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3 Ideas For Small Churches To Get Church Volunteers Excited About Serving Again
Whether you are reading this during the Covid crisis of 2020 or are simply trying to reignite your members with a passion to serve, here are 3 creative ways to get church volunteers back in the habit of serving.
During 2020, the Covid pandemic caused church closings and broken habits, including the habit of showing up for church. If you’re like most churches, after a disruption like Covid, your worshipers probably fall into 3 categories:
- Chomping at the bit to return to normal.
- Cautiously coming back to in-person services (maybe with a little fear).
- Happy to stay home in their jammies, watching Sunday services online.
While I’m okay with not rushing a return to normal, I do think it’s past time to teach the Biblical model of service found in 1 Corinthians 12: the Body of Christ, where each member is vital to function as the church God designed us to be.
1 Corinthians 12: God’s Design For The Body Of Christ
I believe there are great reasons God set up His church for interdependence.
- It keeps us humble; we need each other.
- It keeps us significant; each of us has a gift that’s essential to the Body.
- It keeps us submitting; when we serve, we are serving Christ as the Head of the Church.
Breaking A Habit Is Hard To Do
When Going To Church On Sundays Is No Longer The Norm
As with any habit, it’s hard to break. And COVID-19 has forced many of us into a habit we never wanted. But it is real. We’ve missed a lot of Sundays.
For many, it’s been a nice reprieve. For others, a place of discomfort.
- Some are evaluating why they went to church in the first place.
- Some are weighing the pros and cons of going back.
- Some are seeking spiritual growth and depth, and are wondering if their former church is the place to return.
The very fact that the church-going habit is broken means we have to work harder to change inertia. (Do you remember the concept of inertia from physics class? It goes something like this: an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon!)
This is why your regular “ask” for church volunteers may not be yielding the results you desire. It takes a lot more effort to move a static boulder than a wheel in motion.
So let’s look at a few ways to shake up the normal and get everyone’s attention …
- Back to where it should be
- Back to Bible basics
- Back to where significant work yields joy & reward in the hearts of the servants
Commonly Missed Truths About Church Volunteers
Before sharing ways to invite your volunteers back to meaningful service, we need to make sure our motivations are in check, that they are biblical, and that they follow the example of Jesus.
1. Volunteers don’t exist to do ministry, they are your ministry.
Please read my article on this and embrace this truth. Jesus did not find 12 people and give them jobs. He ate with them, traveled with them, and hung out with them –– He called them friends.
For more on volunteers, read: The Ultimate Guide For Finding Keeping & Appreciating Volunteers.
2. Church volunteers have needs that will be met by significant service.
God put in the hearts of humans a need for significance. We literally hunger to be needed and to make a difference. Serving in the church is not just asking for sacrifice. It’s an opportunity to lift the volunteers up and meet their needs.
3. Deep community is built by working together.
This is so much in the heart of the church. I think we miss this when we “find volunteers” instead of growing a team. It’s not about serving next to each other or for each other, but with each other.
Shake It Up & Get Their Attention!
When people are out of a routine, they need something to get their attention.
As I talk about in my teaching about creative worship, we have a creative God who gets our attention by breaking through routine to engage our 5 senses. Think of the burning bush, the scents of sacrifice, the color of a rainbow, the thunder from Mt. Sinai.
When we hear, see, feel, smell, and taste something out of the normal, it gets our attention.
Check this out: The Creative Team: What It Is & Why You Need One
We need to reach beyond what’s “normal” to regain the attention to volunteering again.
As you read through the 3 ideas below, think of how you could use all 5 senses to turn these 3 ideas from paper to powerful: food, music, giveaways, videos, visuals, and more!
Creative Ideas To Increase Involvement & Biblical Service In The Body Of Christ In Small Churches
1. Host An Involvement Fair For Everyone!
It may surprise you to know that many people, even in your small church, really don’t know what it takes to run a small church. Have each person who does something in the church set up an interactive booth or table, highlighting what they do! The techie may set up a sound booth demo, your guitarist might play with chord sheets out, and your maintenance pal might sit at a fix-it table.
Objections To This Idea
“I do everything myself and can’t run around behind each booth.” Great! Do it anyway! It’s a fabulous visual to run around and let people see the need.
“We would only have 2 tables set up because there are so many un-led ministries.” Great! Do it anyway. Set up a table for children’s ministry that says vacant! Or with a mirror that says, future leader?
Get people there with food and prizes. Bribe them if you have to. Whatever you need to do to get them there!
2. Have A “Body Of Christ” All-Church Campaign
Involve every person and every area of ministry –– from custodial to discipleship, from leadership to nursery workers –– in a month-long Biblical campaign to study and embody 1 Corinthians 12.
- Make videos, post scripture, host studies, panel discussions. Do anything & everything to get everyone into the same scriptural study.
- Do skits, sermons, and worship music around the theme.
- Gather Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head parts and deliver one part to each person in your church body.
- Have people give video and in-person testimonies about one story in their life where they made a difference serving in the church. Or better yet, have people share testimonies about someone serving in the church who made a difference to them.
- What can your prayer team do around the theme? Youth ministry? Office volunteers? Pastors? Leave no one out. Involve them in planning and executing a month-long campaign.
3. Schedule Regular Ministry Moments
Make it a habit to schedule regular ministry moments of testimony from church volunteers in your worship service, or online on your Facebook page, Instagram Lives, or wherever you can shout it from the rooftops.
Whether you choose once a week, every Sunday, or once a month, stay consistent with a habit of sharing testimonies about serving in the Body of Christ. (This works best in an interview format where the same questions are asked for each testimony.)
The goal is not loftiness, pride, or honor. Instead, the intention is to encourage one another in service. There is nothing more powerful than hearing a story of an unlikely servant, someone who felt ill-equipped or unworthy, making a difference in ministry.
If you want more volunteers, quit asking so much and start sharing testimonies from those who are serving.
Why Not Now?
I hope this inspires you to think beyond normal to a new way, a better way of embracing the truth of being the Body of Christ. There’s really not a good reason to put off inspiring church volunteers. Starting simple is better than not starting! So share the idea, choose one thing, and put it into action.
Remember, our God is greater. It doesn’t matter what the world brings us. Joining with Him is our best year ever.
I pray you are inspired with ideas far beyond the ones listed above. Please share your ideas for involving church volunteers in the comments below. Come join us in our Facebook community: Creative Solutions for Small Churches. We’d love to know you.
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