4 Tips for Effectively Leading Church Volunteer Groups

Between your various ministries, community outreach, and hosting services every Sunday, there are many moving parts to your church’s work. And it takes a team effort to make that work possible—much of which is generously volunteered.

If you want your church’s volunteer group to carry out their roles effectively, it’s your responsibility to provide helpful guidance. This can make or break your volunteers’ experience and determine whether you retain their support for future volunteer needs. Plus, supporting those who support your church is simply the right thing to do.

Let’s review the best church volunteer group leadership strategies you can implement today to make the experience fruitful for both your church and your volunteers.

1. Communicate Clearly and Consistently

For volunteers to meet your church’s expectations, they must first know what those expectations are. Clearly lay out volunteers’ roles, schedules, and responsibilities from the start, and communicate any changes over time as they occur.

For example, here are some of the common roles your volunteers may fill and the details you should communicate:

• Women’s Bible study volunteer: While you may leave much of the planning up to the volunteer who chooses to lead your women’s Bible study, don’t be afraid to provide logistical guidance. For example, which women’s Bible study book will the group read together? Where, when, and how often will the group meet?
• Worship team volunteer: Develop a rehearsal schedule for your worship team that all members are comfortable with and make it easily accessible so everyone knows when to arrive. Answer additional questions about participation, such as arriving early, practicing on their own time, or accommodating changes to the song list.
• Children’s ministry volunteer: Prepare children’s ministry volunteers by sharing what age group they’ll work with, the curriculum your church uses, and the tasks they’re responsible for. Propose a schedule for volunteers to review and agree to, such as a commitment to lead children’s groups weekly, once a month, or at another frequency that makes sense for your ministry.

Clear communication is a two-way street. After sharing your expectations for volunteers, remain open to hearing theirs. What do they hope to get out of the volunteer experience? What can your church’s leadership team do to support them in these roles? Encourage open dialogue where your volunteers can share their feedback and then address that feedback where appropriate.

2. Create a Culture of Encouragement and Appreciation

You know your volunteers make your church’s work possible—but do they know that? Volunteers deserve to feel recognized and appreciated for the time and energy they give to help your church.

There are numerous ways you can show your appreciation, including:

• Thank-you letters or eCards
• Impact reports highlighting their accomplishments
• Shout-outs through social media or your website
• Tangible gifts, like goodie bags or books
• Appreciation lunches or dinners

The key to authentic appreciation is not just saying thank you but creating an overall culture of encouragement. When volunteers feel genuinely recognized and supported by your church, they’ll be happier and more motivated in their roles.

3. Provide Training and Support

Think about your church’s volunteers like new staff members at a company. You wouldn’t simply provide a job description and expect the employee to excel from day one—they need an onboarding process to be fully prepared to carry out their roles. In the same way, your church should provide training and support to ensure volunteers are equipped to fill their positions.

Volunteer training should cover:

• An overview of your church’s mission and vision
• Role-specific skills and knowledge
• Safety and security policies
• Team building and communication
• Technology training, such as using curriculum or communication tools

While it’s important to provide training for you volunteers, there’s a key difference between a corporate approach and a faith-based one: your faith. Support your volunteers not just as people who complete tasks for your church, but as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Start a prayer group with the men who volunteer for your church, or share your recommendations for Christian books for women. Ask how they’re doing, not just in their volunteer roles, but in their daily lives. Investing in meaningful relationships with your volunteers strengthens the church community, encourages spiritual growth, and, most importantly, reflects God’s love.

4. Encourage Volunteers to Become Leaders

As volunteers help your church achieve its goals, you should point them toward opportunities to grow. Encourage volunteers to see how their contributions align with your church’s overall mission and invite them to take on other responsibilities or try out different roles.

Here are some tips for offering these opportunities to volunteers:

• Align opportunities with volunteer interests and strengths: Offer personalized opportunities that would be fruitful for both your church and the volunteer. For example, does your church need help finding and implementing accounting software? Perhaps a volunteer with a background in accounting would be excited to offer their advice.
• Share the impact of increased involvement: While your church can see the bigger picture, volunteers may not know all your church’s needs. It’s up to you to show them how taking on additional roles or leadership responsibilities could be beneficial and to see if they’d be interested.
• Be open to rejection: Some volunteers find their current roles fulfilling. Others are busy or overwhelmed and want to lessen their workloads. Regardless of the reason, some volunteers won’t be interested in taking on leadership positions, and that’s okay! Respect whatever level of involvement they want to maintain.

Also, make volunteers feel welcome to share their input. Volunteers are at the forefront of your church’s work, so they have a valuable perspective of what your ministries need. Take their ideas into consideration and invite them to recommend assignments or responsibilities that would be helpful.

Your church’s volunteers can only be effective if your leadership approach sets them up for success. With the right leadership tactics, you’ll make your church’s volunteer groups beneficial for everyone involved.