How do you help people see ministry in action?  For Compass Christian Church in Colleyville, Texas, it’s a program they started last year called, Serve Tour Live.

Held one Sunday each month, Serve Tour Live allows people an opportunity to see ministry happening in real time. People can register or just show up to participate.  They’re assigned a Guide who starts the tour with a stop in the Welcome Center for a fresh baked cookie and cup of coffee.  Guides take a small group of 6-8 people around the campus to visit some ‘backstage areas’ to see what’s often overlooked on a normal Sunday visit.

“People don’t realize the many behind-the-scene roles that are needed to conduct services each weekend. This gives them the perspective of a wider range of ministry options,” reports Rich Green, Serve Pastor at Compass.

Guides give each person in their group a booklet which highlights each ministry area they’ll observe, a brief description of what each group does, and the contact information of the leader.  “They see serving roles that most people aren’t even aware exist such as:  security patrol, offering counters, nursery workers, sound techs, and the Sunday prayer team,” Rich points out. “We ask them to indicate if they see a ministry they’d like to join or get more information.”

A “Next Step” card allows tour participants to indicate if they’re ready to join a team. Guides return the cards to the office where Rich goes through them on Monday. Referrals are made to the ministry leaders if a tour member expressed interest in that area. A special team follows up on each lead to make sure the connection is made.

“It’s one thing to talk about places to serve in the church—Serve Tour Live actually shows them”.

For more information on this program visit Compass Church.