Getting people in your parish to support your ministry or to volunteer their time can be extremely taxing, stressful, and full of rejection. In this video, Simon Sinek gives an inside look at what makes leaders inspiring, and how the best are so effective at recruiting people to support their mission - why some leaders are able to inspire and others aren't.
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Why is Apple so popular, when plenty of other companies make products comparable or better than what Apple puts out?
Why did Martin Luther King become so popular, when there were plenty of other talented orators for the civil rights movement at the time?
Bottom Line for Your Ministry: Start with WHY, not how or what, because people don't buy what you do they buy WHY you do it.
EXAMPLE: What This Looks Like in Youth Ministry: Starting with What: We have youth group on Sundays, retreats, pizza parties, dodgeball, and lots of fun. We do praise and worship and camping trips. We need your help.
Starting with How: We try to build relationships with teens and love them where they are at. We try to witness with our lives and catechize in a fun way. We try to give the teens a life changing experience of God. We need your help.
Starting with Why: We believe that Eucharistic based ministry has the power to transform teens, transform parishes, and transform culture. (hat tip to Life Teen) We believe the culture teens are exposed to is a culture of death and mediocrity, and that Christ is the only thing worth giving their lives to. We believe Jesus entrusted us with the mission of presenting to teens the full truth of the Catholic faith, in all its rigor and vigor, and we believe that with the Holy Spirit God will work amazing miracles in the lives of these teens. We need your help.
Which one sounds more exciting to you? People don't buy what you do they buy WHY you do it. Skip telling people what your ministry does and how it does it, and be passionate about WHY you do ministry. Like Simon says (pun acknowledged), Dr. King didn't tell people what needed to be changed in America, he told people what he believed. He gave the "I have a dream speech", not the "I have a plan speech".
What are the best ways you have found to get people involved in your ministry? Share your insights below in the comment box.
**Caveat** It's all useless without prayer.
He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.'" Luke 10:2