3 Faith-Based Volunteer Opportunities For Young Women

This guest post was provided by Esther Press.

From Sunday morning greeters to worship leaders to the tech team, it takes many helping hands to run a church. And with limited budgets, most churches depend on the service of volunteers to fill these roles.

Since women make up the majority of volunteers in the US, your church may be interested in finding faith-based volunteer opportunities for the young women in your church. Let’s explore three sources of volunteer work that can benefit your congregation, volunteers, and your community!

Church volunteering

Opportunities to serve the church can help the congregation in many ways, but volunteerism isn’t only beneficial to the church. In fact, research shows that volunteering nurtures relationships and provides a sense of purpose for volunteers, among other benefits.

The young women in your church can tap into these benefits by serving your church directly, which helps them strengthen relationships with other congregation members, deepen their faith, and lead by example. Depending on their skills and interests, they might volunteer to fill the following roles:

• Bible study leader: Your church may host various Bible studies to allow smaller groups of congregants to better understand Scripture. If any young woman feels called to lead a Bible study group, encourage her interest and support her as she launches one! Recommend women she can partner with and point her to relevant resources to guide her Bible-backed planning. According to Esther Press, the right women’s Bible study will have a strong, biblical foundation, a clear explanation of scripture, and a relevant application to women’s lives.

• Greeter: Recruit volunteers to greet church members as they arrive for each Sunday service. These volunteers may pass out pamphlets with sermon notes and church information, help families find their seats before the service starts, or man an information desk with more resources about getting involved with the church for newcomers.

• Choir or worship leader: Beautiful singing voices, knowledge of musical instruments, and the confidence to stand on a stage are all important qualities when leading people in praise and worship. If the young women in your church exhibit these qualities and express an interest, encourage them to join the choir or worship team. Volunteers can participate in the choir or lead worship on Sunday mornings, as well as at any other gatherings that include a time for praise and worship.

As members of your church, young women will likely be comfortable volunteering for the roles that support your congregation, even if they don’t volunteer for other organizations. This experience could later motivate them to volunteer for other organizations or to deepen their commitment to your church by serving in different ways in the future.

With such a wide variety of roles, your church may need a dedicated volunteer program to manage all the different tasks your volunteers are in charge of. Delegate volunteer management to a trusted individual in your church’s leadership and encourage them to track volunteer activity, such as what each volunteer is responsible for and where more volunteers might be needed. This enables your church to provide a positive volunteer experience for those who help out.

Women’s ministry volunteerism

While there are plenty of opportunities for young women to serve your church as a whole, volunteerism within your women’s ministry may appeal to them more because of the chance to serve and grow with their sisters in Christ.

Your ministry may include strictly the women in your church or women from churches all over your community. No matter how it’s structured, volunteering for this program can help women build relationships with like-minded believers through roles such as:

• Event hosting: Recruit young women to fill various roles at a women’s ministry event, such as running the check-in desk or passing out food. Try to recruit women who have already attended such an event to ensure you get a team of volunteers who are truly passionate about the event’s purpose. For example, after attending a Christian women’s conference, a volunteer might be eager to help make the event happen for someone else, especially if it made a significant impact in their lives.

• Mentorship: Pair women volunteers with younger women and start a mentorship program. The mentee can facilitate meeting times and methods, and the pair can discuss anything relevant to the mentee’s life from a faith-based perspective. For example, a college student might mentor a high schooler, helping her navigate dating, grades, and college applications while putting her faith first.

• Marketing: Outreach is essential to your ministry, and the social media-savvy women in your congregation can help get the word out by marketing your ministry! Recruit volunteers to manage social media accounts, website pages, and other women’s ministry communications by crafting messages and designing visually appealing promotional materials.

Volunteers can also be impacted by the lessons and teaching materials they use when leading women’s ministry opportunities. This means they won’t just be making a difference for other women in your church, but can be personally impacted by their volunteer roles.

Community volunteer roles

While volunteerism for your church or ministry is important, going beyond the church walls to serve the community is crucial to your outreach efforts. Create volunteer opportunities that serve the community in various ways, either as a church initiative or by partnering with a local nonprofit.

For example, your volunteers could run a fundraiser to raise money for a nonprofit’s cause. Or, recruit volunteers to pass out meals to people experiencing homelessness in your community. To further minister to others, your church could provide Christian books to include with the meals that volunteers pass out. This might open an opportunity to discuss the book, pray for the recipients, and invite people to your church.

Remember to show appreciation for your volunteers as they give their free time to serve your church’s mission. Fundraising Letters recommends using physical gifts, thank-you letters, phone calls, and other meaningful methods to show your gratitude for their hard work.

Also, keep an open mind to the different types of volunteer opportunities your church members are interested in. For example, you may not have a designated team to talk to newcomers about the church and membership. If a member wants to develop a program to fill this need, keep an open mind to their ideas and encourage their willingness to serve! This way, you’ll empower congregants to serve your church using their unique ideas and skill sets.