Do you need volunteers?  Welcome to Children’s Ministry leadership.  I work with church leaders everyday. I’ve never heard one mention to me that they have enough volunteers.  Never.   Mega church to home church models.  The one thing they have in common is the need for volunteers.

Here are a few helpful ideas to consider:

Ask with Vision

It’s not a one time a year vision (yuck!)  No, it’s just not a cross it off the list vision share Sunday.    It’s the daily vision that comes from your senior pastor on down about serving.  It filters through your church.  There’s nothing like it.  God using you to serve others.  It’s in everyone’s DNA (how cool is that?!) And it’s vital to our growth as a Christ follower.  Be that  CM leader who runs with that baton and shares vision for kids and parents of what God has in mind for families at every opportunity.   Look for ways to help connect the power of using one’s gifts and serving kids in that vision.   The books Playing for Keeps and Lead Small by Reggie Joiner are great  tools to use to consider key things that matter , and how a volunteer can impact a child’s world. I highly recommend these two reads!

Ask without Apology

I’m pretty sure the disciples were busy guys. We are today too.   Everyone is busy. But don’t apologize for asking a busy person serve with you.   Ask with compelling vision- through stories from volunteers and parents help people see the WHY and WHAT in serving.  Stories matter. It makes the connection. Do you share great stories of what’s happening in your ministry with your parents? Parent win stories?   Compelling vision to busy people allows you to ask BIG asks.    I believe there is something deep inside people to want to be used and add value.  Put volunteers in the roles they are designed to serve in.  (YOU as a leader must find out what the sweet spot is) and they will serve with a smile.  Don’t apologize for asking busy people to get in the game of serving. They are awesome at what they do.

Tap on the Shoulder

One volunteer asking another person to serve has been one of the biggest accounts of wins from leaders I speak with.  One person sees gifts in another person, taps them on the shoulder and does a personal invite. They drop phrases like  “This is so life giving.  If I can do it, you can do it.”  Personal serving stories from one to another wins!

Start encouraging your current volunteers to tap a shoulder.   Challenge them to share their serve story.  Be sure and tap on teens shoulders.  They are gold!  They need to be serving and learning their gifts and how God wants to use them now, not later.   Don’t be the church that holds back teens from serving. Disciple them. Include them.  They are much cooler than you and relate to kids even better!

Different Levels for Different Serves for Volunteers

If you want to impact kids, you want consistent leaders.  Stop the weekly change of a person leading a small group.  That’s just a small group with a person in it.  Discipleship is relationship building is at the heart of leading a small group.  It takes a consistent leader.   Consistent people as your live story teller for large group creates relationships. Carve out those key serve positions as more than monthly serves.  By all means use a once a month or occasional volunteer in other capacities, but some roles won’t fit because of how vitally important they are for a consistent leader.   Don’t compromise.

 

Growing volunteers is always on your plate as a CM leader.  Try adding the above criteria as you attract more volunteers to serve  It can make a difference!