Untapped Church: Discovering the Potential Hidden in Your Congregation

Book excerpt: The greatest untapped resource in today's church is high capacity volunteer leaders. Many people in many churches are largely untapped which means available but not used. In 2011, the pastoral staff at Grace Church in Erie, Pennsylvania began inviting additional leaders from within the congregation to become staff members without pay. These voluntary leaders were given job descriptions, business cards, problems to solve, and people to lead. They were given responsibility that matched their capacity, and Grace Church created a culture where volunteer leaders had the potential to rise to every level of leadership within the organization. In Untapped Church, Pastor Derek Sanford explores this exciting new approach to church. The book is structured into two main parts. The first part tells the story of the church's journey toward volunteer leadership. It explores biblical foundations, philosophical shifts, and real-life stories of leaders who have been tapped for kingdom impact. The second part of the book is much more practical in nature. It has the feel of a how-to manual. Beyond that, Derek hopes other pastors will take his idea further and make it better than he ever dreamed it could be! Untapped Church will inspire you to discover the potential hidden in your own congregation.