The "Section by Section" Details of Writing a Job Description for a Volunteer Position

In a few other posts, I've addressed the importance of each staff member having a documented job description. However, in many smaller churches, church leaders work more with volunteer staff than paid staff. Therefore, it's just as important to provide a volunteer with a document outlining expectations—it might even be more important.

We do this using a "Ministry Description." What's the difference? The ministry description has a lot of the same content, but it differs in that it defines the purpose, time commitment, and other aspects pertinent to a volunteer.

Purpose

The ministry description begins with a purpose statement. For a volunteer, it's important to "state the purpose" of the volunteer position. Vision casting is critical to the purpose and importance of the need for the position and how it relates to the ministry and mission.

General Description

The general description is next. Like the job description, the general description is a sentence or two that gives the overall description of the position. It should describe the volunteer position at a high level and stand alone as a description of the volunteer opportunity.

Time Commitment

The time commitment section of the ministry description spells out the amount of time the volunteer is required to spend. This varies depending on the position. For example, a leader (such as Operations Leaders) will need more time than a non-leader (Usher). It's important to state this expectation in the ministry description.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

In this section of the ministry description, spell out the specifics of the volunteer position in detail. The volunteers should understand what's being asked of them at an almost "step-by-step" level. Stop short of the detail provided in a "work instruction."

Training, Resources, and Other Requirements

Be sure to state any training requirements or resources needed, especially if the volunteer position requires the volunteer to pay for training or provide their own resources.

Reporting Relationship

Again, similar to a job description, the ministry description should document the reporting relationship between the volunteer and a volunteer team leader(s) or church staff.