10. You assume that everyone is busy.

You might be surprised at who responds to an invitation. Some people are looking for a challenge. Don’t ask the most likely suspects – the parish council chair, the longtime Sunday School teacher. Commit to approaching 5 people you don’t know and who you are almost sure will say no. What do you have to lose?

People devote time to efforts that provide them with meaning and inspiration. For some that is late hours at the office or volunteering for their child’s sports team. For others, it might be putting their faith into action at their parish.

9. Committee meetings consist of reports on past activities and upcoming events, broken up by a little gossip here and there.

Would you want to join a clique that holds boring meetings? Probably not.

Save time and energy by having reports on past activities submitted in writing. Use your committee’s time together to plan future evens and discuss how your activities fit into your goals and objectives for the year. And DON’T GOSSIP! It’s not nice and it makes people feel like the committee is a clique who welcome some people and not others, instead of being a ministry open to all parishioners.

8. It’s not like you’re asking them to chair the committee; you’ve done that for years and you’ll continue to do it.

Rotate responsibilities and roles on the committee. You’ll only attract leaders if you offer leadership opportunities. Make the social ministry committee a place for parishioners to develop skills and offer new ideas.

7. You are the world’s expert on distributing Christmas baskets, because you’ve been doing it the same way for 15 years.

If people don’t happen to like the way you do Christmas baskets, why would they join the effort if they have no hope of changing it? Be open to suggestions for change; give other people ownership of projects.

6. You can’t understand why that nice woman only came to one committee meeting.

Follow up! Ask her! Approach her after Mass or give her a call to ask why she has not returned. She may offer you ideas on how to attract new members.

5. You lost the list of people who signed up for social ministry at the Ministry Fair last month.

Be organized! To do this work requires a heart for justice, a love for all God’s people . . . and a good filing system. If keeping track of paperwork is not your strength, delegate those responsibilities to someone else on the committee.

4. You ran that request for volunteers in the bulletin 6 months ago, and no one responded.

Have you heard that advertising maxim that people must hear or see something 6 times before it really sinks in? Apply that here. People respond to multiple invitations, presented in a variety of ways.

Some people never read the bulletin; others always leave Mass early and miss announcements. Look for any opportunity to tell the story of your’ committee’s work, and devote most of your recruitment efforts to talking with people one-on-one.

3. There’s so much to get done, there’s no time to pray.

PRAY! It’s what Jesus did when things got tough. We have been given every assurance that our prayers are heard and answered (though we don’t always receive the answer we are hoping for!)

2. You don’t have time to do volunteer recruitment - you’re too busy getting things done.

Be a leader, not a doer. You a leader on your committee - your job is to coordinate the work, not do it. If you are stocking the food cupboard and driving bags of clothing to the shelter, you won’t have time or energy to ask the big questions, like “Are we fulfilling our mission?” and “How can we engage more people in this work?”

1. You’re grumpy.

Be joyful! Celebrate victories! Laugh!
If this work does not bring you joy, find another ministry. Pursuing social justice doesn’t always feel good but it should be providing you with some satisfaction and opportunities for fellowship. Your enthusiasm will be contagious.