It's more than a handshake

As I sat in a meeting at church the other evening we began discussing the roles of volunteers for an upcoming event. I suggested to the group that we should try and do immediate followup after they expressed interest, to say "thank you" for wanting to be involved. And as I left that meeting I began to think about how we tend to abuse the volunteers in our churches.

Lets be real church volunteers are the main reason many churches survive and thrive. The time and dedication they give,Volunteer burnout is a real thing. Type those two words into google and you will find articles, blog posts, and even "open letters" to leaders. Many people will always say "yes" and others truly have a heart to volunteer but as leaders we sometimes fail to put systems in place to make volunteering efficient, to be clear of our expectations, and to honor the fact that the Church (as institution) should not be an individuals entire life.

A friend of mine once said "as the church we are called to be stewards of peoples finances and their time." When we as the beloved community forgot to practice radical hospitality we run the risk of pushing people far, far away, we run the risk of creating resentment in dedicated people, we run the risk of forgetting to nurture the gifts and graces of the individual to fulfill an end goal.

"“Radical hospitality” requires intentional invitation and welcome. It goes beyond greeters at the door and handshakes during worship to welcome every person as an honored guest. Certainly, being a “friendly” church is good. But being in ministry in a confused and hurting world calls for “radical hospitality,” which breathes our core value: people are important to God and to this church."¹ 

We create a disservice when our welcoming efforts are solely focused on visitors. To be truly hospitable is to get to know the people you are welcoming. When my best friend comes to visit I know she gets cold easily so I make sure to leave her extra blankets, I anticipate a need because I know her. When I  was growing up we had three different individuals at church who used the large print bulletin and hymnal. All of the ushers were trained to have those ready for these individuals, as well as pay attention during the service to anyone else struggling to read the print in the bulletin or hymnal so they could try and swap it out for the large print version. Their training allowed for them to meet the need of an individual and to be on the lookout for ways to be inclusive to those who walked in Sunday morning.

Granted no system is perfect and sometime people slip through the cracks, yet the culture of the community shifted to provide moments of welcome in other aspects, to pay attention. If you come to my home church during our biannual Cantatas you will see a row of singers sitting in front of those on the risers. They want to be a part of this awesome ministry but can't stand for extended periods. By finding ways to accommodate we say to them "we want you here" and we say to those who see them minister "truly anyone is welcome".

So what does radical hospitality look like for volunteers in the church? It means that we get to know these individuals personally. It means that we attempt to use people for their gifts and graces, not because they are a warm body who said yes.

I think we need to be able to answer the following as we look to utilizing volunteers:

1. Are you prepared: Have those in charge been trained and empowered to be transformational leaders not transactional leaders?
2. Are you clear: Are the tasks and expectations for their completion clearly stated to the volunteers?
3. Are you strategic: Has space been created so varying needs can be met? (i.e. childcare for parents, low impact tasks for those with mobility issues, dietary restrictions considered for those with health and medical issues)
4. Are you intentional: Is their a followup structure in place for post volunteering? (i.e. thank you notes, certificate, appreciation dinner)

There are other questions, I dont deny it, but using these as a general framework allows us to actively engage people in church life and church work. It allows us to be places of radical hospitality. It allows are interactions to be more that a handshake during the passing of the peace.

1 http://www.umcom.org/learn/is-it-time-to-move-from-friendly-to-radical-hospitality^↩