How LifeGate, Denver, is making service opportunities accessible to volunteers
“Volunteers don’t serve our vision. Our vision is to serve our volunteers.” These statements, loosely paraphrased, sum up the philosophy toward volunteers at LifeGate Church in Denver, Colorado. It’s an important ideological shift, one that is helping the church create an active and viable workforce for the kingdom of God. “We work hard to create an easy ‘on-ramp’ for people who want to serve,” says pastor Nirup Alphonse.
Rather than establishing new outreach opportunities, LifeGate partners with existing ministries in the community, maximizing those organizations’ volunteer capacities while plugging members into service in a systematic way. Their most recent venture was a huge toy and coat drive targeting children whose parents are in prison. Working in partnership with the Denver Dream Center, LifeGate volunteers even put on a huge banquet for those inmates, who were released from prison for one day to celebrate Christmas with their families.
Empowering those who choose to serve is another way LifeGate engages volunteers, many of them millennials, helping them take ownership of ministry opportunities. Nirup and his wife, Hannah, routinely invest in young adults, giving them the chance to share their opinions about the church and what could work better. “We are constantly looking for ways to invest in leaders,” says Nirup. “When someone is serving, we go above and beyond to celebrate and honor them.” To learn more about this vibrant ministry in Denver, visit lifegatedenver.com.
