As any church can attest, Easter and Christmas are some of the most important services for volunteers. And sometimes, because of the holidays, it can be tough to get volunteers involved. The Oaks Fellowship had a few strategic things they implemented and have been doing for a few years to make volunteers an asset to their services, and not a stress point.
Even though they added two extra Saturday services along with an Egg Hunt on Saturday, they were able to make it happen.
Getting and Motivating Volunteers
Over the last few years, they?ve switched their mentality about volunteers. Previously, they?d had discussions like: ?Easter is coming. How will we get volunteers here?? But now they?ve had a shift in their approach. It?s no longer about filling spots. It?s now about sharing the vision of the exciting things that will be happening during Easter, and then asking, ?Who?s in??
They focus on equipping volunteers to do the work of the ministry. They merely give them the opportunity and then push them forward.
And to compensate for the extra serving opportunities, they?ve changed their language. They?ve started saying, ?Attend one, and then serve as many as you can.? They word that in emails, videos, and from stage. That helps them stretch a little bit.
Once their pastor says those words from the stage, they follow it up with emails. They?ve found it?s easier when it comes from the top.
Then during the serving times, they beef up their volunteer room with donuts and extra stuff to make it an extra enjoyable time of serving for the volunteers.
Strategically, they?ve also begun doing volunteer pushes a couple of months before Easter and Christmas. This gives them time to get them through the pipeline and properly trained.
Training, of course, also happens strategically at the right time to get new volunteers oriented and their current volunteers up to speed. They plan regular training a month before these events to get them excited.
And finally, one small thing they?ve done for volunteers has been a big thing in getting a great group dynamic. For all volunteers at their church, they?ve ordered blue shirts that say ?here to serve? on them. While it?s a little thing, it?s been impressive to see the unifying factor it?s created for volunteers who see their counterparts scattered around the lobby and service. It gives them a sense that they are part of a winning team.
The Extra Volunteers Needed
On top of the extra services, they also held the Easter egg hunt on Saturday. This was a separate event that needed its own round of volunteers.
Fortunately, their youth group has become accustomed to stepping in and picking up the slack on extra events like these. They stepped in and were a massive help in orchestrating the volunteers needed for the Easter egg hunt before the Saturday?services.
The Run-Through
Finally, one of the best things they?ve done to get volunteers geared up is during their tech run-through of these big services.
They invite all of their volunteers to the run-through so they can get a taste of what to expect at the special services like Easter and Christmas. This turns the run-through into not just a tech rehearsal, but actually a performance ready service that lets the volunteers get a taste of the actual service. Then Pastor Scott uses the message portion of the run-through to get the volunteers hyped up about the services to follow. It turns into more of a rally for volunteers?especially for those in the kids ministry that might get to enjoy the service less than others.
They even have giveaways and fun stuff during the rally. Then they host an after party for the volunteers to really kick off the event. They order special foods, string lights around?they really transform the space to get the volunteers excited for the weekend.
These are some of the key ways to get volunteers ready and geared up about welcoming all of the new people who will be coming in for Easter.
