Ministry-to-Children.com » Volunteers

Avoid Ministry Burnout & Do More Through Delegation

Charlie Wallace — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:21:27 +0000

Those that lead in children’s ministry are typically expected to “do everything” – even if they are not gifted in certain areas. In fact, a common notion is that a “good” Children’s Pastor is one that teaches, administrates, leads, takes out the trash, trains teachers often, is at the church 6 days a week (at least) and still has quality family time.

Unfortunately, this type of standard is just impossible to uphold. What happens is that many children’s ministry leaders end up spending much of their time doing things that (a) they don’t like doing and (b) they don’t want to do. This is a recipe for disaster and ministry burnout.

Why? Because that is the expectation. If a Children’s Minister is not doing something that another person in the church expects them to be doing that Children’s minister can be mislabeled as “lazy” or “uncommitted” or even “worthless.”

I don’t have the final answer to this quandary, but I can offer some advice for those that struggle in this area based on my, somewhat limited, experience:

a. Do first what you like doing and what you do well in – Whatever that is, make it a priority. For me, it’s teaching. Therefore, I try to create as many opportunities to teach as possible. That can be somewhat challenging as the bulk of my “job description” is administrative.

b. Delegate what you struggle with and do not like doing – Let’s face it: you’re not going to do something well that you don’t like to do. There are times you’ll have to do part of your job that you don’t like, but for the most part, find those people that enjoy that type of work and hand it off to them. Both of you win in this situation.

c. Take criticism with a grain of salt - The second you start delegating, you’ll begin to get criticized. At my church, there are people who know much more about certain areas of my ministry because not only have I delegated responsibility to them but I’ve also delegated certain levels of authority. When criticized, (a) think about who the criticism is coming from, (b) think about what it is they are saying, (c) think about possible solutions – ask them if they know of one!, (d) pray and ask God to show you anything that you are doing wrong, and (e) move on.

I’m convinced that the Evil One wants to make ministry leaders fell inadequate – especially when they don’t have “control” over every little area of their ministry. Don’t fall victim to that type of spiritual warfare. Do what you do best and delegate the rest. Of course, not everything will be delegated but set a goal of fill about 2/3 of your daily job duties with things that you are good at and enjoy.

What about you? Where are some areas that you’ve discovered that you should delegate? Where are some areas that you’ve discovered, “I need to do more of that”?

Children’s Workers Need “Big Church!”

Jeri Tanner — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:59:02 +0000

Your church, like mine, is likely blessed with dedicated volunteers who gladly give their time and energy to children’s ministry. But have you ever known volunteers who serve so willingly they never seem to make it to “big church” on Sundays and Wednesdays? I’ve seen that happen at times in my church–a worker gradually falls into a pattern of rarely gathering with the church to hear God’s word preached, to pray and sing together, or to partake of the Lord’s Supper. This is either due to the demands of the ministry or their own comfort level in being with the children. Either way it’s not an ideal situation.

In some cases, a good plan for rotation or recruiting new workers can help. In other cases, the workers themselves may need to be encouraged to gather with the church when they have the opportunity. Some adult volunteers can actually lose their “taste” for congregational worship, preferring instead the familiarity of the childrens or youth department. It’s an easy thing to happen, but it’s something better avoided for several reasons:

1. It can cause us to miss what we need. Congregational worship offers unique means of edification for us. Hearing the Scriptures taught and preached, singing and praying together, the witnessing of water baptisms and the taking of the Lords Supper are all important ways that God has prescribed to build us up in our faith. If we never join with the church in doing these things we’re missing something vital God has for us.

2. It can set a wrong example. Children, as we all know, see and notice everything; we should be careful to model faithfulness and submission to God’s word for them. Our eagerness to join with other believers in a corporate setting should be displayed for them to see.

3. It can prevent others from serving. If the same folks are teaching a Sunday School class on Sunday morning, working with children’s church during the main service, helping in the nursery on Sunday night and hanging out with the youth on Wednesdays, other people in the church may not see the need to volunteer in these areas, even though they are gifted to serve.

Obviously, it is often hard to find enough people to volunteer in children’s ministry, which makes the task of dedicated workers participating in corporate worship even trickier. But with prayer, sincere effort and good communication, a way can be found! After all, it is God Himself who commanded us not to neglect assembling together as the church (Hebrews 10:24,25); where He has commanded He will also provide!

Has your church experienced and dealt with this problem? What are some ways you’ve addressed it?

How Do You Get Volunteers To Help With The Children’s Ministry

Tony Kummer — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:10:50 +0000

I just heard from one of our newsletter readers. She asked, “how do you get volunteers to help you with the children.” I thought it would be a good question to open up here on the website.

Here was my basic response, you can also read a post I wrote about finding volunteers for Vacation Bible School:

Finding Children’s Ministry Workers

Make a list of what kids ministry workers you need
Pray over this blank ministry volunteer roster
Brainstorm a list of anyone you think would do a good job. Write them down even if you think they will say NO.
Work down your potential volunteer list. Approach them face-to-face if possible, but phone calls & email work too. Ask them to help – be specific about what / where / how often.
If they say No, thank them and move down the list.
If the positions are still open, restart the list.

I hope that helps, it takes some boldness. But I believe that serving the kids is a blessing and honor for people – so I’m doing them a favor by recruiting them.

Share your ideas in the comment box below.

Learning To Trust Your Children’s Ministry Volunteers

Tony Kummer — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:14:12 +0000

One key to children’s ministry leadership is learning to trust your volunteers. In this post, I want to give you some practical tips to make that happen. First I want to remind you why trusting your people matters. The following is true for Sunday School teachers, nursery workers, and even VBS directors.

What Happens When You Really Trust Your People

They feel empowered to fully use the creativity and ministry gifts that God has given them.
They discover the joy of serving God through the children’s ministry, which is always a better than doing their time in the children’s ministry.
Self-directed people will be more inclined to volunteer (or continue serving) through the children’s ministry.
You will free yourself from the stress of micro-managing the ministry.
You will learn to trust God to provide the people resources needed to accomplish his dream for the children in your church.

There is probably more I could say about it, but these are some basic positive outcomes. If this idea gets you excited, please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Now, how can you make this happen? How can you promote a high trust culture in the children’s ministry you are leading?

Four Practical Ways To Trust The People Serving In Your Ministry

1. Make a habit of saying, “I trust your judgment on this.”

It takes some humility, but usually volunteers are in a better position to make decisions about “details” than I am. For example, I let a trusted nursery worker tell me what supplies we need in the church nursery. Recently, she even does the shopping. This is brilliant because she is much more qualified to make those detail oriented decisions.

2. Ask trusted volunteers for input.

Find a handful of highly committed and competent children’s ministry servants and then poll them for advice. It does not need to be a formal committee, just sent them emails to get their opinions. For example, you could write something like this. “Hi Kellie – I’m looking at next year’s calendar and wanted to get your opinion about VBS dates. It looks like these two options are the strongest; let me know what you think. Thanks again for serving the God through this ministry!”

3. Know and admit your limits.

This goes back to humility, but it is a reminder we all need. None of us are “the best” at everything, and we need help more often than we admit. Do not pretend like you can do it all because you are in charge. In my church, several people have the skills and experience to do my job better than I do. But ministry is more than a job and God has placed me here for his own reasons. So, I trust him, work very hard, and admit my limits. In the end, people will actually respect you more, especially as you avoid the “I can do it all” bottleneck.

4. Deal with letdowns right away.

One deeper reason we do not trust our volunteers is the fear that they will fail us. But confronting these situations are a key to moving the ministry forward. This should always be done in love, even if your feelings were hurt. I would recommend face-to-face, but use the phone rather than waiting.

For example, a volunteer does not show up for their ministry assignment during children’s church. Later that afternoon, you should call them and say something to the point like this. “Hello Bob, I was just calling because you missed your ministry assignment this morning. Is everything okay?“ They may have forgotten or they may have been slipping in commitment. In either case, it is important to affirm their service but also advocate for the children. You could say something like this, “Bob, I really appreciate the way you have been serving God through the children’s ministry. I can see how God has gifted you to make a real difference in the lives of children. But I’m also concerned that we don’t let the children down. Is there anything I can do to help you meet your commitments?”

Obviously, this situation will vary greatly depending on your relationship with the volunteer. But it is very important to deal with letdowns right away.

How Are You Learning To Trust Your People?

This is something that I’m still learning how to do. So, I would love to read your comments about building trust with your children’s ministry volunteers.

Sunday School Teacher Appreciation

Charlie Wallace — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:33:09 +0000

It’s that time of year again. Depending on when your children promote to their new classes (I’ve heard of promotion occuring anywhere between June and September) your church is likely winding the current Sunday school year down. Your teachers are starting to reflect on the year that was – all of the good times, the hard times, and the crazy times with children that they get to see, teach, and know once a week every week for one full year.

Chances also are that you have quite a few volunteers who serve as lead or assitant teachers. What do you do to appreciate them? The end of the year is a natural time to show your teachers that you do, indeed, appreciate all of the hard work, planning, and time commitment that they have put in to this Sunday school year. If you are a children’s minister of director, what do you do about that?

Sunday School teacher appreciation is important!Here are just a few ideas that can work together and/or separate. Whatever you do for your teachers to show them appreciation, please, do something!

Ideas for Apprecating your Sunday School Teachers

1. Give a free appreciation lunch – Serving a free lunch is a simple and effective way to let your teachers know that you care. Some churches have the luxury of having a kitchen and/or a chef that can prepare food. Other churches may be so small that the children’s minister or director may just have to go pick up a bucket of chicken. Whatever your situation, there is no excuse for not being able to serve your teachers one free lunch a year. Whether your ministry area or yourself incurs the cost, it is a cost that will be well worth it to plan a simple Sunday School appreciation day.

2. Acknowledge each one your teachers publicly – Whatever forum you choose, whether it be a lunch, banquet, or meeting, take time to publicly acknowledge every one of your teachers. Have them stand next to you, put your arm around them and give one or two reasons to the rest of the people in the room what makes that teacher so special.

3. Give your teachers a gift – And give them one that they will actually use. In the past, our church used to give our teachers little “Jesus junk trinkets.” You know the ones I’m talking about: the little pens, coffee mugs, or “holy” book lights that have Bible verses on them. While these are nice thoughts, most teachers really don’t need these type of gifts, nor will they use them. Last year our church gave each teacher a $5 gift card from Chick-Fil-A. They loved it! Try to think outside of the box when it comes to gifts for Sunday School teacher appreciation

4. During a meeting, give them a charge – Tell them how integral they are to your ministry and give them a vision for the next year. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” If you are the leader, think about where you want the ministry to be next year and what you’d like to focus on and announce that to your teachers. This will energize them for the new year.

Most teachers don’t expect much when it comes to apprecation. Many are teaching Sunday School because they feel called. They are willing to serve with little recognition or appreciation. They are volunteers. But by doing just a few simple acts of appreciation, you’ll energize your volunteer base and perhaps endear them to your leadership. Don’t forget, if you are the leader of your ministry, you are also the lead servant. Take time to serve those who serve your ministry by appreciating them publicly.

What about you? What are some ideas that you’ve tried that work for Sunday School teacher appreciation?

Forum: What To Get Ministry Volunteers For Christmas?

Tony Kummer — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:41:45 +0000

I recently sent out a special newsletter talking about gift ideas for Sunday School teachers and other children’s ministry workers. I want to get your ideas too. What gifts do you give out around your church? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts. Related posts:Forum: What To Do When Your Volunteers Are Worn Out?How Do You [...] Related posts:

6 Practical Ways To Find Workers For Vacation Bible School

Tony Kummer — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:04:42 +0000

How Can I Find Volunteers For Vacation Bible School?

One constant struggle in children’s ministry is finding the right workers. Here are some tips for getting the right volunteers for your VBS program.

1. Start early
Most people are more willing to commit, and even work around their vacation schedule, if you ask early. I try to start recruiting in February. It’s never too late, but starting early will make the job much easier.

2. Call and recruit last year’s workers
A simple phone call will show that you really do value their service. Once they agree to help, ask them who else they know who would be good to ask.

3. Recruit new volunteers face-to-face
Whenever possible, ask people in person. Sometimes you will have to call, but looking someone in the eye is the best way to know if they really want to help. If someone shows any hesitation, ask questions to find out why. Sometimes, they are afraid to take on the job and simply need more training. Other times, they may be over-committed but hesitant to say no. It’s your job to know the difference and value them enough to not pressure them.

4. Put a worker sign-up form in the church worship bulletin
We put a volunteer registration form in the bulletin from Easter until one week before VBS. This gives less connected people a chance to get involved. Often people step up who I did not think to ask. Tip: This should be a secondary way to recruit. It shows much more respect to personally invite people to be involved.

5. Put a roster, with blanks in the bulletin
If your roster is not full and VBS is less than 4 weeks out, it’s time to get serious. Publish your roster-in-progress to show the church where you need help. Ask the pastor to make a special appeal for workers.

6. Combining positions as a last resort
If the VBS still doesn’t have enough volunteers, you may need to combine volunteer roles. Simplify the schedule and even consider cutting activities. Take care not to “throw your workers to the wolves” because a bad experience will keep them form helping next year.

If all these efforts fail you may have to re-think your church’s Bible school for next year. Here are some options for Vacation Bible school that will require less workers next year:

Consider Changes For Next Year’s VBS

Choose an evening VBS schedule. Normally, you can get more parents to help if you plan your program after they get off work.
Partner with other churches to plan a Community Bible School. There are downsides to this, but many churches have partner to provide the best ministry.
Plan a simplified vacation Bible school schedule. Having a weekend only program can also allow working parents to volunteer.
Limit the number of children that can register. This is a worst case scenario, but sometimes safety concerns will have to come first. Again, I don’t like this option, but it may be needed in some cases.
Find a larger church to send a mission team to help with your VBS. If your church is rural and needs outside support, this could be a good option. Contact the children’s minister at a large church within an hour drive.

I hope you found this article helpful. Please leave me a comment if you have more ideas to share.

Need More Help? You can find even more practical ideas on my Vacation Bible School resource page and my Vacation Bible School crafts page.

Forum: What To Do When Your Volunteers Are Worn Out?

Tony Kummer — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:05:03 +0000

Something begins to happen in our Wednesday night program every spring. Our volunteers start to get run down. Worse than that – I start to feel tired of the program too.

I’m guessing this is typical for children’s ministry programs. The school year has its own rhythm and life cycle. Fall is constant energy. Kids are making new friends and catching up with each other after the summer break. Things settle down, and then Christmas adds to the energy with holiday parties, pageants and too much candy. Next comes the build up to Easter. Spring Break comes and goes and then the weather starts to change. We all start counting down the final handful of school weeks.

Then I get the phone call, “Tony, we’ve just had a busy week, can I get a sub at church tonight?” I assure them we can adjust and I try to encourage them to put family first. But when these kind of calls come too often, it’s a sure sign that people are getting worn out.

This all set me thinking, what should I do when my volunteers are losing focus?

1. Evaluate what the program is costing the volunteers.
Always remember that you are called to shepherd the children and the volunteers in the ministry. Most families are wildly over committed and really struggle to follow through. Ask yourself, “Are we being sensitive with our service expectations?”

2. Look for ways to renew their vision for the ministry.
We all loose focus, especially after several months serving in the same program. It is vital that your ministry leaders keep the program’s goals in mind. Remind them how God is working through their service to bring children to himself. Remind them how learning God’s Word will make the difference in their lives twenty years from now. Remind them of the eternal kingdom Jesus is building when they share his Gospel with the kids.

3. Remember The Gospel
Being tired should remind us how much we depend on God. He is our creator and holds up our very existence. Being worn out is part of being a creature in this fallen world. But remember the day is coming when the Kingdom of Heaven will rule on Earth. Our Gospel labors will be seem short when Jesus appears, so work hard while it is day.

4. Give them all a break.
Don’t be a slave to the calendar. If the situation warrants, arrange for a one-week break from the program. We have one scheduled next week while I’m away at a pastors’ conference. Be wise with this move, make sure to listen to your key leaders and communicate any schedule changes well in advance.

5. Pray for God’s direction and blessing to finish the year well.
After all, it is God’s grace that makes any real ministry possible. Be sure to seek his support and strength to make it through. Pray that he would make the final weeks of the program the best.

6. Consider a shorter schedule next year.
We’re already talking about a simplified schedule for the next school year. I made the mistake of having Upward Soccer overlap our Wednesday night children’s programs. This was very taxing on our most involved people and the quality of both programs suffered. Next year, we want to space things out.

What do you think?
I would love to hear your ideas about encouraging worn out volunteers. How do you get your people through the final stretch of the your school year programs? Click here to post your comments.

photo credit: aidantmorgan

7 Reasons Why Your Church Nursery Service Is Vital To Your Church

Tony Kummer — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:57:30 +0000

Too often serving in the church nursery can seem like a thankless job. One of the key tasks for children’s ministry leaders is to help volunteers understand their importance. With that in mind, I offer these following 7 reasons why serving in the church nursery is important.

Please feel free to copy these and distribute them in your church. Download this article as a Word document for easy printing.

Reason #1
God is in the church nursery. This may come as a shock, but the Bible has specific promises about God’s presence when children are welcomed and loved in Jesus’ name. You can read my article about this titled God Is In The Church Nursery.

Reason #2
Your service in the church nursery allows church goers to focus on worship, rather than worrying about their children. In a very real sense you ministry makes it possible for the pastor to fulfill his ministry.

Reason #3
The first (and sometimes lasting) feelings a child will have toward church is formed in the nursery department. While not everyone agrees, I believe that a positive experience in the church nursery is essential.

Reason #4
When you serve in the nursery, you are being entrusted with the most important (and vulnerable) members of the church family. There is no greater treasure on this side of heaven than the little ones God has given us. You must be someone special to have a job that is so important.

Reason #5
Your service is essential for your own spiritual growth. You may have never looked at it this way, but a growing Christian is always a serving Christian. Jesus was known for putting others first, when you serve in the church nursery you are walking in his example.

Reason #6
The church nursery is the first contact young families will have with your church. Your friendly greeting and exceptional care for their children can make a great first impression for your church. If they don’t feel like their children are safe, they will not return – and rightly so.

Reason #7
Your service in the church nursery is a powerful opportunity for prayer. If every nursery worker would spend several minutes praying over the children in their care, imagine how God might begin to change this coming generation. There is no better way to create an environment of spiritual nurture than to pray while you serve in the nursery.

I hope this article will be useful to you and your church. If so, leave a comment to let me know. Your feedback is an encouragement for me to post articles like this.

What do you think about this list? If you have an 8th reason, just leave me a comment below.

Remember that God blesses those who serve his children.

Writing A Church Nursery Manual In A Small Church

Tony Kummer — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:28:19 +0000

You must have clearly written church nursery manual regardless of your church’s size. In this article, I want to offer some tips and point you to other resources that can help you develop your own church nursery guidelines.

Ideas For Church Nursery Manual

Know your church culture. Many smaller churches will express skepticism or distrust to a written church nursery manual of policies and guidelines. This is normal and should not surprise or offend you. Small congregations typically have a much higher natural trust level among the membership because nearly everyone is related or long time members. But don’t use this as an excuse not to create guidelines for your church nursery.

Even little churches should have clearly written expectations. You will have to accommodate this attitude by writing a smaller manual. Even so, it is important to get something in writing that you can build on later. If your church nursery manual is not consistent with the culture of your church, your volunteers will ignore or resent your efforts.

If you are in a small church, do not copy and paste from a mega church nursery manual. For my church, we have a one-page set of guidelines that we post in every nursery or early childhood ministry room. I would like to expand this later. But for now, we cover the basics and try to model the more advanced items.

Balance trust and accountability. Writing down your expectations can change the dynamic of your church nursery. It can also damage relationships if not handled correctly. You must find ways to affirm your existing volunteers and assure them that you do trust them to provide care for the nursery.

At the same time the church nursery manual initiates a system of accountability and may offend a small number of workers. It is essential that you meet with nursery volunteers in small groups or individually to explain the new guidelines and assure them that “no one is in trouble.”

Some Resources For Writing A Church Nursery Manual

Download my one-page Church Nursery Volunteer Worker Guidelines (job description)
Encourage your nursery volunteers with my article titles God Is In The Church Nursery
Sample Church Nursery Manual and Safety Guidelines (PDF)
Excerpts From Another Church Nursery Manual (PDF)