The Challenge of Volunteer Retention: A Call for Proper Support and Resources

Few people like to do things they aren’t good at, and most people don’t enjoy struggling with tasks that should be simple. It's rare to find individuals who enjoy working with broken tools. Yet, many churches ask their technical and production volunteers to do just that every single weekend. 

In discussions with colleagues, I reconnected with a realization I had forgotten: many churches struggle with recruiting and retaining technical volunteers. Think back to the opening statement—do you see the connection? 

Imagine being a volunteer sound technician trying to mix on a system that wasn’t designed to properly cover the room, delivering different sound to almost every seat. You face loudness complaints—it’s simultaneously too loud and too soft—every week. When feedback occurs, which is a regular event, every head in the room swivels to look at you. 

Now, imagine being the production director tasked with finding additional volunteers in such a room. Here’s the pitch: “It’s a hard job, the hours are long, you’ll struggle to get a good mix, and when anything goes wrong, everyone will blame you. What do you think? Want to volunteer?” Who could resist such a great opportunity? 

Maybe you don’t have to imagine—maybe you are that volunteer. 

The Struggle is Real 

Yes, there are thousands of unsung hero volunteers who make do with inadequate production systems. They keep coming back week after week, month after month, year after year—until they don’t. From what I’ve seen, they often stop abruptly and without much explanation. Ever wonder why? 

The truly sad part of this scenario is that the congregation isn’t enjoying their weekend experience either.  

A Path Forward 

This isn’t a call for your church to spend a million dollars on overhauling all the technology systems. However, it’s worth considering that installing a right-sized, properly designed, installed, and optimized system might make it easier to recruit volunteers while significantly improving the congregation's experience. 

Good systems also support the worship and pastoral teams. Leading worship is challenging when you can’t hear the rest of the band, and delivering a 30-40 minute sermon is exhausting if you hear your voice bouncing back at you multiple times. 

I recall demonstrating a new PA system to one of my pastors. Initially, he thought we didn’t need it and I was just looking to spend more money. After we played some music and did some demos, he started to see the need. The real clincher was when he spoke into the mic on stage. After one sentence, he stopped, looked at me, and said, “Wow…I don’t hear the echo anymore. No wonder I’m so exhausted after each weekend!” Our old PA was bouncing sound back onto the stage, and he had to filter that out subconsciously for three services. This is exhausting for any speaker and the listeners. 

But What About the Volunteers? 

Enough about the pastor; this is about the volunteers. I’ve met with many volunteer teams (and staff teams) who are simply discouraged, burnt out, and ready to quit. Often, it’s because they feel blamed for poor results but don’t know how to improve. Sometimes it’s a training issue, but often, it’s because the systems are terrible and won't improve. 

Doing something and failing at it each time is no fun. How long will anyone keep coming back when they get their butt kicked every week? 

Time for Upgrades 

Many pastors ask us for recommendations on when to replace their audio, video, and lighting systems. Some are looking for a precise date when their systems will fail so they can plan an upgrade just in time. Others want to stretch their systems out as long as possible, all in the name of being good stewards. However, the right answer is that it's time to upgrade your systems once they are no longer achieving your goals for the weekend experience. 

This point of necessary upgrade might align with the product's end of life, typically 7-10 years, but it could come sooner if there are major shifts in your worship style, a sudden emphasis on online streaming, or other significant changes. Any major change in your approach should prompt a reassessment of whether your technical systems and team training need adjustments to meet new goals. 

Even without a major shift in ministry, it’s wise to put away some money each year for future upgrades. Planning for system replacements at the 7-10 year mark is a minimum requirement. This ensures you aren't asking your team to perform the impossible with aging, failing systems down the road. 

By proactively budgeting for and addressing these needs, you support your volunteers with the right tools and training, helping them succeed and enhancing the overall worship experience for everyone. 

Conclusion 

If you want to have vibrant, thriving volunteer tech teams, ensure they are not fighting the system every weekend. Provide them with the tools to do a good job and the training they need. This makes everyone’s experience significantly better.