- Search Positions to see what is available. Note the accommodations, visa requirements, financial responsibilities and qualifications for each position. Once you’ve found a position you are interested in, click the “Add to My Interests” link. When you click this link, you will be taken to the login page for the Adventist Volunteer Service (AVS) online database. If you do not already have an account on the database, you will need to create one in order to make an online list of your position interests.
- Create a New Account. Creating an account is not the same as applying to be a volunteer. You may create an account solely for the purpose of making a list of position interests. If you create a list of position interests, but do not apply within two months, your account will automatically become inactive. To activate your account again, contact your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator.
- Begin a Short Term Online Application and follow the instructions.
- Download a Reference Form and send it to ONE individual. This individual should return the completed reference forms to your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator or your College Coordinator if you attend a Seventh-day Adventist® school. Completed references should not be sent directly to the General Conference AVS office. The reference should be completed by a pastor/church official or a professional from your school or workplace who knows you well. References should not be filled out by relatives or personal friends.
- Download and carefully read the Beneficiary Form. Complete, sign and date the form by hand (for legal and insurance purposes, we cannot accept typed signatures on this form) and attach it to your online application or email/fax it to your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator or your College Coordinator.
- Download and carefully read the Release of Liability Form. Complete, sign and date the form by hand (for legal and insurance purposes, we cannot accept typed signatures on this form) and attach it to your online application or email/fax it to your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator or your College Coordinator.
- Print out two copies of each of your completed forms, including your completed online application. Take one set of copies with you on your volunteer assignment. Leave the other set of copies at home in a safe place. Tell a trusted family member where you have left it.
After You Have Applied
- Before you are assigned to a call, your application must be screened and approved by:
- Your local Mission/Conference Volunteer Coordinator, or the chaplain’s office of the Adventist college/university you currently attend.
- Your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator (click here for Division Contacts).
- The General Conference Adventist Volunteer Center (GC AVC).
- The Receiving Organization that the GC AVC sends your application to for consideration.
- The Receiving Division.
- The General Conference Mission Personnel Processing Committee.
- Be prepared to wait a month or two for the assignment process to be completed. Your application papers may need to be submitted to several organizations. Check your status on your AVS home page regularly.
- Take special note of all expenses for your call (you will find expenses on the Finances section of your Service Request). Begin raising money! See the Getting Ready manual for a sample fundraising letter.
- DO NOT purchase your airline ticket until your Sending Division Volunteer Coordinator confirms your assignment by stating that it has been approved by the General Conference Mission Personnel Processing Committee.