Parents make great volunteers. Most scouting groups and kids’ sports teams are run entirely by parents. Parents are willing to invest time and energy to give their children enriching experiences. So encourage parents to volunteer in your children’s ministries, althoughRead more…
A Culture of Serving: Immanuel, Macomb, MI
“There’s no magic bullet.” Dr. Gary Pawlitz, Minister of Fellowship and Service at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Macomb, Michigan, doesn’t mince words when talking about how churches help their people serve. “No system is perfect. And what works in oneRead more…
St. Peter Lutheran, Arlington Hts, IL: Beginnings
Background: I began working 2 days/week at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois, in October 2007, 9 months ago as of this writing. St. Peter had been without a long-term senior pastor for almost a decade until the arrivalRead more…
Volunteering as We Age
Growing old. It isn’t for wimps. In my middle-age years, I experience the indignities of my body changing without my permission. More significantly, I watch and try to help my parents who can no longer do some things they’ve alwaysRead more…
Bible Study: Acts of the Non-Apostles
This six-session study by Nancy Kuhlman looks at selections from the book of Acts to help class members realize God has chosen and equipped them to carry out His mission on earth. You may download it free and copy itRead more…
How to Discourage your Church’s Volunteers
(From the Lutheran Witness, March 1998. Reprinted with permission. Print version. Imagine your church with no volunteers for one week. The organist may play the organ, but there are no choir members or other instrumentalists. Everyone eventually finds a worshipRead more…
Our Father Lutheran: Margaret’s Story
How Our Father Lutheran Invites Members into Ministry, part 3 Margaret’s Story: A Musician who loves Volunteers Margaret Hinchey sees her service to her Lord’s church primarily through her music. “I’ve always been involved in music in the church,” sheRead more…
Our Father Lutheran: The Process
How Our Father Lutheran Invites Members into Ministry, part 2 The Process At Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, Colorado, the getting-people-connected process is coordinated by the Member Integration Team. That team is headed by Jan Burmeister and Elaine Hamburger,Read more…
Our Father Lutheran: A Commitment
How Our Father Lutheran Invites Members into Ministry, part 1 A Commitment to Connecting People “We have several strong women in charge of member integration.” That’s how Margaret Hinchey, Minister of Music at Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, Colorado,Read more…
Volunteer Ministry Entrepreneurship
Rich Kirkpatrick related (in an article no longer on the internet as of 2014) an incident that occurred when he attended a conference at Saddleback, Pastor Rick Warren’s mega-church in southern California. At a nearby coffee shop he met anRead more…
So, What do YOU do?
he next time you see a group of church volunteers, ask them each to tell you what they do at church. They’ll likely answer with comments like these: “I usher . . .,” “I teach Sunday School . . .,”Read more…
Governance Change . . . Volunteerism Change?
Many churches these days are changing their governance, moving from a structure of boards and committees to a policy-based governance related to John Carver’s model. Before such a momentous change, leaders carefully consider its ramifications. But one ramification often isRead more…
Profile, Cross Lutheran Church, part 2: Comments
See also Part 1 of this profile. Part 2: Comments from participants at Cross About the Network class: “The process was negative to me in the beginning. Why did I have to go to classes? I was LCMS! I kindaRead more…
Profile of an Equipping Church: Cross Lutheran Church, Yorkville, Illinois
Cross Lutheran equips saints for service by providing many avenues to connect people to serving opportunities, and by emphasizing discipleship-faith in action-rather than membership. Connecting opportunities are coordinated by: Mary Pat Bretthauer, Director of Connect Ministries; [email protected] Her responsibilities: TheRead more…
Lessons of a Book Bee
“I was surprised by large numbers of people who thanked me for letting them be part of this. People want to serve. We [in the church] don’t always describe a clear connection for volunteers between their task and serving GodRead more…
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