Recruit for Vision not for Need

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard a staff member at a church say, “We don’t need any more volunteers, all our positions are filled.”  Wise leaders knows that recruitment is a never ending process.  We’re being shortsighted when we stop looking for emerging leaders. One of the biggest mistakes a leader can make is recruiting for Need rather than Vision. It fascinates me in Luke 10 when Jesus had just recruited 72 new leaders he immediately looks at them and basically tells them, “The vision is so huge we're going to need more leaders.”  Check out Luke 10:1-2

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.  He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Two things Jesus said really challenged me…

• Maintain a vision for Growth.  Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful.”  The spiritual need in our communities and our congregations is enormous.  We can never get comfortable or complacent as leaders but must maintain a passionate vision for the work God has put before us.
• Recruit for vision.  In this verse Jesus also said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.”  Jesus had just recruited 72 leaders, but he doesn’t take his eye off of the need to continually be praying for, identifying, recruiting and equipping emerging leaders.

When you have a vision for growth you will recruit for vision not just the need of the day. What are the leadership needs in your ministry today?  One year from today?  Three years from today?  Are you recruiting for Need or are you recruiting for Vision?