In the church tech and production, we empower volunteers to have an impact on the worship experience with expensive AV equipment. But we may shy away from challenging them in real, tangible ways to serve outside the box. When volunteers become complacent, fearful of making a mistake, or simply don’t believe they are allowed to make choices, they miss opportunities to:
- Display radical hospitality
- Experience Kingdom wins for themselves
- Know that they are making a difference.
But it’s easy to find ourselves in the rut and routine of serving. You know how it goes. You walk in. You know where you’re supposed to stand or go. You arrive before the lights are on and it seems like you are not seen. Many volunteers in the tech area like “not being seen.” But trust me, we see you.
Serving behind the scenes with sound, video, lighting or anything technical can be a lonely and stressful place. If you do everything “perfect” or right, no one knows notices you. But make one mistake and the spotlight is white-hot on you. No pressure, right?
Yes, details are critical. But we cannot forget that the whole point of the cool lights, the correct sound level, the talented musicians, and the best camera angle is more than the buttons, faders, and expensive equipment, although they are all pretty cool. It’s about the person in front of you. The one that God may want you to connect with, in real-time, person to person.
We cannot forget who is listening, watching, and processing the information coming at them on any given Sunday. They think they are hidden too.
In 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
There was a war at hand in this passage, so the people’s reliance on God needed to be steadfast. We are at war too. We could be missing the very war happening in the lives of the people, the person, around us.
We don’t know what someone is experiencing.
What if we could make a difference to someone in their distress? Their confusion?
In that situation, the stage was set for ministry. Right?
Here’s a real situation that happened at a church where I was serving in the hospitality ministry. It became a reminder that serving is always about people, not our title, our task, or our post. It offered a valuable lesson that became part of our serving culture. It even resulted in the annual “Get The Ketchup” Award and became our battle cry when serving together.
Ketchup? Yes, ketchup.
I never met anyone afraid of a tiny packet of ketchup until one Saturday. When held hostage by an intimidating cook, a simple request was not worth the trouble or angst to retrieve.
Here’s what happened. At a glance, you see a mom with her two young kids eating their Happy Meals before church. Normal. Typical. Mundane. You don’t know her story, but you can bet she has one. We all do.
The mom asked a volunteer for some ketchup. She explained that they were in a hurry to get to church, so they got burgers at a drive-through and realized there was no ketchup for the french fries.
The volunteer, in a tizzy, related the story, “I went into the kitchen to get the ketchup, but the cook said, ‘No.’ I didn’t want to upset the cook, you know how she runs the kitchen. Now I don’t know what to do!” This volunteer was running on fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of offending a staff person. While all along, missing the very ministry opportunity right in front of him—for a few packets of ketchup.
I turned, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a handful of ketchup packets, and walked them to the volunteer. “Here, you take them to that mom, and if ask if there is anything at all she needed or wanted.”
He returned to me with a huge grin.
I asked, “What did you just learn?”
He stared right at me and with a renewed determination, and he replied, “Get the ketchup.”
This was a turning point for him, our team of volunteers, and myself as I reminded him that when we are in doubt about what to do, we answer the question, “What is the most loving thing to do?” I would always have their back. I would always defend them, even to the “big, bad, kitchen Scrooge.”
I also learned that even though I had cast our vision of the mission, I needed to do more, show more, and be super practical.
Volunteers don’t just perform mundane tasks. Hold a baby. Stand at a door. Push a button. Direct a camera.
Volunteers are the human connection.
But what about serving in the dark? At a camera or behind a sound booth?
You could pray over a five-foot area around your volunteer space.
Yes, pray for people attending. But also, be specific and pray for the person who will walk by you or the person you are serving alongside. There is always an opportunity to display grace, joy, or a simple smile.
God said he is searching the whole earth for us. The faithful in the invisible battles. You may think you are hidden. You are not. A struggling teenager may see you working that cool camera and needs a nod and smile. Are you looking?
There may be someone just checking off the “I went to church” list. Will they experience something more? Something only God could do, through your words, your body language, or your attention to the details.
Here are the lessons I learned:
- Ministry happens between people, not things or events.
- While the stage may be set for ministry, the volunteers have a significant role to make it happen.
- While our surroundings appear to be normal or mundane, we must look for an opportunity to lighten someone’s load. That faithfulness God is looking for in you and me.
- When in doubt, teach volunteers to ask themselves, “What is the most loving thing to do, right now?” Then do that.
- When volunteers mess up or over-reach or miss it, pour out grace and then some more grace.
Oh, and don’t forget to get the ketchup!
