RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

It's the end of the service and one of your volunteers asked if they can speak with you in private.  Your heart sinks.  You know what is coming.  You listen as the volunteer says,

"I'm going to have to stop serving.  My life is just too busy right now and I can no longer commit to this.  I'm sure you'll find someone else to take my place." 

Sound familiar?  I've experienced this many times over the years.  Though the volunteer didn't actually use the words "burned out," that is what they were feeling.  And if there was any finger pointing to be done, it should have been pointed at me.  They burned out because of poor leadership on my part. 

They burned out because I had placed them in the wrong serving role.  When I first met with them about serving, I had asked them where they would like to serve.  They said, "wherever you NEED me."  And that's exactly where I placed them...where I needed them.  The problem...it wasn't in a role that aligned with their gifts, talents, personality and passion.  This resulted in their serving becoming a burden rather than a blessing, a chore rather than a cherished hour and a duty rather than a delight.

If you want to see your volunteers go the distance with you, then don't place them where you need them, place them where they need to be.   

You can do this by asking one simple question.  Read more about it in this post. 

They burned out because I didn't set them up for success.  I shoved them into the role without providing adequate training.  I should have provided them with a clear job description, hands-on training for several weeks with an experienced volunteer and the proper resources they needed to succeed.

Rather than just saying "good luck" I should have provided them with "good training." 

They burned out because I didn't help them get connected.  I just assumed they would establish relationships.  I should have helped them by providing opportunities to connect with other volunteers outside the classroom.  I should have had them over for dinner with some other volunteers.  I should have grabbed coffee with them and some other key volunteers with no agenda but to spend time together.

They burned out because I demanded too much of their time.  I required them to come to a "teacher's meeting" too often.  And I made the meetings way too long.  And when VBS rolled around, they were the first person I asked about giving some additional time to help.  They finally stepped back and looked at just how much time I was asking from them and decided the cost was too high to pay.

They burned out because I asked them to stay over and serve an extra service.  I was short some volunteers for the next service, so I asked them to stay over and serve again.  This meant they would end up missing the adult worship service completely, but having to fill an empty spot was more important than that at the time.  I lost track of how many times I asked them to do this over the course of a year.   

They burned out because I didn't encourage them often enough.  I wasn't purposeful about stopping to look them in the eye and saying, "Thank you for your heart for the next generation.  You are making a huge impact.  Thank you.  I so appreciate you."  I didn't take the time to write them personal thank you notes either. 

They burned out because I didn't help them monitor how much they were serving.  I knew they were serving in multiple areas in the church, but didn't help them navigate what a healthy balance was.  In their zeal, they over committed and eventually something had to give.  And what ended up having to give was their serving role with me.

If you resonated with any of these, then it may be time for some fresh insight in how to enlist, equip and encourage volunteers.  You can get lots of tips and ideas on how to see volunteers go the distance in my new book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  You can order it by clicking on the image of the book below.


Your turn.  The floor is yours.  What are some other reasons volunteers burn out?  What can we do to help prevent it?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Have you ever felt like you were burning out in children's ministry?  What used to bring you joy became drudgery.  What used to be your passion gradually shifted to just going through the motions.  What you used to look forward to you began to dread.

You're not alone.  Many people who serve in children's ministry for an extended period of time face this. 

But you don't have to burn out.  You can maintain your "first love" for children's ministry and serve with passion and joy for the long haul. 

Here's 10 ways to avoid burn out.  If you'd like a copy of this infograph, feel free to email me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.

You spend weeks or even months planning and preparing for a big event, program or day. 

It finally arrives and everything goes well or even exceeds your expectations.  In spite of that, you wake up the next day and instead of feeling great joy, you feel like quitting.  You are emotionally spent.  You feel like you have nothing more to give.  And you wonder what's wrong...you wonder why you are feeling this way.

Don't worry and don't quit.  What you are experiencing is normal.  Here's five things to know about why you crash.

You're experiencing an emotional let down of going from an exciting, challenging, pressure-filled situation to one that’s less demanding.  When you are in the midst of preparing for the big event, your adrenaline is pumping.  Once the event is over, the sense of urgency and adrenaline rushes you felt slow down or even stop.  This causes a withdrawal.

What to do?  Be aware that this is going to happen.  It will help you understand what you are feeling.

You feel like you are going from exciting work back to a "boring" routine. 

What to do?  Fight this by establishing an ongoing growth routine that will keep you challenged, even when you don't have a "big event" going on.

You are experiencing a form of burnout.  Pulling off a big event takes lots of mental, emotional, and physical effort.  Many times, the amount of energy it takes exceeds the amount of energy you have in reserve.  When this happens, you burn out.  This means when you think about post-event work like follow-up, you feel overwhelmed and you don't think you can pull it off.

What to do?  Set expectations for what you can realistically do before, during, and after the event so you have something left to give after it's over.

You probably have a backlog of regular work that has accumulated while you were pulling off the big event.  The rest of your job didn't stand still and now feeling like you can't catch up is discouraging.

What to do?  Instead of diving right into the work, take time to sit down and list, clarify and prioritize what needs to be done.  This will give you a new sense of direction that is energizing.

Your tank is empty.  As mentioned above, you've spent out all of your energy.  You've got nothing left to give.

What to do?  Take some time off.  If you can't take an extended period of time off, then schedule some short breaks.  Get away from your work and take a walk, exercise, do a hobby you like, spend time with a friend, turn off your email and just relax. 

You reached your goal.  To stay engaged, we require new experiences and challenges. 

What to do?  Find something new to be excited about.  Make time to explore new ideas and opportunities. 

Conclusion...
How you feel and what you do following a big event is just as important in the long run as the event itself.  Knowing what to do with the feelings and burnout you experience will help you move from one big win to a consistent streak of wins.

The floor is yours...
Do you experience this after big events or programs?
How do you respond to these feelings?
What has helped you bounce back after a big event or program?
Share with us in the comment section below.