Guest post by Scott Huff

We have all heard the saying in ministry, “you can never have enough volunteers.” This is very true but the struggle is not whether or not we need them. The struggle is how do we get them? Recruiting volunteers may be the one thing that most student pastors absolutely can’t stand to do. It’s a never-ending cycle. It’s not fun to be told no. It’s not a flashy and exciting “appointment” for your weekly to-do list. And you may lose friends over it! No joke. I’ve had it happen.

 

So, the question remains, “how do I recruit volunteers for my student ministry?” Here are 5 tips for being a rockstar volunteer recruiter for your student ministry:

 

  1. Personally ask people to volunteer – This is the obvious one but the reason it is mentioned here is because your best volunteers will often be people you already know and all you need to do is ask them. You already know where these people are spiritually and what their gifts and passions are to determine how you can use them in your ministry. The personal ask from a staff member carries a lot of weight with people… even if “you’re just the student pastor.” You know the type of people you need in your ministry as volunteers and you can determine who gets asked by doing it this way.
  2. Motivate volunteers to recruit volunteers – I assume you like your current volunteers. If this is the case then they are your best recruiters. They know people like them because we all connect easiest to people like us. So they will ask the people they know well who are most likely similar to themselves in gifts, passions, and personality. Plus, the connection of serving alongside your friends is what most people need to stay consistent and committed. This method allows your volunteers to determine who they think is a good fit and requires you to trust them a little more. This is also a great method in a larger church context as it expands your pool of people to reach.
  3. Use connect cards as a first contact – Most likely your church uses connect cards or something similar each week to gain information about guests or regular attendees. If you don’t use connect cards then you could use a worship guide insert or welcome center option to recruit. Have people check a box or fill in a blank on the card to inform you of their interest in volunteering. Then use this information to initiate a conversation with the person about their gifts and passions including any previous volunteering experience they may have. You must be diligent with this method to follow up and get to know the person well through an interview process to determine if they are a good fit.
  4. Throw a luncheon info party– This is an easy one. Everyone loves free food. Offer a luncheon following your Sunday morning worship experience for anyone who may be interested in volunteering with your student ministry. Offer a time to introduce yourself and the ministry. Describe the programming and volunteer roles you have a need for. Then have anyone who is still interested fill out an info card and a background check on the spot. You can take their info and further interview to determine the best fit and then place them in a role. You could even serve pizza at this luncheon because, after all, it is student ministry and they might as well get used to it!
  5. Offer a test drive to try out volunteering – This is a great way to onboard any new volunteers. No matter how you recruit the person (using the first 4 tips or other method) you should make it easy for the person to try out the volunteer role. Have the new volunteer shadow a current volunteer to see the flow of the gathering, try out the leadership role, meet some students, and see how crazy the ministry really is. This also gives you an opportunity to see the new volunteer in action and determine if this particular role is the best for them and your ministry.

 

None of these methods are full proof and none of these methods should be used by itself. In fact, I would recommend that you use all of these regularly to continue to recruit volunteers for your ministry and to increase the church-wide involvement in your student ministry. The more people you have involved in the ministry, the more your church will prioritize its support for your ministry. You should always be recruiting!

 

Scott Huff is the Student Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Hannibal LaGrange College and a Master’s of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a former college basketball player and golfer. A Student Pastor for more than ten years and a national speaker for fifteen, Scott has a calling on his life to impact the lives of people with the Gospel and to lead them to strengthen their faith for glorifying God in an ever-changing world. Scott and his wife. Lori, have two children.