4 Ways to Thrive As a Committed Church Volunteer

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.)

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