Thus we arrive at the extreme blessing and frustration of organizing a church.

Volunteers.

Volunteers are a strange animal. In the northern Canadian prairies, the Northern Groused Volunteer is hardly ever seen. He hide in caves and holes in the ground, keeping his head below radar, so as not to get it shot off. When he tentatively comes forward from his safe place, he needs plenty of coaxing and calming that all will be well.

Because his personal safety is a prime concern for him, he doesn't tend to commit - to a great degree. He will attend, if he has time, if he's not busy, or if there isn't hockey on the CBC. He's somewhat difficult to train, because he knows he can't get fired from this position, and, for that matter, he's one of the bosses.

I know brave, strong men who work in parachurch organizations, who have communicated to me that this is the exact reason they won't enter into church work, the dreaded Volunteer.

When a Northern Groused Volunteer can be captured at a young, willing age, they can be trained and formed into the work that they do. Their enthusiasm and eagerness can be contagious, but they need to be kept away from the older Volunteers, because they begin to loose hope, and become discouraged in their ministry.

Some churches have dealt with this by bringing in even rarer Tie Crested Hire-lings. These Tie Crested Hire-lings can only be seen in larger churches, because they are so costly and rare. The Hire-ling you can train, and, if he doesn't work out, you can fire them.

I have long suspected that the best way is to create a safe reserve where the Northern Groused Volunteer can grow and try new things in a safe zone. A place of warm reception and constant care. A place where hunters are unwelcome, and traps and snares are not allowed. Thus the Volunteer can explore ministry opportunities that will, infact, help the whole ecosystem to grow and flourish.

Alas, our over hunting and use of big guns has diminished their population among us. Soon we will have to create reserves of safety, just to replenish their numbers. This writer deeply hopes we can do it before they become extinct.