The Entire Group of Volunteers You’re Missing

Churches are often great for helping people find places to serve. We’ve got spiritual gift tests, web forms, and volunteer expos that do a fantastic job at matching people’s skills to the needs in the church. Here’s some common volunteer needs:

• Teach children
• Be a greeter
• Play in the band
• Set up or tear down
• Church work day
• Work with students
• Drive the church van
• Chaperone a trip

Do you know what’s missing from that list? It’s what’s missing from similar lists at most churches.

We’re great at giving people opportunities to serve with their hands, but where are the opportunities for people to serve with their mind?

Everyone isn’t wired to work with kids or be a greeter. Some introverted and smart people don’t want to work in the middle school ministry. It’s great that people can show up and serve, but what about the thinkers, readers, planners, or techies?

We need to do a better job of creating opportunities for people to use their mental talents, just like we give people the opportunity to use their strength or smiles.

Here are some ideas:

• What if you turned over your church twitter account to a team of three people skilled in social media?
• Do you have people who are always wanting deeper messages? What if you invited them to bring their commentaries ad study Bibles to your house and you worked on messages as a group?
• Your website doesn’t have to be updated by a staff member. There’s probably a teenager who can do it better than you.
• What if you allowed people to make funny videos? What if you brought in someone to teach PhotoShop or Final Cut and started training people to make videos.
• Could someone make your sermon PowerPoint presentation?
• What if you engaged some people gifted in public relations to help with a media campaign?
• Are there strategic thinkers who could make your strategic plans or long-range decisions better?
• What if you found people skilled in event planning and gave them help and budgets?
• Are there copywriters, bloggers, or editors sitting in your services?
• Would someone be willing to proofread your bulletin, newsletters or emails?

There is a large group of people in your church who are waiting for you to engage their brains, and give them some thinking-work to do. It’s not that they are above cleaning floors at the church work day – it’s that God has given them a different skill set.