5 Ways to Better Equip Your Children’s Ministry Volunteers

Are you missing the boat with volunteer training? Leadership expert Sue Mallory offers five ways to better equip your volunteers.

One of my greatest surprises when asked to serve at my church many years ago was that there were no prerequisites. I have been a volunteer all my life, and have always been required to go to some form of orientation or training. There were specific responsibilities and expectations, and I was asked to commit for a very specific period of time.

So when I was asked to serve in my church, I thought, “This is pretty neat—just jump right in and swim!” I quickly experienced a new frustration in volunteer service and, unfortunately, it wasn’t clear who to ask for help. I assumed someone would show me the ropes, and they assumed I knew just what to do. And that was the problem.

Many churches are strong in the area of spiritual nurturing but fall short on the practical side. From my observations, the church is one of the only nonprofit organizations that depends almost entirely on volunteers, yet offers or requires little or no training.

5 Ideas for Equipping Volunteers

Ephesians 4:12 commands us to “Equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Being intentional about inviting people into ministry in an area in which they’re gifted and about which they’re passionate is just the first step. We need to provide ongoing support in the form of training, coaching, affirmation, and feedback. Here are five ways to better equip volunteers.

1. Churches need to offer training at every level of service.

The context of community provides the best training environment. Begin your ministry leadership training by sharing a meal together, and use that time to share spiritual journeys, per­sonal stories, and prayer before getting to the nuts and bolts of their ministries. You’re inviting people to experience the joy of service, so it should be creative and fun.

2. Be creative in planning training sessions—mix it up.

You can introduce small training segments within the body of an existing meeting, or spend an hour on a training point before a meeting. If you’re scheduling training as a separate function, consider Saturday morning when people are fresh and focused. Try to avoid scheduling training times on Sundays. Keep Sundays for celebration and worship, allowing the leader time to replenish and refuel.

3. Handle conflict head on.

Your ministry leaders need to have a realistic idea of what to expect, so don’t be afraid to deal with the tough issues. Facilitate conflict resolution and address burnout, dealing with difficult situations, and terminating a volunteer. Working through real issues will better prepare your ministry leaders to be effective and authentic in their leadership.

4. Share the load.

Leadership development has traditionally fallen to clergy, but it’s more appropriate and effective to share the task. As we equip new leaders, our clergy can lead the elements focused on spiritual direction and maturity. But practical, hands-on issues should be led by those closest to the need. Your core team of ministry leaders should be conscious of pushing this responsibility downward.

5. Focus on the basics.

I encourage you not to overlook the basic tools of good equipping. Use accurate ministry descriptions, encourage volunteers to share ministry by inviting others to join in the effort, and encourage leaders to delegate tasks. Interview potential volunteers effectively, establish ministry support teams (such as a “check-in call” or text ministry to offer prayer), focus primarily on the ministry at regular meetings, develop a plan and vision for each ministry, and set reasonable goals that get you there.

These are just a few ideas to enhance the quality of service in your church. Next time someone invites you to serve, ask, “Will I be equipped to succeed in the task?” And before you invite someone else to serve, make sure the answer to that question is “Yes.”

Sue Mallory is the author of The Equipping Church, and co-author of The Equipping Church Guidebook.

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