Recruiting volunteers for children’s and youth ministry has always been challenging, even downright difficult. This year, there is an additional hurdle: Many faithful volunteers had their service completely upended this spring when lockdowns were fully implemented. In the midst of this upheaval to the church at large, many people became less fully engaged with the body of Christ and with their specific ministries. Some have gotten used to a new “normal.” That is why now, more than ever, children’s and youth ministry leaders need to earnestly remind the church of our sacred calling to disciple the next generation—pandemic or not.
One of the best ways for pastors and ministry leaders to recruit a team of dedicated, Jesus-loving, God-honoring volunteers during this time is to diligently…
- Inspire them with a big vision for what they are doing and why they are doing it. Give them big reasons why investing in the discipleship of children and youth is so important.
- Carefully and prayerfully recruit volunteers, and then fully equip, train, and encourage them every step of the way.
At Truth78, we want to help children’s and youth pastors and ministry leaders do this more effectively. Here are some tools and resources to help you:
How to Effectively Recruit, Equip, and Encourage Ministry Volunteers
- “Recruiting, Equipping, and Retaining Volunteers” (a six-page PDF outlining all the basics)
- “Recruiting, Equipping, and Retaining Volunteers” (an audio seminar by Pastor Gil McConnell)
- Utter Dependency on God through Prayer (a helpful booklet as you ground your endeavors in prayer)
Inspiring Volunteers with a Big Vision
- Send the short article “Sunday School as Liberation” by John Piper to your volunteers.
- Use the four-part short video series “Foundations for Ministry” as part of your volunteer training.
- Encourage your volunteers to watch “Declaring the Whole Counsel of God to the Next Generation” by Pastor Mark Vroegop.
- Give your teachers a copy of Zealous: 7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generations, and/or direct them to the seven-part blog series that highlights each commitment.
Additional Equipping and Role-Specific Training for Your Volunteers
- Make use of our free “Core Training Series.” While nothing can replace a well-thought-out, hands-on training program by church leadership, the Core Training Series can provide every ministry volunteer with basic help to flourish in their roles. Ideally, your church can use these tools as part of a larger, ongoing intentional plan to prepare and support volunteers. Print or email any documents for your volunteers that correspond to their particular roles.
- Peruse and recommend other training seminars found on our website.
Still to Come
We know that our current situation is drastically changing the way in which many churches will be doing children’s and youth ministry this coming year. We will be creating new training and resources to address some of the most common challenges, such as:
- How to most effectively teach remotely—teaching remotely via video.
- Creating and encouraging a ministry team while ministering remotely.
