So, I've been thinking about this one for quite sometime. If you are a children's minister, you do A LOT of recruiting. And, not only recruiting, but the eventual volunteer management that comes with the job of overseeing a ministry with lots of volunteers. Depending on the number of classes we are staffing and the number of children attending some of the younger classes, we have 40-60 volunteer positions to fill each week. That is a lot! A WHOLE LOT. And since some of those positions are filled by someone that only serves in that one position every 13 weeks, I've estimated that it can take 100 people or more a month to do everything that is needed to be done in the children's ministry. One last statistic and then I'll move on. In a church that has an average attendance of 400-450, that means I use 25% of those in attendance to staff a months worth of classes. And remember, we, in the Church of Christ, will count EVERY HEAD when we count our attendance, and I dare say the heads under 13 years old are not eligible to serve many of the volunteer needs in their own classrooms. And, we have a few heads with pretty silver hair or even no hair that really couldn't serve in the ministry even if they wanted to (and some really want to) so our pool of possible "volunteers" quickly dwindles from 450 to 400 to even 350.
What am I saying? No one ever said that recruiting volunteers to staff a children's ministry is not only a HARD task but is an almost IMPOSSIBLE task at times.
I know, you are probably thinking, "In God, nothing is impossible". Yeah, your right. It's not impossible. It's almost impossible. And anything that is sticking it's little toe over into the almost impossible category can be a lot overwhelming for, well, anyone that is a Mom, Wife, and Minister.
So, what would I tell anyone fresh in ministry about the almost impossible task of recruiting volunteers.
1) Develop a list of priorities for your ministry. What is most important to the spiritual growth of children, the churches numerical growth and to the parents? Rank it. Be ready to let go of what ranks lowers so the most important tasks receives both the financial and human resources that are needed.
2) Start from a resource management point of view. We all know it, but, hate to admit it. Sometimes we just have more classes than our church is able to staff. Some special events pull volunteers from places they are needed. Do what you can and let go of the rest.
3) Pray, pray, pray. Probably should be #1. You get the gist. God is in control.
4) Develop an Ephesians 4 culture. God has given each person a ministry. Don't look at the holes to be filled. Look at the giftedness of the person and ask them what they need to best serve God.
5) Understand that everyone is in a different place. That's ok. Maybe someone feels that they have "done their time". Could they give a Sunday a quarter in the nursery? Maybe someone is an excellent teacher but has little time. Could you use a curriculum system that minimizes preparation?
6) Be flexible. We can't have all the classes we want to have. We can't go as "all-out" as we want to go. Let go of what must be let-go of so that the tasks that are within reach are done well. Then, take the next step.
7) Don't be afraid to ask. Most people just want to be noticed. They may not know that they are qualified for a particular volunteer position. Just ask. Talk. Encourage. Equip. Speak God's blessings into their lives. You will only get a handful of "ready" volunteers. The rest, need your investment.
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