I believe the most important factor in a transformational student ministry is a team of magnetic volunteers. That’s why I’m devoting an entire blog series to building a magnetic volunteer culture. The first step is to give them what they’re looking for.
GIVE THEM A COMMUNITY
Young or old, Gen X or Millennial, we all want to belong. We long for that feeling of “family.” This longing is hardwired within us. We are at our best when we have a place to belong. Your volunteers are looking for a community. Give it to them.
I’ve discovered that when you build a culture that provides volunteers with a place to belong it’s really hard to get rid of them! I’m serious. It might sound crazy, but we have a hundred and a half small group leaders and it really isn’t that hard for us to recruit them It’s common for us to turn away applicants because we don’t have enough small groups for them to lead. Mostly, I believe this is because we have a reputation of providing our volunteers with a second family.
Each small group leader in our ministry context serves alongside 8-10 other leaders in their “house.” These leaders sit together at weekly leader meetings and collaborate to lead programming in a house every other week. In addition, each of these “houses” has two volunteers within it whose primary role is caring for and guiding small group leaders as they lead their students. Year after year, these “house” teams evolve into something like family. It is common for our “house” teams to meet an hour before our programming for a leader meeting and to then go out for apps and drinks after our programming because they simply love being together.
If you give your volunteers a place to belong as well as a place to serve, you will create something powerfully magnetic. It’s amazing to watch.
GIVE THEM A MISSION
Not only do we want to belong, but we want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We all long for a cause worth giving our lives to. Volunteers are looking for a mission to invest in. Give them what they are looking for.
One of the biggest mistakes that student ministry leaders make is asking too little of their volunteers. It’s easy to think that we’re inconveniencing volunteers so we end up saying things like, “Look, if you just show up and keep the kids from breaking something, I’ll buy you dinner.”
We do just the opposite. We ask our leaders to pour their lives into students. Right up front, we tell them that this is a massive investment–it’s exhausting, it’s long, it’s hard and oh, and we need you for at least four years. How can we ask for all this? We can because we paint a compelling picture of why this investment is so epically worth it and we can show it in the lives of graduated students and their leaders.
We’re investing in the next generation. We say things like, “In a culture that has largely abandoned teenagers, you have an opportunity to be a mentor. The impact that your investment will have is incredible. Listen, in our ministry, you’ll be the youth pastor. You’ll be the one who knows our students–what they are going through and what they need. It’s a huge responsibility and an amazing opportunity.” I’ve learned that this is a mission that many young adults are willing to invest in–especially if they experienced the benefits of a spiritual mentor when they were young.
Give your volunteers a mission to live for. Don’t make the mistake of asking too little of your volunteers. Paint a compelling picture of why small group leaders are so powerful in the lives of students and invite your volunteers into the mission. Then, watch them get to work and just a warning…be prepared to be amazed. Volunteers who find a place to belong and are sold out to a worthwhile mission are incredible to watch!
GIVE THEM A GUIDE
Students aren’t the only ones on a spiritual journey. Our small group leaders need investment, direction and care too. In other words, volunteers are looking for someone to guide them–someone has to have the maturity, resources and time to do this because your ministry is only as good as the quality of your volunteers. If your volunteers aren’t growing then your potential is being stifled.
As I mentioned earlier, in our ministry context, each volunteer is placed within a “house” team. Each of these teams has a leader of each gender that we call a coach. A coach is a volunteer who has ministry experience. Most of our coaches led a small group of students before becoming a coach. They know all the tricks of the trade and are great at offering advice and tactics for leading small groups. In addition, our coaches are typically a few years down the road from our small group leaders. They are more mature in their faith and more established in life. Because of this, we ask them to invest in the lives of our small group leaders. We give them a budget and require them to meet up with their leaders one-on-one over coffee and lunch and journey with them.
We firmly believe that our ministry rises and falls with the quality of our volunteers and that’s why we invest in them so heavily. Providing them with a built in mentor is a great way to invest in them. Maybe you don’t have the personal or the budget to create a second tier of volunteers to “coach.” If this is the case, I think that person needs to be you. One person can really only deeply invest in about 6 students. If you have more than 6 students in your student ministry, then it’s time to start investing more into your volunteers than you’re investing into your students. It’s simple math. Go for the more strategic investment.
So, how do you create a magnetic volunteer culture? It all begins with giving them what they’re looking for. I believe every person longs for a family, a mission and a guide. If you are able to provide your volunteers with these three things you’ll be well on your way to a powerfully magnetic culture. Stay tuned. I have a few more ideas on building a magnetic culture and I’ll be sharing them over the next few days.
photo credited to timlewisnm via Flickr
