A few years ago, a Children’s Ministry conference came to our home town. We knew it would be a great opportunity for our key staff to learn and to have a team-building day. Over the two-day conference, we would attend different breakout sessions, and then debrief over meals (or ice cream!)

As usual for conferences, we were overwhelmed with a plethora of ideas. We were excited to implement a few ideas immediately. But at the last breakout session I and a co-worker attended, the facilitator said something that rubbed us the wrong way. She said, “You need to manipulate your pastor into thinking your ideas are his ideas, so that you can get what you want.”

Why This Is Wrong?

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Last week I said, “There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few weeks, I’m going to share my top five essentials for us to give our volunteers.” Then I posted about the #5 essential thing for us to give our volunteers . . . give them resources! Today I want to take a few moments to consider the #4 essential thing for us to give our volunteers, training!

I know, I can practically hear you groaning as you think about volunteer training. I understand it can be very difficult to get volunteers to show up at training opportunities, everyone is certainly busy, but training is essential if we are going to be effective in our ministry.

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Last night’s Kidmin1124 radio show was another success.  We discussed dealing with difficult people and our questions ranged from dealing with kids, volunteers, and parents.  I’m once again embedding the audio at the end of this post in case you missed the show. 

As we talked about dealing with difficult people, I just can’t get out of my head how my God has constantly been patient in dealing with me.  I’m reminded of 2 Peter 3:9 which says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  What if we applied this to the way we deal with others.  If the drive to see people come to repentence overrode our desire to see them punished.  I especially think this would change how we deal with difficult kids in our ministries.

I firmly believe that grace is one of the greatest tools we have in children’s ministry.  Grace doesn’t excuse bad behavior:  it forgives it.  I don’t think grace says, “Oh, it’s no big deal.”  Grace, at least in my life, is the constant reminder that it is a big deal, but I’m a bigger deal.  God cares more about me than He does my sin, so much so that He sent His son to die for me.  God has been patient with me, even when I constantly fail Him.  How much more so should I be patient and show grace to a child? I’m committed to giving the kids in my ministry at least as many chances as God has given me, which means I should run out during about year 1,948,893,543 of eternity (assuming I’m perfect from here on out).

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“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,  while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

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There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few weeks, I’m going to share my top five essentials for us to give our volunteers. Today let’s think about the #5 essential thing for us to give our volunteers . . . give them resources!

When we ask someone to volunteer their time, energy and self to serve in our children’s ministry, we need to be sure we are not also asking them to come up with the resources they will need to serve. Be sure you provide each of the following things for your volunteers . . .

• Curriculum – this may seem like a “no-brainer”, but there are churches where volunteers need to find and buy their own curriculum. There are of course several reasons you want to provide curriculum;  first of course being if you provide the curriculum you can be sure of the scope and sequence, the specifics the children will be learning and can be sure they match up with the vision and goals for your children’s ministry as well as the doctrine of your church.
• Craft supplies, materials for object lessons . . . everything a volunteer needs to serve. If you want your volunteers to engage the children in the activities each week, you need to give them the things the need to do this. You may have volunteers – or people who otherwise would be willing to serve – who can not afford to buy these types of things.
• Bibles – if the children in your church do not have their own Bibles, be sure to have classroom Bibles – consider presenting children with their own Bibles, but be sure they first of all are able to use Bibles in the classroom.
• Snacks and or treats if you want children to have these things. Ask your volunteers to show restraint in bringing extras to their class as this allows all your volunteers to serve on “equal footing”. If one volunteer is able to buy extras while another is not, children are likely to notice and may think their volunteer isn’t as “good”.
• But in addition to this, you need to provide the resources because if volunteers have to find and purchase their own resources, you may have people who would otherwise serve, but do not because they can not afford to buy the resources themselves.

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