November 13, 2026
When I look back on my years as youth pastor White Oak, I consider some of the decisions I made and I laugh at myself. I think to myself, ‘I would never do that thing in that way now.’ There is a popular saying about hindsight that one could insert here. But that phrase is popular because we do, as another saying goes, live and learn. Mostly my mind goes to all the things which I felt like I had to do so that the ministry operated and executed its goals. I got stuck in the details quite often. Details like hotel reservations and van rentals for youth trips, shopping for snacks and soda for events, and tracking down supplies for various programs. Years later I find myself asking silly but profound questions: Why did I think I had to do all those things? Why didn’t I ask for help or raise up volunteers who would do some of those things with me?
Our vision for White Oak is that everyone is on the path to full life by discovering their identity in Jesus, being equipped to love, and deployed on mission. We have a five-year strategic plan which focuses our resources to accomplish our vision in specific ways. The driver of our plan is this:
White Oak will be a multi-site New Testament church fueled by volunteer teams that facilitate formation, transform families, and multiply impact in our communities and around the world.
I’d like to unpack just a bit the phrase “fueled by volunteer teams.” When I read Jesus’s words in Matthew 25, I am captivated by his description of the Kingdom. Jesus expects readiness, obedience, and multiplication.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…!
Volunteer teams are the backbone of any church. Without robust teams of equipped and mission-forward volunteers, the vision of the church stagnates and wanes. You see, paid ministry staff can help a church’s ministry impact to grow, but it is volunteer teams that allow the impact to multiply!
I recall sitting down with the launch team of 80 people from our Colerain campus in the fall of 2008 as we were preparing to launch the Ross campus early the following year. I remember addressing them. I said something like, “We are all serving in two areas. Each of us will need to fill roles on two different serve teams as we get this campus launched. Over time we will develop new volunteers and leaders… but it starts with us.” Behind that conversation was a two-fold vision. We had to have our launch team fill all the kids ministry, student ministry, guest services, and worship/tech team roles as well as the teams who would set up and tear down all our things in the high school which we were renting each week. We also wanted to build and set a culture. The giving of our energy, gifts, and time would be a crucial expectation of each person as we pursued White Oak’s mission: We were launching this campus to reach lost, de-churched, and un-churched people.
Accomplishing that mission meant that we had to multiply volunteers. And this is an important aspect of volunteer teams, so don’t miss this! We had to build up teams that we didn’t necessarily need. Developing a culture in a church where people are giving of themselves isn’t driven by need as much as it is driven by the goal of developing people to use their gifts for God’s Kingdom. And so, we recruited and trained and deployed people to pull our trailer for set up, brew coffee, work with kids and students, lead our community service, those who could preach and teach were given the opportunity, and much more! There was no team that was too big. Everyone had a role. Everyone had a part.
We could have just relied on our original launch team members for years. We could have grown if we did that. But Jesus compels us to multiply. As White Oak moves forward into her future, we will continue to recruit, train, and deploy volunteer teams. We will increase invitations for our people to use their God-given gifts to serve and accomplish Jesus’s vision for our church and his Kingdom. As we serve, we are humbled. As we serve, we learn that church isn’t about our likes, preferences, or ideals. As we serve, we meet others and form community. As we serve, we step into the work of Jesus.
Thank you for your role in multiplying impact for the sake of others and God’s glory!
Nathan
P.S. Please prayerfully consider being generous this season as we, together, we give toward our Full Life Offering. Click https://www.thewocc.com/fulllife to learn more and to join us in fighting human trafficking abroad and facilitate greater impact here at home for more people to connect with one another and with the message of Jesus in our worship spaces.
Nathan Hinkle
Lead Pastor
