"Four ushers, two nursery workers, five AWANA leaders, and a Sunday School teacher, please."

The pastor smiled wryly when he said that to me. The list of ministry openings at our church used to sound like a fast food order—serve up the workers hot and fast.

Seven years on ministry staff taught me we needed a better system of matching available people to ministry opportunities. It also taught me that merely plugging in warm bodies increased volunteer burnout, dissatisfaction, and departure. We needed a way to match people's passions—what they love doing—to the ministry positions available.

The system we developed has assimilated 85 percent of our members into active ministry positions.

1. Profile their passions.

Three times annually we hold a mandatory class for all who desire membership. The class is held on Wednesday nights for 14 weeks. Beyond typical introductory lessons on doctrine and church identity, we also include a class on spiritual gifts, a class on temperament, ...