So I called this volunteer meeting for Thursday night. Had all these grand ideas about team building and vision casting and whatever else leadership books say you're supposed to do.
Seven people showed up.
Seven.
I invited twenty-three volunteers. Got seven. Including Tom who left after twenty minutes to get his kid from soccer.
Spent the first half hour going through my agenda while people checked phones and Linda literally nodded off during my third slide about "quarterly objectives."
This is going great, I thought. Really bringing the team together here.
But then something weird happened. Pizza arrived right when I was explaining new check-in procedures, and suddenly everyone perked up. Not because of my riveting policy updates. Because of food.
That's when the real meeting started. And it had nothing to do with anything I'd planned.
My Beautiful Agenda Nobody Wanted
Spent two hours making this agenda. Twelve bullet points covering everything from mission statements to upcoming events to volunteer appreciation strategies.
Looked so professional. So organized. So completely irrelevant to what anyone actually cared about.
Started with ministry vision because that seemed important. Watched seven people try to look interested while I talked about goals and strategic initiatives and growth targets.
Moved to policy changes because apparently I enjoy making rooms full of people uncomfortable.
Sarah started doodling on her handout. Mark answered texts. Someone's stomach growled loud enough to interrupt my presentation about communication protocols.
Nobody cared about my agenda. Including me at that point.
PowerPoint: The Enthusiasm Killer
Made slides because nothing says "effective meeting" like forcing volunteers to watch you read bullet points for thirty minutes.
Slide one: Our Ministry Mission Slide two: This Quarter's Focus Areas
Slide three: New Safety Policies
Lost them at slide one. Should've stopped there but kept clicking through like persistence would somehow make bullet points more exciting.
Linda fell asleep during slide four. Actually asleep. Head back, mouth slightly open, completely checked out.
Can't blame her. I was boring myself reading those slides.
Where Was Everyone?
Twenty-three volunteers invited. Seven showed up. Sixteen people had better things to do Thursday night than listen to me talk about quarterly objectives.
Work meetings that ran late. Kids with homework. Soccer practice pickups. Exhaustion from being functional humans with actual lives.
Also probably avoiding meetings they suspected would waste their time.
Smart people. Most volunteer meetings are terrible. The seven who came deserve hazard pay for sitting through mine.
Timing Disaster
Thursday 7 PM seemed reasonable when I picked it.
Thursday 7 PM is actually homework hour, dinner cleanup time, collapse-on-couch-after-long-day time.
Not sit-in-church-conference-room-listening-to-ministry-presentations time.
Should've asked when people could meet instead of assuming Thursday evening worked for everyone with jobs and families and lives outside church.
Pizza Changed Everything
Ordered pizza because someone said food helps meeting attendance.
Pizza showed up right when I was explaining new volunteer handbook requirements. Perfect excuse to stop talking and start eating.
That's when people started actually talking to each other.
"Sunday mornings have been crazy lately." "Kids seem more wound up than usual." "Maybe we need different room setup?" "What about more structured transitions between activities?"
Real problems. Practical ideas. Actual teamwork happening.
None of it on my agenda. All of it more useful than anything I'd planned.
What People Really Wanted to Discuss
Nobody wanted quarterly updates or policy reviews or strategic planning sessions.
They wanted to figure out why Tommy has meltdowns every week during craft time.
How to handle parents who show up fifteen minutes late expecting smooth drop-off.
Whether current room arrangement makes sense or just looks organized.
What to do when kids ask hard questions about God that nobody knows how to answer.
Real stuff affecting their actual volunteer experience every Sunday.
My fancy agenda addressed exactly none of these things.
The Real Meeting
Best part happened after I officially ended everything.
People hung around finishing pizza and talking about what they actually wanted to discuss.
Problem-solving Sunday morning chaos together.
Sharing strategies for difficult behavior situations.
Brainstorming better ways to handle transitions.
Planning informal training where they could learn from each other.
Everything I'd hoped the formal meeting would accomplish. Happening naturally because I stopped trying to control the conversation.
What Volunteers Actually Care About
Feeling heard about challenges they face every week.
Getting practical help with situations they don't know how to handle.
Knowing other people struggle with same stuff they do.
Learning from volunteers who've figured things out already.
Being part of solutions instead of just receiving information downloads.
Connecting with teammates as actual humans, not just ministry roles.
None of this requires formal agendas or PowerPoint presentations or quarterly objectives.
Follow-Up That Worked
Sent email after meeting summarizing the pizza conversations.
Not my original agenda items. The real stuff people talked about.
Solutions they came up with for Sunday morning problems.
Training ideas they requested.
Room setup changes they suggested.
People responded to that email. Asked follow-up questions, volunteered to help implement changes, added more ideas.
Nobody ever responded to pre-meeting agendas or post-meeting recaps of official business.
They engaged with content that came from their own concerns and interests.
Changes That Actually Help
Ask volunteers what they want to discuss before making agenda.
Keep meetings short. Thirty minutes unless there's compelling reason for longer.
Pick times that work for people with families and real jobs.
Always include food because eating together changes how people interact.
Focus on solving problems instead of delivering information.
Let conversations happen naturally instead of forcing structured discussion.
Follow up on things people actually care about, not just official business items.
Resources Worth Checking
Some companies understand volunteer meetings don't have to suck.
Orange has engagement strategies focused on meaningful connection instead of formal presentations.
Kids Sunday School Place includes meeting ideas that address real volunteer needs instead of leadership agendas.
Group's DIG IN has team building stuff that creates genuine community, not forced fellowship.
Grow Curriculum approaches volunteer meetings understanding that people's time is valuable and meetings should respect that.
Gospel Project includes volunteer care resources that build relationships through practical support, not just scheduled gatherings.
But best volunteer meetings come from understanding what your specific people need and want to discuss.
What I Think I Know
Effective meetings happen when people feel heard, supported, and connected to each other.
Formal agendas often prevent conversations volunteers actually need to have.
Food changes everything. Eating together creates different interaction than sitting around conference table listening to presentations.
People show up when meetings serve their needs, not just leadership's need to communicate stuff.
Best team building happens naturally when volunteers solve problems together.
Short, focused conversations work better than long, comprehensive meetings trying to cover everything.
Sometimes most effective meeting happens after you abandon your carefully planned agenda and just let people talk about what matters to them.
Still doing volunteer meetings. Just differently now. Less presentation, more conversation. Less agenda, more pizza.
Works way better for everyone.
