RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Here are 8 big reasons why volunteers leave a ministry.

If you want to keep your volunteers, then do the opposite of what this infograph says.

Enjoy!

You can a free copy of this infograph at this link.

 

You can make a big impact as a children's ministry leader.  But think about the impact 3 of you could make.

It can happen, if you are intentional about multiplying yourself.  What if you started thinking...

"Who can I invest in?"

"Who can I teach to do what I do?"

"Who can teach this lesson with me and eventually teach by themselves?"

"Who do I see potential in?"

If you are going to multiply yourself as a leader, you should always have someone with you that you are showing how to do what you do.  Or you have strategically placed them with someone else on the team that will teach and model what their role entails.

Let's think together how we can help you multiply yourself.

1. I'd say the first step is to simply make a decision that you're going to multiply yourself.  Multiplying yourself is a mindset.  It has to be a strategy that you adopt and immerse yourself in.

Good leaders are powerful.  Great leaders are empowering.

It's a mindset that says "This is not about me.  It's about equipping others to be even better than me."

True success comes from helping others succeed.

Multiplying yourself is a mindset that compels you to work yourself out of a job by teaching others to do what you do.  Do it right and you should be able to sit back in the shadows and the ministry never misses a beat.

For this to happen, you have to leave your ego at the door and pick up "we go." 

2. Decide who you are going to invest in.  You should love everyone on your team equally, but be selective in who you choose to invest in.  Some character traits to look for are...

• teachable spirit

• passion for reaching the next generation

• faithfulness

• spiritual gifts are evident

• committed 

Your decision about who you are going to invest in, should be based on these things.  It's not the time for a charity case.  Choose people who you see potential in.  Your goal is to enhance and bring forth the gifts and character traits they already possess on a smaller scale.  And yes, you can multiply yourself in more than one person at a time.  But I recommend not going over 3 people at one time.  Example - inside the 12 disciples Jesus had - there were 3 that He really poured himself into - Peter, James and John.

So, who are those 3 people for you?  Who are your Peters, James and Johns?

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

After you're got your list of 3 people, explain to them that you see tremendous potential in them.  And because of this, you'd like to personally mentor them in some areas you both agree on.

3. Plan it out.  Create clear steps for your people.  Some things to think about as you make plans...

• What area(s) of ministry are you going to teach them about?  Work with them to discover what area(s) of ministry they are passionate about. 

• How long will your investment be with them?  3 months?  6 months?  A year?

• Make a list of specific skills you want them to be efficient in as a result of their time with you.  

• Have ministry roles with increased responsibility that they can step into after their time with you. 

4. Realize it's ongoing.  Multiplying yourself is not an "one and done."  You should always be filling those 3 spots with new people.  You will always need more volunteers who are leaders rather than just doers.  As you continue to work these steps, you will see the multiplication accelerate, as the people you have invested in, begin to invest in 3 leaders as well.

You can get more great ideas to grow and multiply your volunteer team in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It's availabe as an ebook and paperback at this link.

Is your ministry safe for kids and families?

If someone tried to pick up a child who wasn't theirs during dismissal, would they succeed?

If a sexual predator tried to start serving in your ministry, would he be able to sneak in?

If a shooter suddenly opened fire, would you know what to do?

Do first-time guests feel safe leaving their children in your ministry?

If an unapproved person tried walking into your children's area, would he or she be stopped?

If a volunteer was accused of hurting a child during class by yanking their arm, would you have the ability to know what happened?

If a mother frantically approached one of your volunteers and said she couldn't find her child, would the volunteer know what to do next?

These are real-life situations that can happen.  And ministries must be prepared.  In each of these scenarios, just reacting on the spur of the moment won't cut it.  You've got to act ahead of time to stop it from happening in the first place.  And then if it does happen, despite all your precautionary measures, know what steps to take to resolve the issue.

Let's look at 4 keys you can put in place to help make your ministry a safe place for kids and families.

Key #1 - Have a thorough on-boarding process for new volunteers.  The process should include...

• application (email me and I'll send you an example)

• background check

• personal interview (email me and I'll send you the questions to ask)

• orientation where safety and security guidelines are clearly explained and expectations are set

• hands-on training with a veteran volunteer

Key #2 - Never allow anyone to be alone with a child.  No one key stands alone in keeping kids safe.  You need to have them all in place.  But if I had to pick the one that helps keep kids safe above all others, it would be this one.

No one should ever....ever...ever be alone with a child.  This means you don't open a classroom until 2 approved volunteers are there.  This means you never drive a child or teenage volunteer home alone.  This means no one walks a child to the bathroom alone.  This means no one meets with a child alone. 

Key #3 - Have a check-in and check-out process.  Every ministry should have a check-in process in place.  Don't listen to "you know me" or "I've been coming forever" or "we're a rural community, nothing would ever happen here" or "we can't afford it."

You can't afford NOT to have a check-in and check-out process.  I recommend KidCheck.

Key #4 -  Only allow approved people in your children's ministry areas.  The days of allowing anyone who wants to enter the children's ministry area is over.  Your entire children's ministry area, including the hallways, should be an area that is off-limits to anyone who isn't pre-approved to be there.

Set up checkpoints, where you check parent security tags, volunteer badges, etc. before the person is allowed to enter the children's ministry area.

Like never before, it is critical that churches are prepared to make their ministries a safe place for kids and families.

If you'd like more steps to put in place to make your ministry a safe place, you can get the Safety and Security online seminar at this link.  It includes 2 hours of teaching about...

• Why Children's Ministry Safety & Security Must Be a Priority for Churches
• Predator Proofing Your Ministry 
• Safeguarding Your 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.