Face it. We can’t accomplish everything we want to on our own. To maximize our ministry impact, we have to grow the capacity of our teams. That’s why it’s critical for us to do everything we can to develop volunteers into leaders. In today’s post I’ll share four things you can give your volunteers, to help them grow as leaders.
1. Quality Training
How are you investing in your volunteers to help train them to grow in ministry? An intentional training plan can help your volunteers grow in their leadership. When we grow in our knowledge about teaching kids in different life stages, we start to see practical ways to apply what we have learned. Consider hosting a training session for your volunteers, and show them how they can grow as ministry leaders.
2. Quality Time
Serving as a volunteer takes time, meaning that you may have the most prominent ministry voice in the lives of your volunteers. When you slow down to spend quality time with the people you’re serving with, you may inspire them in a way that helps them grow as a leader. People need real relationships, so don’t underestimate how even a small encouragement can positively impact someone.
3. Quality Tasks
Do you allow your volunteers to play a significant role in your ministry, or are you more likely to assign roles that have less responsibility? To help volunteers grow as leaders, we have to be willing to let them serve in leading roles. It can be difficult to hand over responsibility for large pieces of your ministry, but when you do it allows you to become a coach, helping others grow into leadership roles too.
4. Quality Thanks
There are a lot of things that need to get done. If you serve in a ministry role, you get it. But watch out for the pitfall where volunteers can become merely a means to get things done. Stop and say thanks. Appreciate them for who they are, and for what they contribute. Build a culture of encouragement and gratitude. When you do this, everyone will grow more and lead better.
When volunteers grow to be leaders, our capacity gows and we can accomplish more. If we believe that our mission has eternal importance, then we can’t afford to not help our volunteers grow as leaders.
Logan Meek serves on the CentriKid Camps team. Logan began serving with Student Life and Lifeway after spending two years as a Sixth Grade teacher with Teach For America. He believes in the importance of strong kids ministry to help kids build strong spiritual foundations.
