Volunteer Opportunities

Not only is there a place for you in this church, there is a great need for your time and skills for doing God’s work in the world. Everywhere you look, there are opportunities to share God’s love and serve our neighbor. This is work we do together in the name of Jesus Christ here and throughout the world through the ELCA and its partners. Let us help you find an opportunity that matches your interests, gifts and available time.

Locally
Chances are God is already doing great things through ELCA congregations, Lutheran social ministry organizations and projects in your area. Find out how you can volunteer your time and skills in a place near you.

• ELCA congregations are a good place to begin your search for opportunities to volunteer in your community.
• Lutheran Services in America often need volunteers to serve in their affiliated local social ministry organizations and programs.
• Lutheran World Relief makes it possible for congregations to make a global impact without leaving their community through Parish Projects.

Nationally
Help build a new ELCA congregation, work in a ministry in an underserved neighborhood, help provide disaster relief or serve on an outdoor ministry staff – there are a wealth of volunteer opportunities across the country.

• ELCA-affiliated camps and retreat centers across the United States depend on volunteer and paid staff to provide experiences for children, youth and adults throughout the year.
• Lutheran social ministry organizations offer opportunities for service in communities across the nation through Lutheran Services in America.
• Mission Builders donate their time and technical know-how to help with construction of new church buildings.

Long-term service opportunities in the U.S.
Looking for something longer and more in-depth? Some domestic volunteer opportunities are a few months to a year or longer.

• Holden Village utilizes over 400 volunteer staff each year as a Lutheran center for renewal in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state.
• Lutheran Volunteer Corps offers one-year, full-time volunteer experiences of community, social justice and simple living in cities from the East Coast to the West Coast.
• Urban Servant Corps in Denver offers one-year, full-time experiences for volunteers to live in community while serving at nonprofit organizations that work with low-income and at-risk populations.

Service opportunities around the world
Paid and volunteer mission opportunities through ELCA Global Mission are available all over the world for periods of a couple months up to several years.

• Learn about accompaniment, how we walk and work among Christian communities in other countries.
• Spend time in self-reflection, and seek God’s guidance. 
• Search for ELCA Global Mission service opportunities
• Learn about the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)