Are you thriving as a committed church volunteer? Churches are volunteer driven communities. Besides a small cadre of staff, churches are appropriately comprised of individuals who choose to come together to form a congregation.
There are those who are on the edge of congregational life, there are guests, and so on, but at the heart of every congregation is a core group of volunteers. These dedicated workers make the majority of a congregation’s ministries possible. (Thank God for them!) 🙏
These faithful folks serve on the board, teach Sunday school, lead the youth group, deliver meals to shut-ins, repair leaks, raise funds, sing in the choir, run power point slides, prepare the meals for funerals, and welcome the homeless.
Wait! There’s more, they also: manage the church’s finances, paint rooms, shovel snow, organize on behalf of justice causes, answer phones, teach classes, and much more.
These varied ways of service in our era reflect the teaching of the Apostle Paul from a past era:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. ”
– 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
4 Ways to Thrive When You’re a Committed Church Volunteer
1. Make Faith Your Foundation 🔑
Don’t get so caught up in the work of serving the Church that you neglect your faith. Tend to your worship life, your prayer life, and your own growth as a Christian. This also includes fellowship with other Christians, as well as periods of rest and renewal.
These practices should not regularly be set aside in favor of getting something done for the church (e.g. committee report, Sunday school lesson, etc.). The basics of the life of faith must come first.
Otherwise you are undermining your own faith and acting contrary to the very purposes of the church which you are serving. If you neglect your faith, you may eventually wonder why you are serving at all.
😲Reality Check for Clergy and Staff: Are we setting good, not perfect, examples in this area? After our own faith, is our first focus the faith of our volunteers? Yes, serving helps all of us to practice our faith, but to sustain our service over the long hall requires regular spiritual nutrition: worship, prayer, fellowship, study, and rest.
2. Make Healthy Communication a Priority 🔑
In congregations, communication sometimes go awry (I know this shocks most of you…). The announcement does not get in the bulletin. At the last minute there is a change in the part of the service you are to lead.
Another parishioner is angry about something in the church and wants you as a fellow volunteer to explain and resolve the situation. All families experience conflicts and miscommunications, including spiritual ones. These normal human happenings are opportunities for you to practice your faith, to love and to forgive.
Avoid gossip, triangulations, and complaining about others. If you have a concern, especially a serious one, bring it to the individual in question (Matthew 18:15-17). If someone is gossiping, redirect the conversation or refer them to the right person.
(Or you can refer them to my great-Uncle Seamus. He’s blind as a bat and deaf as a doorknob. Disclaimer: The Bible does not approve of this practice. Nor is what most of my great-Uncle says Scripturally approved either.)
😲Reality Check for Clergy and Staff: Again, are we setting the example here? Do we communicate regularly with the congregation as a whole as well as with individuals? Do we model healthy conflict resolution? This includes owning up to when we are wrong and apologizing when we’ve offended someone.
3. Minor in Duty, Major in Joy 🔑
Duty is sometimes required of us by our church family. These duties may not reflect your skills, gifting, or sense of calling, but they need to be done and so for the good of the congregation, you do them.
For example, taking out the trash after a funeral or serving for a season in a ministry that is not your cup of tea. These are opportunities to practice your faith and to grow in the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
However, strive to give the larger share of your energy to ministries and activities that bring you joy. Serving at your church should ordinarily be something you look forward to. Serving as a committed church volunteer should ordinarily give you a sense of satisfaction. It shouldn’t be something you dread.
😲Reality Check for Clergy and Staff: When recruiting individuals do we rush to fill slots or are we making sure the person is a good fit? Do they have the time, energy, and interest to serve? Do we provide them with support? Are we, not perfect, but good examples of joy? Or do we appear to be all about duty?
(Ok I confess. I don’t actually have a great-Uncle. Sorry. You’ll actually have to refer to the person in question when dealing with conflicts or questions. )
4. Set Limits🔑
The need to set limits is obvious if you are going to make faith your foundation and if you are going to serve with joy. This means not taking on too much. If you are in worship related ministries (e.g. praise band, worship leader, liturgical assistant, usher, etc.), make sure you have opportunities to just sit in the pew.
Occasions where you can sit with your friends and/or family and worship as a member of the congregation. When you agree to serve in any ministry make sure you understand the expected time commitment.
Also, at regular intervals pause and reassess whether you want to continue serving in a given ministry. You should give yourself permission to step out of one area of service and enter another.
😲Reality Check for Clergy and Staff: We are often short on volunteers and always desperately in need of more leaders. Do we encourage our volunteers to set limits? Do we give them permission to say no? Are we modeling healthy boundaries and limitations in our own service to the Church?
Keep the Big Picture in Mind 🔍
Finally, it is important to put serving at your local church within the bigger picture of your life. Your family, friends, job, finances, and free time are not secondary to your faith. In fact, these areas are the primary arenas for living out your faith, Dr. Scott Hahn, Biblical scholar, highlights this truth:
“Each of us is called to work as a priest who sanctifies the temporal order. Our altar is our desktop, our kitchen countertop, our laptop, our place in the assembly line, our diaper-changing table, our operating table. Our altar is the row we hoe. Through baptism, God has called us and empowered us to take the whole world and make it once again a sanctuary – and everything in it an offering.”
– Many are Called
So, whether you are serving as a committed church volunteer, working at your job, spending time with your loved ones, or picking your nose👃. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, I mean typing that, not doing that, ew.) Remember the words of St. Paul.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
– Colossians 3:17
(If you serve at your local church or in some ministry, thank you. What you do is more important and impacts more people more than you realize. Bless your continued service.)
You can grow in your ability to give and receive forgiveness, find out how.
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
– 1 John 1:9
Fr. Goodrich preached this sermon online (via Zoom), based on 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 3:1-7 to a live congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dubuque, Iowa.
Doubt, properly handled, can build up your faith, not bring it down. Find out how.
Jesus then said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
– John 20:27-28
Fr. Goodrich preached this sermon online (via Zoom), based on John 20:19-31 to a live congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dubuque, Iowa.
Dealing with doubt is not unusual. Most Christians experience doubt. Some rarely, others more frequently. 🤔
In either case, their doubt may concern God’s existence (e.g. is there a God?), God’s character (e.g. Is God really good?), a specific Christian doctrine (e.g. hell), or the viability of a specific Christian practice (e.g. healing prayer).
Extreme Church Positions on Doubt
While doubt is not unusual it should be taken seriously. Unfortunately, some Christian communities take extreme positions on doubt.
One extreme position is to be flippant and dismissive of doubts, “Oh well, everyone has doubts, who cares, keep calm and carry on.” This attitude may be appropriate for occasional doubts that pass through our minds and hearts.
However, this attitude is inappropriate for regularly reoccurring doubts. Another extreme position on doubt is to view it as a sign of sin and unworthiness. “If you doubt, it’s because your faith is weak.” 😒
With churches that learn toward the first response, people with doubts often experience a gradual diminishment of their faith. Their church does not stress the importance of faith, belief, and dealing with doubt, so peoples doubts are left unaddressed.
With churches that lean toward the second response people often feel pushed away from faith. They often leave their churches because they cannot find a safe space to explore their doubts with other believers.
A Joke about Doubt
(Ok. Forgive me. I must include this old joke about doubt. To have a chance of getting it you must know the most basic facts about Rene Descartes. Descartes was a 17th century philosopher.
He used doubt as a method to determine what was true and what was false. His famous saying, as rendered in Latin is, “Cogito ergo sum”. In English, “I think, therefore I am.” Let us not bother with the pros and cons of this method, instead let’s get straight to the joke.
Rene Descartes walks into a bar. The barkeep says, “Rene, would you like a beer?” Descartes pause and says, “I think not.” Then he disappears.😆 Ha!)
Here are five ways to persist in faith while dealing with doubt.
1. Pray about your doubts:
Tell God about them, “Lord, I’m struggling with this issue. ” “God help me to understand. When I can’t understand, help me to trust you anyway.”
Prayer can release a spiritual power in your life that can sustain you even in the darkest moments of doubt. Along with your prayers, make sure others are praying for you in general, and specifically, about your doubts.
💪 Super Tip: Yes, pray about your doubts. But pray about more than just your doubts. Each day give thanks to God for all the blessings in your life. Each day pray for the people in your life.
2. Think through your doubts:
Work through your doubts by developing a mature, well thought out faith. There are many Christian scientists, philosophers, and theologians who have worked through every single intellectual issue you could think of.
Read these authors. Do the mental work. Ask the tough questions. Don’t just feel your faith, think your faith. Find safe believers to discuss and work through your doubts with. This can be very helpful.
💪Super Tip: Be encouraged that over the centuries to the present day many of the world’s greatest minds have wrestled with the claims of the Christian faith, emerging as committed followers of Jesus Christ.
3. Feel through your doubts:
If you went through a tragedy that has caused you to doubt the existence of a loving God work through your feelings. Offer them to God in prayer. Read or listen to the stories of other Christians who have suffered greatly and how they worked through their pain and found their faith restored.
Hearts can be healed. Sometimes working with a pastor, counselor, or spiritual director over a period of time is what is needed to feel through your doubts.
💪Super Tip: Be encouraged that some of the world’s greatest sufferers, those who have gone through life’s worst, emerged from their trials with a deeper and more robust faith.
4. Doubt your doubts:
You do not have to believe every thought that comes into your mind. See old Rene’s method has something to it! Doubt your doubts, reaffirm your core beliefs. You can do that with these timeless words a man said to Jesus over 2000 years ago:
“Lord I believe help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:25
It is a great affirmation. It can also be a great prayer. Use it as needed. Pray it as needed, even aloud.
💪Super Tip: The infinite (God) can, at best, be only partially understood by the finite (you). Put your trust in God. Yes, think your faith, but at the end of the day you have to live your faith.
5. Feed your faith, not your doubts:
Too often when people begin to experience doubt, they stop feeding their faith and start feeding their doubt. Always put as much effort into your faith as you do your doubt.
This means keep worshipping (or perhaps getting back to worshipping) on Sundays, staying connected to other Christians, and practicing your faith daily. Finally, eat lots of ice cream. (Just making sure you were paying attention there. 🍦)
💪Super Tip: Do not travel the tough stuff of life alone. Allow others to walk with you. Seek others out. Yes, it can be hard, but so many of life’s blessings are found in community with others.
Dealing with Doubt Can Lead To Spiritual Growth
Professor William Barclay, one of the great Bible teachers of the last century, wrote:
“There is more ultimate faith in the man who insists on being sure than the man who glibly repeats things which he has never thought out, and which he does not really believe. It is doubt like that which in the end arrives at certainty. If a man fights his way through his doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, he has attained to a certainty that the man who unthinkingly accepts can never reach.”
Dealing with doubt is often what fuels us to learn more about our faith. It often prompts us to develop our understanding of our faith in new ways.
Doubt is often what causes us to take what we may have learned as children (or never learned) and do some adult level homework, leading us to develop a more mature, more reasoned faith.
Doubt Can Keep Faith Awake and Moving
Frederick Buechner, theologian, author, and novelist tells us that:
“Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”
When you experience doubt, do not assume it is a bad thing. See it as an opportunity to take your faith to the next level. Do not ignore your doubts but do not beat yourself because of your doubts, either.
Instead, pray about your doubts, think through your doubts, feel through your doubts, doubt your doubts, and feed your faith, not your doubts. Most importantly, do not face your doubts alone. Share them and work through them with other Christians. Persist in faith! 🙏🏼
The power of the Resurrection isn’t limited to the past, experience it today.
Jesus…has been raised; he is not here…he is going head of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”
Mark 16:6-7
Fr. Goodrich preached this sermon online (via Zoom), based on Mark 16:1-18, on Easter Sunday, to a live congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dubuque, Iowa.
