Volunteering
A large-ish church like St James can sometimes seem to a newcomer like a well-oiled machine. However we are often paddling very hard under the surface to keep the show on the road! In particular every ministry area depends heavily on committed volunteer time. We have been blessed over the years with many, many people volunteering to work with children, young people or adults, in the daytimes, evening or weekends. Some of this work is visible and seen by many. Much of it takes place behind the scenes in the administration of the church or through hospitality.
A church our size needs a reasonable level of full and part-time staff to function effectively. However, in our view, the role of the staff is not to do the ministry themselves, but more often to train, equip and release lay people in their ministries. We normally only make new staff appointments if we are convinced that they will facilitate, release and support increased volunteer activity.
We believe that God gifts all of his children for ministry and service, both with the more obvious outward gifts but also in particular situations when we minister to each other. Ideally, in Paul’s picture of the body, we will operate within our main area of gifting. However we also hold to the 80:20 principle that 20% of our volunteer time will probably be given to things that just need doing!
We also recognise that people have different amounts and regularity of time that they can offer, according to age and stage of life, work and family commitments etc. More than that, we have a holistic view of family, work and church and do not elevate service in the church over service outside. In many ways the whole of life is ministry.
There are numerous volunteer opportunities at St James from the weekly commitment of a Youth or House Group leader to the more occasional roles of welcoming on Sundays, visiting newcomers, giving lifts to the elderly and so on.
If you would like to find your niche at St James, please contact a ministry area direct, if you have experience or interest in that area; or contact one of the clergy and we would love to explore different possibilities with you.