Philosophy of Service

Our philosophy of service begins with Jesus himself in Mark 10:42-45: “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus modeled top-down servant-leadership. In terms of giving of ourselves, there is no hierarchy.

We believe that each person is equipped with certain spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12), and it’s out of those gifts that one finds ways to serve one another with joy and gratitude. We do not believe that it is our role as a church to give an individual his/her “calling,” but to help people understand how they are gifted and equip them to best use that gift in service.

It is our hope that no one serving in any volunteer position at Cultivate does so out of a sense of duty, but out of a response to what the Holy Spirit stirs in his/her heart. There is no obligation to serve this community in order to belong, but we hope that each person who feels that they belong is stirred with a desire to offer their time, talents, and treasures in service of one another.

Our commitment to each person who volunteers those things in this community is that we will not take advantage of your offering. If you sign up for a volunteer position, we only ask that you commit to serving once a month. Anything above and beyond that is certainly available, but only at the desire of the volunteer. For anyone who does go above and beyond, we commit to continually checking in so as to prevent burnout. Sabbath (rest) is a biblical practice that we value at Cultivate, and we commit to making sure you have space to practice Sabbath even in your service.