4 Reasons Why You Should Have a Volunteer Pastor Position
Pastoring your people should be your #1 priority. You must care more about who your volunteers are becoming more than what they do on your team. So, with anything, as your team grows in number, you’re going to need to enlist some help. I would even venture to say that the area of pastoring your people is an area you can’t afford not to have help with. I strongly encourage that every role on your team can and should be led by a volunteer. Your ministry will grow by leaps and bounds when you form teams and raise up leaders.
That leads me to why you should implement a team Volunteer Pastor position. I would even take it a step further and say you should have a “Next Steps” team within your Production Team. You can raise up a leader for this team that can help you minister to your entire team.
So, here are 4 Reasons why you should have a Volunteer Pastor position and Next Steps Team.
This team can help you:
1. Build relationships and focus on the spiritual next steps of your team.
Team members could:
-spend intentional time with people
-be intentional about where volunteers are in their spiritual walk (Is everyone a believer? Has everyone been baptized? Is everyone in a small group or bible study?)
-provide devotional and bible study resources
-help volunteers find a small group
2. Build a culture of prayer within your team.
Team members could:
-form prayer groups or lead the team in prayer
-take initiative in praying and visiting people in need
3. Build a culture where volunteers share in life celebrations and struggles.
Team members could:
-help you keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, births and other life events
4. Build a culture of engagement and interaction.
Team members could:
-lead the charge in writing letters/cards, connect on social media, calling and emailing people
-help take your volunteers to lunch or plan social activities
Of course you need to do a little due diligence in making sure that everyone on this team is safe to minister to others. Do a background check on everyone. Don’t be sorry about it either- it’s you’re job to keep your team safe. That being said, don’t make it too hard for people to pastor each other. All believers are called to love people. Have a cautious eye, but facilitate and encourage community. Create opportunities for team members to serve each other. For example, when I served at Newspring Church, we had production training every Monday night. I would put out blank cards and envelopes and a list of new people that veterans could write cards to. They would place them in a designated spot and I would address and send them. The opportunity was available to our veteran volunteers to minister to new folks that joined our team.
Create opportunities. Form teams and raise up leaders to help you not only execute your Sunday services, but to help you create culture.
What are other ways you’ve provided your team opportunities to minister to each other?
CARL BARNHILL
Creative Director / Owner
[twelve:thirty]media | Columbia, SC
twelvethirtymedia.com
Carl Barnhill has served on staff at some of the largest churches and organizations in the country. He served as Media Director at Precept Ministries International, directing the television and radio program Precepts for Life with Kay Arthur, broadcasted to over 98 million homes around the world. He served as Video Production Director at Pinelake Church in Brandon, MS, where he produced media content for four campuses, as well as led volunteer teams.
He most recently served as Video Coordinator for Newspring Church in South Carolina. Newspring has 10 campuses across the state with a weekly attendance of over 35,000. At one campus alone, the number of consistent volunteers serving in media production tripled, under his leadership.
He currently serves as Creative Director and Owner of [twelve:thirty]media, a company that serves churches and ministries all over the world through motion graphics content and church media coaching.
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