Leadership, Volunteer Culture

The 10 Reasons Why Someone Serves at Your Church (Part One)

Serving in the local church. There, sometimes, can be no greater joy. I’m consistently amazed at how people who work full-time jobs, sometimes six days a week, spend their time that they could be relaxing and resting, serving their church.

Why is that? Why do people from all walks of life, who are sometimes exhausted from their day jobs, donate even more time and energy to their church?

I’ve heard countless stories of volunteers telling me that serving in production is the “highlight of their week” or that they “look forward all week to serving”. Why is that?

I believe there are at least 10 reasons why someone serves at your church and on your team. 

1. To grow in their relationship with Christ.

When someone serves on your team, they are surrounded with other believers that can encourage and strengthen their walk with Christ. They are hearing and seeing the Gospel lived out. More than half of the Ten Commandments deal with Loving People, and there are countless passages that instruct us as believers to serve one another. So when we obey that, we can feel it spiritually. The Holy Spirit inside of you is doing the ‘happy dance’. Isn’t that amazing- that you can receive more out of serving, emotionally and spiritually, than those you are giving to?

2. It helps them discover their purpose and feel fulfilled.

When you serve and give up your time and energy for someone else, you get emotionally and spiritually recharged. It gives more meaning to your life as a servant of Christ. Your volunteers have the opportunity in your environments to literally find purpose and meaning. They find fulfillment in putting the needs of others above themselves.

3. To use their skills and talents for the Kingdom.

Each one of your volunteers have incredible skills, talents, and abilities. A lot of them are in day jobs that for one reason or another aren’t allowing them to use all the gifts they have. A good note here- as a Media Director, I would always take willing people onto the Media Production Team. They did not have to have any technical ability whatsoever.

In fact, sometimes, that worked out better because our team could train them from the ground up. But I also tried to create opportunities on our team that allowed people to flourish in the skills and gifts that God gave them.

For instance, what if you had an older lady on your team that knew nothing about technology but could cook and ‘mother’ your team? What if you had a great administrator that might not be able to keep pace with executing a worship service, but could help you schedule and follow-up with volunteers? Your volunteers want to use their gifts and skills for the Kingdom, it’s your job to create opportunities for them to be used.

4. Out of obedience to Jesus.

Mark 9:35 – “And He sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, “if anyone be first, he must be last of all and servant of all”

Jesus commands us to serve others. When your volunteers serve the local church through your team, they are being obedient to what Jesus has called them to.

5. To follow Jesus’ example.

Philippians 2:5-7 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

God sent His son to be the ultimate servant. When your volunteers serve, they are following the very example Jesus set for us- giving of yourself for other people.

Check out PART TWO of this article here.

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.