Only once in my 16 years of Youth Ministry have I heard a youth pastor say they had enough volunteers. The cohort we were running roasted him for it. Who says they have enough volunteers?

Most youth ministries are craving people to help out. But how do you get volunteers to show up and be vital members of the Youth Ministry?

Know what you’re asking them to do

If you asked me to help you move, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll say no. Am I going to pack boxes? Do you need me to move furniture? Is it going to be all day long? Do I need to bring my truck? Do you plan on feeding me lunch? These are all important conversations and questions!

You can feel like that in Youth Ministry.

When we ask people to volunteer in the Youth Ministry but don’t have a specific task in mind, it can be daunting for people who don’t know what they’re signing up for!

Make sure you have a specific task in mind when you are recruiting someone for your Youth Ministry.

Seventh-grade boys Small Group player.
Worship band rehearsal lead.
Head snack hander-outer.

You get the idea.

Have a specific period of time in mind

Sometimes people can feel overwhelmed when you ask them to volunteer. They’re not sure if they’re signing up for a week or a lifetime. And if you don’t communicate it to them, honestly, that’s on you.

Make sure you have a timeframe in mind. Whether it’s for a semester, a school year, or all six to seven years a student is in the youth group, say that up front. You want a potential volunteer to know what they’re getting into.

A second side benefit of asking someone to volunteer for a set period of time is, if it isn’t working out like you had hoped, you can say, “Thanks for serving!” at the end of their time and not ask them to volunteer for a second round.

Hey, you’re going to have to fire a volunteer eventually. This is just the easiest way to do it.

Make a list of everyone who could volunteer

I know often youth pastors say they just don’t have anyone who can volunteer. I want to push back on that!

If you take a moment and write down every single adult who could possibly be a Youth Ministry volunteer, you’d have a great pool of people to start reaching out to.

Think of the parents of your teenagers. You probably won’t have them being their son’s or daughter’s Small Group leader, but that doesn’t mean they can’t volunteer in the Youth Ministry at all.

And what about grandparents? They have a vested interest in these teenagers as well.

Then think about students who have graduated out of Youth Ministry but have already done a year or two of college. If they’re still around, they likely care a whole lot about the Youth Ministry as well.

See? Now you’ve got a big list of people you could ask for volunteers. And don’t play the Holy Spirit for anybody. Give them the choice to say no. Don’t say no for them!

That’s how I’d go about recruiting volunteers. Anything you’d add? Let me know!

I was getting coffee with a friend the other day and they talked about teaching their employees to “lock-through.” I’m a millennial with Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids, so I know what “Lock In” means. 

This was a new one for me so I asked him to explain it.

Channel Locks Control Water Heights

He told me that boats need to go from one body of water to the next where the water is at different heights. Instead of going on a wild theme park ride, ships need to go through a complicated process of entering into a hold, having two big gates close behind and in front of the boat. Then the water either rises or lowers to match the desired water level where they want to go. It’s actually a lengthy process to make sure the boat doesn’t get overwhelmed, the water stays calm, and the boat goes to where it needs to go safely.

Lock the doors behind you

When you go home, do you have a habit of taking work with you? Do you answer every text, work on your youth group lesson, and skip dinner to head to a student’s basketball game?

Ministry CAN be all encompassing if you let it. THere will be times when special events and emergencies happen, but if those occur all the time, they’re no longer emergencies or special. They’re just all the time.

When you leave or sign off for the day, lock the doors behind you. Let work stay at work. Do whatever you need to remind yourself that you’re “off the clock” and are heading home. Maybe it’s turning on “do no disturb” or just saying “Whatever is on my to-do list I can do tomorrow” over and over until you remember it.

Take the time to reset

Doug Fields talked about going from work to a local fast food restaurant to drink a soda and read the newspaper for about half an hour before heading home. 

What could that look like for you? Maybe it’s heading out a little early to stop by a local coffee shop and get a drink. Or run by the grocery store to pick up something you need for dinner. Whatever it is, take the intentional time to reset.

I used to live 25 minutes from the church I worked at. I’d listen to an audiobook or podcast that didn’t have anything to do with work. It was a great chance to reset. When I moved only 5 minutes away from church, it was a lot more difficult for me to transition. I learned that I needed some time! Don’t rush. Make sure you can take the time to go from one space to the next in your head and your heart.

Be completely “there”

If the channel locks ever broke, there’d be a rush of water from one side to the next and a lot of chaos. The doors are locked on purpose!

When you’re home, be all there. Put your phone on a charger. Ask your spouse how THEIR day was. Get involved in your kid’s homework. Do the dishes. Whatever it takes to be fully home, commit yourself to it.

Don’t let the role invade your space. Be present with your family and your spouse. If you’re single, it’s just as important to not bring work home. Spend time with friends. Get involved in a hobby. Let your mind and heart be present where you are.

These things will help you last for the long haul in ministry. What can you start putting into practice to help yourself “lock-through” in the future?

The longer I do ministry, the more I understand that I never make good decisions in a bubble. Whenever I bounce ideas off of volunteers or students, they will begin to see how we can improve.

But whenever I take my ideas to other youth pastors, it’s such a game changer!

I love getting to talk and network with other youth pastors because they’re in the trenches. They get it. They’ve run the events, tried different curriculum, and have some blood, sweat, and tears to show for it.

If I was just starting out in youth ministry today, the first thing I would do would be to find other youth pastors I could connect with and try to start hanging out with them on a regular basis.

Find Local Youth Pastors

If you live in a city, then there’s a high chance you’re not the only youth pastor in town. I’d offer to take another youth pastor out to lunch or coffee and ask questions about the difficult things they’re dealing with.

More than likely, they would have some insight or at least be able to commiserate with me. You don’t have to do events together. You don’t even have to belong to the same denomination. Hanging out with these pastors always helped me unpack some of the issues I was having.

Make Conference Friends

I also love going to conferences! I would try to skip a breakout session or at least make sure that I wasn’t going to eat lunch or dinner on my own. Instead, I’d try to find some other youth pastor who had a church about my size or maybe a little bigger and ask how ministry is going for them. What are their pitfalls? What are their successes?

The great thing about making conference friends is that usually you can develop a pretty good text message group chat where you can share ideas, ask for feedback, and share the youth ministry meme you might not put on your personal social media but still think is really funny.

Join the DYM Community Facebook Group

Download Youth Ministry really does have a fantastic Facebook community. You’ll see people asking questions and getting ideas in there all the time. If I was starting out, I would begin by asking a question and then messaging others for feedback later on. There’s a whole lot of wisdom there.

Plus, it’s nice to hear that you’re not the only one dealing with a specific cultural meme that you’re already tired of.

Join a Free Cohort?

If you’re looking for an excuse to get together with other youth pastors and learn more about what they are going through, or just grow together, there are tons of cohorts out there that are forming. Some cost money. Some are free. I would join a cohort and try to work with other youth pastors and learn together. There’s something great about figuring out problems with people you’ve never met before. Sometimes it can feel like a camp for the youth pastor!

If you don’t know of any cohorts, there’s one I’m a part of, and it’s free. We’d love to have you join. Click here.

Are there any other things you would do to connect with youth pastors? I’d love to hear it!