Why Do We Want to Equip Volunteers?

The mission of Grace Church is to make mature followers of Jesus Christ, by equipping them for a life of spiritual passion.  The elders and staff do not merely want to create an event where people can gather and learn, but to equip them to do ministry.  If you've been around Grace, you've probably heard us refer to our church as an "equipping church." 

Grace Children's Ministry operates with the same goal.  More specifically, our three-part mission statement includes the goal of equipping volunteers to shepherd children.  We want to give volunteers the resources they need, so that they can have an impact in the lives of the families in our church.  These resources include our annual summer training (this summer, we'll have training meetings on all 3 campuses), training packets, and Coaches who encourage and support all our volunteers. 

Why do we think it is so important to equip volunteers?  Here are some reasons:

1. We want volunteers to have an impact.  This has to start with giving them the tools, training, and resources which give them the best chance for success.  
2. The volunteers have the opportunity to reach people that we, as a staff, never could.  Grace Children's Mministry affects over 1500 people (children, parents, volunteers), and we cannot rely on staff alone to minister to them.
3. Volunteers need to grow.  We don't look for or expect "perfect" volunteers.  Instead, our goal is to help volunteers grow; we want them to not only improve in their role, but to mature as followers of Jesus Christ.  We love seeing new volunteers grow over months and even years, becoming more comfortable in their roles, and even taking on bigger challenges and responsibilities. 

We are in the process of revising and developing our training materials for this summer.  Beginning with Promotion Weekend (August 14 & 15), we expect to need over 700 volunteers (for all 3 campuses and 6 services) to serve in Children's Ministry.  If you have any questions about what it means to be equipped as a volunteer, leave a comment or contact us at children@gracechurchsc.org.