Post-pandemic volunteer crisis hits local church ministry

Post-pandemic volunteer crisis hits local church ministry

Churches provide a vital lifeline for communities hit by the cost-of-living crisis but a lack of volunteers prevents them from doing more, a new survey reveals.

Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, exhibitors at CRE Midlands 2023, asked 583 churches about the services they provide to their community and discovered that more than one in three offer food banks, one in four warm banks (pictured) and one in nine debt support. Five per cent run a clothes bank.

Of the churches offering warm banks, almost one in six set up the service in response to the spiralling cost of fuel. Overall, nearly half the churches said the cost-of-living crisis had led to higher demand for services, with a 21 per cent increase in demand for foodbanks and a five per cent increase in demand for debt support.

However, churches are struggling to meet the demand due to the lack of volunteers, with over a quarter saying this had affected their ability to offer services to the local community.

In a 2021 survey carried out by Ecclesiastical, half of the churches contacted said they had seen a fall in volunteer numbers in the 12 months prior, pointing to a major loss of volunteers since the pandemic.

Helen Richards, church operations director at Ecclesiastical, said: ‘It’s no surprise to see churches stepping up to support their communities when most in need and the efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis reflect the wider contribution to society our churches make. With more demand on services offered, the church needs even more volunteers to help them support some of the most vulnerable people in their communities. If churches are unable to attract people to fill these roles then there is a real risk that they will be forced to stop providing these vital services, or even close altogether.’

Ecclesiastical has produced a range of guidance for churches on some health and safety aspects of looking after volunteers on its website and also a video to help inspire volunteers.

• Ecclesiastical are on stand P29 at CRE Midlands 2023

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