Volunteer Roles

Guest Services relies heavily upon volunteers. We have a paid staff member to lead Guest Services at all of our churches. The Guest Services Director acts as the primary vision caster and leader for this area, overseeing all systems.

Guest Services volunteers are the first impression for every guest. In addition to greeting people, volunteers answer questions and help guests find their way around the church. Guest Services volunteers are the very first impression our guests will have of our church.

Guest Services Volunteer Roles:

Team Leader: These volunteers are responsible for leading specific teams of volunteers through the details of a Sunday and caring for their teams. They work closely with the Guest Services Director. Each team has one or two leaders.

Parking Team: These volunteers serve our guests in the parking lot by safely guiding guests between the parking lot and the building and by initiating a warm welcome, clear directions, and a fond farewell.

Lobby Team: These volunteers serve our guests by greeting at the front doors and answering questions and giving clear direction at the Information Centers.

Connections Team: These volunteers serve our first-time guests by providing them with a genuine greeting, a personalized experience, and a friendly follow-up.

Greeter Team: These volunteers serve our guests at the Auditorium doors and in the hallways by making them feel valued with a sincere greeting, a friendly presence, and a fond farewell.

Usher Team: These volunteers serve our guests in the Auditorium by initiating with a warm greeting, friendly presence, and clear directions to a seat. They also proactively and sensitively remove any distractions from the Auditorium. 

Recruiting

Inviting new volunteers to join Guest Services happens several ways. Each year, our churches devote one Sunday to promote the volunteer opportunities we have available and encourage our attendees to join a team. We call this “Strategic Service Sunday”. We also rely on existing volunteers to invite their friends, small group members, and others within their circle of influence to volunteer with them.

Another great option some of our campuses have found effective is creating a space near the Lobby to invite guests to stop by after a service (Connections). Of course, our Guest Services Team members are always strategically placed and ready to answer questions. Inside a number of these environments, the churches will use iPads with a user-friendly app to help guests with their best next step. 

Training

All prospective volunteers go through an initial orientation prior to serving in Guest Services. This orientation consists of vision-casting for Guest Services from the Director, details and a review of procedures for the various volunteer roles within Guest Services, and a tour of the church. We utilize our Volunteer Handbook during this orientation. Once a new volunteer has been through orientation, they are assigned to a team. For the first few Sundays, they are assigned to a “veteran” volunteer to shadow and learn their respective role.

Volunteer leaders, or Captains, meet with the Director of Guest Services two or three times during the year in both one-on-one and group settings. These meetings give the Director an opportunity to work very closely with the volunteers that are leading their respective teams on Sundays. During these meetings, the Director can further communicate the vision, update systems as needed, brainstorm new ideas to enhance the guest experience, and focus on leadership development.