Volunteer

<span class="h1">Take One<br><span style="color:var(--primary-color-bg)">Step Today &nbsp;</span></span><span style="color:var(--primary-color-bg)"></span>

Take One
Step Today  

It’s normal for believers to try out serving in ministry. Your next step could simply be to click on this link and sign up to volunteer on a ministry team. You can try it just one time. You can try it two times. You can join a team if it’s the right fit.  

There’s no guilt or obligation and you can take a break anytime you like. We call it easy on ramps and easy off ramps.  To take an on ramp to serving, click on this link to sign up right now.  

Billy Graham was quoted as saying, “One of Satan’s most effective ways of blocking God’s work is to convince us God can’t use us to make an impact for Christ. But it isn’t true. All around you are people no one else will ever be able to reach with the Gospel.” 

Satan will tell you you're too young or too old to serve, but God just says, "I can use you!" We're here to help you start using your gifts to reach others for Christ!

Volunteer Now

How Volunteering In Ministry at Bluffton Community Makes a Difference

by Ben Thiel

You arrive at church on Sunday morning already carrying a full week on your shoulders. Work has been demanding. The kids’ schedule is packed. The house needs attention, the calendar has no empty spaces, and you cannot remember the last time you felt completely caught up.

Then it happens, an ask to serve.

Your first thought is understandable: “I’m already stretched thin. How could I possibly add one more thing?”

But serving in the church is not simply another obligation to squeeze into an overcrowded schedule. It is an opportunity! An opportunity to use gifts God has uniquely equipped you with to care for someone else. It might mean greeting a family who is nervous about walking through the doors, helping a child discover that Jesus loves them, encouraging a student who needs another faithful adult in their life, or quietly doing something behind the scenes that helps others feel welcome and prepared for worship.

Serving is not reserved for people with unlimited free time or extraordinary abilities. It is for ordinary people who are willing to make themselves available to God.

And something surprising happens when we serve: God uses us to make a difference in others, but He also uses serving to make a difference in us. We form friendships, discover gifts, experience joy, and become more like Jesus—the One who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

You may not feel like you have extra time, because most people do not. Perhaps the question is not, “Do I have time to serve?” but rather, “How has God equipped me to love and serve the people He has placed around me?”

You do not have to do everything. But God has given you something and someone in the church may need exactly what He has given you.

Serving in the local church does more than fill a need, it shapes the person who serves.

Research consistently connects volunteering with improved physical and emotional well-being. People who serve often experience less stress, anxiety, anger, and isolation. They develop meaningful relationships, discover a stronger sense of belonging, and report a deeper sense of purpose.

Those benefits can be especially meaningful within the church. When you serve, you are not simply completing a task. You are joining other believers in something that matters for eternity. You are using the gifts God has entrusted to you, building relationships within the church family, and helping others know, love, and rely on God.

It’s common for people who serve at Bluffton Community to laugh together and build meaningful friendships that extend well beyond ministry time. Volunteering connects you to others who are a part of the church family. This is especially valuable to people who are new to our area or are seeking to build a new network of friends. Many Sundays, you will even find entire families serving together. They may help create warm environments through greeting, provide coffee and snacks before and after worship services, or serve together in Bluffton Kids. Serving in ministry is a real treat! 

This is the most critical reason for serving in ministry. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 | NLT). When you volunteer in ministry, you are serving others in a similar way that Jesus served you. Jesus gave his very life so that you could receive forgiveness of your sins and enjoy a healthy relationship with God. Volunteering is giving a portion of your life (your time) to help others discover the good news of Jesus Christ. Each time you serve, you grow a little more into the character of Jesus Christ.