If we sat across each other to enjoy a coffee together and chat about ministry, no doubt that one of the questions I would ask you is ‘How’s the health of your volunteer team?’ Besides your own, spiritual, mental and emotional health; the next telltale sign of a healthy, growing ministry, is a healthy growing volunteer team.
Do you have volunteers bombarding your inbox, or hunting you down on Sundays, pleading with you for a chance to join your team?
YOU DON’T?
I actually never have, either. In fact, I don’t personally know a single kids ministry or student ministry leader that has found themselves in that position.
Healthy, growing volunteer teams happen as a result of well executed, intentional strategy. A strategy that has two main components; recruiting and retaining volunteers. I will share some ideas for retaining volunteers in a later article, but since you can’t focus on keeping what you don’t have let’s start with Recruiting Volunteers: a How-to Guide.
Just in case you have already tried to recruit and grow your team, here are a few approaches that I have found to be generally unsuccessful.
- Broad email requests (Hey You…we really need some help in kids ministry, etc.)
- Push (or plea, however you’d like to say it) from the Pastor on the main stage
- Standalone post on social media campaigns (Can you help this weekend?)
- Mandatory requirement for parents who have kids in the ministry, to serve on the team.
While these steps, may get a small, short-term response; in my experience, they typically do not result in high volume or volunteers who stick it out for the long-haul.
Now…let’s get to what you came here for.
Recruiting Volunteers: A How-To Guide
Recruiting volunteers does not have to be complicated. If this area is one that seems to weigh you down, I highly encourage you to implement one (or all) of the pieces of the strategy below. I have personally found these to be both effective for the teams I have led and for others who have taken this approach.
Implement a ‘Comprehensive’ Strategy
One thing that really helped me with recruiting was a shift in my thinking. I began to think of recruiting as an ONGOING (never-ending) process rather than something to be pursued only at the time of a need.
My mindset towards recruiting changed when my perspective shifted from ‘Let’s recruit for growth’ instead of only ‘recruiting to fill a need.’
If the goal is for your ministry to keep growing & reaching more and more families, then it makes sense that you will need a volunteer team that continues to grow.
Besides, it is far more energizing to realize that we ‘get to‘ prepare, in advance, for the families that God will bring.
Below, are the three components to a comprehensive recruiting strategy.
1. Develop an annual approach.
Be systematic about recruiting with the yearly calendar in mind. (I recognize that we know all too well how things can change on a dime. However, fail to plan; plan to fail, really holds true in this instance.)
There are likely a couple times of the year when your ministry naturally grows. Easter and back to school (or just after Labor Day) are traditionally times when families return too, or begin to attend church.
It is wise to strategically schedule volunteer campaigns 6-8 weeks prior to those dates to allow time for on-boarding and equipping new team members.
There are many ways to run a volunteer campaign, but in a nutshell it means do ‘anything & everything’ you can do to draw attention to the amazing opportunity people have to be a generation shaper by volunteering on the team.
You can include funny posters advertising things like ‘kids ministry gets you fit,’ or ‘the only place that bed head helps you fit in=kids ministry.’
Another great idea is the ‘Say Yes‘ campaign that I believe originated with Orange. You get to let people know all the amazing things they get to say yes too when they volunteer with the next generation.
Regardless of how you do it, you just want to get word out that you are opening up positions for new volunteers so they can join the team and be a part of all that God is doing. Invite and offer them a chance to be a part. (Posters, emails, social media, mailers, etc should all be a part of these campaigns.)
2. Make DIRECT INVITATIONS/ASKS.
This is a pretty simplistic step.
- Pick up the phone and ASK, directly.
- Have a conversation in person, face-to-face & ASK directly.
One of my best recommendations for ministry leaders is to keep yourself free on Sundays to interact with families and guests. This is how you meet the people that you are going to ‘INVITE.’
Who do you see doing something great that could be used for a greater purpose?
Did you overhear that teenager walking out of main service still belting out the worship song? (AMAZING…think elementary worship team.)
Was there a family that brought guests and you observed them giving a detailed ‘grand tour’ of your facility? (PERFECT…think first impressions or check-in team.)
Did you just hear a mom or dad discussing with their child what they learned and how it applies to them? (SO GREAT…think small group leader.)
You saw the parents with the ‘fast grab’ that managed to catch their child before they bolted unattended down the hallway, right? They had lightning fast reflexes, while maintaining a calm exterior and a smile plastered on their face. (WHAT A GIFT…think preschool ministry.)
Once you observe the gifts people have, call out their gift and invite them to be a generation shaper. Don’t forget to get their contact information and then follow-up within a few days.
Do this every single weekend. Consistently. It will build a recruiting culture that constantly promotes healthy growth for your team.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a post where I go into more detail about how to make (and how to train your team to make), direct asks. Make sure to subscribe below so that you don’t miss that post when it drops.
3. Publicly celebrate stories of WINS.
People get excited to be a part of something that’s great. We can both honor the investment our team is making and build a recruiting culture.
Here is what that looks like: publicly celebrate (1) the ways that volunteers are being blessed by being a part of the team (share personal stories from volunteers) and (2) how the volunteers are making a difference in the lives of kids and families (personal stories from kids or their parents).
Celebrating wins in kids and student ministry advertises to your church family that your church believes the next generation is a valuable investment.
Publicly celebrating can include: emails to your church family, video clips to show on main screen before service, shout outs on the church social media pages, etc.
Create a culture at your church from the Senior level all the way through the organization, that honors and celebrates the impact that volunteers are having with the next generation.
As a brief side note, if you ever find yourself in a conversation trying to enlighten someone to the importance of reaching the next generation, here are some statistics. Barna Research Group found that nearly half of all people who accept Jesus as their Savior, do so BEFORE the age of 13. Two out of three will make this decision before the age of 18. Next gen. ministry is where MOST PEOPLE will meet and begin a personal relationship with Jesus!
I can not think of a better reason for someone to invest their gifts on a kids ministry or student ministry team.
If we claim to have a heart for reaching the lost, then we must also make reaching lost children a priority in our church.
In the event that you have recently returned to your building after being closed due to the pandemic and found that your volunteers did not return; please make sure you check out this article.
Prior to focusing on recruiting, there are a few things to make sure you have covered in advance.
6 Important Things to Plan in Advance
- Have clearly defined next steps.
- Smooth, concise onboard process.
- Prewritten job descriptions for anything and everything that someone could do to support the next gen. ministry at your church.
- Know how will you pay your volunteers.
Recently, I heard someone say, ‘volunteers don’t work for free.’ It’s so true! Volunteers expect to get something back for their investment. What will be the currency for your team? Will it be connection with others they can do life with, fun, free team ‘swag’, deeper connections to staff or pastors, using their life to make difference? Be prepared to explain to potential volunteers how they will benefit from accepting an invitation to serve.
5. Be able to consistently articulate your vision.
Know the vision for your team like the back of your hand. Teach it to your leaders and repeat it often for your team. Why does an investment in kids or students, matter?
6. Release volunteers from signing up for eternity.
There are some potential volunteers walking around with a fear that once they begin to volunteer…they will be tied up forever. Be willing to ease their mind and potentially offer ‘trial’ runs where they test drive volunteering on the team. (I always ask people to at least commit to 3 weeks since each week in kids or student ministry has a unique ebb and flow.
Do what only you can do, while God does what only He can do.
Faith + Action
I had a conversation with my son during his first year of middle school to discuss his ‘organization skills.’ He was lacking in this department and it was having a negative impact on his schooling. After the 3rd (or 5th conversation) and consequence, he seemed perplexed. He shared with me, that he had prayed and asked God to make him more organized and couldn’t understand why he was still waiting for it to happen.
He had the trusting God part down but had completely missed that ACTION was still required on his part.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to learn, grow, adapt and to fully use the wisdom and gifts God has trusted us with. At the same time, it needs to be our priority to remember WHO is in control.
If we are fortunate enough to ever get to sit down and talk about ministry over coffee, this is the main thing I would want you to take away.
God cares more about reaching the kids, students and families in your community than you do. He knew today was going to happen. He knew this season was going to happen. None of it surprises Him.
The most important thing you can as you take ACTION to recruit is to trust Him with the process. Do what only you can do, while God does what only He can do!