10 Ways to Get Involved in Your Church

1. Be Present

The most important part of being involved in your church is simply being present. While we should all be involved in more ways than one, we often undervalue the simply act of showing up and joining in corporate worship. 

By doing this simple act, you are not only bringing worship, praise and honor to your Heavenly Father, but Hebrews 10:25 tells us that by meeting together we are also encouraging and building up our brothers and sisters. 

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2. Be a Greeter

There are two ways to serve as a greeter in your church. One is volunteering to stand at the door to shake hands and hand out bulletins. This is a great way to make contact with those you already know and a wonderful way to greet visitors. 

The second way to serve in this capacity is a more unofficial way. Rather than walking in and claiming your seat, walk around the room offering a warm smile and a handshake or hug. Make a point not to linger with friends. Talk with people you don’t know and make them feel welcome.

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3. Be Aware and be Available

Be aware by simply watching for and listening to the needs of those around you. This might mean volunteering to hold babies in the nursery, or teaching or assisting in children’s classes. This could mean spotting a young mother with full hands and offering to help carry something. Perhaps there are college students who could use a mentor or single parents who need a free babysitter. Maybe there is someone who could simply use a ride to the grocery store once a week. 

Being involved in your church body often means being involved outside of the church building. This is how a church body becomes a church family - by living life together and being available to one another. 

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4. Be Hospitable

We live in a time where social media keeps people content with socializing from afar rather than actually engaging in personal relationships. One of the most important ways to serve in your church body is to be hospitable. Invite people into your home. This doesn’t have to include a Bible study or awkward spiritual conversations. 

You would be surprised how uplifting it can be for someone to simply be invited into a home and fed a nice home-cooked meal accompanied by friendly conversation. If your home is not conducive to hosting guests, an invitation to eat out is most always welcomed too. 

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5. Attend Extra Activities

Most church bodies offer some sort of extra opportunity for gathering together. This might be a gender-specific or couples’ Bible study, a youth activity where an extra set of hands would be appreciated, or a church family picnic. 

We all have our routines, and taking time away from our families to attend one more extra activity can cause frustration. But we need to start looking at these activities as opportunities to serve. It is through these extra activities that the details of our personal lives come to light. This is where we learn about each other and build friendships that offer opportunities to serve one another - which is, in turn, serving our church as a whole.

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6. Help with VBS

For most of us helping with VBS seems extraordinarily overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways to help with VBS without being front and center. 

If you’re artistic, ask about helping with decorations. If you like baking, ask about preparing homemade goodies for the kids. If you’re musical, ask about helping teach the kids new songs. Extra hands are always appreciated, and what better way to serve your church body than to invest in the future leaders.

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7. Funeral Meals

Offering a meal after a funeral is very important for the family of the deceased. This meal not only offers them physical nourishment but it also offers them spiritual nourishment, as they are surrounded by people who love and care for them. 

Most of us have eaten a funeral meal and never stopped to think about all the hands that made it happen. Someone must purchase the food, prepare the food, serve the meal, and then stay afterwards to clean and put everything away. This is often a thankless task, but it is also a humbling task and a very significant way to serve.  

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8. Send Notes of Encouragement

These days we do most of our communicating via text and email, but most everyone enjoys receiving a handwritten note in the mail. One way to make this more manageable, especially if you attend a large church, is to focus on one particular people group. 

Send birthday cards to the young children or notes of encouragement to the older youth. Send anniversary cards with a word of advice to young married couples or letters with prayers and encouragement to those who have gone away to college. Sending sympathy cards, get well cards, or cards of congratulations are always appreciated. An unexpected handwritten note is sure to brighten anyone’s day. 

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9. Visit Shut-ins

We all lead busy lives and it’s easy to overlook the older generation in our church family, especially those who have gone to live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities and can no longer attend corporate worship. But visiting the elderly will bless you as much as it will bless them. 

Ask them to share memories about their personal lives, but also about the history of your church body. You will likely grow in understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices made by the generations before you. The pioneers of our church families should be upheld with dignity, and their wisdom should be shared. This might be one of the most beneficial ways to be involved in your church. 

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10. Pray

When we think of getting involved in our church families, we often think of going and doing. We forget that one of the most important ways to serve our church is to sit quietly before the Lord and pray. 

One great habit to form is to take your church directory and pray over individual people, even if you aren’t aware of their specific prayer needs. Pray for your elders - for their wives and marriages. Pray for your preachers, pastors, and teachers. Pray for all the volunteer workers and for those who are seeking ways to be more involved. Pray that the Spirit would allow spiritual growth within your church family and that you would all grow in knowledge and wisdom in Him.

Beth Ann Baus is a wife and homeschooling mom of two boys. She is a writer and blogger who pulls from her own experiences of abuse, anxiety, depression and Tourettic OCD. Beth is an advocate for women struggling with sexual sin and strives to encourage young wives and mothers by pointing them to the grace offered only by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You can read more about her at www.bethannbaus.com.

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