Is Volunteerism Old School?

In modern society in America, we are way too busy for our own good; and there is really not much difference when you look into the church. We’re busy with worship, classes, small groups, meetings, missions and events. I wonder if people think they come to church to find rest, therefore they are not seeking to get involved in acts of service. I’m not talking about everyone because there are a number of people who have stepped up in times of need to volunteer their time and efforts. But what about the vast majority of people who walk through the doors of our facility?

We must admit that we are a consumer society. We expect customer service to be exemplary. We expect our needs to be met. We desire for others to take care of us. I wonder how regular church attendees see what happens on Sunday mornings. Do they believe that it all just comes together by accident? Do they understand that it comes together only because we have a few dedicated volunteers who have taken ownership of the ministry?

I read recently about a church that took a volunteer day off. People came to worship and Sunday School only to discover: that there were no greeters to welcome them, no ushers to hand them a bulletin, no bulletins because those responsible to print them took the day off, no teachers in the classes, no preschool volunteers in the nursery, no sound system operators, no one to make coffee, no one to turn on the A/C, no one to sing in the choir, no one to set up chairs or take them down… you get the point.

  1. Why is it so difficult to get volunteers to come early and set up chairs in The Well?
  2. Why is it so hard to get people on a greeting rotation?
  3. Why do people avoid the preschool, choosing not to care for the most vulnerable of our community?
  4. Why do people fail to turn in a completed Connection Card?

We broadcast our needs and it appears to fall on deaf ears. Does a personal invitation cause someone to be more committed and moved into a place of service? If so, that is going to limit who volunteers. If we take a sober self-assessment of who we are in Christ, understanding how God has made us, recognizing that we worship in a community of believers, we should come to worship each Sunday looking for a place to serve before looking for a place to sit.

Volunteering at The Well: we are in desperate need of people willing to commit to being trained on the sound and video equipment regarding the Well. Who will step up? Who will you recommend? We need a few people who are computer savvy yet willing to learn our system (it’s not really that hard)! Right now we have ONE guy who has not missed a Sunday in six months. What is going to happen the day he wakes up sick on a Sunday morning, or plans a vacation?

Audio-Visual Workshop: We have scheduled Sunday October 23, noon-2:00pm. This workshop is for those who have been enlisted and others who are interested in learning how to work behind the sound cart at The Well. RSVP is needed since lunch is provided. Contact Scott Chafee for details.

The Well Ministry Teams:

  1. We still have needs for the Welcome Team: stand at the doors or greet people seated in the room.
  2. The Prayer Team: being willing to pray for people after the service, initiating conversations after the service ends, offering to pray for them this week.
  3. Setting up Chairs at 9:00 on Sunday: coming early on Sunday to make the room ready for worship.
  4. Ushers for the offering: collecting the offering and putting the gifts and tithes into an envelope to be taken to the safe.

We are going to promote signups beginning October 16.

We have so much potential for growth, but we cannot serve more people if we don’t get more volunteers to make it all happen. President Kennedy said it best back on January 20, 1961, (but I will put it into the context of the church): “And so my fellowship [believers], ask not what your [church] can do for you, ask what you can do for your [church]. My fellow citizens of the [congregation], ask not what [volunteers] will do for you, but what together we can do for the [kingdom of God].”

Keep the Son in Your Eyes,

Scott Chafee
King’s Grant Baptist Church
Knowing Christ and Making Him Known
www.KingsGrantBaptist.com
www.Come2TheWell.com
www.ChandeKids.org

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