volunteering at church essay

Teaching BY TYPE

• Book Reviews
• Bible Studies

• 1689 Confession

Teaching BY TOPIC

• Christian Life
• Church History
• Biblical Authority
• Critical Race Theory
• Doctrines of Grace

Teaching BY Author

• Tom Nettles
• Graham Gunden
• Voddie Baucham

• The Sword & the Trowel

Listen to our weekly podcast with Tom Ascol & Graham Gunden.

Upcoming Events

Conference Music

• YouTube Music
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music

Previous Events

• 2024: Family Life in the Negative World (Coming Soon)
• 2024: Remember Jesus Christ
• 2023: What Is Man?
• 2022: Militant & Triumphant
• 2021: The Only God
• 2021: Be It Resolved SBC Event
• 2019: The Gospel and Justice
• 2019: The Law and Gospel

Shop by Category

• Merchandise

Shop BY Author

• James Renihan
• Fred Malone

Shop BY TOPIC

• 1689 & Confessions
• Children & Youth
• Christian Living
• Church Life
• Culture & Social Issues
• Devotionals
• Evangelism & Missions
• Marriage & Family

Featured Resource

About Founders

• Our Ministries
• Support Founders

Founders App

Church Search

• Find a Church
• Add Your Church
• Founders Alliance Churches

Institute of Public Theology

• Upcoming Courses
• Support IOPT

Serving In The Church: Volunteerism… or Responsibility?

• Curtis C. Thomas

“Each one should use whatever spiritual gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10–11).

Like most churches, ours has a large team of volunteers. We have members who have volunteered to work in the nursery, to clean our building, to keep the grounds mowed, to operate the sound system, to make our tape recordings, to answer incoming phone calls, to teach our classes, to serve as Deacons, Elders and Trustees, to mention but a few. Without these “volunteers” our church could not carry out her ministry.

Yet, when we look into the Word of God, it never speaks of volunteers . It speaks of those who freely serve and who recognize they have a joyful obligation to serve others in whatever manner they are capable (or gifted). In the New Testament the four basic passages dealing with the believers’ use of their gifts are Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. In these passages we learn that Christ has sovereignly distributed His gifts to His church through her various members and that they are responsible to use these gifts (interests, talents, training, resources, opportunities) to faithfully serve others. 

Nowhere in Scripture do we have the slightest hint that God’s people are to volunteer . Rather, the Scriptures indicate that the use of our gifts should be considered a joyful responsibility . It is for that reason that I do not like the term volunteer when thinking of God’s people serving the body of Christ. The term volunteer may give a believer the idea that he has an option whether or not he is willing to serve in a certain capacity and that if he chooses to serve in that capacity, he is going beyond his actual responsibility (he is “volunteering”)—and therefore has done something meritorious. 

Instead, God’s Word tells me clearly that if I have been gifted in a certain area I have no alternative but to use that gift, serving with the strength God gives me, for the good of others. Such service should be performed joyfully, thanking God for giving me the opportunity to serve His body.

Our responsibility is to learn what our gifts are and to use them to the fullest. Our gifts do not have to be perfected in order to serve. That is a mistake made or excuse used by many, which keeps them from serving. Opportunity and need will help determine when our gifts should be exercised. Our abilities to serve in a certain area will surely increase with experience as we exercise our gifts. If we wait until we think were are fully qualified, we may never use that with which God has gifted us. 

There are, obviously, believers who are trying to serve in areas in which they are not gifted, or not sufficiently trained or qualified. This is where we need the honest counsel of the church leadership and membership. If I do not have the gift of teaching, I would be wrong to insist that I serve in that capacity. If my voice and mannerisms are unsuitable for the church receptionist, I should instead look for other areas in which help is needed. Thankfully, God has not gifted us all in the same way. Yet, he has placed on all of us the responsibility to serve in the areas for which we are most capable, not as volunteers, but as His children, joyfully accepting the responsibility to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This article is an excerpt from Curtis Thomas’ book – Life in the Body of Christ: Privileges and Responsibilities in the Local Church . A new hardcover edition is now available for order for $24.98 at press.founders.org

RELATED CONTENT

" * " indicates required fields

Get a Free Book!

Get a FREE COPY of Luke Griffo’s  The Beauty of the Binary when you support Founders by becoming a Founders Alliance Member during the month of June!

Essay Papers Writing Online

The impact of community service – a deep dive into the power of giving back to society.

Community service essays serve as a powerful tool for individuals to reflect on their experiences, values, and impact on the world around them. Through the process of writing about their volunteer work, students are able to articulate the positive changes they have made in their communities and explore the lessons they have learned along the way.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of giving back to society and fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in individuals. By sharing personal stories of service, students can inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Moreover, community service essays can help students gain valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, as they reflect on the challenges and successes of their volunteer experiences. By documenting their service work, students can also showcase their commitment to social responsibility and community engagement to colleges, scholarship committees, and potential employers.

Why Community Service Essays Matter

In today’s society, the importance of community service essays cannot be overstated. These essays serve as a platform for individuals to showcase their dedication to helping others and making a positive impact on their communities. Through these essays, individuals can share their experiences, insights, and perspectives on the value of giving back to society.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in raising awareness about different social issues and encouraging others to get involved in volunteer work. By sharing personal stories and reflections, individuals can inspire and motivate others to take action and contribute to the betterment of society.

Furthermore, community service essays provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and goals. Through the process of writing these essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, leading to personal growth and development.

In conclusion, community service essays matter because they have the power to inspire change, raise awareness, and promote personal growth. By sharing their stories and insights, individuals can make a difference in their communities and create a more compassionate and giving society.

The Impact of Community Service Essays

Community service essays have a profound impact on both the individuals writing them and the communities they serve. These essays serve as a platform for students to reflect on their experiences and articulate the lessons they have learned through their service work.

One of the primary impacts of community service essays is the opportunity for self-reflection. Students are encouraged to critically analyze their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments during their community service activities. This reflection helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their role in the community.

Another significant impact of community service essays is the awareness they raise about social issues and community needs. By sharing their stories and insights, students can shed light on important issues and inspire others to get involved in community service. These essays can also help community organizations and stakeholders better understand the needs of their communities and how they can address them effectively.

Overall, community service essays play a vital role in promoting social responsibility, empathy, and civic engagement. They empower students to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Guidelines for Writing Community Service Essays

When writing a community service essay, it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Here are some tips to help you craft a powerful and compelling essay:

• Start by brainstorming ideas and reflecting on your community service experiences.
• Clearly define the purpose of your essay and what you hope to convey to your readers.
• Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Use specific examples and anecdotes to support your points and showcase your personal growth.
• Highlight the impact of your community service activities on both yourself and others.
• Showcase your passion and dedication to serving your community.
• Be authentic and honest in your writing, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your experiences.
• Edit and proofread your essay carefully to ensure clarity, coherence, and proper grammar.

Examples of Effective Community Service Essays

Community service essays can have a powerful impact on the reader when they are well-written and thoughtful. Here are a few examples to inspire you:

1. A Well-Structured Essay:

This essay begins with a compelling introduction that clearly articulates the author’s motivation for engaging in community service. The body paragraphs provide specific examples of the author’s experiences and the impact they had on both the community and themselves. The conclusion ties everything together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the importance of giving back.

2. Personal Reflection:

This essay delves deep into the author’s personal experiences during their community service work. It explores the challenges they faced, the emotions they encountered, and the growth they underwent. By sharing vulnerable moments and candid reflections, the author creates a connection with the reader and demonstrates the transformational power of service.

3. Future Goals and Impact:

This essay not only discusses past community service experiences but also looks toward the future. The author shares their aspirations for continued service and outlines how they plan to make a difference in the world. By showcasing a sense of purpose and vision, this essay inspires the reader to consider their own potential for impact.

These examples illustrate how community service essays can be effective tools for conveying meaningful stories, inspiring others, and showcasing personal growth. By crafting a compelling narrative and reflecting on the significance of service, you can create an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

How Community Service Essays Empower Individuals

Community service essays provide individuals with a platform to express their thoughts, share their experiences, and make a meaningful impact on society. By writing about their volunteer work and the lessons they have learned, individuals can empower themselves to create positive change and inspire others to do the same.

• Through community service essays, individuals can reflect on the importance of giving back to their communities and the value of helping those in need.
• These essays can serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals to continue their philanthropic efforts and make a difference in the world.
• By sharing their stories through community service essays, individuals can raise awareness about social issues and promote greater empathy and understanding among their peers.

Overall, community service essays empower individuals to take action, advocate for change, and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable society.

Related Post

How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay, unlock success with a comprehensive business research paper example guide, unlock your writing potential with writers college – transform your passion into profession, “unlocking the secrets of academic success – navigating the world of research papers in college”, master the art of sociological expression – elevate your writing skills in sociology.

Select Page

3 Significant Ways Volunteering at Church Is Important

Posted by Evan Doyle | Dec 2, 2021 | Spiritual Growth | 0 |

Church volunteer work is (or should be) a natural outgrowth of a believer’s love for God and a desire to help the church be ready to embrace those who come through the doors or to help those in need.  Sometimes, though, volunteers may wonder if what they’re doing matters or makes a difference.  

Volunteering at church is important because many roles are necessary each week to keep the church running smoothly.  Church volunteer work also helps those in the community who suffer or have needs they cannot meet themselves. 

If you’re in church leadership or ministry, conveying the importance of the church’s work to your congregation is key to developing and keeping engaged volunteers.  Read on for key points on why volunteering at church is important and how to make it meaningful.

Why is Volunteering at Church Important and What Difference Does it Make?

Volunteering at church is vital for sustaining a healthy ministry and fulfilling the mission to reach those around us.  Without volunteers, much of the church’s work would go undone.  

It’s simply not possible or biblical- nor should it be expected – for the pastor and staff members to meet all of the needs in or outside the church. 

The bible encourages pastors to equip and train people to minister.  Volunteering at church is an excellent way for individuals to identify their gifts and develop a heart for serving others.

Having dedicated volunteers allows church staff to concentrate on more of the vision and direction of the church.  They can provide leadership and support to volunteers rather than trying to do everything themselves.

It’s pretty simple, the mission of the church is to reach and serve people through the love of Christ.  Jesus commands his followers to “go and make disciples.” Whether you help in your local church or go overseas to serve in another part of the world, willingness and availability are what’s important.

Volunteers Help the Church Run Smoothly

For a church to be effective, it does need a strong team of volunteers.  A lot has to happen each week at a church to run smoothly and provide education and ministries to those who attend. 

In a way, volunteers are the heroes of the church.  Much of their work often is unseen, but that is ok.  The fruit their work produces is much greater than the work of just a few.

My pastor often says, “When everyone does a little, it becomes a lot.”

There are no unimportant jobs within the church.  Some volunteer roles may seem inconsequential compared to others, but each one is uniquely necessary. Below are just a few roles at a church; consider how they fit in the big picture. 

• Nursery or Children’s Worker:  Allows parents to attend the service or smaller settings without distraction
• Greeter :  Gives newcomers and first-time guests a sense of welcome
• Facility Team:  Oversees the care of the building or property to ensure safety and function
• Small-Group Leader : Plans and conducts gatherings and reaches out to church members to foster connectedness and a sense of belonging
• Bereavement Team :  Ministers to those who are experiencing difficult situations
• Hospitality Team:  Prepares, serves, or cleans up after special events to help facilitate a better experience for those in attendance.

There’s just no way a church staff can do everything it takes to keep the doors open.  Volunteers at church are essential.  The next time you see one, tell them, “thank you!”

Volunteers Meet Needs in the Community

The world is full of people with needs:  physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial, to name a few.  The church has always been instrumental in taking care of those in need, and church volunteers are a huge part of that mission.

Indeed, you don’t have to be a church member to give back to your community.  Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available through non-religious organizations.  However, churches can be a massive catalyst for community impact and often partner with local agencies that have a similar desire to eliminate specific problems by serving others.

Volunteers Grow Spiritually and Feel a Sense of Higher Purpose

Church volunteer work benefits the giver too .  Most people want to be involved in a cause that is bigger than themselves.  Contributing to the greater good of the world and their community leads to a feeling of purpose and fulfillment.  

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Jesus came to serve people so, by helping others, volunteers develop a deeper relationship with God and become more like Christ over time.

How To Make Volunteering At Church Easier With Good Communication

Great communication is key to inspiring church volunteers to engage with your mission. Church leaders often struggle with how to best get their message across to the congregation.  The invitation for volunteering at church must be timely, clear, and have a direct call to action.  

Below are three guidelines to engage and keep more volunteers at your church.

3 Guidelines To Engaging And Keeping More Volunteers At Church

Communicate the mission of your church with clarity & consistently.

It’s vital to keep the church’s mission as the central focus when asking for volunteers.  People will rally around a definite purpose, but volunteers often fade away when the church loses its focus.  – Carey Neiuwhof  

Whether your main focus is on the homeless, foster care, unplanned pregnancy, or addressing hunger, be diligent in communicating that to the church clearly and consistently. 

Represent The Mission With Excellence

Excellence is about doing your best with what you have.  Technology has brought a wealth of communication tools to your fingertips.  Nowadays, we are accustomed to and expect quality print and online materials.  Most will ignore a hand-drawn poster, even if the messaging is valid.  

Anyone with a computer can create professional-looking flyers and print newsletters.  With just a smartphone, you can make an engaging, informative, and quality video.  Better yet, expand volunteering at church by allowing those with this skillset to serve!

And let’s talk about how technology helps you get your message directly to the people.  There are many ways you can target an individual or a group with specific communications that give them the exact information they are looking for:

• Church Texting Software
• Social Media
• Websites and Apps
• Church Project Management Tools

Establish Clear Expectations For The Volunteers At Church

No one likes to feel inadequate. That’s why you must let volunteers know the expectations ahead of time and ask if they need any special resources to complete the task.  Offer training opportunities so that everyone is on the same page and can feel confident about doing what they signed up to do.

To help simplify volunteering at church, we offer a handful of transferable training manuals that any leader can use to equip their team.  To view the training manuals, click HERE .

What Do People Need To Consider When Volunteering At Church?

Church volunteers should consider a few key points as they plan to respond to a volunteer opportunity at church.

• Alignment:  Am I in alignment with the mission, teaching, and leadership of the church?
• Purpose:  Does this task or opportunity have a Kingdom focus?  Is this what God wants me to do?
• Motive:  Why do I want to help?  Am I doing it for the right reasons?
• Talents:  Is this the best use of my particular talents or skill set?  Will I be effective?
• Time:  Am I willing to put in the time to do a good job?

Volunteering At Church Summary

Volunteering at church offers meaningful ways to love God by serving others.  By helping those in need, serving in various areas on Sunday mornings, or using our skills in a leadership role, we are obediently following Christ’s example of love, humility, and compassion.  

Volunteering At Church Sources:

Carey Nieuwhof

About The Author

Evan served in pastoral ministry for 18 years and is the founder of dailychristianhelp.com. His mission is helping faith based leaders learn to prepare and communicate effective messaging and content in order to lead effectively and serve their community at the highest level. Passionate about leadership, Evan emphasizes the importance of team culture, personal development, and building trust to achieve impactful outcomes. His insights and expertise have been featured in renowned publications such as Truity, Catalyst, Creative Results Management (churchleader), and The Christian Post. Beyond his written work, Evan also shares his knowledge as the host of the "Evan Doyle Thinks" YouTube channel.

Related Posts

What exercise reminded me about spiritual growth.

July 8, 2015

Making Room For Connection | Why Meaningful Relationships Matter

July 30, 2015

5 Healthy Ways To Process The Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill Podcast

December 9, 2021

A Outline Of The Pauline Epistles

June 6, 2014

The Importance of Volunteers in the Church

by Ed Stetzer | Jul 30, 2021 | Church Health , Discipleship | 3 comments

Most of us know how essential volunteers are to making sure our churches are as effective as they need to be. Churches need to develop an ethos of valuing volunteers, but in order for churches to thrive, they would do best to raise up volunteers who are leaders and choose leaders who have been volunteers.

When I look for a leader to oversee volunteers, or a leader to oversee leaders, ideally I look for someone who has gone through all the stages of the ministry he or she will be leading—someone who has set up the chairs if we’re starting a new church, led a Bible study, or worked in the children’s ministry. Then, once that person has volunteered in those positions, I say, “Let’s see if you can oversee others to do that.”

Furthermore, I love to challenge volunteers to go a little deeper. Challenging volunteers who show a potential for leadership to oversee other volunteers is a great way to do that. If I’ve found a volunteer who has gone through the different stages of the ministry he or she will be leading, then I want to be sure to equip the person with some training. Many people do not know how to delegate well. Have your leaders read a simple book on delegation. Send them to training opportunities and give them the tools they need to do well as a volunteer leader.

So, volunteers are a vital part of our churches running smoothly. Something that makes them even more remarkable is that they often go unrecognized. Volunteers must be willing to humbly serve Christ and their brothers and sisters without ever expecting to shine in the spotlight. One such volunteer I knew who embraced this humble servitude is Dale.

A good example

You wouldn’t have heard of him, but he was a guy in my church. One of the key ministries we needed to develop was small group ministries. He was a new believer—in fact, I had baptized him. I asked him to be the champion of small groups in our church. I asked him to learn more than I knew about it and paid to send him to a conference on small groups.

He went off to the seminar and came back with five or six books he bought on his own. He sat down and made a plan. We went through that plan together and I modified it here and there based on what I knew from seminars I had attended. Then, I had him go and do it.

Not only was he the champion of small groups in our church, but he led the leaders of small groups as well. He was the perfect picture of this model: he was a new believer in a small group, he led a small group, he oversaw small groups in a group zone, and then he oversaw all of our small groups, all while working full time in his job.

He was an essential part in the leadership of our church. We need more volunteers like him, and perhaps they need to do the jobs that some pastors are now doing.

You see, too often, we hire people when volunteers could do the work just as effectively—if not more effectively. Volunteers who have been a part of the ministry, then lead as part of the ministry, then begin to oversee the ministry, are extremely effective and know the ins and outs in ways that a newly hired staff person may not.

Volunteer vs. paid?

There is often a debate on this, but I believe churches ought to be hesitant to hire staff for all the positions, especially in smaller churches, because it sends the signal that people should be paid.

Some may wonder, “Why are you paying this person, but not that person?” If I do need to hire a staff member, by the time I do, I want the job to be to work with the leaders of leaders and have volunteers who are already in place. This expands our capacity for leadership without creating the mindset that everybody should be getting paid to do work and minister in a church.

Whether a volunteer is overseeing an entire ministry, leading one small group, organizing donations to the church, lovingly caring for infants during a service, setting up chairs, or greeting guests with a smile at the door, volunteers are doing a key service for the church. The church could not function as it does without each and every one of them.

One final note: pastors and church leaders should be cautious to never fall into believing that their own role in a church is better than the role of a volunteer, or valuing the volunteer who oversees the children’s ministry above the volunteer who takes out the trash. We are all humbly pouring ourselves out for others and for the church. Christ loves each of us equally.

As his life and example teach us, true leadership is not about achieving the highest, most glamorous position. It is about getting down on your hands and knees in the middle of the mess and washing others’ feet.

Our churches could not reach the people they reach without our incredible teams of volunteers. So thank God for them. And tell them you appreciate them. Although the world may never recognize them for their wonderful service, let them know that you see what they do and that you are grateful.

To all volunteers, thank you for the ways you serve Christ and his church.

Share this:

FREE Follow-up System for First Time Guests

Church Website Hero

Church Website Hero offers a  done-for-you  service that takes all the stress, hassle and guesswork out of building and managing your church website.

[email protected]

• The Voice of Life Church

The Benefits of Being a Church Volunteer

Article written by ben.

• Published on August 28, 2019

Serving allows us to experience His power firsthand

God has called us to serve Him by serving others. Serving can mean so many things – taking a mission trip overseas, working as a greeter in your church, or even just visiting a sick friend in the hospital. Serving doesn’t have to be hard. If we do all things with love, serving others is a joyful experience.

Service is contagious

Volunteering at church is an opportunity for us to share Christ’s teachings and become ambassadors for Christ. Outreach programs and events at Life Church at South Mountain provide ways for you to share God’s love with our community. Through strategic community service, the church can spread the news of Christ’s salvation.

Volunteering and serving helps us discover and develop our spiritual gifts.

God places gifts inside each of us, seeds that can grow into skills and abilities for serving others. A seed will only grow into what it was designed to be when it’s planted in the right environment. You’ll discover your unique contribution when you start serving! There are many reasons why it’s important to get involved as a church in community service.

Service deepens your relationship with God

Volunteering at church presents an opportunity to evaluate where you are in your faith. It allows us to rekindle our connection with His word while spreading it to others. For some, this might be their first time assessing their journey with God. Working with the community opens your heart and broadens your horizons. It allows you to identify the path you are on with our Lord and Savior. Everyone is at a different stage in their journey. Through volunteering, you have the opportunity to become a friend, a teacher, and a student in faith.

Serving brings joy

Volunteering in a community outreach program doesn’t need to be a singular, solitary event. Uniting for a purpose brings joy not only to those you are serving, but also to you and your brethren. Deepening your connection with fellow members of the church lifts your heart and your spirit in the name of the Lord. Spending time and bonding with our brothers and sisters in Christ is an extension of the faith and happiness we enjoy in Christ Jesus. When we are filled with His joy, we experience His love and become more receptive to His teachings.

We can do more together

We are but vessels for God’s word. He could have chosen differently, but He decided to use His believers to help spread the Word. On your own, it’s harder to plant seeds of faith. Together as a church, our efforts are more successful. Working together, God’s people can spread the Gospel effectively.

Serving is good for the soul

While we joyfully serve Jesus Christ, we often take extraordinary measures to further and deepen our connection with Christ. By committing ourselves to serve others, we show God the love we have for Him. The Bible calls us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) At Life Church at South Mountain, we attempt to obey this blessed command by caring for the fundamental and spiritual needs of others.

You are needed

Believing the lie that the church doesn’t need you will rob you of the joys God designed for you to experience through serving. Take a risk and get involved. God will honor that step of faith and grow it into so much more!

For more information on volunteer opportunities at Life Church, please fill out the form on our Next Steps page and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.

Most of this information was retrieved from:

HORTON ADMIN. “The Importance Of Community Service For A Church.” Concord Road Church of Christ (blog), September 4, 2018, https://www.concordroadchurchofchrist.com/blog/2018/9/4/the-importance-of-community-service-for-a-church .

Site Admin | Media Outreach

Share this article, subscribe to receive the voice of life church straight to your inbox., keep reading, serving more than one god.

Let’s face it. We all have things that we’re passionate about or really like to do. I like to fish from my kayak. I like to camp in luxury (glamping). I like to work on my house. I like technology. Most of all, I like making money so I can do all these things. Do I find myself idolizing this stuff? More often than I like to admit. Am I letting the things I like to do push me to an eternity in darkness? I pray that I don’t.

Reality Check

If you stop and catch some of the things that fly through your head, are you inherently hating on others and being judgmental? Are your eyes wandering where they shouldn’t? Or maybe, and this is a hard one, are you cursing people that you don’t even know (or maybe do know) that are driving too slow in front of you? What do you think is influencing this attitude of rage and discontentment?

Walking In Integrity

Dealing with trials in our lives can be tough. Once in a while I’ll say to myself, “God, will this ever end?” When issues arise and I don’t think I’ll ever see a positive outcome, I turn to the Bible. I search to find examples similar to the drama I am experiencing, and learn how our ancestors dealt with particular issues in their lives, and how God dealt with those individuals.

More The Voice of Life Church Articles >>

Post categories, service times.

Sunday –

Morning Worship – 9:30 & 11:00

Children’s Church – 11:00 am

Marshallese Services – 2:00 pm

Tuesday –

Prayer Service – 7:00 pm

Wednesday –

Family Training Hour – 7:00 pm

Life Student Ministries – 7:00 pm

Life Church Kids – 7:00 pm

Friday –

Restored Life Recovery – 7:00 pm

Mailing Address

Life Church at South Mountain

2320 E. Baseline Rd. Suite 148-415 Phoenix, AZ 85042

7606 S. 41st St. Phoenix, AZ 85042

Get Directions

Get in touch.

602-437-9355

Helpful Links

Receive event updates, find us on social media, © 2018 - 2024 - life church at south mountain.

stay informed!

Event updates are sent out weekly on Monday mornings.

Subscribe To Receive Life Church News & Articles

• Weekly Devotion
• Pastor's Blog
• La Voz de la Iglesia Hispana
• Life Church News

• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Lifeway Leadership

10 Benefits of Being a Church Volunteer –

During the summer of 1986, I was working in a grocery store while attending college.  This job came with the unbelievable benefit of one unpaid week of vacation per year.  So when July came I had a decision to make.  Should I go to the beach for sun, fun and relaxation or should I make the strategic decision to teach 2nd graders in Vacation Bible School?

I did not realize it at the time but this one single decision put me on a path I would continue on to this very day.  With the exception of two paid staff positions, I have served as a volunteer at my local church for the next 29 years.

As I reflect on the last three decades of my life, the following are 10 Benefits Of Being A Volunteer At A Local Church:

1. Volunteering At My Church Has Given My Life Greater Purpose

There are a numerous important causes in the world and quality places to volunteer your time.  But for me, I made the strategic decision to serve at my church because it was there where my efforts could result in someone’s life being changed for eternity.  It is in a local church where a person could be made brand new and become redeemed.

2. Volunteering At My Church Has Given Me Broader Perspective

Serving others has allowed me to focus on larger issues and others rather than always on myself.

3. Volunteering At My Church Has Given Me Lifelong Friendships

There is a unique relational bond which comes from “being in the foxhole” with someone and serving together.  I have made literally hundreds of personal connections and lifelong friends because of volunteering at my church.

4. Volunteering At My Church Has Given Me A Healthier Self-Image

It may sound egotistical but there is a healthy sense of pride which comes from serving others and not being called to a lesser task.  You just feel better about yourself when your life matters and makes a difference.

5. Volunteering At My Church Helps Others

Living an internally focused life benefits no one.  Serving others relieves suffering, benefits the under-resourced, meets the needs of the marginalized, provides hope, and improves the quality of people’s lives.

6. Volunteering At My Church Has Made Me More Generous

Generosity is time, talent and treasure.  Church volunteers give sacrificially of their time and talent BEFORE giving sacrificially of their treasure.  It is a sequential process.  By being generous with my time and talent, financial generosity has been a natural outflow.

7. Volunteering At My Church Taught Me How To Make Better Decisions

When I used to teach Sunday School in college, I could have gone out every Saturday night with the guys.  However, I learned early in the process the best decisions come when you give up what is good (Saturday night with the guys) for what is best (studying on Saturday nights to serve others on Sunday mornings).

8. Volunteering At My Church Makes Me A Better Thinker

Being a quality volunteer requires sacrifice, study and preparation.  Volunteering at my church has made me smarter.

9. Volunteering At My Church Has Given Me Lasting Influence

My daughter knows nothing other than her parents serving others.  A privilege I never planned when I took my first volunteer role in 1986 was one day I would be passing on a legacy of service to the next generation.

10. Volunteering At My Church Will One Day Result In A Greater Reward

Like many of you, I look forward to the day when I hear my Heavenly Father say “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

At sporting events those in the stands pay to watch the game.  Those on the field get paid!  The same is true for church volunteers.

If  you are not volunteering in your local church, it is time to get on the field and start getting paid with these incredible benefits I have listed.

Brian Dodd is the  Director of New Ministry Relationships for Injoy Stewardship Solutions, and author of The Two Minute Leader

• Forgiveness
• Resurrection
• Kamala Harris
• Supreme Court

• General Christian
• Religious Events

What You Should Know About Volunteering at Your Church

Volunteers are an essential part of all church congregations, and the need for them won’t be going away anytime soon. People’s lives have seemed to get busier, but God and His church are always in need of people who can provide their time to do ministry. 

Being a member or attendee of a church is a wonderful experience. You get to grow in a community that loves you almost as much as God loves you. Plus, it offers you a chance to grow deeper in your faith and relationship with Jesus. 

Volunteering is a great way to minister to others and do what God has called you to do. 1 Peter 4:1-11 tells you all about what it means to live for God. Christ came to serve, and Christians are to follow that call and help others and make disciples.

When you volunteer, you’re using the gifts that God has blessed you with. As 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Although you want to follow this command, if you’ve never volunteered at church or are new to a church, you may not know what’s involved in the volunteer program. 

Here’s what you should know about volunteering at your church so you can be prepared to take the leap of faith and use your gifts to glorify God and serve your community.

You Should Understand the Purpose and Mission of the Church

As a volunteer, you should understand the purpose and mission of the church you attend. Know why it exists and what it’s trying to accomplish. Many churches will have a similar mission, like to lead others to grow with Christ, to make more disciples and to help others love one another as God loves them. 

Those are big-picture items, and they follow what Christ has taught, as stated in John 13:12-14, where Jesus reminds you to serve others as He has served you. However, your church may have a more particular mission, depending on the season or current needs. Perhaps it’s to reach out to the community youth or to develop a new outreach program. 

You Need to Pray Through the Volunteer Opportunity

Prayer is one of the most important things you can do when considering a volunteer opportunity. Maybe there’s an upcoming mission trip or a building project for the church. These are great opportunities to get involved and to meet new people in your church. Although your church may present you with a myriad of exciting options, and although you may want to volunteer for all of them, it’s imperative that you pray about them. 

Is God calling you to those? Can you use your gifts in that opportunity? Will you be able to glorify God through it, or will it be a distraction? These are all things to pray about and consider before diving into a volunteer opportunity. Take time every day, whether it’s in your morning routine or before bed, to pray through the volunteer opportunity and ask God for guidance.

You Might Need to Get a Background Check

Depending on what kind of volunteer you are in your church, you may need a background check and clearances. If you want to work with kids, you’ll likely need both of those. This keeps everyone safe and ensures that you are there for the right reasons. Many churches will offer a volunteer clearance and background check session and training to work with children.

You Should Expect to Make Good Use of Your Time

As a volunteer, you willingly give up your time to serve the church in some way. When you show up for a volunteer day that you signed up for, you should expect that the volunteer group leader will make good use of your time. You’ll be productive and busy and are expected to give your time and gifts wisely. 

If it’s your first time volunteering, you may need to be trained depending on where you are serving. Some volunteer opportunities may pose a danger or require you to use new tools. Use this time to be the best volunteer you can be. You’re working for the church, and most importantly, you’re working for the Lord. Be willing to learn what needs to be done and work heartily for the Lord, as Colossians 3:23 says. 

You Are Part of a Group Effort

Finally, you should know that you are part of a group effort. Unfortunately, some Christians decide to volunteer for the wrong reasons. They want to put on a facade that they’re doing good work and maybe even volunteer for bragging rights or acknowledgment. However, when you volunteer, you’re part of a team of people serving the Lord and acting as Jesus’ hands and feet to reach others and hopefully be a light to others. 

It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

Volunteering is not about gaining something for yourself. It’s about furthering the kingdom of God. By relying on him, people’s hearts are changed. 

• Uncategorized
• volunteering

• Library of World Religions
• Advertise With Us
• Write for Us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Do Not Sell My Data
• Radiant Digital
• Manage Newsletter Subscriptions
• Unsubscribe From Notifications

Seven ways you can help your local church by volunteering

If you’re looking for ways you can volunteer locally to support your community, why not sign up to volunteer at your local church. Here’s how you can get involved and make a difference

Published: 5th May 2023

Many churches remain at the heart of the local community. Their buildings are often used not just for worship, but a place for social groups to gather, food banks and warm spaces and for welcoming visitors to the area. To run all these effectively, it takes time and teamwork.

If you’re looking for a place to meet new people, get plugged into your local community and boost your mental health, as well as support a vital cause, then look no further. Here are different ways you can get involved by volunteering with your local church today.

How can you help your local church?

Every church is different, so we recommend looking up your local church to see exactly what they do. You can use our church finder to locate a church near you . 

How to volunteer – a guide

Find your local church. The easiest way to do this is to search for them online and look at their website for what they do and ways to get involved.

Make contact . Most churches will have an email address listed on their website. Tell them a little about yourself and what you want to help with. If you can only find a phone number, you can always call and leave them a message!

The church will follow up with you. They might also point you in the direction of who to talk to or arrange a meeting. Some volunteering roles may require you to do some training or safeguarding checks, as you may be working closely with vulnerable people or children.

Get stuck in.

Churches are often set in beautiful grounds, and these are often maintained by volunteers.  There is  something hands-on to do in every season, from planting and weeding to cutting grass and raking. Churches sometimes have allotments as well, where produce is grown for the church and community, often given away in foodbanks

Sadly, with the cost of living crisis, food banks have never been more in demand. The support offered is often a lifeline to the most vulnerable members of the community. From processing donations and making up bags of food to looking after people in need, there are often many ways to volunteer – all which will make a huge difference to people in need.

All old buildings require regular attention and churches are no exception. Volunteers work on all kinds of odd jobs and repair work to ensure they can remain open and safe for the community to use. From painting and decorating to restoration work, there are opportunities to use your skills – or learn new ones – to help preserve these amazing buildings.

Whether it’s someone who’s visited the church for generations to someone coming along for the first time, a friendly face can make all the difference. Having someone on hand to welcome them and to sign post them to what they need means that people can get the help they need from their visit – and they will be more likely to recommend the church to others.

From toddler groups, to exercise classes to support groups for vulnerable members of the community, there’s always lots happening at churches. Most of these groups rely on volunteers to welcome visitors, help with set up and set down, be a listening ear and to get involved in the activities!

Churches often run cafes – open to visitors throughout the week, not just on Sundays! Many of the grants we give out have helped churches install kitchens to enable them to turn their church into a community hub and café – helping to raise funds for the church and creating a space for people to connect. From cooking and baking, to serving or talking to guests, there’s lots you can be involved in.

For churches to stay open and run the range of activities they do, admin and tech support is often needed. This could be managing databases, helping around the office, updating church websites and their social media pages, or even filming or photographing an event the church is hosting.

Ways volunteers are making a difference in UK churches

As part of our annual church awards, we give out a special award each year to volunteers in each nation who are making a difference in their church and community. Here are our recent winners to help give you some inspiration on how, by volunteering at your local church, you’ll be making a vital difference.

England – The Hub at St Peter’s, Herefordshire

The Hub is an inviting space for the local community to meet and socialise. It offers volunteering and training opportunities for local people, as well as wellbeing support and signposting to local services.  Its café serves wholesome and affordable food, and a volunteer-run branch of Herefordshire Libraries operates from its Bell Tower. The Hub relies on volunteers to bake cakes, make soup, serve in their café, help in their library, make friendly phone  calls or run errands for people via their Community Helpline.

Wales – The Outpost at St Paul’s Church, Rhosesmor

With the nearest shop three miles away, the Outpost has become a lifeline  to locals. The shop and cafe are mainly run by its 37 volunteers, who have enabled it to grow into a thriving community hub. It hosts book swaps and an annual scarecrow competition, as well as sourcing from local suppliers, in turn benefiting the local economy. 

Northern Ireland – Immaculate Conception, Strabane

No longer are artefacts hidden or left to gather dust. This amazing church created a museum space that exhibits  the church’s rich and varied heritage collection, as well as others from the local areas. The space is run by volunteers, who welcome visitors and tell them about the displays.

Scotland – St Gregory's Foodbank, Glasgow

St Gregory’s foodbank is located in one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. Yet its community have pulled together to look after one another. The food bank is entirely run by volunteers and helps more than 300 people each week – making sure the most vulnerable in their community have food, cleaning products and personal hygiene items. From serving people to helping with paperwork and admin behind the scenes, there’s lots to get involved in.

Despite networks of volunteers existing all over the UK, more are desperately needed to help protect the value that churches offer their communities. However and wherever you choose to volunteer, you’ll be making a vital difference to the lives of others as well as helping to keep churches open and in use. 

Let’s stay in touch.

We’d like to keep you up to date with our free newsletter with support for churches

• Young Adults
• Men's & Women's
• Life Groups
• Coaching/Counseling
• Community Impact
• Spiritual Growth
• Bible Reading
• Life Lessons
• Christian Living
• Relationships
• Communication
• Volunteering

11 Ways to Volunteer at Church (& How to Find the Right Fit For You)

Do you want to give back?  Are you thinking about volunteering but unsure how or where to plug-in?  Do you want to meet people with whom you share common interests and values?  Have you considered getting involved in your church community? 

Volunteering is a great way to help make a positive impact in the lives of others and to build friendships.  You are a unique individual that can contribute in a way nobody else can.  When we all work together, we add immeasurable beauty to the world.  In a recent article by Angela Thoreson, LICSW, she noted that, "b y spending time in service to others, volunteers report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect." 1   Whether you want to get involved as an individual, a couple, a family unit, or a friend group, meaningful and rewarding jobs await.  

There are many ways to serve others - both outside of and within churches.  

To discover statewide opportunities, Google “Volunteer + (your state)" to find a database of options including a search box to enter keywords. 

For example, here is the site for volunteering in New Hampshire .

To discover ways to help in the church, read on to learn about the types of roles available.

[Don’t have a church yet?  Read next: 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Church for You . ]

This article identifies and describes choices to assist you in finding a part to play that suits your strengths and preferences.  

We at Grace Capital Church have been helping people for 24 years to get involved in their congregation and in their surrounding area because we value its impact. 

Volunteering paves the way for personal growth, community development, fulfillment in using your talents, and achievements in missional goals. 

Let’s start with some important questions to ask yourself:

• What are my interests?
• What is my availability?
• Do I want to try things out before making a commitment?  
• What is my personality?
• Do I prefer working with others or alone?
• What are my skills and experiences?
• What are my primary areas of giftedness ?  
• Is there something I’ve never done that I would like to try or learn?

Read on to learn about each opportunity. We will cover:

Teaching/childcare, craft/curriculum support, youth ministry.

• Music (aka “Worship”)
• Hospitality
• Care Support
• Discipleship

Administration

In addition to a brief description, you will find out:

• Time Commitment involved
• Traits of Good Candidates 
• Additional Requirements

Volunteers typically work in pairs. 

Classrooms are age-appropriately equipped and divided, including a room for babies, preschoolers, and school-agers.  

Curriculum is usually provided and often contains crafts. Many churches have video-based teaching materials. 

Time Commitment:   Sunday mornings for about 2 hours, with additional preparation time if materials need to be gathered.

Good Candidates:   Nurturing.  Clear communicator.  Good listener.  

Requirements:  For children’s safety and to help you be prepared and optimally matched, an application, background check, and interview need to be completed.  Membership may be required.

This is a great fit for anyone interested in crafts and children’s activities without being in the classroom.

In this role, you would plan and prepare creative activities for teachers to use in the lessons.  Tasks can include selecting projects, cutting, assembling kits, or shopping for materials. 

Time Commitment :  This position is very flexible. It can be done onsite or at home, as well as anytime that works for you. 

Good Candidates:  Creative.  Organized. 

Leaders work as a team providing midweek evening youth gatherings. 

There are middle school and high school groups. 

Teaching is delivered by a speaker in person, a video, or a book (along with the Bible), followed by facilitated discussion. 

Worship music and active group games round out the evening.

Time Commitment:   Weekday evening for about 2 hours, with additional preparation time for those helping with set-up. 

Good Candidates:  Outgoing.  Adventurous.  Good listener.  

Requirements:   For student’s safety and to help you be prepared, an application, background check, and interview need to be completed.  Membership may be required.

Production Team

Crews assist with sound, video, lighting, online streaming, and other technical elements.

Time Commitment:   Midweek practice session for about 2 hours plus Sunday mornings for about 4 hours.  Some churches have additional services either on Sundays or another day.

Good Candidates:  Technical.  Problem solver.  Good under pressure and in a fast-paced environment. 

Requirements:   Many tasks require prior experience, but newbies can shadow until they are ready to operate the equipment.

Music/Worship Team

Band and choir members lead the congregation in giving praise to God through music.

Good Candidates:   Expressive.  Transparent. 

Requirements:   Volunteers are selected via auditioning.  

Hospitality 

Team members greet guests and regular attendees, provide refreshments, and make themselves available to answer questions or assist people during services and special events.

This volunteer opportunity can be done as an individual, couple, or family.

Time Commitment:   Varies.  Whether you help out at a church service or a special event, each occasion involves about 2 hours of service. 

Good Candidates:   Welcoming.  Good listener.  Intuitive.  Helpful.  Flexible. 

Missions 

Local and global outreach teams provide a variety of assistance.  Some examples are:  volunteering at food pantries or soup kitchens, delivering meals , street evangelism, supporting pregnancy centers , collecting Christmas gifts for children, international missions trips, and helping people secure stable housing .  

Inquire at your church about what missions they support.

Many of these activities can be done as an individual, couple, family, or friend group.

Time Commitment:   Varies.

Good Candidates:   Compassionate.  Adventurous.  Generous.  Helpful.  Flexible. 

Requirements:   Some roles require an application, background check, and interview. 

Care Support Team

This team provides support to congregants that are experiencing acutely or chronically life-altering events.  It could include circumstances like families grieving a loss, dealing with a sick loved one, or giving birth.  

Serving may entail making phone calls, visiting people, providing meals, transporting people to doctor’s appointments or to church, writing letters, praying, shopping, or running errands.

It can be done as an individual, couple, family, or friend group.

Time Commitment:   Very flexible. It can be done onsite, in the community, or at home, as well as anytime that works for you. 

Good Candidates:   Compassionate.  Good listener.  Comforting.  Helpful.   

Requirements:   Some activities may require a vehicle.

Discipleship Team

Volunteers provide opportunities for adults to grow in their faith.  Members may facilitate a small group Bible study, lead a topical class, or teach adult Sunday school.

Time Commitment:  Varies.  About 2 hours whether it is a weekday evening or Sunday morning.  It could be ongoing or a designated set of weeks (i.e. an 8-week course).

Good Candidates:   Clear communicator.  Good listener.  Intuitive.   

Requirements:   Membership and/or training may be required.   

Aides help with answering phones, typing or data entry, filing, correspondence, making copies, or bookkeeping.

Good Candidates:   Organized.  Professional.  Works well alone. 

Requirements:   Membership and/or training may be required.

Facilities  

Assists with cleaning, repairs, event set-up and breakdown, landscaping, or snow removal.  

Good Candidates:   Organized.  Handy.  Flexible. 

Requirements:   Many tasks require prior experience, but training may be available for rookies.

Ready to start volunteering?

There is a place for everyone who wants to help.  It takes many people to keep a church running smoothly.  

Take initiative.  Churches don’t always have a good system to identify and communicate needs, or to find the right people to fill roles.  Don’t assume you are not needed because you haven’t been asked to help.  If there’s something you’re interested in doing, inquire!

Consider your interests, availability, and skills when checking out opportunities.  Give yourself the liberty to express your preferences or limitations.  

Don’t be afraid to say “no” if you don’t think a job is a good fit.  It is better for you and the church to take time to decide what you can and want to do.  

It is important to not make a commitment if you are not ready to take on that responsibility.  Churches would rather you ask to try something out than give the impression that they can depend on you.

• Thoreson, A., LICSW (2023, August 1).  Helping people, changing lives: 3 health benefits of volunteering . Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-health-benefits-of-volunteering

Do you want to learn more about ways to volunteer?   Check out this article:

The Big List of Church Volunteer Opportunities  

Are you looking for a church?  Check out these articles:

• 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Church For You
• 3 Essential Beliefs all Christian Churches Share
• Looking for the 'Right' Church - Focus on the Family
• How do I know which church is the 'right church' for me? 

If you live in the Concord, NH area, come check us out .   If you already attend Grace Capital Church and want to get involved, sign up here .  

Related Posts

Subscribe via email

Subscribe to our blog to get insights sent directly to your inbox.

Subscribe Here!

Enter the promo code apple at checkout for the $160 gift.

Six Benefits of Volunteering at Your Church

Have you been considering signing up as a volunteer at your church? We are here to tell you that you should do it! With countless physical, mental, and spiritual benefits shown from volunteering your time, it’s hard to think of a reason not to.

Latest Posts

Most shared, signup for playlister.

But people often do. Whether people say their lives are too busy or admit that they are scared of the challenge, unfortunately, there are nowhere near as many church volunteers as are needed. There’s a reason why churches are always looking for more.

Most people volunteer at least once in their lives, as the benefits are absolutely endless. Helping your local church while building your resume and strengthening your relationship with God, too? It really is a no-brainer!

Still not sold? Read on to learn more about the top benefits of volunteering at church.

Get Closer to God

The number one reason that most people volunteer in a church setting is to strengthen their relationship with God. Spending increased amounts of time in the church enhances our ability to do our duty — God’s work. We have all been called on by the Lord to serve and spread the Word of Christ, so volunteering represents the crux of Christian devotion.

Whether you’re serving in children’s ministry jobs or event planning, your time spent volunteering for your local church will have a huge impact. The church relies on the hard work of volunteers, so do your part to create a brighter future for your children, and their children too.

Help Your Community

As a lifeline for many community members, a smoothly running church is essential for all. Church ministry jobs can range hugely in expertise, but there is certainly a way that you can help facilitate a fully functioning church community that supports the elderly and needy while educating and rearing the next generations.

Your kids who don’t yet work officially could lend a hand for church work on Sundays and get a strong sense of work ethic from a young age. Or, despite how busy your schedule may feel (we all live busy lives), why not dedicate a few hours a week yourself? We can all spare a few hours for God.

Increase Self Confidence

On top of helping your community immensely, working in volunteer positions can help to increase self-confidence too. By doing good for the world and spending your time fulfilling the real needs of the people around you, you will discover a sense of accomplishment like never before. Know that your actions are helping the people around you, and feel good about it!

Find pride in the life you’re living, build character, and develop a strong sense of identity through your role as a volunteer. Plus, the better you feel about the person you are, the more likely you are to be successful and achieve your personal life goals. The benefits of volunteering aren’t limited to within the church.

Build Your Skillset

Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone in a volunteer position will inevitably help you acquire new skills too. Whether it's gaining in-depth knowledge about children’s ministry curriculum or useful organization strategies needed to plan a good fundraiser event, the benefits of volunteering are huge.

Plus, you can certainly add your newfound areas of expertise to your resume, putting you at a level above the rest for any future jobs you may apply for. Employers love to know that they are getting a dedicated addition to their business who knows how to work as part of a team.

Get a Sense of Purpose

There is a reason why volunteering is recommended to people who are losing their way in life. Whether you are struggling with depression or simply can’t find the path you’re looking for, the consistency and community that come with volunteering can be incredibly helpful to those who aren’t in the best place.

Having a sense of purpose in your life at a time when you truly need it can help you stay on track. The mental health benefits of volunteering are powerful. Keeping you in regular contact with a support system while showing you that you are a valued and loved member of the community, volunteering can help relieve depression for some.

Keep Physically Fit

The world of volunteering in the church environment can be hugely varied and exciting. This makes it an ideal way for those who are struggling with their weight or fitness goals to spend their free time. You could be running a class for young kids or refereeing a friendly soccer game – what a fun way to stay active!

This point is especially relevant for older volunteers, who may lack the motivation to stay mobile every day. Signing up to volunteer with the people of your community could do incredible things for your everyday health, keeping you on your feet well into your old age.

Are you ready to take the plunge and better your community while working on yourself? Why not reach out to your local church and see if they have any volunteer openings available and ask how you can get involved to help the people around you. Start slowly if you need to, but know that every minute spent helping is a minute spent with God.

Not sure how to encourage more volunteers to sign up? Try using some of these volunteer job descriptions to capture the interest of your local churchgoers. Changing the advertisements and job descriptions on your bulletin board to keep them fresh and relevant can make a big difference in the number of volunteer applications you will get.

Checkout this TEDx Youth talk about the hidden benefits of volunteering:

https://youtu.be/c4LCe9uiGj0

Get a free Apple TV & free Playlister

Get weekly ministry insights in your inbox, don't forget to share this post, related articles, children's songs about jesus for spiritual growth.

Bring the teachings of Jesus to life for kids with our guide to children’s songs about Jesus, perfect for Sunday school and daily worship.

Transform Bible Study with Exciting Games for Kids

Discover a variety of fun Bible games that make learning Scripture engaging and enjoyable for kids. Perfect for Sunday schools and home teaching!

A Guide to The Lord's Prayer for Children

Discover how integrating technology can transform teaching 'The Lord's Prayer' to children, making it engaging and accessible.

Church Volunteering: Building a Community of Selfless Supporters

Volunteering in the church benefits members of the congregation and the church itself. Church volunteers perform tasks that the staff doesn’t have the capacity or skills to accomplish. In this article, we’ll show you how to get started with church volunteering and share different volunteer opportunities, and how to build your church’s volunteer base.

Volunteering in church benefits members of the congregation and the church itself.

Church volunteers perform tasks that staff members do not have the capacity or skills to accomplish. They use their time and talents for community service, fulfilling their desire to help others while ensuring the local church can direct more funds to its mission.

In short, volunteers are vital to a healthy church. But how do you build up and manage your church’s volunteer base?

In this article, we’ll show you how to get started with church volunteering, share innovative volunteering opportunities, and explore how you can build a church volunteer base.

8 Types of Church Volunteering Opportunities

There are several strategies you can use to grow your church , including building up youth programs , hosting community events, setting up virtual services , utilizing online and mobile giving, and more. Include your church volunteers in these strategies!

The type of volunteers your church needs depends on the skills and capacity of your paid staff, as well as your priorities (more on that below). Let’s look at eight common types of church volunteers.

1. Church board

Board members for nonprofits, including churches, volunteer their time, talents, and resources for the good of the mission they serve. Church board members support and connect the church with the congregation. It’s a big commitment!

The volunteers who make up your church board should already be dedicated members of your church. Ideally, they have been actively involved for many years.

In addition, look for church members who have experiences and backgrounds that will be beneficial to the church and its growth, including finance, marketing, human resources, fundraising , IT, and more. These are people who also help create outreach ministries to support the community and find other ministry volunteers.

Finally, consider an individual’s ability to give when it comes to building your board. While they don’t need to donate large amounts, it is smart to discuss the importance of tithing with potential board members.

2. Worship team

Each service brings a plethora of volunteer positions to serve that are ideal for those who regularly attend worship.

Greeters welcome people to worship, especially newcomers. They offer smiles, hand out programs, and share information during prayer meetings. This is a great job for a family!

Ushers are a vital part of worship, finding seats for new church members, passing offering plates during Sunday morning services, assisting with communion, and more. Simply put, they make your church service take place smoothly.

Those who want to take an active role in sharing the word of God can be scripture readers during the service.

And what is a church service without music? Opportunities for musicians in your congregation include soloists, a praise band, youth and adult choirs, and more.

Pro tip: Mobile giving is an ideal method to collect offerings during service as it encourages donating in the moment, even if your members don’t have cash on hand. Encourage ushers and other worship team volunteers to promote your text-to-give campaigns, and train them to assist members as needed.

3. Sunday school/childcare team

Many churches offer Sunday school classes and/or child care. These are great ways to get people involved, especially those who enjoy sharing their faith with younger generations.

Teachers are needed to lead lessons and activities. These volunteers must dedicate quite a bit of time, as they will need to be present for classes and spend a couple of hours each week in preparation.

Teacher’s assistants help where needed, especially with young children or those in a nursery. This is an excellent opportunity for high school and college students volunteering in the church, or for adults who cannot dedicate time as a teacher.

You could also start a planning crew for those who aren’t available during class times. They can stuff Easter eggs for a hunt, prepare materials for an art project, or organize equipment for a game. This volunteer opportunity is especially important for hosting fundraising events at your church.

Invite volunteers to take part in these important roles, provide them with the necessary training, and help them get involved.

4. Technology gurus

Virtual church services are becoming increasingly preferred by members around the world. If you’re expanding your technology , whether with the addition of a virtual service or by simply improving sound and lighting during in-person services, there are many volunteer roles available. Ask those gifted with tech-savviness to run your soundboard , lights , PowerPoint slides , and cameras .

You may also have members who are graphic designers, photographers, or social media marketers . Recruit them to create promotional pieces, capture the beauty of your church, and assist with spreading the word.

5. Office assistants

Office tasks are perfect for volunteers available on weekdays and could include folding programs or bulletins, sending letters, answering phones, inputting offline donation data, and more. Choose an online tool that makes storing data and managing donor/donation data simple and quick for your office assistants.

Usually, online fundraising tools will have a donor management system to help ease the process. Train your volunteers well to use the tool. This will ensure consistency across all data and future volunteers will have no difficulty finding them when needed. Donorbox lets you add communication notes to donor records; you can manage your donors, segment them for a personalized approach, track important moments, and more on the tool.

6. Special event/holiday volunteers

If you have members who want to volunteer but can’t make a regular commitment, ask them to assist during extra busy times.

Form planning teams for special events like trivia nights , Sunday school plays, and vacation Bible school. Bring in day-of volunteers to assist with everything from set-up and tear-down to registration.

And when you have a holiday coming up, make sure to let your congregation know you’ll be needing more ushers and greeters than usual.

Pro tip: Help your volunteers manage your events, sold tickets, and purchasers’ information on an online event ticketing tool. This makes tracking and managing a breeze. Donorbox Events makes ticket buying and event registration even easier. It only takes a few minutes to set up an event page and start selling tickets – another potential volunteer task. Plus, you can add unlimited ticket levels, and easily determine the tax-deductibility of each level by inputting fair-market value and the tax rate. All your sold tickets, purchaser’s details, and donation information (yes, your attendees can also donate from the event page!) will be in one place.

The following is a good example of a local church using a simple event page and the ticketing form to sell tickets to their wine-tasting fundraiser event.

7. Mission leaders

Your church likely offers opportunities to give to missions outside of your own. These may include a food drive, a Star Tree for holiday gifts, or a crowdfunding campaign to benefit a mission trip. Church leaders can be effective in roles like this.

Ask organized and passionate church leaders to take on the details of planning and executing a mission (with guidance), and have them recruit their own volunteers to assist.

8. Pastoral care assistants

These volunteers join pastors on visits to those unable to attend services, make phone calls to check in on grieving families, and more, offering a friendly face and kind words.

Church volunteers can fall into many different categories. The more opportunities you can offer in various areas, the more you can accomplish as a church! This Donorbox blog will help you engage and motivate your volunteers to better play to their strengths.

Church Volunteers and What They Need to Succeed

Before the pandemic, the average American church could count on about 44 percent of their regular attendees to volunteer at least once a month. As of this year, that number has dropped to 34 percent .

In order to succeed in their missions, churches need to get these numbers back up – starting first with membership and then with volunteers. But the best way to recruit volunteers is not to focus on your church’s needs. Instead, focus on the talents of your members and how they can use those talents to make a difference.

Look first to those who regularly attend worship and are passionate about their faith. Volunteering in the church is ideal for those of all ages, backgrounds, talents, and experiences.

To succeed, volunteers need to see that their efforts will make an impact. They also need to know their options and get involved. And they need flexibility – they are more likely to volunteer if they can choose when, how, and how often. The best way to achieve this is to have a church volunteer program.

A church volunteer program will ensure how volunteers are selected, what they’ll need immediately after they’re onboarded , any training and education on the mission of the church, and how to guide them further. Your volunteers need to feel empowered. Provide them with tools and training. Let new ushers shadow others, and make lesson plans for teachers.

Pro tip: Host a volunteer class! This class can serve two purposes – informing interested volunteers about opportunities and providing training to those who have already signed up. This class can as well be a part of your church volunteer program and will improve your volunteer efforts.

How to Build a Church Volunteer Base

We’ve shared types of opportunities as well as details on who your volunteers are – but how do you capture that 44 percent of your congregation? The below tips will help you find new volunteers and fit them effectively into new opportunities at the church.

1. Create a list

List out your current opportunities, as well as areas where you could add new volunteers. Make sure your list includes a variety of volunteer roles – keep in mind different skills, levels of time commitment, age requirements, and availability throughout the week.

Pro tip: List your volunteer opportunities in order of importance. This way, you’ll know which roles need to be filled first – these roles should be the focus of your outreach .

2. Form a volunteer committee

Form a volunteer subcommittee on your board. This committee can be tasked with developing the list of opportunities and finding members who may best fit those roles. Hold regular board meetings at your church office to go through the list and determine which candidates can fit which roles. Your church leader can help run these meetings and keep track of important notes and decisions.

3. Reach out to volunteers personally

It is often best to have someone speak to prospective volunteers one-on-one. This will make them feel hand-picked and more likely to commit.

Ideally, this task should be assigned to different people based on the volunteer position. Current board members should reach out to potential members. The education director can call those who may be good teachers. And ask your pastor to contact those who could help in worship or as a pastoral care assistant.

4. Speak about volunteering during worship

When is the best time to reach your congregation? In worship! Share current and upcoming volunteer opportunities each week, whether printed in the program, displayed on a screen, or through a quick message during the service.

Also, talk to your pastor about planning a service dedicated to volunteerism. Include a sermon focused on volunteer needs and the importance of giving one’s time and talents and have volunteers speak about personal experiences.

Pro tip: Set up information and sign-up sheets directly outside the worship space. Be sure to have current volunteers on hand to answer questions!

5. Post volunteer information

Get the word out there! Add information about your volunteer opportunities to your website. Post flyers and sign-up sheets to a volunteer bulletin board. And share any opportunities via a blog and your social media channels.

Final Thoughts

The Bible calls Christians to serve in God’s name by using their talents to benefit others.

“ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ” (1 Peter 4:10)

When you share this message with your congregation, paired with a varied offering of opportunities, you empower them to give their time and skills by volunteering in the church.

Looking for more church fundraising, growth, and marketing tips? Visit our Nonprofit Blog !

Thousands of churches across the globe have chosen Donorbox as their online fundraising tool to raise more funds, manage donors, and make giving easy for their congregation. Learn more about how Donorbox helps churches in this short video here . Know about our unique feature, QuickDonate – a simple-to-use and quick solution for repeat donations to your church.

Donorbox features are user-friendly and quick to set up. Learn more here .

Kara Schmid

Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations. Her love for serving others began while fundraising for and attending mission trips. She then worked with multiple local nonprofits through various marketing agencies and volunteer opportunities before becoming a communications manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis for more than four years. Kara now specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with others on this platform.

- Masters in Business Administration: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville - Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations: Ball State University

- Senior Communications Manager at Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis - Volunteer Marketing Team Member at DuBois Center - Assistant Manager, Marketing & Communications at Marketicity, serving local nonprofits such as Human Support Services and St. Paul United Church of Christ, Columbia

Join the fundraising movement!

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive the latest blogs, news, and more in your inbox.

27+ Ways To Volunteer At Church

Volunteering at your church is great because it helps you build relationships with other members and gives you a chance to help others. If you’re looking for ways to give back to your community, volunteering at your church will open numerous opportunities to serve your church as well as your local community.

Why Volunteer At Your Church?

Volunteering at your church can be a gratifying experience! It’s easy to get involved in many different areas. This is because churches offer a wide range of services, not just the Sunday worship service. As a result, you have opportunities that make the church experience more rewarding for others and outreach opportunities that seek to improve the community your church is in.

What Do Volunteers Do At Churches?

Volunteers do many different jobs at churches. These jobs range from helping people get parked to attend a church service to feeding the homeless in the local community. There are so many ways to volunteer at your church.

Greet People

When we first went to our church, I’ll never forget the door greeters. They created an immediate feeling of warmth and gratitude. If you have a contagious smile and a heart to say hello, greeting people may be the perfect volunteer opportunity.

This is an essential job because not only are you saying hello to return visitors, you’re the first impression for new visitors when they walk through the doors.

Church Transportation

There are a few ways to volunteer for this job. First, some people drive official church vehicles to help transport people to and from the service. This is especially helpful for people who don’t have the physical or financial means to attend the service.

Other transport positions will depend on how big your church is. If your church is large enough, you may need volunteers to help direct traffic or shuttle people on golf carts from their cars to the church entrance.

Prayer Volunteers

If you enjoy praying for people, volunteering for the prayer team for church services might be perfect. Prayer teams meet regularly to pray for specific needs (often called prayer meetings), or they might stand at the altar after the service and pray for people who come up to them. Either way, you can provide the gift of listening and praying for people in need.

Church Usher

Ushers assist with directing people to empty seats during church services. The duties of the ushers vary depending on the size of the church. Ushers usually greet people as they enter the sanctuary and help guide them to seats.

Ushers may serve communion during the service or collect the offering baskets. These ushers often wear clothing that identifies them as part of the communion team.

Ushers are also entrusted with ensuring all walkways are clear and escorting out unruly visitors. Ushers are the Swiss army knife of making a church service happen seamlessly.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for caring for babies and toddlers, then the nursery might be a perfect opportunity!

Kids Program Volunteers

Another excellent option for kids programs volunteers is helping with Sunday school classes. Sunday school classes are often broken up into age groups. For example, you could teach a class for preschoolers or older elementary-aged students.

Often, churches will have the parents of the kids in the program volunteer on a rotating basis, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of room for help!

Choir and Worship Team

Volunteering for the choir is a great way to get involved in music ministry. Choirs range in size from small ensembles to huge choirs and sing hymns and songs during the worship portion of the service.

Churches are known for food banks as part of their homeless ministry. Even small food banks are no small job, and churches need lots of help with this particular service. Churches play a significant role in serving the homeless in communities along with homeless shelters. Food banks seem simple, but when you consider that a food bank consists of:

You begin to realize how many jobs there are. For example, the food needs to be inspected and sorted when donated. We’re now dealing with expiration dates, food safety, organizing food for easy retrieval, and serving/distributing the food.

AV Ministry

Youth ministry, set up for events.

Special events like weddings, baptisms, a church social, and other celebrations need extra hands to help with the setup. Sometimes, a staff person plans these types of events, but they always need volunteers to do the setup. This might include setting up chairs, tables, decorations, and anything else required for the event.

Food and Kitchen Service Volunteers

This church has a whole kitchen and a serving staff of very talented volunteers. These were also the people who would cook the food and serve it for the soup kitchen. So, if your passion is food, then your church’s kitchen staff might need a dash of you!

Church Maintenance

One of the most underrated ways to volunteer at your church is to offer to mow the lawns around the buildings. Most churches have large lawns that need to be maintained. So what’s the first thing people see when they drive up to a church? Their lawn and landscaping.

Visit People in the Hospital

Mission trips.

You get to experience new cultures, meet new people, and make some lifelong friends. I’ve often heard from mission trip attendees how they felt that trip impacted them, and often they believe they got more out of it than they gave.

Invite Others to Church

How do i volunteer at a church.

If you belong to a smaller church, you can ask someone from the church leadership how to volunteer your spiritual gifts to help.

What Will You Do Next?

Create a list of things you would like to do as a volunteer. Then, go through your list and re-organize it based on what you would like to do most and your church’s options. Often, you can get more information from your church’s website.

Jennifer Taylor

Want a 30% discount at our printable etsy shop.

I agree to receive email updates and promotions.

Redirecting you to the shop now!

713.300.9665

Values-Based Businesses

Family Offices

• Not ready to get started? Try our free tools to help you build a great team.
• Executive Search
• Staff Consulting
• Background Check
• Bad Hire Calculator
• VanderIndex Tool
• Organizational Health Solutions
• Succession Consulting
• Succession Readiness Tool
• Church Compensation Report & Consulting
• Nonprofit Compensation Report & Consulting
• School Compensation Report & Consulting
• Culture Tool & Consulting
• Diversity Consulting
• Diversity Executive Search
• Diversity Readiness Tool
• Search Committees
• Vanderbloemen Differences
• Strategic Network
• Be The Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Traits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest
• Books We've Written
• Books By Author
• News & Press
• Culture Tool
• Case Studies
• Ready to hire your next team member? Talk to our team.
• Our Culture
• Join Our Team
• William's Bio
• William's Forbes Columns
• Book William To Speak
• The VanderDifference
• Press & News

The Big List of Church Volunteer Opportunities

By: Vanderbloemen

Volunteering is a great way to get plugged into your church, feel like part of a community, and serve Jesus at the same time.

God has uniquely equipped every person in the Church with specific skills and gifts. As Christians, we are tasked with utilizing these gifts   in our community and within our local church. Using your God-given skills as a volunteer is a fantastic way to serve the church while simultaneously lightening the load of a church’s staff.

Volunteering has a spiritual benefit as well. By volunteering, an individual will often want to dive deeper into the life of the church. At the same time, they serve not only as a helping hand but also as a witness of the Gospel message within the community.

However, while many may want to give their time, it can be difficult to align schedules and balance other obligations. So while the desire to volunteer may exist, people often run into roadblocks that prevent them from giving their time.

Many people travel for work, others live far from their church, and some have families who claim their time during the week. And everyone has unique God-given gifts. So it's critical for churches t o be inclusive and provide a variety of opportunities to volunteer .

That's why we've put together a comprehensive list of different volunteer opportunities for your church that will help engage your congregation in creative ways. We've divided them into 5 categories to help you determine what might work best at your church:

1. Holiday or special event opportunities

2. Family-oriented opportunities

3. Short-term commitment

4. Specific positions for key needs

5. Outside the box 

Let's dive in!

1. Holiday Or Special Event Opportunities

One-time events are ideal volunteer opportunities for those whose busy schedules don’t allow them to commit weekly. Christmas and Easter services tend to take more hands to pull together all the details, and numerous volunteers are needed . Normal Sunday volunteer roles are multiplied; more greeters, more children’s ministry volunteers, and more parking attendants.

Here are a few roles you could implement for holidays or special events:

Fellowship volunteer: have this person pick up donuts, snacks, or bake cookies, and prepare coffee for a table at the front of the event. Great opportunities for this are at Christmas services, Easter services, special events, or group meetings.

Carnival volunteer: have someone volunteer to set up or tear down games, run a face painting booth, or host a table of crafts.

Handyman: know a dad or granddad (or lady!) who is great with a hammer? Put them to work building things, helping with set designs for special holiday programs.

Set up and tear down: this person is particularly vital if you are a portable church, but you will always need someone to fold up chairs and direct others where they go or reorganize rows of chairs into the right order. This person could also make sure all the technical parts are put away and secured.

Children’s ministry holiday volunteer: this person could help organize holiday parties, make valentines or Halloween treats, find creative holiday-themed programming for Sunday school or church preschool classes, help make laminated or cutout projects, organize supplies and colored paper, and so much more.

Organizer for Christmas child boxes: Operation Christmas Child is a fantastic way to get little kids excited about being generous during the holidays. This person could set up a way for people to get assigned to a box, turn it in, make sure all the pieces are correctly submitted, and coordinate mailing them off. This person could also do similar volunteering roles with an Angel Tree or caring for a specific family or coordinating with a homeless shelter to bless a family during the holidays. Another great way to do this is to organize a “Christmas in a box” - including presents, dry goods/ingredients for a Christmas dinner, ornaments, lights, and a small faux tree to deliver to someone who otherwise wouldn’t have a Christmas .

Organizer for holiday military care packages: deployed servicemen and women are appreciative of care packages, especially at the holidays. Have someone coordinate and organize supplies, packing, shipping, and all the details to keep track of who and where to send it, and what you can and can’t send. This could be several volunteer roles, too.

Christmas decorating volunteer: include someone who has a great taste for design and decor in decorating and trimming the entire church with Christmas cheer!

Easter egg hunt egg stuffer volunteer: this person is vital to a successful egg hunt . Several volunteers could make a great assembly line of stuffing candy and treats into plastic eggs.

Children’s Christmas program/play director volunteer: designate your theater teacher/play director/actor/actress at your church to pull off the best Christmas Pageant ever.

Other special events that your church puts on will all take many hands to pull off. You might be surprised who will step up to volunteer when they can commit just a few hours.

2. Family-Oriented Volunteer Opportunities

Opportunities that invite the whole family to join in will allow those with young children to serve alongside teens and their parents. Whether it’s inviting whole families to greet on Sunday mornings, or intentionally creating outreach projects for families of all ages, these opportunities will help to include those who might not be able to commit to other volunteer projects.

This might involve entire family-friendly mission trips: everyone can do something, whether that’s building walls, pulling weeds, or serving dinner at the end of the day. Regardless of capability, age, or experience, there’s always a job for everyone.

Family-oriented volunteer opportunities - or really any volunteer opportunity - don't have to be limited to only Sundays and Wednesdays. Try incorporating weekday or weeknight opportunities to serve and you may just find a whole new set of ready and willing volunteers.

Shut-in communion ministry: this is a really cool opportunity to bring a little of the church service to someone who can’t physically make it to church. As a family, you could talk to your communion team at church who will equip you with juice, bread, and maybe even a short liturgy to go.

Volunteer to take cards to a nursing home: Kids can make cards and pictures/drawings to share with folks at a nursing home. Your visit and something to hang on their wall will stay with them a long time after you leave.

Pet therapy volunteer: if you have a qualified pet, get involved in visiting those in your congregation that is in a nursing home or assisted living. Kids and cute pets will always brighten someone’s day and share Jesus' love.

Volunteering at a food bank or clothes closet: kids and parents alike can help sort clothes and pack or assemble food kits.

Have a one-day mission trip in your community and do some yard work: raking leaves, picking up sticks, mowing grass, planting flowers or plants, repainting buildings, etc.

Volunteering during church-wide “mission week”: Lots of churches have a church-wide mission-driven initiative to get everyone involved in short-term mission projects around their community. There are tons of roles under this umbrella:

Volunteer as a family to read a scripture passage and light an Advent candle.

Collect unused make-up, perfume, and other cosmetics, as well as clothes and shoes, for a center for abused women – this small gesture can mean the world to them. They can dress up with clothes and makeup which will help them feel better for the holidays.

Distribute leaf bags during the fall – this will encourage residents to clean leaves from their streets and yards. If it’s snowing where you are, offer to clean an elderly or sick neighbor’s driveway after the snowfall.

Read a book to someone who is not able to – this one is also for older kids. Are there people in the local seniors’ home who are blind or have other disabilities so that they are not able to read? You can bring some joy into their lives, by reading a book to them.

Put together hygiene kits to pass out to the local homeless shelters – you can request donations in your community of mini soaps and shampoos and other things like hand sanitizer and tissue. Get your friends and family involved to make an assembly line to get them done faster.

3. Short-Term Commitment

Many opportunities to serve require a long-term commitment. Serving communion, reading scripture, and having an “extras” list for Children’s classes are all great opportunities to invite new volunteers to join. However, it can often feel intimidating to commit to a team setting with no limit on how long someone might serve. Brainstorm ways to invite volunteers into large and small spaces or activities, places where they can use their gifts to glorify God but in a way that is sustainable for them.

Usher: Especially great for more traditional churches, this person could help people find their seats, especially if they came in late and are nervous about finding a place to sit without disrupting the service. This person could also be in charge of bulletins, devices for hearing assistance, collection plates, and giving a cue to an acolyte to head down the aisle.

Greeter: Post someone at the front door with a smile and a name badge that says “here to help!” It’s the ultimate welcome and good morning to have someone open the door for you and ask you how you are.

Connection table: this person is ready to answer questions about small groups, community groups, service times, where and how to give, how to serve, and more. This volunteer is crucial to helping visitors and members take the next step on their journey toward discipleship.

Kid’s check-in volunteer: Designate someone to run an iPad or tablet to check kids into Sunday school or childcare services to make sure the children's area is safe and secure.

Coffee ministry: this is often the first table people stop at on their way into church. Have someone ready to make coffee, refill coffee, and make sure the coffee is full and hot before every service.

Roaming greeter:  this person plays a key role. They are roaming around the sanctuary intentionally looking for newcomers, first-time visitors, or people sitting by themselves. If it’s your first day at a new church, there’s nothing more intimidating than sitting by yourself as people mill around and chat before the service starts. A friendly face is a new friend and an immediate point of connection and inclusion, especially if you have discipleship or new member structures to introduce people to community groups or membership at the church.

Parking volunteer: Park (pun intended) someone in the parking lot to direct cars to parking in the most efficient manner, and designate another member to have an umbrella on the sidewalk to accompany people if the weather is bad. Another idea is to create a “parking ministry” to facilitate the opportunity for members to either pick up, drop off or carpool with other church members. They can even drive a golf cart from the parking lot to the front door in bad weather or if someone needs assistance walking.

Security volunteer: this person has a simple but important job. If you have a lot of entrances and lots of kids running around, this person stands guard at the door (or doors) and makes sure no kids escape, and that anyone coming in is supposed to be there. This is especially relevant if you live in a big city or in a neighborhood where you might have lots of people who aren’t regular members. They also act as the first person to call if there is an emergency.

Communion volunteer:   Perhaps you could wait until Sunday morning to ask someone to help serve communion. They may not be able to commit to a particular schedule, but if they are already there, they will most likely be willing. This person could also make sure the bread is broken into pieces and juice is restocked for each service, and the cups and trays are collected and cleaned.

Breakfast team: You may ask this person the night before Sunday to pick up or organize breakfast for the worship band or any volunteers or staff that have to get there early on Sundays and stay for most of the day. If your church has the budget for it, you could even arm this person with a gift card and tell them to pick up breakfast tacos or donuts specifically for the early morning teams.

4. Create specific volunteer positions for key needs

There are likely some volunteer opportunities that you don’t have yet because you may not have needed or thought of them yet. Thinking through ways to find volunteer positions for unique positions can help you expand your volunteer base and give people with unique skill sets a chance to jump in.

Disaster Response Coordinator: This person would oversee all volunteer efforts that pertain to the crisis, like home repairs and temporary shelters, as well as oversee supply and donation coordination. If a tragedy strikes your community, the Body of Christ should be on the front lines of offering hope and healing to those impacted. In a time of crisis, the church needs to be proactive, not reactive. Good fits would be former or current first responders, military professionals, event planners, or public safety officials.

Stewardship Director: This could easily transition into a full-time role if needed. Stewardship of your church’s resources is vital, and so is the stewardship of its personal finances. The Stewardship Director would be a trusted advisor to the church and the congregants, with experience and expertise to lead the “business side” of the church with major financial decisions and debt management. Good fits would be financial planners, investment professionals, banking executives, and retirement planning experts.  

Community Liaison: This role would be the eyes and ears of the church in the community. We often hear stories of churches that are full of people ready and willing to serve their community, but simply lack the knowledge of where to start. This person would network with public officials to stay in touch with current needs in the community or connect with local clubs, scouting organizations, and nonprofits to create partnerships in supporting the community.  When a need arises, this person should coordinate and provide volunteers with opportunities to serve the community. He/she should also find and organize resources that are needed within the community. Who would be a good fit? Retirees, local entrepreneurs, retired city officials, and community organizers.

5. Think outside the box

Don’t be afraid to get creative with these types of opportunities. These opportunities may require some out-of-the-box thinking, but they’re likely to end up as special volunteer roles that emphasize the unique strengths of your congregation.

Know someone who is a great baker? Have them bake the communion bread. This is a low-key way to get someone involved creatively using their unique gifts, and it is also a low-key commitment that may get them thinking of more ways they’d like to be involved.

Is your church located in an ESL community? Find someone who is gifted in linguistics and have them teach an English bible study or class to help reach non-native English speakers in the church.

Are there other kinds of artists in your church body? Technical/AV-gifted members in your congregation could help with lights and videos during worship.

Photographers, painters, sculptors, and other visual artists could display their work in the halls of the church

Photographers could also lend their creative eye to taking pictures for baptisms or events. Think beyond the worship band and see how you can utilize other creative skills that are represented in your church community.

You may find a need for a new fitness class taught by a qualified fitness instructor to create fellowship and friendship through working out.

Pastoral care roles with counseling, phone calls, home visits and more are another great way to get those who love to sit and visit or pray with people involved. It is also a great way to take a burden off the pastoral clergy staff at the same time.

Start a Military Ministry and have a volunteer organize events, especially focused small groups or support groups, and parent’s night outs for single parents of military spouses. A great fit for this would be a retired military couple or even a younger couple who has already experienced these unique seasons of life.

Similar to the Military Ministry, you could also start a single-parent ministry and have volunteers organize a babysitting directory, fun kid-friendly events, support groups, and more.

Church office volunteers: sometimes the most cheerful part of a visit to a church during the middle of the week is the smiling volunteer answering the phones and helping coordinate all the day-to-day office activities of the church office.

Bulletin folding volunteer: if you don’t already get your bulletins folded, this is a great job for a team of volunteers. They could stock the sanctuary with Sunday bulletins and make sure all the pew cards are restocked.

Marriage mentoring: this is a great volunteer opportunity for a married couple, maybe a retired couple, to share some wisdom with newly married or engaged couples. This will create friendships and mentorships to last a lifetime. They could also organize a list of books and resources your church recommends for marriage and relationship enrichment and growth.

Meal ministry: have someone coordinate an ongoing calendar of people in the hospital, having surgery or babies, and delegate to others to make meals, deliver food, and make sure they are cared for well while they’re focused on other things.

Church van and bus ministry: You could have these volunteers take the buses and vans for regular maintenance, make sure they have gas, etc. This could also include golf carts if applicable.

ASL interpreter for services: if you have someone in your church who speaks sign language, this is a great way to bless those in your congregation who are deaf or handicapped.

Mercy Ministry Team: This person could walk alongside individuals from the community who approach the church for benevolence.

Special Needs Buddy: This person could provide one-on-one or small group assistance, support, and friendship to a child with a special need in an inclusive class setting.

Utilizing volunteers in a variety of roles is vital not only for a church and its growth, but also an important way to connect with your congregation. By having a wide range of opportunities, your church will have a better chance of connecting with people who cannot make a consistent commitment or may be struggling to find the best way to utilize their gifts.

You might also like:

Subscribe to our newsletter.

3737 Buffalo Speedway

Houston, TX 77098

Compensation

Customer Stories

Subscribe to VanderNews:

© 2024 Vanderbloemen. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.

Schedule your call to see how the proven SecureGive system can increase giving in your church.

Why Volunteering Matters in Your Church

Todd McMichen

I spent over 15 years in pastoral ministry, and even more counseling ministries. One question always seemed to follow me through the hallways and lobbies of churches – “How do I produce spiritual fruit?”

This wasn’t about personal spiritual discipline but making a real-life impact. In other words, it’s a question about making an outward difference. Something that impacts others. It often felt like people thought pastoring made bearing fruit easy while being just a church member without any stage gifts made it harder. You could hear both the longing and the undeserved guilt in their voices.

Now, what if this concern is echoing throughout your Sunday morning services? What if your congregation is full of people who want to make a meaningful difference but just can’t figure out how? And even more concerning, what if they’re not connecting the volunteer opportunities your church provides with their desire to contribute to the kingdom?

Could this disconnect be a driving factor to the drop in church attendance across the U.S. because people feel they can’t make the difference they yearn for?

I think it is important to ask such questions and pursue rich answers as church leaders. Let’s explore why encouraging a culture of volunteering is vital to strengthening your church community.

1 . Volunteering is an onramp to engagement. Key indicators of church generosity are the number of giving units and the frequency of giving. Your most faithful givers didn’t start that way. Everyone begins in the same place, with their very first gift. The first gift only arrives when there is clarity, trust, and desire to participate in the church’s mission.

In the past, most church volunteer positions were held for loyal members. Today, volunteering is a vital way for people to get involved. The desire to serve on a project or in a ministry can often arrive before the felt need to join the church or a small group. It’s essential to have regular volunteer engagement opportunities for everyone, regardless of membership status, where the impact of their service is clear and meaningful.

2. Volunteering is an opportunity to deepen engagement. Not only is volunteering a gateway to engagement, it’s a pathway to deeper engagement.If you have a known system for volunteer leadership growth it will keep your best leaders engaged for the long haul. It will also inspire new volunteers to grow so they can develop into future roles.

Church members volunteer all over the place – at the local school, ball team, or community nonprofit. They fulfill meaningful jobs and task-heavy roles. No one forces people to begrudgingly volunteer. We do it because we are wired by God to do it. It is a part of being made in His image.

As we grow we will naturally look to make bigger and bigger investments with our lives. It’s a part of maturing and aging. I have heard many pastors lament the level of volunteerism of members outside the local church while struggling to staff Sunday ministries. But we should never discourage people from volunteering in the community or around the world. Be sure to not lead volunteerism as a task to complete but as a path of meaningful growth for the volunteer.

No one forces people to begrudgingly volunteer. We do it because we are wired by God to do it. It is a part of being made in His image.

3. Volunteering is personally rewarding. We’ve all been in those staff meetings where the lack of volunteers is a major concern. Often, recruitment feels like finding a willing person and hoping they show up. Creating a robust recruitment, training, and retention program while managing all the other church activities is tough. This can lead to a volunteer culture that lacks personal reward.

Helping others feels good. Yes, it requires a sacrifice of time, energy, and resources. But when people volunteer, the driving desire is to do something good for someone else.  They also hope that their church provides a place where their good deeds can have eternal significance.

So, be mindful of how and when you organize activities and programs. Engage your volunteers in ways that feed their souls and remind them that they are called by God to be difference-makers. Speak this truth into their lives for their benefit.

4. Volunteering is communicating vision. Everyone is always focused on the next thing in life, whether at church or home. Rarely do we pause to appreciate the work God has done through us.

For example, Easter required a lot of volunteers. It also sowed a lot of seeds. This collective effort was only accomplished through the joint service of many. Individually, I can do something , but together we can do so much more .

As a leader, it is extremely important to occasionally zoom out, providing perspective of what God has accomplished for all eternity through the joint effort of many volunteers over countless hours. Mark your calendar for a big celebration at least once a year. Throw a party for your volunteers. Then, be sure to season your ongoing communication with encouragement and appreciation on a regular basis.

Individually, I can do something , but together we can do so much more .

5. Volunteer training is discipleship. The recruitment process sets the stage. Now it is time for training. In every volunteer training event or meeting be sure to do a few things:

• Remind them of your church’s vision to extend the ministry of Jesus on earth.
• Read a scripture passage that inspires them with a volunteering hero or principle they can apply.
• Share a story of how their volunteering is a part of kingdom activity.
• Pray for God’s ministry to occur through them into the lives of those they serve.

It is never safe to assume our people intuitively understand these things. They have busy lives outside of church activities and can blow in on two wheels just like you. Lead meetings with a pause. Create an eternal perspective because it may not be a default in everyone’s mind. Our soul longs to experience something when we volunteer. Ensure your people see the unbelievable good they are doing.

A solid volunteer experience can change lives, not just of the recipient of the effort, but of the one delivering the service as well. Generosity begets generosity, so create serving experiences that are meaningful to your volunteers. They will become even more meaningful to the future of your church.

Want to discuss some of these topics with generosity expert, Todd McMichen? Request a meeting and gain invaluable insights and personalized guidance to inspire generosity within your congregation.

Related Resources

5 ways to engage millennials and gen z in church giving, how your church can adapt to future giving trends, 5 ways to promote your church app, 7 digital steps to boost church engagement, how to have the best easter yet, 6 reminders to communicate at the end of the year, request a meeting with todd.

Complete the form and Todd will be in touch to schedule a time to meet.

Building a Budget that Drives Mission

September 10th at 2pm ET

How do you create a church budget that balances short-term needs and long-term goals? Join the free webinar to learn how build a budget that drives your mission.

Ready to see SecureGive?

Complete the form and our team will schedule a time to show you SecureGive’s trusted giving and engagement solution.

The volunteerism as a social phenomenon during a pandemic: the experience of the Russian Orthodox Church

• December 2022
• Problems of Social Hygiene Public Health and History of Medicine 30(6):1177-1183
• 30(6):1177-1183
• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

• Belgorod State University
• This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.

Discover the world's research

• 25+ million members
• 160+ million publication pages
• 2.3+ billion citations

• Kate Grantham
• SOTSIOL ISSLED+
• L. Kudrinskaya
• O V Reshetnikov
• Y S Belanovsky
• N V Loginova
• O N Reshetnikova
• N I Gorlova
• Recruit researchers
• Join for free
• Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

• Talk with Our Team
• Church Login
• Sign Up Free
• Church Login

Run your church from one place with the tools you need.

Tithely All Access includes Giving, People, Messaging, Church Management, Church Apps, Events, Sites, and more bundled into a value packed plan at an unbeatable price!

How to Write a Letter Asking for Church Volunteers

Need more church volunteers? Here's how to write a letter asking more of your church to participate.

Church volunteers help drive the growth of the church.

Without these vital volunteers, churches often struggle to execute their ministries and services. After all, the work of volunteers comes from the heart of people who would love to honor God through serving the church.

One observation often seen among volunteers at church is that it’s natural for them to offer their time, talents, and resources. In fact, you won’t need to nudge them to volunteer.

However, there are certain circumstances when, in Jesus’ words, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Often, there are a lot of activities that the church needs to accomplish but finds it difficult to do so because of a shortage of help.

So as church leaders, you make announcements at your Sunday service or through your website that the church needs more volunteers for the different ministries. 

You even go as far as discussing the importance of church volunteerism in your sermons. 

Despite all these efforts, you may find that the volunteer turnout did not meet expectations. 

So, what’s the next step you can take to actually get more volunteers involved in the church? 

It may be time for you to connect with your church members at a formal but personal level.

We have designed this article to illustrate a sample letter asking for church volunteers, which you can use as a resource to inspire others to volunteer.

To make this task easier, we’ve outlined this straightforward letter-writing framework you can easily apply.

1. Identify the details of the recipient

It’s best to know who you are addressing with this letter. That includes pertinent information like the recipient’s complete name, address, and contact number.

In formal letter writing, these details are what you often see on top of a letter, and they are typically structured in this manner:

January 1, 2022

JOHN B. DOE

Number 4, Privet Drive

Seaport Village, San Diego

Dear Mr. Doe:

Doing this gives the impression that you, the writer, offer personal affection to the reader and that you genuinely know the person you are asking for help. Lastly, ensure that all details are accurate and updated.

Simply put, do your research before you send your letter.

This is where good church management software (ChMS) can really help you in collecting and organizing church members’ personal info.

Check out how Tithe.ly’s ChMS makes managing church data more efficient for church leaders like you. 

2. State your purpose for writing this letter

The first few lines of your letter must directly articulate why you are communicating to this person. 

It must function as a headline that captures the recipient’s attention to continue reading for more details in the next lines. Instead of beginning the letter’s body with irrelevant information, as many people are guilty of, you can establish this letter’s urgency by stating your purpose right at the start.

“I am writing on behalf of our church to humbly ask your help to be one of our church volunteers needed for the preaching ministry.”

This is particularly critical to remember in writing your letter. Most people lose track of the essential message of the letter because of all the details.

To make the request even more compelling, add a personalized note that states the qualification of the recipient based on recorded observations.

You can include appealing statements like:

• The church has seen you grow.
• I have noticed your exceptional skills and talents.
• Your previous efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Add some details, and you’re sure to make the recipient feel good and continue reading. But make sure that you are genuine with your statements, too.

If you’re still having trouble looking for church volunteers, this article, How to Get People to Volunteer at Church , can inspire you to get started.

3. Include details about the volunteer work

Having stated the letter’s purpose, you can now proceed to write the supporting details about the volunteer work. 

Here’s a framework to make your supporting details more concise:

• Present a quick overview of the program of interest.
• State the work in which the recipient can specifically help.
• Show tangible information like date, time, and venue.

Check out our article, How to Build (and Manage) a Community of Volunteers , to discover the exact details you need to help your church volunteers grow.

4. How can they contact you?

Letters requesting church volunteers need confirmation. It’s not just the same announcement you declared at church or on your website.

You have to find a way to make them reply to you.

The easiest way to do this is to let the recipient know the best way they can reach you. Most importantly, offer a personal touch by inviting the reader to a face-to-face meeting at church. This will undoubtedly make the convincing process more compelling.

5. Link back to your letter’s purpose

It’s a good practice to thank the recipient for taking the time to read the letter and consider your request.

But an even better letter-writing practice is to create a call-to-action that links back to why you have written to the member.

This technique could be as simple as writing a linking statement like this:

“I hope you accept this God-given opportunity to share your talent, time, and treasure as a mentor to serve the Lord through the church.”

This serves as a subtle reminder highlighting the main idea of the letter, which is to show that church volunteers are needed for the church’s welfare and that volunteering for the church can be a blessing. 

Sample Letter Requesting for Church Volunteers

Now, let’s piece the elements of this framework together and look at a sample letter requesting church volunteers:

I am writing on behalf of our church to humbly ask for your help as one of our church volunteers needed for the preaching ministry. The church would be delighted to have you join as a Brother-Facilitator in training more preachers.  

Your active participation in the church, especially when I have listened to your discussions and speaking opportunities at church, is highly admirable and positively influential. Undoubtedly, the church sees great potential in you to train more preachers.

In line with that, our church has scheduled the “Young Leaders’ Preaching Workshop” to be conducted every Saturday from January to May 2022. The training is designed to mentor more potential preachers in our church so that our preaching ministry can extend our mission to even more people and places. Each training day consists of several activities like seminars on public speaking, intensive Bible reading, and speech critiquing. The session is scheduled from 6:00PM to 7:30PM. Finally, the culminating activity is a Preacher’s Conference which aims to showcase their transformation and exhort them for the mission.

Please confirm if you are willing to volunteer now or need clarification about this activity. You can reach me through my e-mail, [email protected] , or my mobile phone # at 123-456-7890. You may even drop by my office at church so that we can talk, too.

I hope you accept this God-given opportunity to share your talent, time, and treasure to serve the Lord through the church.

Thank you very much!

Executive Pastor

Rising Grace Church, San Diego 

Time to Write

Writing a letter requesting church volunteers is one way to inspire more church members to help in the church’s ministries and services. The key to writing this letter is to be formal yet personal and concise.

The framework and the example above can guide your train of thought in articulating your request. You can always add more details as needed.

For more updated and relevant resources to help your church grow, feel free to check out Tithe.ly .

Want free stuff? Sign Up for Our Newsletter!

Get weekly updates on church tech, happenings at Tithe.ly, free resources for your church and more. Delivered every Thursday.

Sign Up for Product Updates

Travis Albritton has been serving Christians online for more than 5 years, and has been starting and leading ministries in the southeast United States for more than a decade. His popular podcast, The Practical Christian , has been downloaded more than 300,000 times in 160 countries around the world. He's an Amazon best-selling author, passionate husband and father, and driven disciple on a mission to launch Christians into online ministry.

podcast transcript

Video transcript, special offer.

Oct 21-23 | Dallas

Don't miss the Tithely user and ministry conference this October! You'll get hand-on Tithely software training and learn from more than 50 ministry workshops.

Search the Blog

You might also like, more resources.

From increasing giving, managing your congregation, and engaging your church, our collection of resources will keep you up-to-date on the latest church and ministry trends.

Strategies for Church Conflict Resolution: A Guide for Leaders

Conflict is inevitable, and it's important for church leaders to have strategies in place for conflict resolution.

Trusting Your Team During Vacations

Taking time to unplug during vacations is vital for the success of yourself and your team. When you unplug, it refills your tank. It also gives your team a chance to dip into their reserves and showcase abilities you are unaware of.

Is It Burnout, or Something Else?

If you feel like you are on the brink of burnout, you should seek clinical help. If, however, you are a modern church leader, I’d challenge you to ask yourself if your issue is something different.

What If ...? Reimagining the Church in the Digital Age

What if the church was out in front. It was the central hub of the community. It was the place where everyone looked for creativity, leadership, guidance, and morality.

Expanding Church Participation: A Proactive Approach to Growth

In this blog post we discuss how a modern church leader can proactively expand church participation.

Church Rescue

The TV show Bar Rescue highlights businesses with unengaged employers and unrestrained employees. If there were a spinoff show called Church Rescue, it would have the opposite problem with overly engaged bosses and restrained staff.‍

Welcome to Church: How to Maximize Your Church Welcome Message

A lot goes into the overall impression first-time visitors have, so let’s dive into the overall experience, the actual welcome greeting, and some other church welcome ideas.

4th of July Message Ideas to Celebrate Independence

We’ve done the research and provided some history and a few ideas to get you started on an Independence Day sermon. Feel free to craft your message using any or all of the content in this blog post.

13 Essential Interview Questions for Pastors

The following pastor interview questions and answers will offer you deeper insights into your candidate's leadership style, theological beliefs, personal life, and relationship with God.

Related Blog Posts

Financial Transparency in Ministry: Best Practices for Churches of All Sizes

Financial transparency in ministry is a critical aspect that underpins trust, accountability, and effective stewardship within the church community.

9 Creative Ways to Invite Someone to Church

A simple invitation to church is a massive opportunity that many are overlooking.

The Eternal, Unshakable, and Victorious Kingdom of God – NOW!

How has understanding the gospel of the kingdom changed your perspective on life and faith?

• Church Giving
• Online Giving
• Mobile Giving
• Text Giving
• Pledge Campaigns
• Giving Insights Dashboard
• Custom Church App
• Event Registration
• Church Management (ChMS)
• Background Checks
• Church Website Builder
• Text Messaging and Email
• Tithely Pay Point of Sale
• Sermonly Sermon Writer
• Tithely Print
• Accept Bitcoin and Crypto
• Product Updates
• Integrations
• HELP AND SUPPORT
• Help Center
• Get Support
• Getting Started with Tithely
• Tithely University
• API Documentation
• Platform Status
• Download Tithely Giving App
• Join the Referral Program
• Customer Success Stories
• Tithely Reviews
• Compare Tithely
• Tithely for Church Plants
• Our Partners
• Recommendations
• Free Resources
• Giving Research and Data
• Tithely Launch Kit
• Guide to Mobile Giving
• Subscribe to Our Newsletter
• Modern Church Leader
• Church Tech Podcast
• Tithely Backstage
• About Tithely
• Media and Brand Kit
• Shop Tithely Merch
• Tithe.ly Next
• Top Blog Articles
• Read the Tithely Blog
• Scriptures About Giving
• Tithing in the New Testament
• Bible Verses About Money
• 20 Tithe & Offering Messages
• Why Do We Give Tithes & Offerings
• The Best Church Text Messaging Services
• Top 10 Best Giving Platforms

What size is your church?

A strong volunteer program enhances the patient experience, improves satisfaction for both staff and patients, and strengthens the community. What volunteers receive is just as important – a fun, caring environment that recognizes their time and talents while enabling them to give back to others.

As a volunteer, you are considered a member of the Gritman family, which means you are responsible to the medical center and our patients. You are required to observe the same code of ethics as our professional staff, adhere to our policies and procedures and protect patient confidentiality. Every day, volunteer contributions of time and energy make it possible for Gritman Medical Center to fulfill its mission to provide exceptional health care.

Volunteer Stories

Job Shadows and Internships

Gritman is proud to offer job shadows and internships to exceptional students, supporting the future leaders of our community.

ATTENTION: The Medical Staff Office addresses medical student and medical residents’ clinical rotations on a case-by-case basis.  Physician/provider observation and shadowing opportunities are additionally on a case-by-case basis.

Medical Students

Gritman auxiliary.

The Gritman Auxiliary supports the hospital in a variety of ways. If you are looking to join a close-knit group that is passionate about lending a helping hand, look no further than the Gritman Auxiliary. Share your skills, make new friends and get involved with your community by becoming a Gritman Auxilian.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life; some have a history in health care, others simply have a desire to give back. Gritman Auxilians can be seen throughout the hospital volunteering in many areas. Volunteer opportunities include Bertie’s Gift Shop and sewing, knitting, and crocheting gifts for patients.

The Auxiliary also raises funds to reinvest in the hospital through grants and scholarships. To date, the Gritman Auxiliary has raised more than $700,000 in support of key initiatives.

All active Auxilians must volunteer a minimum of 25 hours per year and membership dues are $5 per year. Patron Auxilians do not have a requirement for volunteer hours, and the membership contribution is a minimum of $10 annually.

Become a Member

Junior Volunteer Program

Be a leader in your community, make new friends and experience the health care field firsthand through Gritman Medical Center’s Junior Volunteer (JV) Program.

The JV program allows teens to experience working in a hospital setting while learning new skills and building character. Junior Volunteers come from many different schools and walks of life, making the JV program a great way to meet new people and give back to your community.

Volunteers 16-18 years old have a variety of options available, from assisting at community events to helping with department needs. Junior Volunteers also participate in fundraising, community back-to-school and food drives, and provide an extra hand at community outreach classes. Our Junior Volunteers provide the extra touches throughout the hospital that make a substantial difference to our staff and patients’ lives.

Volunteer Chaplains

Dedicated to providing emotional and spiritual support to Gritman patients and their loved ones. The team includes on-call community leaders who conduct “rounds” in the hospital on a rotating weekly schedule. Chaplins can be called upon 24/7.

Caring for the whole patient—through medicine, wholesome and nutritious food, and nurturing the soul—is an example of how Gritman is embodying its mission of service to patients and their loved ones.

Meet our Chaplains

Chaplain Essay

In this short essay, Gritman Lay Chaplain Rodney Frey offers his experiences while serving a dying patient and his family, and reflects on what he shares with the other Gritman chaplains, as well as what he uniquely brings to the care of those in need.

Read “ They Came for Their Dying Father: One Chaplain’s Experience .”

Community Volunteers

If you are looking for a way to get involved, becoming a community volunteer at Gritman is the perfect opportunity. Members of Latah County and our surrounding communities who have an interest in or experience in medicine and wish to volunteer five hours or more per month in various departments. There is a minimum one-year commitment.

Volunteer at NorthRoad Church

Serve with purpose.

• DOI: 10.5860/choice.41-6231
• Corpus ID: 142458943

The Values of Volunteering. Cross-Cultural Perspectives

• Hajnalka Fényes
• Published 1 July 2012
• Journal of Social Research & Policy

79 Citations

Challenging the eurocentrism in volunteering, motives of volunteering and values of work among higher education students, volunteering and country-level religiosity: evidence from the european union, an analysis into the volunteering motivations of individuals in denmark, generation z and student volunteering: a national culture perspective, volunteering and democratization in southern africa: a structural and cultural analysis, personal determinants of volunteering for former international volunteers: a case of japan overseas cooperation volunteers, the investment model of volunteering in the eu-27 countries: volunteering, skills development and employability. a multi-level analysis, volunteering and civic action: boundaries blurring, boundaries redrawn, navigating theories of volunteering: a hybrid map for a complex phenomenon, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Trending Topics

• Hersh Goldberg-Polin

Get JTA in your inbox

By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org

At the Jerusalem synagogue where Hersh Goldberg-Polin danced in life, grief and anger reign after his death

JERUSALEM — Three hundred and thirty-two days after Hersh Goldberg-Polin danced in the courtyard next to his Jerusalem synagogue on the holiday of Simchat Torah, more than a thousand people gathered there in grief and prayer to mourn his murder by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

During the Sunday night vigil, the courtyard railings were lined with oversized yellow ribbons to symbolize advocacy for the hostages, Hapoel Jerusalem soccer flags — the 23-year-old’s favorite team — and posters that read, “We love you, stay strong, survive,” a mantra coined by his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin.

Just hours earlier, one of the posters had been hanging over the balcony of the home of Shira Ben-Sasson, a leader of Hakhel, the Goldberg-Polins’ egalitarian congregation in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem.

“We were sure we would take it down when he came home,” Ben-Sasson said.

The community wanted to unite while respecting the Goldberg-Polins’ desire for privacy, she said, prompting them to organize the prayer gathering.

“But it’s like a Band-Aid or giving first aid, it’s what you do in an emergency. I don’t know how we go on after this,” she said.

A covered courtyard at the Hakhel congregation was filled with mourners the day after Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose family are prominent members, was found to have been killed in Gaza. Hundreds of other people crowded outside the gates, Sept. 1, 2024. (Deborah Danan)

She added that the community, which has a large contingent of English-speaking immigrants, was not prepared for the High Holidays, which begin in about a month. She said, “Seeing his empty seat is hard.”

For Ben-Sasson, who wore a T-shirt bearing the Talmudic dictum “There is no greater mitzvah than the redeeming of captives,” the tragedy is especially painful because, she said, it could have been avoided with a ceasefire agreement that freed hostages.

“Hersh was alive 48 hours ago. We think a deal could have saved him. There is no military solution to this,” she said.

That feeling of bereavement, often mixed with betrayal, pervaded gatherings across Israel on Sunday, as the country struggled with the news that six hostages who may have been freed in an agreement were now dead as negotiations continue to stall. Speakers at protests in Tel Aviv blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who himself apologized for not getting the hostages out alive but blamed Hamas for obstructing a deal. The country’s labor union, the Histadrut, has called a national strike on Monday to demand a deal.

A rare early September rain lashed parts of Israel on Sunday, leading to a widespread interpretation: God, too, was weeping.

Some at the Jerusalem gathering, including the relative of another former hostage, said Netanyahu had chosen defeating Hamas over freeing the captives.

Josef Avi Yair Engel’s grandson Ofir was released from Hamas captivity in November. He paid tribute to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, murdered in captivity, in Jerusalem, Sept. 1, 2024. (Deborah Danan)

Josef Avi Yair Engel, whose grandson Ofir, 18, was released from Hamas captivity in November during that month’s ceasefire deal, expressed shock over Hersh’s murder but said he was not surprised, given the wartime policies of Netanyahu’s government.

“We knew months ago this was going to happen. Bibi’s formula, to dismantle Hamas and return the hostages, wasn’t logical. It’s an either/or situation,” Engel said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “He’s tearing the country apart. I’m afraid that in the coming months there won’t be a state at all.”

Engel said he felt a close bond with Hersh’s father Jon Polin, not only because of their joint activism in the hostage families’ tent outside the Prime Minister’s Residence, but also because of their shared identity as Jerusalemites.

“There aren’t many of us in the hostage circle,” he said. “We’re like family.”

Sarah Mann, who did not know the family personally, said the weekend’s tragedy reminded her of Oct. 7.

“This day has sparks of the seventh, which created numbness and an inability to talk. Just complete shock,” she said.

Mourners left notes at a gathering at Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s family synagogue in Jerusalem. Many of the messages used the Hebrew word for “sorry.” (Deborah Danan)

Part of the reason for that, Mann said, was Rachel, who she described as a “force of faith.” Goldberg-Polin’s mother emerged as the most prominent advocate for the hostages globally and became a symbol in her own right as she crisscrossed the world calling for her son’s freedom.

“Millions of people around the world held onto her. Once that was cut, people’s ability to hold onto faith was knocked out today. But even though this has shattered us, we need to keep holding onto God,” Mann said.

For Susi Döring Preston, the day called to mind was not Oct. 7 but Yom Kippur, and its communal solemnity.

She said she usually steers clear of similar war-related events because they are too overwhelming for her.

“Before I avoided stuff like this because I guess I still had hope. But now is the time to just give in to needing to be around people because you can’t hold your own self up any more,” she said, tears rolling down her face. “You need to feel the humanity and hang onto that.”

Like so many others, Döring Preston paid tribute to the Goldberg-Polins’ tireless activism. “They needed everyone else’s strength but we drew so much strength from them and their efforts, “she said. “You felt it could change the outcome. But war is more evil than good. I think that’s the crushing thing. You can do everything right, but the outcome is still devastating.”

Guy Gordon, with his daughter Maya, added a broken heart to the piece of tape he has worn daily to mark the number of days since the hostage crisis began, Sept. 1, 2024. (Deborah Danan)

Guy Gordon, a member of Hakhel who moved to Israel from Dublin, Ireland, in the mid-1990s, said the efforts towards ensuring Hersh’s safe return have been an anchor for the community during the war. The community knew him as the family described him in its announcement of his funeral on Tuesday, as “a child of light, love and peace” who enjoyed exploring the world and coming home to his family, including his parents and younger sisters, Leebie and Orly.

“It gave us something to hope for, and pray for and to demonstrate for,” he said. “We had no choice but to be unreasonably optimistic. Tragically it transpired that he survived until the very end.”

Gordon, like many others in the crowd, wore a piece of duct tape marked with the number of days since Oct. 7 — a gesture initiated by Goldberg-Polin’s mother. Unlike on previous days, though, his tape also featured a broken red heart beside the number.

Nadia Levene, a family friend, also reflected on the improbability of Hersh’s survival.

“He did exactly what his parents begged him to do. He was strong. He did survive. And look what happened,” Levene said.

She hailed Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s “unwavering strength and belief in God,” adding, “There were times I lost faith. I suppose I was angry with God. But she just kept inspiring us all to pray, pray, pray.”

Leah Silver of Jerusalem examined stickers showing Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s mantra for her son Hersh, who was murdered in captivity in Gaza, at a gathering after Hersh’s death, Sept. 1, 2024. (Deborah Danan)

Jerusalem resident Leah Silver rejected politicizing the hostages’ deaths.

“Everything turns political so quickly. I came here because I felt that before all the protests, we need to just mourn for a moment and to pray. And show respect for each other,” she said. “We’ve become confused about who the enemy is. It’s very sad.”

But not everyone at the gathering joined in to sing Israel’s national anthem at the closing of the prayer gathering.

“I’m sorry, I can’t sing ‘Hatikvah,'” Reza Green, a Baka resident who did not know the Goldberg-Polins personally, said. “I’m too angry. We shouldn’t be here.”

Share this:

Recommended from jta.

Hapoel Jerusalem unveils new soccer jersey honoring the memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin

An A-list Hollywood agent’s menacing pro-Israel message lands him in hot water

New archaeological research shows siege on Masada lasted just weeks, not years

Israeli Guy Sasson wins Paralympic bronze in wheelchair tennis, Israel’s ninth Paris medal

Israeli Paralympic women’s goalball team wins silver medal, its first in the sport

Portland, Maine, City Council unanimously votes to divest from companies that do business with Israel