Ushers are an essential part of your next weekend experience. Therefore, providing clarity and training with a church ushers duties checklist is even more critical.
To do a great job, team members need clear instructions. A training manual will help you teach your ushers and clarify expectations.
Ultimately, using an usher team checklist will provide the direction they’re looking for anyway.
The gift of “helps defines the role of a church usher within the Body of Christ”:
1 Corinthians 12:27-28 27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping.
A church usher is a vital member of your weekend experience team because of their God-given ability to help.
In this passage, the word “helping” means laying hold of apprehension, perception, an objection of a disputant. You can summarize this definition with the word anticipate.
To anticipate means to expect, predict, to act as a forerunner.
A church usher should always be ready to serve because the conditions can vary in a church setting. If ushers reserve help until someone asks, it is often too late. However, those with the spiritual gift of help can anticipate the need and meet it.
Who Can Be A Church Usher?
Being an usher is not for everyone. Not everyone can play guitar on the worship team, work in children’s ministry, or lead a small group. Every person receives unique gifts.
Volunteering at church is great! However, your God-given, specific gifting and interests should determine where and how you use them.
Qualities Of A Good Church Usher
- Understanding of and committing to fulfilling the vital role of an usher
- A heart for people
- Willing to lead with a servant’s heart
- Commitment to the vision of the church
- Supportive of the leadership of this church
Church Usher Responsibilities
You can summarize Church Usher Duties with four main objectives: preparation, anticipation, problem-solver, and servant leader. Below is a brief explanation of each goal.
Preparation
A great usher prepares on every level. Ushering will require you to think and act quickly, so it is essential to be ready; this includes spiritually. Ushering should never be viewed as an obligation; it is a privilege! Connecting with God is a vital part of preparation.
Anticipate
Effective ushers who are helpful can anticipate and take action! They are attentive to what is going on and willing to meet needs as they arise.
The only wrong choice is not doing anything. Never assume “someone” else will take care of the need.
Problem Solve
In a church gathering, there will be pressure from time to time; maybe someone is upset, more seating is necessary, a person is approaching the stage, or something isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. As an usher, you are the leader; never pass the pressure on those attending the service. Instead, absorb the pressure. Furthermore, help solve problems, not create or make them bigger.
Servant Leadership
Good leaders are good learners. One of the primary church usher duties is to be supportive and encouraging by being service-minded.
Remove the frustration of creating a church ushers duties checklist for your team.
Click the button below to purchase the Church Usher Training Manual using the easy-to-use digital download and get immediate access to the training manual and free bonus!
Below is a small excerpt from the Church Usher Training Manual post.
Church Ushers Duties Checklist
*Arrive 25 minutes before service begins and report to the Lead Usher.
You will receive information about any special details or events within the service during this time. Also, this is a great time to familiarize yourself with details about the church so that you can answer questions people might have.
*Assure the auditorium is in order. Preparing the room can include:
- Filling the pockets with offering envelopes, visitor cards, and other specified resources
- Straighten rows/aisles and ensure the chairs are straight and secure
- Remove any trash from previous services
*Pray as a team before service begins.
*Help people find a seat.
Ushering may seem like an easy task; however, it is a particular skill. Welcoming people, especially new people, and making them feel comfortable are unique gifts.
Also, a new setting can be intimidating for people. For example, think about how you feel when entering a new restaurant. You ask yourself questions like, Do I sit or should I wait? Who should I ask if I have a question? Who do I talk to if I have special needs?
Therefore, as an usher, your job is to anticipate the needs of people with confidence. Don’t leave people guessing. Assure them that you can and will help them.
When you are seating someone, don’t make them say “excuse me” to those already in a seat. As an usher, you are the one who is there to help! Seat the people by speaking up for them.
The Bottom Line is you are there to serve, even in the small ways.
A few general seating guidelines:
- If the third song during worship has begun, ask those entering to wait along the back wall until the conclusion or a time of greeting, and then assist them in finding seats.
- Directly assist those after the sermon starts in finding a seat.
- Address a person if they leave and enter the sanctuary more than once during the sermon, ask them to find their seats and remain.
*Collect the offering.
An offering is an act of faith and an expression of worship. It is an opportunity for people to display their love, trust, and obedience to God.
The following outline will help ensure safe and practical accountability:
- At least three unrelated ushers must always be present when collecting and transporting the offering.
- An usher should never be alone with any amount of the offering. In the case of collecting an offering with bags/buckets, when an usher completes the offering collection from their section, they will join the ushers in the adjacent area to exit together. After leaving the sanctuary, the ushers will join each other at a designated location.
- Ushers collecting/transporting the offering will be on a rotating schedule.
*Be responsive to the Pastor/Speaker and the Church Leadership (I.E., special offering, water, communion, passing out flyers, etc.).
*Assist with traffic flow during altar calls and times of prayer.
Move with a sense of urgency to the altar. Take control and help direct people to Altar Workers/Prayer Team Members available for prayer.
*Address & Resolve Distractions
Examples:
- Small children playing loudly with a set of keys
- Babies Crying
- People leaving and entering the service
- Someone approaching the stage without being asked
The role of a church usher is to help your first-time guests repeat visitors, and members experience the sacredness and joy of a worship service.
A church usher should resolve distractions in a calm but firm manner understanding that disruptions hinder everyone.
*Prop open sanctuary doors before dismissing the congregation.
*Attend and participate in Usher Team meetings.
*Maintain seating in the auditorium
Sometimes it’s necessary to remove, rearrange, or set up the sanctuary chairs. This task is the usher teams’ responsibility.
Effective Church Ushering Summary
- Maintain proper appearance (wear an appropriate seasonal uniform) and personal hygiene.
- Show up on time.
- Arrive 25 minutes before the service.
- Read the bulletin – be informed and knowledgeable to the best of your ability.
- Remain in the sanctuary during your time of service, ready and alert unless you have explicitly been asked to leave the sanctuary.
- You are not required to usher every Sunday, but when you are on the schedule, give it 100%.
- If you are on the schedule and can’t make it, you must call your Lead Usher and find your replacement.
- Smile, talk to people, and learn their names!
- You don’t have to know all the answers, just where to find them!
- Many hands make light work.
Lead Church Ushers Duties Checklist
A Lead Usher provides leadership and coordination for the church usher team. Ultimately, their goal is to ensure a smooth and efficient operation of all related church usher duties.
These responsibilities include:
- Provide leadership and team building for the team.
- Identify and train one or more assistant(s) to provide leadership when you cannot be present.
- Recruit new ushers.
- Organize meetings.
- Lead pre-service meetings and prayer.
- Provide current and rapid communication.
- Encourage your usher team.
- Help maintain quality and standards for all usher functions.
- Guide special circumstances as they arise.
- Create solutions to challenges and difficulties that occur during service.
- Assure that the process for offering collection is up to standard.
- Train new ushers.
- Organize and communicate the monthly schedule of ushers serving each week.
- Be a shepherd to those on your team and communicate with the appropriate church staff “need to know” information.
- Be a model of excellence in your attitude and attire.
Providing a church ushers duties checklist to your team is vital to the worship service. If a person has had a less than positive experience entering the sanctuary, an usher can significantly turn that person’s experience around.
Strengthen your usher team and serve your church better! You’ll find even more usher training in the downloadable manual. Furthermore, it provides everything your usher team needs to know to meet expectations effectively.
