The church is the body of Christ, made up of different people with different callings. Within it, many volunteers step up with various skills, ready to serve God—a true work of art by the Creator. Yet while this may sound simple, working with volunteers in the church can feel overwhelming.

It takes good volunteer coordination and often brings headaches that keep you from enjoying your work or doing it with satisfaction and fulfillment. Still, there must be a way to have a well-organized program, with enough people, everything on point, and to end with a heart full of joy for having served the supreme God.

Why Volunteers Matter (Visible & Behind the Scenes)

For every church service, we need to work together—and that involves many people—because church volunteer roles and responsibilities are numerous:

• Welcome Team

• Media department

• Preachers

• Worship band, etc

Some volunteers are noticed by everyone, such as those who sing or preach; others serve in ways that are less visible but greatly needed, such as those in logistics or those who prayed for hours in advance for a program filled with the abundance of Christ.

You’d think everything should go smoothly, but volunteers are people, and things often arise that threaten good organization. As a community in Christ, we must work together. This raises a key question for those who organize a service—both department leaders and those responsible for making the whole gathering a praise to God:

How can we make everything run more efficiently, with less struggle, so that people go home filled with Him, and volunteers leave with hearts full of joy for having served through Him?

Managing church volunteers is a real adventure for leaders, so here are some practical and spiritual suggestions:

Build a culture of service

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" - Matthew 20:28

Be an example—a servant ready to serve with love and passion for Christ. Talk with your team; challenge them to live responsibly for Christ. Church volunteers have roles and responsibilities, but the most important thing is a heart of worship.

What motivates your team members? To be seen? To receive praise? To have something to do because they’re bored or because their parents insist? Help them set healthy principles rooted in the Word, and guide them to a living desire to truly serve God.

Create a Family, Not Just a Team

More than a team, we are brothers and sisters in Christ—but we often forget this. Your role as a leader is to unite people. Identify their strengths and place them in key roles.

They also need to know you personally. We know this takes time, but it’s important. Meet with them; invite them to your home for dinner. Create gatherings that unite you—moments to get to know one another, sing, and pray together. People who walk together through valleys and over mountaintops will serve together more effectively, and their service will have greater impact.

Practical Leadership Tips

Communicate clearly

• Tell them in advance what they need to do, when, how often, and what your expectations are.

Make room for questions and suggestions

• Don’t just give orders. Be a listener. Ask what they think. At times, you can even rotate roles to build mutual respect and help everyone see that each task—large or small—matters.

• Here you can find a really useful guide on how to gather feedback in your team

Pay attention to team availability

• As a leader, track people’s availability and let them know when you need them, so they can plan. If someone can’t come, they should let you know quickly so you can find a replacement.

• Tracking schedules also helps prevent burnout. Some people are easier to rely on, but they also need to refill their vessels—time with God and simple rest.

Coordinate With a Volunteer Scheduling App (OnStage)

Now the question returns: How can I do all this without overwhelming myself?

What I recommend to leaders who ask me is an app called OnStage — a great volunteer management software. Why juggle bits of information everywhere when you can keep it all in one place? This app has helped me and my team become much more organized. Here are some useful features for working with volunteers:

Availability Tracking

• See who can come and divide responsibilities more easily. For example, in a worship band, you’ll know how many sopranos or altos you have, so you can plan suitable parts.

Personalized Access

• As a leader, you can give each volunteer the level of access they need, ensuring everyone does exactly what they’re responsible for—no more, no less.

Department Management

• Each department can customize meetings/rehearsals, set the needed number of people, and plan activities.

Program Summary

• All volunteers can gather around one shared plan so everyone knows what’s next and when. You can also export the schedule as a PDF to share.

  
  

Volunteer work in the church is essential and indispensable. Each of us has a place, and we need solid organization from our leaders. That’s why I recommend OnStage—an app ready to partner with you in ministry so you can offer excellent service to God, connect volunteers with one another, and bless the Church.