If you’re like me, you’re never really satisfied. It’s never quite good enough. We want to be great. We want to be part of something big. When it comes to student ministry, we want to reach all the kids. We want all the kids to be connected to life-changing community. We have ever kid to have a mentor. We want our ministry to be a powerful force for the kingdom in our communities. And so, we always ask: What’s next? How do we get to the next level? How do we growth? Become stronger? Gain more influence?
I believe that for most of us, it comes down to one thing: volunteers. That’s right. Whether you’re mega or mini, rural or urban, Methodist or Presbyterian, Sunday morning or Wednesday night, the answer most likely isn’t a better sound system, a youth building, more money, a new Mac, or believe it or not, better teaching (although that might be the second answer!) The answer is an amazing team of volunteers.
We all know when we have a great volunteer. They are your all-stars. Their investment causes your student ministry to become exponentially more effective. Their small group is the flagship of your ministry. You wish all your other volunteers would lead and serve like they do. In fact, you break out into a cold sweat when you think of losing them. They are indispensable and invaluable.
These amazing volunteers are magnetic. They are magnetic in the way they…
- pull students deeper into the student ministry community through the way they love kids
- pull students deeper into relationship with Jesus through the way they pursue Jesus
- pull new volunteers into the ministry through the way they passionately share their experiences
Let’s dream for a minute. What if, instead of having one or two of these magnetic volunteers, you had an entire team of them? What if your entire volunteer team was a magnetic community? How amazing would your student ministry be?
I believe this is a realistic and achievable dream. We can and we must create a magnetic communities of volunteers. It’s possible. These communities are what will take our student ministries to the next level.
So, how do you build a magnetic volunteer community? I’m glad you asked. Stay tuned over the next few days because I have a few ideas.