Abingdon Youth

by Norman H. Coleman

Identify, select and support the volunteers who are the heart and soul of what happens in any ministry with youth

It’s time to do youth ministry, and you need volunteers. All sorts of questions have probably popped into your mind – not necessarily in this order: How many volunteers will I need? What sorts of people should I look for? What makes a good youth leader? Where do I get the names of potential adult youth leaders? How do I convince folks to say yes? How long should they serve? What about using parents of the youth?

these and many other questions about recruiting are asked by leaders in every youth ministry. Recruiting volunteers can be an exhausting but fruitful process. Note the word process: you need to go about recruitment in an orderly way – not just call up folks and tell them how much fun working with teenagers can be.

In my ten years of involvement in some form of youth ministry, I have used a number of approaches. The most successful one is outlined in this article, which also addresses most of the questions posed earlier.

Doing Your Homework
You cannot have a growing, vibrant lifegiving youth ministry without prayer and volunteers. So begin with prayer, asking the Lord not only to guide you in the process but also show you who these wonderful people are.

Before you start the actual recruiting, you must determine how many persons the ministry has to have. The number of volunteers required depends on the number of youth the ministry serves and the variety of needs the youth have. Since giving personal attention in larger groups can be difficult, I like to have a ratio of 1:5 (an adult for every five youth). There also needs to be a balance in the ratio of men to women. Addressing these concerns before you start looking for persons will simplify your task.

Also, persons can volunteer in a variety of ways and time commitments. Some can commit to only once a year while others will be able to volunteer on a weekly basis. Some can provide meals or transportation or open up their homes. Still others might be part of a calling chain. Your ministry needs all sorts of volunteers for a variety of time periods.

Identifying Potential Volunteers
Although God can use anyone, you need to look for some specific attributes in an adult volunteer. Young people look for adults who can relate to them, even have fun with them. But they also expect each adult to be a Christian adult role model – not an overgrown kid.

I identify potential volunteers with two overall criteria: Does the person exhibit a love for God.? Does the person have a love for God’s youth?

And how do you find these folks? Begin by observing the adults in your congregation. Watch how they interact with youth, including their own. Which adults seem to draw young people like a magnet? Which adults do youth seek out when they need someone to listen? Who feels most comfortable around young people?

Ask youth who they think would be good volunteers. Young people know the kind of person they want to be around.

If your church has a computer it probably has a data base listing the interests and talents of the congregation. Check it out. And don’t forget the church staff. They know people and things the computer doesn’t.

After prayer, observing people, and investigating all possible sources of information, list the names of potential volunteers.

Making the Sale (Not!)
Once you have a list of potential volunteers (better yet, while you are still gathering the names), plan a special event to help these persons discover where they might fit in your lifegiving ministry of touching young lives for Christ.

Write each person a letter inviting him or her to a special event designed to introduce the possibilities of youth ministry. Stress to those invited that attending the special event in no way obligates them to anything. They are simply coming to investigate the possibilities. Be sure to make the invitation R.S.V.P. so you’ll have some idea of how many to plan for.

A week prior to the event, write a thank you note to those who plan to attend. Include final instructions: schedules, times, and so on.

Make sure the event is both informative and fun. Have food (a light snack)! During the event, share with those attending your vision for youth ministry. Explain what’s in place; outline your expectations. Give potential volunteers the opportunity to share their visions for youth ministry as well.

Then a week after the event, follow up with a phone call inviting those who attended to get involved in the ministry.

How long a sentence
One of the greatest fears volunteers have is that they will get roped into a long term task they can’t get out of gracefully. Help allay those fears. Assign every position a definet beginning and end, and ask people to commit for one year at a time. A one-year commitment gives the person volunteering an end in sight, and gives you an opportunity to evaluate whether the person should continue in the ministry. Remember that people sometimes burn out or their needs change.

And the Results
As a result of this process, you will have some volunteers with whom you will want to begin group building and training.

Building a sense of being part of a team among your volunteers is very important. I try to have an annual retreat with my volunteer team: a time of getting away for fellowship, dreaming, planning, and building community.

Recruiting volunteers is not easy. It takes time, work, patience, and a lot of persistence. What is outlined here is certainly not the only way. But it has provided surprising results for the ministry God has given to us. May God be with you as you reach out to connect with young people in lifegiving ministry for Christ.

Norman Coleman is a youth minister in Ohio.

Brought to you by your youth ministry colleagues at Cokesbury.

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