Equipping Your Kids Volunteers in the New Year

Happy 2022! May this be the year of abundance for you and your ministry! Amen.

The truth is . . . we are better together. And one thing we all know for sure is that we can’t do what God has called us to do without the investment of many volunteers.

Equipping your team of volunteers can be the key to success or stress. And it can be as simple as choosing these 3 E’s!

Encourage, Empower, and Engage.

1) Encourage your volunteers.

Encouragement goes a long way to creating longevity in kids’ ministry. It helps your amazing volunteers to feel seen, known, and loved. Take note of what they do well and give them a shout out.  Help them to see the purpose in what they are doing.  For example, instead of thanks for being here, you could try, thank you so much for showing up weekly to invest in the life of a few over time.

Which one sounds more encouraging to you?

Right. The one attached to a purpose and a strategy.

Make sure to add that Kid Min flare! Go over the top with FUN! Cue the confetti!

Pro Tip:

We give you a Volunteer Appreciation idea monthly in your downloads. You can use this gift idea and write your word of encouragement there. You can present it in your team huddle! Need Huddle ideas? Check out the “For Leaders Only” doc! We got you covered.

2) Empower your volunteers.

Empowered kidmin volunteers look like owners and not renters. These high-level leaders will need clear and consistent communication, intentional resources and trainings, and the tools to lead and love on their few. Not sure where to start? Connect with your OS and make sure to dive into the training materials resources.

At my church, our kids directors make a weekly video that unpacks the curriculum materials. These are the materials that are attached to the lesson plans. These attachments make it so easy to see exactly what’s needed for Sunday. Leaders, make sure they have access to an abundance of markers, stickers, and prizes galore! We also leave them room to enhance their experience as they feel led.

For another way to empower leaders, we recently provided volunteers with a list of kids, addresses, cards, and stamps. They wrote cards and sent them in the mail to their few! We are constantly looking for ways that we can intentionally give them ministry opportunities that will build relationships. For some awesome postcard graphics, Orange Kids has some that are great for creating your own postcard! Be sure to empower your host team by sharing the facilitator script a month in advance.

Pro Tip:

Share the links to our Pinterest pages to get inspired, snag decorating ideas, and see activity examples! Encourage your volunteers to make it their own!

3) Engage your volunteers.

One of my mentors always used to say, “Inspect what you expect.”

If you’re not proactively engaging with your volunteers, it will be challenging to know the ways they can be empowered and supported. Try to get to know where your volunteers live. Better yet, go for a visit and bring them a treat! When you understand your volunteers’ commute and see where they live, it will make them feel understood. This enables you to empower them in personal ways. Maybe gift a gas card for them instead of a coffee gift card? This could help them stop stressing about their weekly commitment in new ways. Perhaps you could sit with them once a month as they serve? By doing this, you will see the ways that they share, lead, and learn. This will give you insight to what their next level or next faithful step might be.

Pro Tip:

Check out the Kid Min Job Descriptions found in Orange Memberships! Getting on the same page will help you to engage in new ways.