The Shoreline Insider

One of the things I’ve learned from my short time as pastor of Shoreline Church is that volunteers want to know what part they play in the big picture. I have found that most volunteers are most willing to do whatever is needed of them, as long as they know the role they play in the big picture.

So what part are you talking about, you may ask?

Let’s start here… When John and Kim are invited to Shoreline Church for the first time with their two children, ages 9 & 4, they drive into the parking lot or the parking garage of the Destin Commons. Once they have parked, they come toward the Rave Motion Pictures and they are welcomed by a group of Greeters. They truly feel welcomed, and somewhat surprised at how easy it has been so far. They had imagined church to be a place where they would feel like outsiders.

John and Kim are then escorted to the Shorebreak / Tidepools check-in to drop their children off. They are instantly at ease because the Shorebreak and Tidepools volunteers tell them what their children will be doing while they are in the service.

After being pleasantly surprised by the discovery of free coffee and donuts, they are seated by a knowledgeable Usher that happily answers their questions as they are seated. The worship team then comes up to lead John and Kim into worship. John and Kim feel so relaxed because they were able to find a good parking spot, their kids are safely being taken care of, and they hearts have been softened by worship.

It’s then that a teaching pastor is able to walk on stage and have John and Kim’s full attention—because they had a distraction-free, smooth experience coming in.

It’s this picture that I want to communicate to you as part of our volunteer staff. It is important to know the vision of the church (to see those that are far from God be brought closer to Him) and the importance of the first 15 minutes after a guest arrives at church. It is during those first fifteen minutes that a first time guest has decided whether or not they will like Shoreline. You as a volunteer must understand that each step towards the main theater is a part of that deciding factor.

I could liken it to a baseball game, except in our game there are a lot of extra bases before making it to home plate. You can easily see that the part you play in getting the guests around the bases really makes a difference in whether or not those guests will have the opportunity to make it to home plate. If our volunteers have succeeded, by the time Pastor Sam or I  come out to give the talk, the guests’ hearts have not been distracted by chaos and confusion coming in, but rather pleasant experiences that have softened their hearts and have allowed their ears to remain open to hear what God is speaking through Sam, me or whoever is teaching that day.

My encouragement to you is this: you have an important role to play. I hear stories all of the time of people that have come through our church and have been positively affected by volunteer staff at Shoreline. Because you have committed to be a part of bringing people who are far away from God, closer to Him, I regularly hear stories about the difference you as a volunteer have made in the lives of those who are seeking.

I want you to know that as a volunteer at Shoreline, you are highly valued and I hope it brings you a sense of purpose as well.

Thanks for all you do at Shoreline Church

Pastor Eric