D uring National Volunteer Month in April, nonprofit organizations across the coun- try honor and promote volunteerism in their communities. As rescue missions and kindred ministries, we should not only partake in honoring and recognizing those who serve with us, but we should also take the opportunity to reflect on what it means to volunteer in our world today. And we can do that every day. Here are two questions I ask my department as we strategize ways to better engage volunteers: Is the local church healthy? And how does that affect the volunteers coming to serve with us? The answer will vary slightly across denomina- tions, regions of the country, and how we would interpret what “spiritual health” is, but I would argue that no matter what your background, the idea of living out your faith cuts across all types of approaches. When volun- teers come to missions to serve, it’s usually out of a passion to serve others in need—but it could also be out of a longing to fill a spiritual void. Few churches preach regularly about homelessness, poverty, or addiction. Some churches shy away from bringing up social issues facing our communities, but now more than ever, the world is looking for people of faith to authentically live out the gospel. If our local churches are struggling with this, rescue missions and kindred ministries need to be places where volunteers can grow in their faith while confronting their own worldview. How do we deal with the stereotypes and assumptions that volunteers bring into our space? Most volunteers have a heart for homeless people, but that alone doesn’t mean they have a true grasp on the harsh realities our community members face on a daily basis. When volunteers bring the perspective that individuals experiencing homeless- ness are lazy, uneducated, or “mooching off the system,” we undermine these people as human beings, created in the image of God. We need to lead our volunteers from these types of assumptions to authentic empathy for who they are serving. There’s no more room for the “savior complex” in our organizations. Our volunteer train- ings and engagement plans need to focus on how to challenge volunteers in ways that are honoring, but also convicting. We need to have a theology of volunteering that brings faith, acts of service, and social justice together as one unifying whole. If we are ever going to change our faith commu- nities, missions need to be the places where stereotypes and assumptions of any kind can be confronted and laid before the foot of the cross.  50 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MAY/JUNE 2019 DAY­TO­DAY Practical help with the operations and ministry of your mission VITAL VOLUNTEERS Josh Windham Big Assumptions Honoring and challenging volunteers Josh is the volunteer services manager at Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities in Minnesota. Josh has been able to work in a variety of nonprofit settings, in volunteer management and community development. He is passionate about bringing people in his community to a deeper understanding of issues like social justice, homelessness, and poverty. You may email Josh at jwindham@ugmtc.org.