The Harvest Is Ready: Recruiting Volunteers the Jesus Way(Matthew 9:35–10:1 & Luke 10:2)

When Jesus looked at the crowds in Matthew 9:35–10:1, He didn’t see a busy schedule problem or a shortage of helpers. He saw people. Scripture tells us that He was moved with compassion because they were confused and wandering, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He spoke words that still echo in children’s ministry today: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Before Jesus sent anyone out, He invited His disciples to pray. That alone teaches us something powerful—recruitment in ministry begins in the heart and on our knees, not on a clipboard.

So often, when we talk about recruiting volunteers, we focus on filling empty spots on the schedule. But Jesus shows us a different starting point. He began with compassion. He saw the need and felt the weight of it. When we recruit from that same place, people don’t feel used—they feel called. Instead of saying, “We need more volunteers,” we can begin saying, “There are children who need someone to walk with them toward Jesus.” Recruitment shifts when we stop talking about positions and start talking about purpose. It’s not about finding someone to manage a room; it’s about inviting someone into the mission of shaping a child’s faith.

Jesus also teaches us that prayer is not just part of recruitment—it is the foundation of it. In Luke 10:2, He tells His followers to ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His fields. That means God already knows who those workers are. Our role is to pray them into readiness. Over time, prayer begins to soften hearts and open eyes. Leaders can pray intentionally for future volunteers even before they know their names. Current team members can be encouraged to pray about who they might personally invite. Recruitment becomes less about convincing and more about discerning who God is already stirring.

One of the most beautiful things about Jesus’ model is that He did not carry the mission alone. In Matthew 10:1, He gives His disciples authority and sends them out. Ministry multiplied because responsibility multiplied. That same principle applies in children’s ministry today. Recruitment should never live only in the office of the children’s pastor. It becomes most effective when it becomes part of the culture of the team. When volunteers love what they do and feel supported, they naturally invite others into it. A simple challenge like asking each volunteer to prayerfully invite one person a year can quietly double your team over time. Stories also become powerful tools. When volunteers share why they serve and what God has done in their lives through children’s ministry, those testimonies speak louder than any announcement from the stage.

Another creative way to involve others in recruitment is to lower the pressure and raise the invitation. Hosting a “bring a friend” Sunday allows people to come observe, help, and experience the joy of ministry without immediately signing up. Parents can be invited to serve alongside their children’s class for a season, helping them feel ownership in their child’s spiritual growth. Teenagers can be trained as apprentices, learning leadership while also becoming part of the workforce Jesus described. Suddenly, recruitment isn’t a campaign—it’s a pathway.

Jesus never recruited people into tasks; He recruited them into purpose. He didn’t say, “I need help.” He said, “I am sending you.” That language matters. People want to belong to something meaningful. They want to know their lives are making a difference. When we describe children’s ministry as a mission field rather than a volunteer slot, hearts respond differently. We are not asking people to watch children—we are inviting them to help form disciples.

Jesus’ pattern is still our pattern today. He saw the harvest. He prayed for workers. He sent His disciples. And the mission multiplied. The harvest is still plentiful. Children and families are still searching for shepherds. And God is still calling people into His fields. Our role is not simply to recruit volunteers, but to raise up laborers for the Kingdom—men and women who see children through the eyes of Jesus and step into His mission with compassion and courage.

When recruitment flows from prayer, vision, and purpose, it becomes discipleship. And discipleship always multiplies.