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If you’re looking for a creative way to get more potential volunteers to serve in your church, a ministry fair is a great event to add to your calendar! Even in a small church, having a ministry fair can be a great way to build community, increase awareness of areas of service in your church, and pique the interest of people who haven’t ventured to a sign-up sheet in years. Done right, it’s a win all around. However, many church ministry fairs lack the positive vibe you need to make an impact. Keep reading for tips on having a ministry fair work in your small church with a lot of impact. In this post, we’ll go over:
- One of the main reasons why some people serve and some don’t
- Why lots of ministry fairs are boring and unsuccessful
- Creative ideas to make having a ministry fair that is the best
- Why interaction is the key plus some tips to get people talking
- Fun elements to make your ministry fair memorable
One Of The Biggest Struggles In Small Churches
One of the biggest struggles that small churches talk about is volunteers. Most churches either need more, or the small number of volunteers they have, are doing too much. When you think about it, most people who attend church are spectators rather than servants. As we went over in my Volunteer Series a few weeks back, when it comes to recruiting and retaining volunteers, we hold some of the responsibility for people who are spectating. As long as a few people serve and keep things running, why would someone else step up?
Please, don’t be surprised that there are so many people who aren’t stepping up to serve because it’s usually all they know.
I want to suggest that this is exactly why there are core families in many churches, where the whole family seems to serve. It’s that family who’s been in the church for more than a generation, and their kids grew up seeing their parents serve. Those kids then grew up serving too!
These are the people that everyone looks for to lead events and teach. They were raised in the culture of serving in a church. Sadly, the other people in the church are often misjudged and miss out on a great opportunity. I don’t believe that people who are labeled as consumers are staying consumers on purpose. They could simply never have thought about it.
If you’re ahead of the pack, your pastor may preach about the body of Christ and how we all need each other. You may do small group teachings about spiritual gifts, and you might ask people to serve and get involved from the pulpit. These are all great things, but I want to provide you with another idea.
Having A Ministry Fair In Your Small Church
Consider having a Ministry Fair! You may have been to one before, and it might have been boring or unsuccessful. Sadly, a lot of churches hold ministry fairs to get prospective volunteers. They set up display tables, make each ministry leader stand at a table, maybe add a display, and put sign-up sheets on each ministry table. This doesn’t sound fun or exciting, or even like a fair at all.
If you make fairs about recruiting people, you’re going to miss out on greater things. Ministry fairs can raise awareness for all the things that go on in your church. They allow you to build a community, too! Ministry fairs also allow you to celebrate those who are already serving and elevate the people who attend. It’s the perfect time for people to learn and explore.
What Does A Successful Ministry Fair Look Like?
Having a Ministry Fair should be exciting and motivating! People should want to participate, interact, and be engaged! The cool thing about these fairs is that conversations happen that would not have happened otherwise! People understand the vision that the church is a body of many people serving together, and that we all need each other. Another thing that happens at a successful ministry fair, is that the people who currently serve get to feel supported and honored. People grow in awareness of all the needs and jobs that happen at church.
If people in your church are ready to start serving, you could see a significant shift from one ministry fair, but please remember that getting people to serve is not the only win.
Typically, ministry fairs are set up in booths to represent various church ministries. If this is all that you’re doing at a ministry fair, then it becomes boring and isn’t like a fair at all. A fair should be full of fun stuff, conversation, food, and things to do! It’s more than just having a bunch of church tables set up in the hallway with a sign-up sheet.
4 Best Tips For Having A Ministry Fair
1. Start Early
To ensure that the fair you are planning is going to be great, you need time to plan it all. You can throw it all together in a month, but it isn’t going to be good and you aren’t going to have the right people involved. You want this event to have an impact, so I strongly encourage you to pick a date that is around 3-6 months away.
2. Form A Team
Who are the best people to be on this team? Not just the people who are regularly helping. Bring in new people who are involved in the community in different ways. They are the only ones who know what people would want to see, and what would get them to show up. Get the people you want to come to help you plan the whole fair.
You are also going to want someone who loves to throw a party. You’ll need at least one creative dreamer and maybe even some teenagers or a creative elementary student. You’ll be able to understand what each age group wants, and how to truly impact everyone.
3. Brainstorm And Make A Plan
Talk about how you can bring sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch into this fair. This is so important. We are moved by our senses, and we are excited and drawn in by them. You do not want this to just be another Sunday or another potluck, it has to be different. Make it fun. Have good food, fun games, and great opportunities for positive conversations.
4. Booths
It is so important to make sure that you equip your volunteers with the things they need in order to have an awesome booth. You could start by giving them a basic plan while supplying them with a person who is in charge of all of the booths. This is a person they can call on for help and support. This person will also provide each booth leader with a board.
The reasons for this are that you want a little bit of consistency, and you want it to be amazing. With big, bright, and cool boards that can be made from insulation sheets or even cardboard, each ministry team will be able to represent their ministry, and team members will start with the same slate. You won’t have one that’s awesome and one that seems boring. These boards set the tone and show people that this is a big deal and you care.
In addition to the board, you want to give each ministry leader a clear instruction sheet about what to include, whether that be photos or a hands-on activity. Maybe the worship team booth has a keyboard with funky sounds for people to play or even a microphone? The hospitality booth could have samples of cookies that you can vote on to see what people’s favorite flavors are.
Remember, a big goal is awareness, relationships, and engagement. The cool part about doing these fairs is that the goal becomes less about getting eager volunteers and more about showing the congregation how people are using their skills and passions in the church.
Another thing that you should supply your ministry leaders with, is access to a creative person who is excited to help if they need it. Only some people are in touch with their creative side, so if you can help them be a great success, the experience will be so much better for everyone!
Don’t Focus On The Numbers
Remember, getting new volunteers is just a small part of in having a Ministry Fair. More importantly, you are giving everyone a shared vision of how broad the ministry of the church is You might be thinking, “What if I don’t have a team or any creative people to help?” Find some! Ask church members who have never done anything in your church, or ask an artsy teenager at the local high school. Anybody can help.
I want to also suggest, rather than having a sign-up sheet at every booth, remove the pressure. Don’t have sign-up sheets anywhere. Instead, ask people to fill out a quick survey before they leave, and give them a gift if they fill it out. It could include questions like: “What was your favorite part about having a ministry fair?” “What would you have liked to have seen done differently?” “Is there any ministry area that you’d like to know more about personally?”
This is my super sweet idea to help people get more excited about serving and helping them catch the vision of the church. If you take the next step and put these ideas to work in your church, would you let me know how they went? I would love to hear about it!
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