential volunteers lose heart that there’s no place for them to serve. Timing is everything.

Building an effective volunteer interview process is a journey. Make sure you have all the pieces in place before you launch.

[Editor’s Note:  A training session for interviewers is provided in the book, Moving Forward.]