1. Remind Them Of The “Why”

This Easter, people across your city will gather in worship and hear the gospel preached. As you prepare to serve your guests, take Simon Sinek’s advice: “start with why.” One of the best investments you can make in your assimilation strategy this Easter is to inspire your volunteers. Rally the troops before they start serving to remind them of why they’re there in the first place. 

• Hold a huddle before you start serving.

• Send a targeted email on Wednesday before Easter.

• Gather your volunteers in a training leading up to the big day.

Whatever you do, get everyone on the same page before they take their positions. When you do, make sure to connect the mission of the church with their duties that day. Here’s how we say it at Christ Community: “We exist to make gospel-centered disciples among all people for the glory of God. That’s our “why”: we’re here to make disciples - and it starts the moment a guest pulls into our parking lot."

• Knowing the “why” will help them step out of their comfort zone.  

• Knowing the “why” will challenge them to anticipate and meet your guest's needs (before they ask.) 

• Knowing the “why” will transform them into servant-hearted connectors. 

So, let’s remind ourselves of the gospel and invite others into our faith family. Start with “why.”

2. Rethink the Win

From the parking lot to the pulpit, every one of our volunteers has a part to play this Easter. Maybe they’ll be a friendly face in the parking lot. Maybe they’ll be serving coffee or checking in guests. Every one of them has a role, but the role should never get in the way of the goal.  

What’s our goal? Bringing guests from the outside to “all-in.”

Here’s the win: personal connection, not task completion.

Church leaders reach and retain guests when their volunteers see themselves as people-connectors, not task-doers.

When you train your volunteers, encourage them not to get lost in the details of a job description. We want our volunteers to be on the lookout for who God has placed in their path and meet them where they are. Free them up to take the time to introduce themselves, hear a guest's story, or pray for a guest. Train volunteers to be on the lookout for team members who are engaged with a guest. If you see someone tied down, encourage another team member to cover the post!

This Easter, let’s build relationships that invite people in. 

3. Tell Them What’s Next

The impact of the first two points will be multiplied 10x if you can train your volunteers to master this step. 

Everyone has a next step. More importantly, everyone needs a next step. As your volunteers connect with others this Easter, make sure they know the one clear action step a guest should take.

Every single volunteer you deploy on Easter Sunday should find a way to work this question into guest conversations:

• Have you been to…[insert next step]?

• Have you registered for [insert next step]?

• Can I help you find a [insert next step]?

At Christ Community, the first step for every guest is to attend Growth Track. Growth Track is the single step we want them to take. We’ve prioritized it over serving, groups, and membership. During Growth Track, we share the gospel, give them a pathway to grow spiritually (in environments like serving, groups, etc.), and help them find their unique place in God’s family. 

This Easter, we’re giving every volunteer clear marching orders: get them to Growth Track.

Yours may be different. Maybe it’s to join a small group, take a membership class, or start serving. Whatever it is, make sure your volunteers know the game plan and are ready to execute. 

Questions for Evaluation

1. What’s your “why”? 

• Have you clearly defined the mission and vision of your church? 

• What actions or language would help your volunteers grasp the connection between their serving and God’s mission?

• Do your teams have a kingdom-sized purpose or a role-defined task list?

2. What’s the win? 

• How clear is the win? 

• Have you given your volunteers permission to choose a guest over a task? 

• How can you publicly celebrate volunteers who prioritize guest connection?

3. What’s the next step?

• Has your church clearly defined the next step for every guest?

• Have you armed your volunteers with the information they need to point guests to the next step?

• Have your volunteers experienced the value of taking the next step?