Leadership, Volunteer Culture

Cultivating Communities

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10: 24-25 ESV

For those of us who lead a weekend team at a church, cultivating community can sometimes be a struggle. It’s difficult to do life together when all your time is devoted to the Sunday morning experience. Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into the cadence of working side by side with your volunteers and not actually get to know them. However, when we set aside the “job” and take a moment to hear about someone’s family or pray with them, something begins to happen. Teammates start to become more than co-workers, they become friends.  Volunteers don’t just want to just show up to serve, they look forward to the relationships they have with each other. So how do we cultivate community in our teams?

Pray Together

The most important part of cultivating community is praying together.  Set aside time, not to just pray for the services, but pray for each other. Start rehearsal or preparation time with designated space to share what is going on in your lives.  Don’t rush. If that means you should start ten minutes earlier, do it. Take time to pray about the things that are heavy on their hearts and rejoice in the great things God did in that last week.

Hang Together

Let’s be honest, we are all busy.  Most of us do not have an extra night available to hang out with team members weekly, but there are other easy ways create space for community. For those who serve multiple services, having a designated area where team members can sit and grab a bottle of water or a snack is an easy way to build relationships. If you have room for chairs or couches, take advantage of down time when you can connect with each other. Invite a few team members to grab lunch after church once a month.  It’s important to not only work together but to play together so the more you can do that is outside of the Sunday morning service, the better! Get creative!

Serve Together

Sure, you spend time together playing in the band or maybe behind computer screens or sound boards, but have you ever served together outside of the Sunday morning service? There are plenty of opportunities that allow you and your team to do something outside of your normal setting. Local food pantries are always looking for people to assist shoppers or stocking shelves. Perhaps, it’s as simple as raking leaves for an elderly couple together.  Mission trips are much bigger commitments, but taking a few members to a third world country will create a closeness that is hard to replicate in your day to day lives. Serving together is not about the task, it’s about being together and sharing experiences that build relationships.

Cultivating community with your Sunday morning teams does not have to cost a lot of time or money.  Creating spaces, praying together or taking advantage of outside serving opportunities will all foster a closer bond between those who volunteer with you.  Don’t miss out on opportunities to grow friendships and establish an even stronger team of volunteers.

KIM PORTER
Music Director / Creative Arts Director
The River Church | Liberty Township, OH
HitTheRiver.com

Kim has been surrounded by music her entire life. She led worship in church settings as a young teenager through her adult years and continues to feel incredibly blessed to do it now as a profession. She has been serving as Worship Leader and Creative Arts Director since 2010 at The River Church in Liberty Township, Ohio. Besides leading the congregation in music each week, Kim also spends time building stage designs, brainstorming sermon illustration ideas and whatever else she can do to keep her creative mind entertained.