Now I know what you are thinking, "Are you kidding me, I'm concerned about asking the people around me to do too much". Hear me out though. I'm not talking about the quantity of what we ask, but instead the quality.
My boss described consent vs. commitment as this:
Asking a person's consent would be: "Will you throw out the trash for me?"
Asking a person's commitment would be: "From now on, every time you see this trash full, will you throw it?"
Do you see the difference between simply asking someone to handle a task and asking someone to commit to a task?
The concept seems simple but I know a lot of us struggle with asking for commitment. We have a team of individuals around our ministry that take care of task week in and week out, yet we still wind up doing a lot on our own. Some day's we have nothing to worry about because someone was instructed to take care of the task, but the next we find ourselves distracted from our work in order to take care of other responsibilities. That is why it's so important to learn to ask for commitment. You must gain full commitment from your team. You cannot be afraid to ask someone to commit long term, to a task, or a cause. Their commitment will open up more opportunity for you to focus on developing your ministry based on the vision God has given you.
It's not always easy to gain commitment from your volunteers, but when you find someone who will commit to the cause, grab onto them and don't let go. Constantly thank your committed team members and show them that their hard work is recognized. Even the leaders who "take out the trash every week" play a crucial part in the ministry. After all, they are the ones who allow you to fully focus on your sermon, small group lesson, creative meeting, network, etc.
Be a leader who is devoted to seeking commitment rather than consent.
-Shane
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