“I looked up and saw Joe, a 92-year old African-American man.” Both Joe and the speaker, John Greves, were working in the Community Garden project in Vancouver, Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland. “I thought of all this manRead more…
Stories: God’s, Mine, Yours and Others’
The Bible is one long story, the true story of God calling and caring for his people the Jews, God becoming human and dying, and God working among the early Christians. God’s story continues today. He continues to call, redeemRead more…
A Question: Finding Co-leaders
I’ve Got a Question. I am passionate about what I do and I always find volunteers. However, I feel at a loss because I haven’t found anyone to be “passionate” with me in a vision or direction. They all seemRead more…
A Question: Volunteer Software
I’ve Got a Question “Do you have a good contact/volunteer software program you could recommend?” From Beth in Wisconsin September 2010 Response Short answer: no, I don’t have a program I can recommend. Sorry. Longer answer: Our church was usingRead more…
How to Recruit Church Volunteers
When you realize you’ll need to recruit some volunteers, does your heart leap for joy? Or does your stomach get tied in knots? Most of us don’t enjoy finding people to teach Sunday School or help with the rummage sale.Read more…
Profile: Shepherd of the Hills, San Antonio, Texas
Alice Klement, Director of Equipping Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in San Antonio, is graciously sharing two presentations her equipping team gave to congregational leaders. She took material from some of the presentations on this site, addedRead more…
Building a Family
He had been coming to the same church for over 30 years. A quiet man, no one noticed him much. Not knowing how to go about meeting new friends in a church, he stayed on the sidelines, going right homeRead more…
A Smokin’ Ministry Fair
“It was the Holy Smokers. They were the draw.” Marlene Anderson, Deaconess at Grace Lutheran Church, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, was planning her third Ministry Fair for the church. The first one, held about 10 years ago, was very successful. TheRead more…
Smiles of St. Peter
(Editor’s note: This article was written by Diana Broj. It profiles a ministry that not only is interesting and fun, it also builds a positive culture of serving by highlighting ministry opportunities, the people who serve and are being served,Read more…
Remember Middle Management
Your pastor supports equipping volunteers to serve. You have a designated person and team that helps people serve. You’ve got a great start. But for real change, don’t forget the middle — the “middle management.” In From the Top Down, authorRead more…
Called to Serve
“Called to Serve” is a four-session Bible study that encourages believers to serve and provides practical help in making decisions about serving. It was written by Karen Kogler, Director of Equipping, and Rev. Micah Greiner, lead pastor, St. Peter LutheranRead more…
Inviting EVERYONE to serve
In survey after survey, the primary reason people give for volunteering is “because I was asked.” So how are we asking? How are we inviting the people in our church to serve? Our frequent “help wanted” announcements reach a fewRead more…
Lord, What are You Calling Me to Do?
Life is full of decisions, big and small. Shall I homeschool my children? Can we afford the time and cost of Jamie being on that elite sports team? Shall I look for a new job? What career is best forRead more…
Simple Volunteering
Life is complicated. Life is stressful. Your employer wants you to squeeze more work into the same hours, the kids need help with their homework, your elderly relative needs your assistance, and there are important papers somewhere in that pileRead more…
In the Store: Putting Spiritual Gifts to Work
Putting Spiritual Gifts to Work: Equipping Saints for Service is a short book (80 pages) by Karen Kogler. It’s available in The Equipper store in two versions: Electronic version: as a download; $8.00 Print version: mailed to you, with aRead more…