Greeter teams have waiting lists; the 7am parking lot in January does not. Asking what nobody volunteers for and then volunteering for it is about the most encouraging sentence a church staffer ever hears.
Take the Job with No Wait List
Ask a staff member which volunteer role they can never fill — sound booth, parking lot, toddler room, early coffee — and take that one, for a year.
What you'll need
- One honest question to a staff member
- Twelve months of showing up for the unglamorous answer
What to say
"Which team do you lie awake trying to staff? That's the one I want to join — and I'll commit through next summer."
Pitfalls
- Commit to a term, not a tryout. The chronic gaps are chronic because people sample and drift.
- Take the training seriously; the sound board and the toddler room both have real learning curves.
- Don't switch to a shinier team in month three. The whole gift is staying.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. — 1 Peter 4:10