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!