Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples
Celebrate your teachers and volunteers with this small token of appreciation! Print out the tags below and attach them to a pack of gum. Pass out these gifts in classrooms at church or consider doing a porch drop-off if your church is meeting online.
by Lynley Mandrell
Confession: I have zero stage presence. In every church, there are those anointed few that God bestowed with a bubbly, magnetic aura. You know who I’m talking about. The lady that can command the attention of seventeen squirming kids, recounting an Old Testament story like it happened yesterday, and even break out into a silly dance that causes the kids to cackle.
I’ve always wanted to be that life-of-the-party person. In fact, for many years, my New Year’s resolution was to suddenly turn on the “fun” switch. Well, God hasn’t morphed my personality but I have grown to accept that the gifts He gave me are enough, and my passion is to help others find their sweet spot in ministry. That’s why volunteer ministry stirs my heart like nothing else.
A quick word about my background. Years ago, my husband and I launched a church in the West. Since God placed us in a land flowing with little kids, it was obvious that we needed a first-class children’s ministry. Since I had four of my own involved, this felt like a natural place to dig in. At first, I was terrified by the title of Director of Kids Ministry (lack of fun factor mentioned above), but with time I realized how thrilling it is to see families engaging and enjoying church.
Though the job was fulfilling, it was also very challenging. The greatest challenge, of course, is the monstrous job of finding—and keeping—volunteers. Loving on the volunteers should be at the top of the list for kids ministry pros. It took time for me to learn this lesson, but I would love to share a few tips I discovered:
Finding and Keeping Volunteers
Many hands make light work. I hope these tips are helpful as you strive to build a solid team in your kids area!
Lynley Mandrell is the wife of Ben Mandrell, the new president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, Ben and Lynley spent five years in Denver, CO, planting a church designed to reach the unchurched. She is a mother of four and a fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Dr Pepper, and silence.
Remind volunteers how much you appreciate them AND keep them germ-free with this fun volunteer appreciation idea!
Supplies: Hand sanitizer, ribbon/twine, tags
Instructions: Print out the tags below and attach them using ribbon or twine to a bottle of hand sanitizer. If your church is meeting in person, hand out these gifts in person. If your church is meeting online you can leave a bottle on each volunteer’s porch!
Print out the tag below and attach to an oatmeal cookie or oatmeal breakfast bar. Hand out the treats to volunteers at church or drop off on volunteers’ porches if your church is meeting virtually.
This quick and easy gift is a great way to show volunteers how much you appreciate them this Christmas season. If your church is not meeting in person, you can also drop this fun gift off on a volunteer’s porch.
Click here to download the tags.
Here’s a delicious way to say thank you to volunteers this fall. Download the instructions and tags here.
It was the beginning of a new ministry year. I was excited to have new teachers join our team. We followed our churches policies and procedures of enlisting new teachers, they completed training, and were ready for the new year. In the first few Sundays, I noticed something I needed to discuss with a teacher. Although it wasn’t an immediate concern, I knew it was something that needed to be addressed for her to have the best teaching experience. How could I address it with her? I didn’t have a long term established friendship and I didn’t want to discourage her in her first few weeks of teaching. As I contemplated the situation, the idea of scheduling times to meet individually with our new teachers sounded like a good plan. I wanted to have an informal discussion and hear about their first few weeks of teaching. I contacted them and scheduled time to meet with each of the new teachers. I shared with them four questions I’d like to discuss. Here are the questions I used when I met with the teachers:
1. What have you enjoyed the most about teaching?
2. What challenges have you experienced while teaching?
3. What do you wish you would’ve known before you began teaching?
4. How can we support you as you teach?
These questions led to rich conversations and an opportunity not only to hear of his or her experience in the classroom but served as a step in building a relationship with a new teacher. I found it so useful that I began implementing the same process with all new volunteers. It provided me an avenue to learn and listen to others. These conversations reminded me of a perspective of a new teacher, which can be easily overlooked.
Through these conversations, I gained helpful and useful information. I discovered possible future training topics. We established open communication at the beginning of their time serving. As a result, the teachers felt more comfortable sharing the joys of teaching, expressing concerns, and asking questions. I discovered this process helped the teachers feel more invested in the ministry and part of the team. They knew their opinion and needs mattered. What began as an idea to reinstruct a teacher became one of the most useful tools for me as a leader. I challenge you to make a priority to connect and ask questions of your volunteers. What questions would you add to the ones above? What questions would be most beneficial for you to ask?
Use these tags to say thank you to your volunteers this winter.
Peppermint Candy Appreciation
Download tags and instructions here
Snowflake Cookie Appreciation
Download tags and instructions here.
Fall is a time that we have new leaders and seasoned leaders serving in our children’s ministry areas. Have you done anything lately to show them how much you appreciate them? This year it may be more important than ever! Check out the simple project below:
