Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (1 Corinthians 12. 4- 11)
Each person has gifts through which the church becomes a gift to others
Whether they are handing out hymn books, teaching in Sunday school, or running the audio-visual system during services, volunteers are a gift to your church. Through giving their time and talents to perform essential tasks year-round, they expand your church’s capacity to serve and share the life of your church with others.
Clearly, the key to a good church volunteer team is not only finding enough volunteers to fill all your open roles but also keeping them engaged once they start volunteering. Having a clearly defined role description can help here. Include all information volunteers need to know, such as:
- The role’s title and key responsibilities
- The expected date and time commitment
- Who in your congregation can volunteer in this way (for example, is the position reserved for those aged 18 or over, or can young people also participate)?
- A link to your online signup form (if appropriate/feasible)
Initial Conversation
Before confirming a volunteer, it is of course important to establish that they are suitable for the role. An initial conversation might cover:
• Why have they put themselves forward as volunteers?
• What have they been doing in the last couple of years?
• What they would like to gain from volunteering
• Practicalities such as the skills they can share, relevant experience, availability, and training needs.
The conversation must follow the 12 steps of safer recruitment (please see References below)
References
Volunteers should be asked to provide appropriate references. References can come from a variety of sources, such as an employer, a previous employer or a teacher. You might like to provide the referee with the role description so that they can comment on the person in relation to the role. One referee should be from outside your church.
The Church of England’s safer recruitment pages for volunteers, which provide guidance and templates, can be accessed via the link below.
Safer Recruitment for Volunteers
Please also review local and national Safeguarding Resources via the link below. You will find downloadable templates there.
DBS (formerly CRB) Checks
A volunteer role that involves regular contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults will be subject to the Safer Recruitment policy and procedure linked on the page and will require a DBS check. If you are unsure whether this applies to your volunteer, you can contact safeguarding@winchesterdiocese.org for advice. While we do not want to create barriers to volunteering, it is vital that people who volunteer with children or vulnerable adults undergo the appropriate checks before starting their roles.
Explaining the Ropes
Once volunteers sign up for various positions, take time to show them the ropes and how to complete all of the major tasks they will need to perform in their roles.
You may wish to consider pairing new volunteers with more experienced ones so they can shadow them during their first few sessions. This not only helps new volunteers become more comfortable with their tasks before performing them independently, but also encourages mentoring relationships to form, building community among your volunteers.
Support to Volunteers When They Have Started
For a volunteer to be successful, the parish will need to offer support, feedback, and encouragement. The level of support required will vary depending on the role the volunteer is carrying out. Depending on how many volunteers you have and the roles they are carrying out, you might like to consider the following:
- Informal support – conversations that occur during a volunteering session or at social events
- Supervision – a regular, planned meeting with the express purpose of checking in with a volunteer
- Volunteer meetings – an opportunity for peers to support one another and for information to be shared
Health and Safety for Volunteers
A parish that works with volunteers has a duty of care to them. There is a responsibility to ensure that volunteers are not exposed to risks and that risk assessments are carried out. Parishes should have an insurance policy that explicitly covers volunteers. The following should be considered: employers’ liability, public liability, professional liability, and personal accident.
Expenses for Volunteers
Offering to reimburse reasonable expenses may help to attract a diverse team of volunteers. Expense policies may vary from parish to parish but might include: travel, meals, and equipment necessary for volunteering and caring for dependents. It is usual to set limits on expenses, e.g., up to £5 for reimbursing lunch costs. It is not appropriate to offer an honorarium or an allowance to volunteers, as this would be seen as payment for services by HMRC and, as such, would make the roles eligible for national minimum wage legislation.
Resolving Problems
We cannot use the grievance, capability, or disciplinary process for volunteers, as these policies apply only to employees. The Church Urban Fund (CUF) guide to volunteering provides helpful guidance in section 8:
Saying Thank You
There are several ways parishes can thank volunteers; volunteers who feel appreciated are more likely to continue volunteering. Some ideas you might like to consider include volunteer events, certificates of appreciation, training, and inclusion in social events.
Volunteers Who Stop Volunteering
These volunteers are an opportunity to learn more. It can be useful to take the time to delve into the reasons why someone is stopping volunteering. It could be as simple as time constraints, but it can be worth asking:
- What have you most enjoyed about volunteering?
- What have you found most challenging/difficult?
- Is there anything you feel we could be doing differently?
- Is there anything that we are not doing?
- If you could change anything about the volunteering experience, what would it be?
Hopefully, the answers will help you in your search for the next volunteer.
JOIN Resources
Would your church like to recruit more volunteers to lead children and young people? The Church of England JOIN resources offer a toolkit to help churches plan and run a successful recruitment campaign. Resources include films, posters, social media slides, recruitment campaign guidance, safe recruitment advice and volunteer support guidance.
Please click on the picture below to go to these resources.
Working Well with Volunteers
The Church Urban Fund provides resources for working well with volunteers.
CUF provides a wide range of downloadable resources, including a volunteer police template, task checklists, a role description template and an example description, a risk assessment template and a risk assessment flowchart, a recruitment checklist, and a volunteer expense form.
Click on the image below to go to their website.
CUF resources are also available via the national Parish Resources website.
Faithfully Volunteering
A useful resource called Faithful Volunteering has been produced with support from Church Urban Fund (CUF) by Church and Society in the Diocese of Liverpool.