Everyday Equipping: What's Your Score?

You impact volunteerism in your church more than you think. We all do. Even those of us not in a position of authority, with no leadership gifts or inclinations; we influence others. Of course, leaders play a major role in recruiting and retaining church volunteers. But the health of volunteering in your church, for better or worse, is also shaped by ordinary, everyday actions of ordinary, everyday people. (And if you are a leader, your everyday actions either build or diminish your influence.)

The good news: it's easier than you think to be an equipper, someone who invests in people to help them use their gifts in service to their Lord. Maybe you're a better influence than you realize.

Let's see how you're doing as an equipper.

Never Seen Chocolate

1. How often do you see the fruit of your labor at work? at church?
2. Name one thing you can do to help others see the fruit of their volunteerism labor at church.
3. Describe some of the differences between the world of these farmers and the world of the average middle-class North American church member. Describe some similarities.
4. Are there communities in or near your local community where the residents experience a different world than that of the people who worship in your church?
5. What are we as a church doing to bridge the gap between those who are rich in material things and those who are not? What could we, should we be doing?

Recommended reading as you think about equipping alongside vocation and serving in the community:

• Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work by Tim Keller
• The Externally-Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson
• When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor . . . or Youself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Volunteerism Networks