Church Volunteer Service

Definition and Meaning

Church service is the activity of sharing in the work of the church in order to serve the community and one's neighbors. Unlike the duties of salaried ministers, it refers mainly to service offered voluntarily by the laity. The Greek word diakonia, rendered "ministry" or "service" in the New Testament, originally meant "waiting on" or "serving." The name of the office of deacon derives from the same root. In Korean churches, the term is often used interchangeably with seomgim ("serving").

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages frequently cited as the basis for church service include the following:

• Mark 10:45: where Jesus says that he came "to minister"
• Ephesians 4:12: the verse on "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry"
• Romans 12:6–8 and 1 Peter 4:10: exhortations to serve one another according to the gifts (God-given abilities) each has received
• Acts 6: the appointment of seven men to oversee the distribution of relief. Many denominations regard this as the origin of the diaconate.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther and other reformers advanced the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, which holds that not only the clergy but all believers are servants before God. This doctrine provided a basis for laypeople to take on church work and led to an understanding of ordinary occupations as a calling as well.

Practice in Korean Churches

Service in Korean churches covers a wide range of areas. Typical tasks include the following:

• Worship: choir, praise team, ushering, offering committee, broadcasting and sound
• Education: Sunday school teaching
• Pastoral care: cell group leaders, newcomer orientation
• Operations: parking, kitchen, transportation, cleaning

Service organized through bodies such as the Men's Mission Society and the Women's Evangelical Society is also active. Beyond the church, members serve the local community through relief work, free meal programs, and aid to disaster areas.

Service is also tied to church offices. In many churches, officers such as deacons, kwonsa (exhorters), and elders deliberate on church affairs and the division of service responsibilities through the council of church officers. The names and roles of these offices, however, vary according to each denomination's church polity.

• Presbyterian churches: the duties of elders and deacons are divided, with the session at the center.
• Methodist and Holiness churches: each denomination's constitution defines its own system of offices.
• Baptist churches: within a structure in which the congregation makes decisions together, deacons often handle practical matters.

Service also raises certain concerns. Problems such as burnout when service falls on a small number of people, and the practice of allowing service records to influence the election of officers, are repeatedly raised within the church. For this reason, efforts are also being made to distribute service according to individuals' gifts and circumstances.