Creating Vision for Volunteering in Ministry

It’s no secret that volunteering is down. Whether it’s your church, AYSO, the soup kitchen downtown or your kid’s classroom at school, volunteerism has been down since COVID.  

I’m guessing that volunteering is down at your church too. So, how will you motivate people to serve this fall?  What’s your “why”? 

We talk about volunteering from the stage all the time and we regularly invite people to volunteer. Sometimes we even plead or guilt people! But, in all this, what is missing is a compelling “why.”

Let’s talk about why. Let’s talk about creating vision for volunteering in our church. 

Serving is Core to Following Jesus

Three scriptures anchor serving to discipleship. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.-Ephesians 2:10

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 4:10-11

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. -John 13:14-15

A quick summary of these three scriptures: 

• God created you to serve. 
• God gifted you to serve.
• God called to serve. 

If you are a Jesus follower and you’re not serving your church, you’re missing something huge. It’s core. It’s foundational to being a disciple.

In addition, there is immense value in serving in your church because serving helps grow your faith. I’m guessing you’ve seen this in action. Serving accelerates spiritual growth. It is a key environment for growing in Christ-likeness.  

But serving is not just about growing your own faith. 

Serving is Core to Helping Others Grow in Their Faith 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. -Ephesians 4:11-12

When someone serves as a small group leader in your student ministry, they are helping others grow in their faith, which builds up the body of Christ. 

When someone serves as a greeter and their warm welcome helps disarm a man, whose wife dragged him to church, they are helping others grow in their faith, which builds up the body of Christ. 

When someone serves by rocking babies in the nursery so that new parents can actually attend the worship service without distraction, they are helping others grow in their faith, which builds up the body of Christ. 

There is incredibly compelling vision for volunteering here. Serving in your church helps others grow in their faith in Christ. Serving helps disciple others.  

Wrap Up

Here’s my point: Serving is not about filling volunteering roles. It’s not about having the correct ratio of adults to kids in children’s ministry. Serving is about inviting people into discipleship. Recruiting volunteers is discipleship! It’s an opportunity to help a person grow in their faith as they help others grow in their own faith, which builds up the body of Christ. 

It’s an incredibly compelling vision. So, as you recruit volunteers for your various ministries. Lead with vision. Invite people into discipleship.