How to Commission and Pray Over New Church Volunteers

Why should a church commission new volunteers and leaders?

A church commissions people because God's people have always set apart those He has called, in public, with prayer. In Antioch the church worshipped and fasted, and the Spirit spoke to them:

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" (Acts 13:2)

The church then acted on it:

"And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:3)

The Jerusalem church did the same for the seven who would serve tables:

"They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them." (Acts 6:6)

Moses commissioned Joshua before the whole congregation, and the LORD told him to do it in front of everyone:

"Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight." (Numbers 27:19)

At a commissioning the leaders name each volunteer, the congregation sees who is serving and prays for them, and the leadership confirms that the checks are finished. The church sends people the way Antioch did, after listening to God and praying.

When is someone ready to be commissioned?

Someone is ready when the role is written down, the recruitment checks are complete and a leader has had a conversation with them. Paul warns Timothy, "Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure." (1 Timothy 5:22) Waiting until the checks are done is how a church keeps that instruction.

A short readiness list:

1. A written role description. It names the tasks, the team, who the volunteer reports to and the time asked of them.
2. Safer recruitment complete. In England and Wales that usually means an application or information form, references, and a DBS check where the role is eligible. Eligibility depends on the role, so confirm it with your denominational safeguarding adviser or thirtyone:eight.
3. Safeguarding training done. The volunteer has completed the training your church requires for the role and has read the safeguarding policy.
4. A conversation first. A leader has met them, heard how they came to faith and why they want this role, and agreed a start date.
5. Time in the church. Many churches ask for a period of regular attendance before leadership roles. Choose a length and apply it to everyone.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own disclosure schemes (PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland). The Charity Commission publishes safeguarding guidance for trustees of charities in England and Wales, and church trustees carry that duty.

How do you commission volunteers in a Sunday service?

Commissioning takes five to ten minutes in a Sunday service, in this order:

1. Introduce. A leader names each person, their role and the team they are joining. Say how long they have been part of the church.
2. Ask the questions. The leader puts a few agreed questions and each person answers aloud (the template below gives them).
3. Invite consent. Ask each person, before the prayer, whether they are happy to be prayed for with hands laid on their shoulder or with no touch at all. Follow their answer.
4. Pray. Two or three leaders pray, or one leader prays while others stand with the person. Keep it short and anchored in Scripture.
5. Congregation responds. The whole church says a short commitment to pray for the new volunteers and to welcome them.

A commissioning liturgy you can adapt

Adapt freely. It is written to be pasted into a service plan.

Leader: These are our new volunteers and leaders: [names and roles]. They have completed our recruitment checks and training, and the leadership has met each of them.

Leader to each person: Are you ready to serve in this role as part of this church? Response: I am, with God's help.

Leader: Will you keep to our safeguarding policy and work openly alongside your team? Response: I will.

Leader: Will you stay close to Jesus, read His Word, and ask for help when you need it? Response: I will, with God's help.

Leader to the congregation: Will you pray for these people, welcome them and encourage them? Congregation: We will, with God's help.

Prayer, with consent and with leaders standing alongside each person.

Leader: We send you out to serve. Go in the peace of Christ.

What should you pray for a new volunteer or leader?

Pray short prayers that ask God for what Scripture says He gives, and say the person's name. Paul told Timothy, "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6), and then:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Those verses give a prayer for any volunteer. Sample wording, in plain language:

Father, thank you for [name] and for their yes to serve. Give them power, love and self-control for this work. Make them faithful in the small tasks. Surround them with a team who encourage them. Let them know You more as they serve.

For a children's or youth volunteer, add a line for the team: Keep them wise, open and accountable. For an elder or team leader, Peter's description suits the prayer: "Be shepherds of God's flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you." (1 Peter 5:2) Pray that they serve willingly.

Prayer stays about the person and the work. Do not predict outcomes or attach a promise to their future. If someone in the room later shares something they believe for the person, handle it as set out below.

What if someone shares a prophetic word during a commissioning?

Receive it humbly, ask the person to give it to a leader to be weighed, and record it. Paul's instruction covers it:

"Do not extinguish the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

"Do not treat prophecies with contempt," (1 Thessalonians 5:20)

"but test all things. Hold fast to what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

In practice:

1. The person keeps it brief, offers it as something they sensed, and leaves the recipient free to weigh it.
2. A leader thanks them and writes it down as close to verbatim as possible, with the giver's name, the recipient's name, the date and the setting.
3. The recipient receives a copy and stays free to weigh it.
4. The team weighs it against Scripture after the service, in private.
5. The church does not act on it until it has been weighed.

Paul also reminds Timothy of "the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders" (1 Timothy 4:14). A commissioning is one of the places where prophetic words are given. Writing them down at once lets the church return to them years later.

How do you remember a commissioning and keep supporting people afterward?

Fill in a one-page record the same day, and diarise check-ins at three months and twelve months. Write it down so the volunteer and the church can both come back to what was prayed.

A one-page commissioning record

Personal data in a record falls under UK GDPR. Tell the volunteer what you keep and why, store it securely, and limit access to those who need it. Your church's data protection lead or the ICO guidance for charities can confirm the detail.

At the three-month check-in, ask how the role is going, what support they need and whether the role description still fits. At twelve months, read the prayers and any prophetic words aloud together and write what God has done since. Those entries become the church's testimony of His faithfulness to the people it sent.

The LORD answered Habakkuk:

"Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets" (Habakkuk 2:2)

If your church wants a record that is easy to keep and to revisit, the Doxa app is what it is for, a place to write down prayers, prophetic words and testimonies. A church can set up a shared record through Doxa for churches.

In Antioch the Holy Spirit spoke first, and the church sent the people He named. Ask the God who speaks to send the people you commission, write down what is prayed and shared with each of them, and give Him the thanks for what He does.

FAQ

How do you commission new church volunteers?

Complete their recruitment checks, then introduce them in a service, ask each a few agreed questions, pray with their consent and have the congregation respond. The whole thing takes five to ten minutes. Afterwards, fill in the one-page record and check in at three and twelve months.

Do church volunteers need a DBS check before being commissioned?

It depends on the role. In England and Wales, some church roles with children or adults at risk are eligible for a DBS check and many churches require one before the person starts. Eligibility is set by the role, so confirm with your safeguarding adviser or thirtyone:eight, and finish the check before the commissioning.

What does the Bible say about laying on of hands?

Hands were laid on people at commissionings: Moses with Joshua (Numbers 27:23), the apostles with the seven (Acts 6:6) and the church in Antioch with Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:3). Many churches use it with consent, and some use a hand on the shoulder or no touch at all.

Should a commissioning prayer be written in advance?

Writing it in advance helps the leader keep it short and anchored in Scripture. Leave room for a few unscripted lines, and keep the wording that was actually prayed.

Keep Reading

• Safer Recruitment for a Prophetic Ministry Team (UK)
• How to Encourage Discouraged Church Volunteers
• How to Start a Prophetic Ministry Team at Your Church
• What a Healthy Prophetic Culture Looks Like in a Church

Doxa for churches helps a church record what God says and does, weigh it together and remember it. It is free to start. See how Doxa works for churches.