Revision #6111
Church Volunteer Service
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## 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").
+ Church service is the activity of sharing in the work of the church in order to serve the congregation 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 title of the office of deacon derives from the same root.
=
= ## 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.
+ - Mark 10:45, where Jesus says that he came "to minister"
+ - Ephesians 4:12, which speaks of "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry"
+ - Romans 12:6–8 and 1 Peter 4:10, which exhort believers to serve one another according to the gifts (God-given abilities) each has received
+ - Acts 6, which records 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:
+ In Korean Protestant churches, service covers a wide range of areas. Typical tasks include the following:
=
= - Worship: choir, praise team, ushering, offering committee, broadcasting and sound
…
= - 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 organized through bodies such as the Men's Mission Society and the Women's Mission 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.
+ Service is also tied to church offices. In many Korean churches, officers such as deacons, exhorters (*kwonsa*), 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.
+ - Presbyterian churches: the duties of elders and deacons are distinguished, 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.
+ Service also raises certain concerns. Burnout when service falls on a small number of people, and the practice of allowing records of service to influence the election of officers, are repeatedly pointed out within the church. In response, efforts are being made to distribute service according to individuals' gifts and circumstances.
Church volunteer service refers to the work church members take on by giving their time and talents in worship, church administration, education, service to neighbors, and other areas. The term generally denotes voluntary, unpaid service.
Church volunteer service is the work that church members take on by giving their time and talents in worship, church administration, education, service to neighbors, and other areas. The term generally denotes voluntary, unpaid service.
Full revision
Church volunteer service is the work that church members take on by giving their time and talents in worship, church administration, education, service to neighbors, and other areas. The term generally denotes voluntary, unpaid service.
Definition and Meaning
Church service is the activity of sharing in the work of the church in order to serve the congregation 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 title of the office of deacon derives from the same root.
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, which speaks of "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry"
- Romans 12:6–8 and 1 Peter 4:10, which exhort believers to serve one another according to the gifts (God-given abilities) each has received
- Acts 6, which records 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
In Korean Protestant churches, service 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 Mission 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 Korean churches, officers such as deacons, exhorters (kwonsa), 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 distinguished, 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. Burnout when service falls on a small number of people, and the practice of allowing records of service to influence the election of officers, are repeatedly pointed out within the church. In response, efforts are being made to distribute service according to individuals' gifts and circumstances.