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Volunteer Guides

Every lesson in Lessons.church includes guides tailored to specific volunteer roles. Instead of handing each volunteer the entire lesson plan, you can point them to a guide that shows only the instructions relevant to their role.

How Guides Are Organized​

Lessons are broken into sections (for example, "Welcome", "Bible Story", "Small Group Activity"). Within each section, roles are assigned specific actions. There are four action types:

  • Say -- scripted text for the volunteer to read or paraphrase.
  • Do -- a physical action or activity to carry out.
  • Note -- background information or reminders for the volunteer (not spoken aloud).
  • Play -- a video or audio clip to play for the class.

When a volunteer opens their guide, they see each section in order with only the actions assigned to their role. This keeps things simple and focused.

Viewing a Volunteer Guide​

  1. Open the lesson you want to prepare for.
  2. Look for the list of roles associated with the lesson's venue.
  3. Click on a role name to open the guide for that role.

The guide displays each section as a step-by-step walkthrough. Volunteers can scroll through it on a phone, tablet, or computer during class.

Printing Guides​

If your volunteers prefer a paper copy, you can print any guide directly from the browser.

  1. Open the guide for the desired role.
  2. Use your browser's Print function (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P).
  3. Print the page or save it as a PDF to distribute later.
tip

Share guide links with your volunteers ahead of time so they can review their instructions before class. A quick read-through during the week helps everyone feel more prepared on Sunday morning.

Multiple Roles​

Some lessons have several roles -- for example, a lead teacher, a small-group leader, and a tech volunteer. Each role has its own guide, so you can have as many specialized guides as the lesson calls for.