This is a call to all the hands-on, non-staff ministers who have their hands in the clay, their fists in the nets, and all manner of other clichs meant to be encouraging ways of saying 'volunteers who do all the work'.
I can speak to church building from a user's perspective; in my fifteen years as a professional non-professional volunteer minister , I can say with great confidence that despite your church leadership's most noble and fantastic revelations of how to reach God's people, it's impossible to cover everything necessary to accomplish that purpose. Youth Leaders and Music Directors are particularly prone to bold, radical, out-of-the-box, ambitious, exciting, extreme, and fresh ideas which so intently focus upon the three R's of modern church - being real, refreshing, and relevant - that they overlook the practical things such as basic church supplies necessary for any new program to make it.
Tie Down The Balloons!
An untethered balloon is a bad thing, which is why God appoints volunteers. Based upon my firsthand experiences, please consider the following list of church supplies before indulging in the next epic multimedia concept worship service your music director proposes, or the super-extreme gooey-goopy obstacle course and skatepark concert outreach conference your youth pastor conceives.
1) Communion Cups It might be wise to confirm this short list of church supplies are on hand before the Good Friday Contemporary Worship and Communion Service , which will be advertised on 27 billboards in the tri-city area.
2) Visitor Welcome Cards You should also stocking up before major holidays, the Christmas In July Cantata, or the Visitor Appreciation Sunday and Membership Drive event which features a free iPad giveaway. Church welcome cards come packed in 100's, get a thousand, they get lost.
3) Christian Books While the free honor-system educational book exchange library nook in the foyer coffee shop might be a spectacular retro-chic concept , making sure the shelves are stocked with books people would actually like to borrow is definitely highly recommended.
4) Hymnals Because on Wayback Worship Wednesdays , I can assure you that everyone won't know the words to Number 174 by heart - especially if you plan to sing verse 3. Hymnals for church are not as popular as they once were, better to have some on hand.
I pray you will find useful information and tips here should you commit to volunteering to take the pastor's vision to reality. Keep these few church supplies on hand, and you will see God touch your ministry . May God rescue us, His volunteers , from the fever dreams of Youth Pastors and Worship Leaders. Amen.
I can speak to church building from a user's perspective; in my fifteen years as a professional non-professional volunteer minister , I can say with great confidence that despite your church leadership's most noble and fantastic revelations of how to reach God's people, it's impossible to cover everything necessary to accomplish that purpose. Youth Leaders and Music Directors are particularly prone to bold, radical, out-of-the-box, ambitious, exciting, extreme, and fresh ideas which so intently focus upon the three R's of modern church - being real, refreshing, and relevant - that they overlook the practical things such as basic church supplies necessary for any new program to make it.
Tie Down The Balloons!
An untethered balloon is a bad thing, which is why God appoints volunteers. Based upon my firsthand experiences, please consider the following list of church supplies before indulging in the next epic multimedia concept worship service your music director proposes, or the super-extreme gooey-goopy obstacle course and skatepark concert outreach conference your youth pastor conceives.
1) Communion Cups It might be wise to confirm this short list of church supplies are on hand before the Good Friday Contemporary Worship and Communion Service , which will be advertised on 27 billboards in the tri-city area.
2) Visitor Welcome Cards You should also stocking up before major holidays, the Christmas In July Cantata, or the Visitor Appreciation Sunday and Membership Drive event which features a free iPad giveaway. Church welcome cards come packed in 100's, get a thousand, they get lost.
3) Christian Books While the free honor-system educational book exchange library nook in the foyer coffee shop might be a spectacular retro-chic concept , making sure the shelves are stocked with books people would actually like to borrow is definitely highly recommended.
4) Hymnals Because on Wayback Worship Wednesdays , I can assure you that everyone won't know the words to Number 174 by heart - especially if you plan to sing verse 3. Hymnals for church are not as popular as they once were, better to have some on hand.
I pray you will find useful information and tips here should you commit to volunteering to take the pastor's vision to reality. Keep these few church supplies on hand, and you will see God touch your ministry . May God rescue us, His volunteers , from the fever dreams of Youth Pastors and Worship Leaders. Amen.
About the Author:
Christian Bookstores have everything at great prices, and saving the visionary's money is a part of the job description no one discusses . If you're not the visionairy catch the vision and follow give it your heart. That means you will need basic stuff, just stuff. Keep the staff happy with a little more paper, who wouldn't want more paper!