The most important part of your children's ministry is your volunteers.
You don't have a children's ministry without them.
It's important to take care of them, shepherd them, make them feel appreciated, and invest in them.
What does that look like practically? Let's talk about 5 things you should do for your volunteers every Sunday.
Say thank you.
Walk around and personally say thank you to every volunteer. I use the words "thank you for serving and making a difference."
65% of volunteers say they have never been thanked. Don't be that kind of leader. Regularly thank your volunteers for serving.
Provide them with a drink and snack.
One of the best children's ministry leaders I know has a list of her volunteers' favorite snacks and desserts. Every week she makes one of the snacks and brings it for all of her volunteers. Needless to say, they love her.
Turn the lights on in the rooms and pray over the leader and kids who will be in that room.
Get to church early. Take time to go into every room where the kids and volunteers will be. Turn the light on and pray for them. It means a lot when your volunteers come into their room and the lights are already on and they know it means you stepped into their room to pray for them.
Have a huddle.
Meet with your volunteers for a few minutes before they start serving. Encourage them. Share a short devotion or training with them. Pray for them. Share any highlights or announcements they need to know.
Brag on them.
Look for opportunities to brag on volunteers to parents and people in the church. Anytime the Pastor is around our volunteers, I brag on them to him. This helps volunteers feel appreciated and increases their confidence as a children's ministry volunteer.
Do these 5 things and your volunteer retention rate will increase.
