5 Simple Tips to Help Your Kid's Ministry Volunteers Thrive

1. Help Your Team See the Impact They Are Making

You may be surprised to know that the number one thing volunteers need to feel valued is to see that they’re making a real difference.

They need to be assured of what they’re accomplishing for the kingdom of God every time they serve. This is so much more than a quick, “Susie, you’re making a big difference by serving today!” It’s giving them a real story of life change that happened as a direct result of them being present and a part of the team.

Did a child pray the prayer of salvation? Every team member should know and celebrate that! Did you witness a child being enthusiastic in worship? Tell your team! They provided the opportunity for that child to love the Lord through singing.

Did a new family come back the next week? That is a big deal and your team should know that their service helped that family feel confident enough to drop their kids off again. It’s possible God is drawing that family to himself for the first time and your team is an integral part of that.

Even those serving with infants should know that when they love and support the littlest ones, they’re paving the way for that child to feel like they belong at church. A child who feels like they belong at church will be able to receive what they’re being taught at every age.

Every weekend, searching for and sharing the ways your team is making a difference should be on the forefront of your mind. Because the questions, “Do I really matter?” and “Am I making a difference?” are on the forefront of their mind. Nothing will energize your team faster than helping them see that they are changing the world for God by serving snacks and singing songs!

2. Thank Every Volunteer Sincerely and Specifically

You may feel like a broken record, but your volunteers need to hear you thank them every time you interact with them. While a sincere thank you is wonderful, a specific thank you is even better.

Instead of just saying thank you, I encourage you to try saying “thank you for" and then add a specific reason you’re thankful for that person. It could be something they did, an attitude they had, or a character quality you admire about them. This small adjustment will help each of your volunteers feel specifically seen and appreciated!

You can create a culture of thanking volunteers in other ways as well. Here are some ideas:

Have a $5 gift card and a thank you note ready every Sunday. When you see someone go above and beyond, fill out the card and hand it to them as they leave!Do team shout outs weekly! Thank your team every week for the big wins they had as a team and shout out specific volunteers for the ways they knocked it out of the park! You can do this through a group text, email or Facebook post.Ask other team leaders to share with you who deserves a thank you text or phone call this week.Every Sunday before you leave church, send a thank you text to a volunteer you feel may have been overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the day.

3. Handle Onboarding New Volunteers with Extra Care

The first few months new volunteers are serving on your team will likely make or break their commitment to your ministry. If you have a plan in place to train, equip, support and connect with your volunteers from the start, they will feel confident and connected and stay committed.

Here’s the top four things your volunteers need from you in the first few months:

They need you to help them see the difference they will make on your team.They need you to train them on every aspect of their role and connect them with someone already in their role to whom they can direct questions.They need you to help them find a schedule of serving that works for them.They need you to personally check in and answer their questions or concerns within a week of the first time they serve.

A great way to accomplish each these goals is to create an onboarding checklist and set aside time each week to see new volunteers through the process. Your initial care and attention for each new volunteer will help create a team that is faithful for the long haul!

 

4. Do Everything You Can to Ensure Everyone Serves in Balance

Is 25% of your volunteer team doing 75% of the work? This is very common in children’s ministry and I too have been there.

No ministry leader wants their team to operate in this way. But can I tell you a secret? You are the only one who can change this! It’s not your senior pastor, not the people on the team who can never seem to find the time to serve, or anyone else’s responsibility. You are the one who can restore balance to your team!

If you want to have a healthy team with volunteers that don’t burn out and quit, you have to have a no-martyr policy. Don’t allow the 25% to serve more than they should. In my experience, a healthy serving balance is for each volunteer to serve for one service every other week. Your particular team may be different and I encourage you to often ask questions like, “Does your serving schedule feel balanced with your family and life outside of church?”

While I was leading the early childhood department of my church we decided to implement a no-martyr policy. We started this by contacting those who served more than every other week or more than one service per Sunday to let them know that I valued them too much to let them continue to serve at that pace. They were unbelievably grateful!

But then I was left with many gaps to fill. Oh the stress! It wasn’t an easy transition to our balanced serving policy, but my fifth and final tip is what helped me fill those gaps and it will help you too!

5. Always Be Recruiting

The only way a children’s ministry team can thrive is if it is constantly growing. New team members allow current team members to take breaks when needed and they allow for the church and the number of kids in each classroom to continue to grow.

The best place to recruit new volunteers is in the drop-off and pick-up lines outside of the classroom on Sunday morning! Ask parents, ask grandparents, ask anyone with a smile on their face if they would like to join your team. Later that week, send a follow up text or email to each person you asked including the reason you think they would be a great asset to your ministry. Your team WILL grow if you’re asking people to join it!

Unfortunately, most people will be hesitant to serve in children's ministry. It can be helpful to ask people to serve twice a month for just three months initially. You can win them over to serve longterm by taking them through your stellar onboarding process and continually showing them the incredible difference they are making!

You can build a vibrant team of volunteers who are confident in their call to serve the children in your church. Implementing the five tips above will help move your children’s ministry from struggling to successful! God eagerly desires for each child in your church to know him and he will give you the wisdom, people and grace to build a happy and committed team of volunteers!

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Shelby Turner is a speaker and writer who lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband and three young sons. When she isn’t writing her heart out, you can find her building legos with her kids, serving in the children’s ministry at her church or watching too many reruns of The Office with her husband. You can connect with her on her blog at www.shelbyraeturner.com or she also loves to hang out on Instagram at @shelbyraeturner.