There are several virtual assistant services that offer virtual assistance to churches and other religious organizations. This article will explain what virtual church secretaries can do for you, how they can make your life easier, and how to choose the right virtual secretary service to ensure you hire someone who will be able to help you get more done without making things more difficult.
What Does a Virtual Church Secretary Do?
A virtual secretary is an individual who provides administrative support services for your congregation from their own home via technology such as Skype or GoToMeeting, or Zoom. They are fully qualified professionals with years of experience in secretarial work in industries inside or outside of the religious sector.

A virtual church secretary works just like any other professional virtual assistant, but they usually have some experience working with virtual assistants and virtual companies. This is important because while there are many qualified secretaries out there, it is important to hire a virtual assistant that is used to working in the ever-changing digital landscape.
One of the perks of hiring a virtual assistant is that they typically have a great deal of experience dealing with ministry for the 21st century. This means they will understand social media, elements of email marketing, basic graphic creation, helping a church get connected online, and working on staff in a digital arena.
What administrative tasks can a virtual assistant do?

There are many ways that virtual church secretaries can help you in your daily administrative tasks, which can save you time and money while also ensuring compliance with government regulations regarding record keeping and financial administration.
When potential clients call me to hire a virtual assistant and ask what our VA’s can do, I often tell them, “It is easier for me to list the things we CAN’T do.” We have done everything from planning Easter Egg hunts to helping pastors plan their schedules to administrative tasks such as database assistance and website help.
It can actually be overwhelming for pastors to look at the blank canvas of their virtual assistants and think, “I can use this person for anything?” There are some good steps to take to help you get clarity on what you need, but here are a few ways they can help a pastor:
Virtual Record Keeping

Virtual secretaries can provide record-keeping services. This is not just limited to recording membership. They can assist with service planning, event recording, guest bookkeeping, and so much more.
Marketing

With virtual church secretaries, you can receive marketing help. This is not just limited to creating graphics, but virtual assistants can offer promotion services for your church and also assist in planning special events, whether they be annual Easter Egg hunts or Christmas bazaars.
Website Help

Websites are the main gateway to churches. It is the first experience that someone will have with a church and pastor (whether you like that or not).
In other words, your ministry NEEDS to focus on the website.
Virtual church secretaries can help with website maintenance as well as the creation of a new ministry website. They have the skillset to assist with aspects such as the graphic design on your site, keeping up quality content creation, regular upkeep of site features, and other things that make it easier to manage a professional-looking ministry website.
Social Media

Virtual assistants can also help with your social media efforts and general marketing, such as Facebook postings of events or even Twitter posts. Not only do virtual assistants know how to post on Facebook, but they also have experience dealing with what other people have posted online, which gives them an edge in knowing how to best interact with each church’s audience out there.
Email and Church Newsletters

Using a virtual assistant for email marketing and even church newsletter support, you can save time and money while ensuring that your emails appear professional.
They can also personally help you with your own email. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of junk email or the constant barrage of members needing help, your ministry assistant can step in and help monitor, organize and clean it up.
One of my favorite things that we can do for pastors is to streamline the entire scheduling process. Because we know the schedule of the pastor, we can go ahead and book appointments.
As a result, a VA can streamline the entire back-and-forth process of scheduling meetings (which is incredibly time-consuming).
Hiring Virtual Assistants

Leaders are busy, and one of the most time-consuming and exhausting tasks that have to be done is hiring someone for your team.
Thankfully, hiring a virtual assistant is super easy.
Most can start within a couple of days and integrate beautifully within your existing team dynamics.
This allows you to focus on what is most important: shepherding God’s people.
Here’s why it is easy to hire a virtual assistant:
Pay only for what you use.
You can hire virtual workers and pay for them by the hour. You get a skilled worker who is available at almost any time of day but don’t have to budget in sick days and vacation time. It’s an inexpensive way that even small churches can do more with their staff!
Let me mention something quickly that many churches don’t think about: it is VITAL for you to find a VA agency that will not lock you into any long-term contracts. If a VA isn’t working out or isn’t the right culture fit, you don’t want to be stuck with that agency or VA. Look for a VA team that will make sure your church and budget are important to them.
Get Started Right Away
No relocation, no coming into the office, tools already equipped–your VA is ready to help you with whatever task need you may have. In other words, after a brief conversation to find out what has to be done, most VAs can get started within a day or two (or even today)! This is part of the value of hiring a VA.
At Ministry Assistant Services, after a brief 20-minute phone call where I can understand your unique situation, I look to see who is the right fit on our team and then connect the primary leader in charge with the virtual assistant.
From there, the virtual staff hops into action to offer personal administrative help and resources.
Ready to Get Started?

If you are tired of trying to keep up with the demands on your time, hire a ministry assistant today. With our expert team, you will be able to have an assistant for tasks that take more than 10 hours per week so that your ministry can thrive again!
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