Rather than the usual monthly frequency, my plan is to send tthis and the next three Equipping newsletters weekly, April 7 through April 28. They will feature a series of articles on the benefits and the practicalities of 'upping' our everyday serving; not by doing more but by being more intentional, more joyful, more impactful and more faith-full in what we're already doing. As always, I love to hear what you think. Use 'Leave a Reply' at the article's end, or use the 'comment' link at the right. Let's help each other serve!
More Intentional (& Less Crazy) Everyday Serving
Ever feel like you’re too busy? Frazzled by all your responsibilities at home and work? Many of us do. It’s the reality that keeps many of us from volunteering, from giving back, from serving others as much as we’d like to if we didn’t have all this other stuff going on. And for church staff, it’s the frustrating reality they face as programs suffer for lack of volunteers.
But in truth, most of what we do is already serving, because attending to the needs of others is serving. . . .
Seeing our activity as serving doesn’t by itself solve the busyness and frustration. But growing in our everyday serving can and does make things better. Read more.
How I came to talk of 'Better' rather than 'More' Serving
When we talk about serving, it’s almost always about “more” serving — its quantity. As volunteers retire, leaders need to replace them with more volunteers. People in the pews generally think about serving in “more” terms also. Can I add something more to my plate? Do I have time for this additional task? When people decline an invitation to serve, most often the reason is quantity: I don’t have enough time.
What if instead we considered the quality of our serving – the “better”? . . .
I began wrestling with that question personally when my years as a caregiver ended in late 2019. I had more time and there were many choices, so I began wondering what would be “better” serving for me and why. When the covid pandemic began a few months later, and much of our usual church volunteer activity suddenly ceased, I realized that while we’d worked to equip people to serve well in the church, we’d never considered what serving well looked like in everyday life.
Who do you know who struggles with recruiting volunteers? Who do you know who dreams of volunteers being mobilized within and beyond the church for transforming people and communities? Who is 'pushing' you to beat the bushes to compel people to fill volunteer slots? Pass this newsletter along to them and recommend TheEquipper.org. Then ask them what they think, share your mutual visions and agree on one small step you can each take toward that vision.
Who do you know who is leading healthy church volunteerism? Who is putting these ideas into practice, withinn or beyond your church? Who seems to 'get it'? I'd love for you to share my newsletter and website with them. I'm also interested in interviewing people, both staff and volunteers, who are helping people serve where God has gifted and called them to serve. I'm also interested in ways church volunteerism people can support and encourage each other. If they're willing, share their name and contact info with me here.
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The Equipper Newsletter