Since beginning the Q&A posts (people email me questions & we try to answer them here) I’ve got to connect with a lot of cool people. Recently, I’ve had the privilege to connect with a volunteer children’s director at a church in an adjacent state.
This person works a full time job and leads the CM area as a VOLUNTEER…WOW (that is so awesome)! Their church is fairly new, has one service and desires to build a really strong volunteer base in CM but is having some trouble getting that started. This person asked some great questions and I’m going to do my best to answer them, but…I want to try something a little different… : )
I’m not going to answer these right now (maybe in a post tomorrow or something…?) because I want to hear what you guys think! And by you guys…I mean everyone! : )
You can answer one or all of them…that’s up to you. Also, weather you are a church staffer, general volunteer, church goer or former ‘church person’…it doesn’t matter! Whoever you are (whatever you ‘do’)…we would LOVE to hear what you think! 
- What do you do when you don’t have enough volunteers to serve in CM?
- Is it ok to ask parents (members, kids in CM) to volunteer in order to help out?
- Is it better to have ‘fill-in’ volunteers who may not feel called to work with kids or cancel the program until people step forward?
- Does it do the children a disservice to have volunteers there to ‘fill-in,’ who may not feel called to pour into their lives?
- Do the people that serve every week need a break (to go to adult service)?
- If so, when? Should a CM worker’s forgo time off to go a service for the benefit of the program?
Ok, that’s it people! Now, fire away some of that awesome wisdom you guys have!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 am
OK, here goes. As if somebody cares…
When I don’t have enough volunteers to serve, I usually consolidate kid’s groupings where I can. If it becomes desperate and I can’t consolidate any more, then I usually just take the kids by myself, and do a impromptu large group service.
I think it’s OK to ask parents to help, so long as the experience of filling in on late notice doesn’t turn them off to ever helping again. I try and keep a mental list of those parents that have told me in the past that they would help out in a pinch if needed.
I think it’s better to ‘Cancel the Program’; but I’m usually required to go through with the program by senior church leadership.
It does a terrible disservice to have volunteers fill-in who feel NOT called to kids. Of course I can find nowhere in the Bible where people feel called to work with kids or away from kids. I’m just saying….
We have 3 services on Sunday AM, and make/force/request all children’s workers to attend one adult service each week.
And we work in months off each year for our most dedicated workers. It keeps them fresh, and allows us to train others to do their positions.
I’m not sure you’d call that wisdom…
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I kind of disagree with Jonathan about being better to cancel a program. I have found sometimes people don’t know they are called to children’s ministry because they have never experienced it and don’t feel like they are capable of doing it. So, if I give a person an opportunity to just fill in for a couple of weeks, sometimes they find their niche.
I probably wouldn’t have a classroom where everyone was just filling in, but if I have a regular volunteer to be in the room also, I would let someone fill in and see if it is something they want to continue.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
okay…long time reader, first time responder.
when you don’t have enough volunteers to serve you do things that don’t need volunteers…media. there’s plenty of great, not cheesy stuff out there.
is it okay to ask parents to help out?…why not! there’s such a strategy we have that says we want to partner with parents to lead our youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, the parents have more time than anything to influence children. Get that value across and not only do they feel the urge to step it up at home, but partner with other parents at the local church to create a church experience for Jesus to children.
cancel or fill in? this one is tough…one side says cancel because you want to put the right people in the right spot and the right time. but this isn’t some odd ministry like car repair ministry it’s a lifeblood of sharing the gospel to a generation that can follow God without obstacles and reservations. That’s exciting to be involved in even though you don’t have a clue or a calling to be a part of. I think waiting for people to come forward from a cancelation gets people to volunteer who feel guilty…those don’t last long. Those who do “fill-in,” equip them with small manageable pieces. You don’t have to be an expert. You just have to show them a life lived with Jesus. Let God do the work with what is prepared. It doesn’t have to be crazy and have everything, it just has to be fun, practical and speak authentically to where they’re at.
those who serve everyweek definitely need a break. maybe they’re getting it from a small group during the week and not on a Sunday morning. ask them about their spiritual walk. have them rate it whether it’s declining or increasing since they’ve become volunteers. If they’re honest, be ready for the consequences.
those are my thoughts…please inform us oh great one!
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
For me, it seems to be less of a problem keeping volunteers, simply by being devoted to them and the role they have in the children’s ministry. I encourage volunteers when they “get it right” and make sure they understand how and why “they got it wrong.” I weekly contact through email with information about what the week holds in our children’s ministry (curriculum preparation, how I need them to help me accomplish our purpose, encouaging stories, etc.). I help volunteers understand that they are vital to the ministry we execute every week! Unless every one of them is here fulfilling their role, the ministry to children cannot be effective. It’s not as big of a problem if they are held accountable.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes have difficulty finding enough volunteers. It’s my desire to have devoted, called workers in children’s ministry and, by investing time in my leaders, they are investing time with me and the ministry I lead. Large group settings have worked well for us. Large groups require less people to serve but also require more preparation for the ones who serve. We then use small groups for a one-on-one connection and can consolidate those groups if we have to. FIll in volunteers are sometimes needed too, if there is nothing I can do to prevent someone from being out or if I need an extra “hand.” I compile a list of people that could serve well in children’s ministry (personality, etc) but may not feel gifted in ministry to children and call them if necessary.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
What do you do when you don’t have enough volunteers to serve in CM?
I would do more large group stuff and/or media driven stuff as others mention. But, at the same time I would actively recruit people during the service by casting the vision well.
Is it ok to ask parents (members, kids in CM) to volunteer in order to help out?
Definitely. But I would probably ask them to serve once a month and then figure out a schedule that works.
Is it better to have ‘fill-in’ volunteers who may not feel called to work with kids or cancel the program until people step forward?
If it’s really bad, from a quality standpoint, I would cancel it. But, if the quality isn’t really bad then I would work with the fill-in volunteers while actively recruiting new ones.
Does it do the children a disservice to have volunteers there to ‘fill-in,’ who may not feel called to pour into their lives?
It’s a disservice to both the children and the volunteers, BUT, it’s okay short term. Some of those volunteers may have never volunteered before and this will help them find out where they’re niche is. The best way to figure out your passion and gifting is to try stuff out.
Do the people that serve every week need a break (to go to adult service)? & If so, when? Should a CM worker’s forgo time off to go a service for the benefit of the program?
With one service, you could try to get people to serve every other week, but you’ll need twice as many volunteers. If you’re church is all about reaching the unchurched, then continue to cast that vision and let people know that your church values creating an engaging environment for unchurched people over churched people going to service. That’s definitely not a long-term solution but it’s how I would want to do it. I would make sure the volunteers get a CD of the message, or the whole service, each week.