One of the ways I use social media is to keep an eye on other pastors and churches and see what they’re up to. For a long time, I had noticed that several churches highlighted a Volunteer of the Week. I first saw Steven Furtick do this at Elevation Church. After keeping my eye on it for quite some time, I was inspired to start this initiative at my own church.
I believe in this so much, that I actually own this at my church. Eventually, I’ll pass it on to another leader, but for now, I’m putting all my effort and energy into getting it started. We’ve been doing this for about a month now. Here’s what we post in my weekly blog and email to the church (also our handout or bulletin):
Volunteer of the Week
This week’s VOW is Darin Cooley. Darin serves in a number of roles at Forest Park Carthage, including our First Impressions Team, Parking Lot Team, preparing Communion, unlocking the church doors each Sunday morning, collecting the offering after the second service and leads a LifeGroup. Darin is a true servant and we are blessed and encouraged by his cheerful spirit and servant’s heart. If you’d like to serve on our First Impression Team, please contact Pastor Matt.
*** There you go! Short, sweet and to the point. We always end each one with a call to action (ie. “If you’re interested in our First Impressions Team, please contact Pastor Matt.”) I try to rotate between male and female volunteers. I also try to rotate ministries (Kid City, students, worship, tech, First Impressions, cafe, etc.)
Why did I start this at my church? I saw no negatives and all positives. It highlights great servants in our church. It allows us to brag on them for a little bit. It gives them a shot in the arm and makes them fired up to keep serving. It reinforces our culture of serving. After seeing this long enough, I’m confident it will be a part of what God uses to bring new volunteers on our teams.
How did I pull this off? I asked all my staff and team leaders to send me a list of 10 volunteers they’d like me to highlight. I asked a volunteer photographer in our church to go around on Sunday morning and take pictures of all the people on my list. I looked through the pictures and found ones that I liked and laid out our future VOW’s.
So – there you go. An easy idea you can start next week at your church.