This week more than 10,000 church and business leaders are gathering in the Atlanta, Georgia for two inspirational days that brings together a community of change makers.
What a privilege and joy to be sharing the stage with Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Brene Brown, Erwin McManus, Scott Harrison, and so many other insightful speakers as we unlock what it means to Awaken to Wonder.
If you’re at Catalyst I’d love to see you! I’ll be teaching two labs on Wednesday and be on main stage at 3:30pm on Thursday.
But in the meantime, I want to share some resources with you that will help you as you serve and lead at church.
The first is from my friend Brad Lomenick, author of The Catalyst Leader.
His book, H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle makes the case for leaders to push for the next level of leadership by sharing in vulnerable ways what he has learned along the way.
The second is from my friends Leith Anderson and Jill Fox who have written the combo: Volunteering: A Guide to Serving in the Body of Christ and The Volunteer Church: Mobilizing Your Congregation for Growth and Effectiveness.
These resources are designed to help your church:
- Effectively recruit and train volunteers
- Build sustainable, long-lasting ministries led by volunteers
- Find the right area of service for each willing volunteer
- and more.
The third is Mark Batterson’s If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities.
Mark and I have been friends for many years and it’s been a joy to see his writing career explode. His latest book nurtures his trademark inspirational style that will help you dream God-sized dreams.
To enter to win these resources, simply respond to the following question on this blog post:Â
What do you enjoy most about serving your church?
Congratulations to our winner, Michael Collins, Patrick, and Jeanette!
The thing I love most about serving is turning around someone’s already stressful day. That’s where I realize the value & power of a kind word.
I love serving the children and families at our church. It brings such great joy to know I have the honor of impacting future generations. Greatest place to serve in the church!!
Watching how women grow closer to God, start really reading their Bibles and listening to what God is saying to them. Credible change from God.
Blessings,
Janis
Having served in children’s ministry foe years, I get the chance to connect with many of the kids who gave grown up and are growing up. It’s amazing to see how God is leading them. Foremost is the growth in my own kids.
I love getting to know the other members and I love working with the children as they grow in their walk in Christ.
My favorite part of serving at my church is doing it alongside other people. I love having a culture of discipleship and always doing things together even if sometimes it’s easier to do a task alone. This allows me to teach or be taught by another believer and I love that!
I love serving with my church in our community. It stretched us and yet binds us together in a way like no other platform.
I’ve been in ministry for 25 years and have been serving at my current church for the past 14 years. And the one thing I love about serving here is the people. I love seeing so many of them be involved in various ways which helps them grow in their own relationship with Christ.
I love serving in our Tech ministry because we are behind the scenes but still impact those attending through lighting, graphics, and audio. The best compliment we can ever receive is “No comment!”
I love the way we are all clearly connected and the joy that’s over flowing as everyone does whatever it is they’re doing. They’re own little part. It’s so special the way God made us that way. So, yes! When we volunteer it’s contagious joy all around…no matter what we’re there for.
I love working with the youth at our church. I get to play and be serious with my students and hopefully I provide a safe environment for them to be themselves and get a greater understanding of who they are in Christ.
Hello,
This would be perfect,I just became a leader at church and ministry director.!!!
Serving is where my passion and purpose intersect. As a volunteer and leader, serving in my church is a way for me to be part of creating and experiencing community within the Body.
What I love most about serving in my church is being able to see the change and transformation in women (and some men too) who have faced unbelievably difficult circumstances both through my NightLight street ministry to women of the streets and through my women’s bible study classes. To be given the honor of being a witness to God’s handiwork is amazing.
I love the opportunity to get to know people through life situations, represent Christ to our community and give hope to a world that needs it so badly!
I LOVE serving my church in any way possible!!! I love serving through MOPS, adult discipleship, divorce recovery, singles ministry, missions ministry, children and youth ministries, and many more.
What I love most about serving at my church is getting opportunities to do things I would not ever be able to do anywhere else. I run sound, I write plays, commercials and bulletin letters, and I get to work with and get to know so many other amazing and talented people.
I love helping students understand the love and grace that is extended to us through Jesus. I love seeing servant leaders serving the body of Christ.
The thing that I enjoy most about serving my church is being part of and witnessing the members’ growth in a lot of aspects. It gets me teary eyed whenever I look back at their first years as Christians, and looking at them now… It overwhelms me big time! Only God can transform people, but I’m glad and grateful to be part of it. <3
I love seeing God work in the lives of his people, starting with my life! Serving also increases my faith and hope (in Christ) as I see the homeless get fed, the unchurched reached, lives change, and God’s Kingdom multiplying.
I love seeing lives changed, the lost found, the blind to see, the lame to walk, leap and praise God!
The thing I enjoy most about serving my church is that it helps to unite the believers and we become a family as God intended. If believers across the world were united our impact could be so much greater.
I love serving with Gods people, equipping them for the role and seeing them flourish as they serve!
I love seeing how my church is changing the community we are a part of. Being a part of that change is so rewarding. And growing in the simplicity of kindness, seeing the truth that kindness changes things!
I love serving because, as God’s child, it makes me feel I am useful to Him in His service. Many years ago I was in the military and He has used that as an analogy in my life…where once I was in THE service, now I am in His service. I get to serve alongside Him and under His authority, seeing the domain of darkness pushed back and the Kingdom of His Beloved Son advance (Colossians 1:13). It’s exciting to me that I get to see the battle for souls up close and personal and I get to rejoice in the victories.
To share with children the wonder that Christ is and to teach them to keep the wonder alive in their story that God is writing through them…
I have the honor and privilege of serving as the lead pastor of our church. My favorite part is being able to see God turn lives around every week and to connect people to Christ and to one another. I love to see people find God’s place for them and watch them bloom into the people He has created them to be!
Putting flesh and blood on the “hands and feet” I keep reading about in the Bible! Saying yes to this totally accessible miracle is my fa-vorite thing about serving my church. I get to practice humility, selflessness, forgiviness, kindness, trust, and love in a still challenging (yet safe) place before taking it to the world.
I really enjoy serving our small church and our community alongside like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. We encourage togetherness as we grow in faith and knowledge to share the Word boldly and glorify God.
I love coming alongside other members of the body of Christ. It is a sweet form of fellowship to serve others for Him.
I really enjoy the process of learning alongside men and women as we all strengthen our relationship with Jesus. I enjoy BEING with my church family and serving them is life-giving; not a joy-sucker.
The thing that I like most about serving the church community is how it encourages me, even when I feel empty. I can show up to do “my thing”, feeling tired from the day, sometimes frustrated with what I am facing, and even on the rare occasion, not wanting to be there. But God always fills me up once I have spent time with other believers because although I may be serving others, they in fact end up serving me.
The joy in seeing others grow up in Christ!
The thing I love about serving in the church is that it isn’t me that I am serving. Meaning my self righteousness, my ego, my own baggage. I don’t serve the members either, they receive what I do. But ultimately I love serving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They use me, broken creature that I am and use me to serve others. That is a VERY POWERFUL and profound opportunity of service!!!!
My favorite thing about serving at church is being with and working alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love serving in the Children’s Ministry because there is nothing sweeter than child-like faith. I feel closer to Christ every week because of the amazing kiddos in our church.
I love being able to love others the way that I was first loved by serving them. Serving makes my heart overflow! <3
What I enjoy most about serving my church is seeing lives transformed and changed by the power of Jesus and to know He is using me to be a small part of that.
Being able to serve in church is a tangible way to use the talents that God has equipped me with.
Loving on people, being loved on by God’s people and growing in the Lord together. That’s what it is all about: Sharing God’s love with others whoever they are, wherever they come from; seeing others come to Christ and grow in their faith; and walking this road of life together!
I love serving in my women’s ministry because I get to meet so many beautiful ladies that have different paths yet we have one main thing in common, we get to talk about Jesus and pray with each other
I have served in whatever church I have been a part of for over 30 years. I must say, in the beginning, I was serving for all the wrong reasons. I became the ‘yes servant’, seeking affirmation and approval from those I served. Thankfully, after confessing burn-out and emptiness, I was nurtured by some very wise women leaders through God’s Word to reveal His true desire for those who serve Him. I learned that when I said ‘yes’ because I was able, not because I was called, I stole the opportunity for service from others. I learned that I found balance in serving out of the giftedness and passions given to me for that purpose. I learned to serve out of the overflow of all that God has done in me. Now I am learning to dream again and let God direct me for those ‘what if’ possibilities in His strength, not my own strength.
What I enjoy most about serving in my church is knowing I’m spending my time, talents, and efforts to glorify the Lord! No matter what task, no matter how small, all service in the church should be done for His glory. That alone is sufficient enough to keep me serving with a joyful and happy heart.
People.
I love serving in my church by teaching the children about God and His love.
I enjoy serving my church because so many around me don’t or won’t. I cherish the moments when we’re making even a small difference and some start growing in God. I cheer when one “escapes” the family lifestyle they grew up in. It gives me Hope.
Serving the local church is an opportunity to walk through life with one hand clinging to God and the other clinging to people. You experience the highs and lows of life together, all while experience the grace and love of God in new and powerful ways! What better way is there to spend your life!
I think I probably love serving my church the most because it feels like time well-spent. Not wasted. No matter how menial the thing you do, you still know God will bless it in ways you’ll probably never see. Not a moment ends up in waste! Can’t say that about all the other minutes of my day!
I love when women finally get how much God loves them and how much he gave for them that it’s so much more than attending things. He longs for continuous fellowship with us. To see their faces light up and their lives change makes everything worth it.
I love watching people discover deeper truths about God. I love it when I can help ignite a spark or fan a flame that burns for more of God and less of self. Lead to true worship of GOD
There are many things I love about serving our church family, but the one thing that means the most is being open with a humble heart and available to the call of the Holy Spirit to listen and pray with others.
I love serving my church because I enjoy creating a welcoming atmosphere for members and guests. I enjoy getting to know the people I worship with so I serve.
We were discussing this at dinner last night, as a family. One of the responses was “I have 25 grandmothers”. That truly expresses the family we have been blessed with in our congregation.
As the mother of children who do set up, take down, worship band (and its practices), help in children’s church and Sunday school, youth group, sun evening worship when no one else shows up, I am thankful that they WANT to be there, they enjoy serving and are so lovely about it.
That I am ultimately serving our Lord and Savior
I love the sense of family we have in our church and how welcoming everyone is to newcomers.
The best thing about serving your church is the amount that you personally grow and develop. The areas of my life where I’ve grown closer to Christ is when I’m serving. In some instances the people you go to serve, end up serving you or challenge you. Super humbling and encouraging.
What I love most about serving in church is everything about serving! Loving on people, meeting new people, being the hands and feet of Christ, sharing my own faith with others, hearing faith stories which in turn encourages me, pouring myself out that I may be filled with the Holy Spirit! Most of all I feel the pleasure of God when serving.
So many reasons…I’ll pick three! Bringing glory to God, helping people connect with others and seeing folks grow in their faith.
I love getting to talk to so many people. I chat online during our online campus and greet people in all walks of faith. I love hearing their stories and getting to pray for people.
I love that serving in my church connects me with my church family. It’s real and personal; we see each other’s fine moments and frustrations.
Equipping people to love and live well, fully surrendered to Jesus. Having a front seat view in the redemptive work of God in folks lives is a gift and a privilege.
I love working with our youth. I have grown so many relationships with teens girls that even as they graduate and move on to college Im still heavily involved in their lives and they know they can come to me with anything. Its awesome watching them figure out who they are especially when they figure out who God is calling them to be 🙂
Looking forward to hearing you at Catalyst! The thing I enjoy most is partnering with God to bring real change in people’s lives. We get to be Galatians 6:2 in action, bearing each other’s burdens and in doing so, fulfill the law and will of Christ.
I LOVE my church! The thing I LOVE the most is working in our church’s preschool and being able to walk into our classrooms and see how our teachers lovingly and persistently pour their lives into those little ones that walk through our doors every day. THEN-I am blessed to serve in our Monday night Women’s Bible Study and see those women grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some of those ladies are parents and staff at the preschool. It is THRILLING to see discipleship in action!!!!
The thing I enjoy most about being a senior pastor is seeing transformation take place in the lives of people in and outside the church.
Being a blessing! Transformation! Encouraging others. Calling out the gold in others! Instilling hope!
After 22 years of service in the local church, the thing I love the most is watching the family trees grow new limbs. I love it when I am able to invest in someone’s life and watch them grow to the point they begin investing in the lives of others. I love watching my small group leaders reproduce themselves in others and watching their influence grow. It’s the heart of making disciples – nothing is more exciting!
Soooooooo hard to say what I enjoy most!! So many things. Sharing Jesus with others, worshiping together, watching lives being transformed by His love and grace, leading women’s Bible study, serving at funeral luncheons, praying together is soooooo powerful. But selfishly – it’s the Fellowship. Fellowship with the Body of Christ is FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH GOD!!
I like serving in my church because in families, everyone lends a hand and they are my family. My mom used to say “many hands make light work.” 🙂
I think it would be tough to choose because serving in the local church provides so much variety for involvement. But, I would have to say seeing people impacted by the gospel.
I’m an instructor by night, and serve the church by day. Because of my background as an instructor, I understand what it means to look at a semester and feel the pressure to cram a particular amount of material into the time we have each week. Every so often, we have these priceless moments in class when I am privileged to witness learning at it’s finest: newly acquired knowledge being put into use in practice ways. Sometimes, I don’t always notice what is happening in front of me. Often, I realize we’re having one of these moments because I start to get impatient that I’m not getting through the chapter fast enough, or feel like I’m wasting too much time on a project. And then I stop and listen to what is happening around me; students are engaging with the material and with each other. This is a win. This is why we have a text book; not for the purpose of dutifully going through the whole thing without any real-world application. The point is for real-world connection with language to happen, and for it to be organic.
This applies to the time I spend serving in our community. We can have all the programs and schedules in the world and run them smoothly, but at the end of the day, it’s not about programs or numbers: It’s about nurturing others into having an authentic and meaningful relationship with Christ that drives the heart of everything else they do in life.
Leading people into these types of meaningful connections with Christ is the most enjoyable part of serving in the house for me.
Honestly, I find joy in serving only as (and increasingly so) I find more joy in Him and start to see serving in a different light. For the recovering legalist, this is so important. I don’t have to do all, but I will do what He has gifted me to with joy.
The people we serve
What I love about serving my church is having the opportunity to be a part of the living, breathing, moving body of Christ. I get the chance to be a part of the gifts, talents, struggles, messiness, love, and hospitality of the Church. Nothing is greater than that!
What I enjoy most about serving the Body is that I know I’m doing His will. Although I battle a chronic illness and can’t be as involved as I’d like, I am energized by serving others.
I love serving the preschool children and their families at church. I get to show the love of Jesus to little ones and join in the foundational building of their faith journey. I get to serve parents/grandparents/etc by providing a loving and caring environment for their children so that they can go and be spiritually fed and equipped. It truly is a joy and a blessing. Never once have I regretted the decision to serve in this ministry. 🙂
Serving is a privilege and joy. I love being able to meet people where they are and encouraging them! Being able to pour into people is fun, uplifting and can be a game changer. You never know what God can do through serving!
The transformation one has after receiving the Spirit of Christ
I love watching people being transformed into the person God is leading them to be. It is not my job to change them, but by serving them, I am a tool that God uses to be in that moment wherever they may be in their lives. I am humbled that he chooses to use me. God is good!!
Doing life together and watching lives be transformed – theirs as well as mine. Growing closer to each other as we grow closer to God.
I enjoying helping students discover how Scripture’s timeless truths are applicable to their daily lives.
The thing I love most about serving God’s church is helping people discover who God has made and gifted them to be.
That is a hard question. If I am being completely honest and straightforward I would have to say that sometimes serving in the church is just another obligation. I have filled many roles in my church career and not all of them have been rewarding to me. Sometimes when I am working in an area I am gifted in, I am completely filled with joy as I serve. But what I am learning is that both are obedience and God will use it!!
Missed Catalyst this year. So wanted to be there. Hope you and Leif and Hersey are doing well.
I teach pre-school Sunday School and the most rewarding thing is to see the stories\lessons come alive in their minds. For them to be able to answer questions about lessons from memory ensures that the lessons have been saved to their memory.
The women I meet. The prayer requests that show me where God is helping and healing. The praises and “joy bombs” shared that show what He is up to in our lives. Giggly coffee dates with new ladies. Reading new material as I try and guess what God wants us to do next (and hopefully reveals to me before the church newsletter deadline!!) 🙂
The absolute best part of Church leadership is being able to bring folks to that moment when you can see in their eyes that they grasp – maybe for the first time or the 1000th time – that they are beloved of the King.
One of the ways I serve at FUMC Joshua is co-teaching three adult studies each week. We have two sessions every Wednesday and one on Sunday morning. I’ve witnessed some of the struggles this church has had in the past few years and I have seen the revitalization as well. It is a blessing to be part of a faithful, nurturing, growing family of believers who are engaged in faith development and learning to serve others by being Christ’s hands and feet in the world.