5 Tips to Recruit Kids Ministry Leaders
You are a world changing Kids Ministry leader! God is using you in HUGE ways to help kids love Jesus more and love God’s House! So, your mindset when recruiting Kids Ministry leaders should be to recruit the DREAM TEAM of all Dream Teams!
It’s a huge job and that’s why you need a great volunteer team by your side.
In this post we will look at five tips for recruiting Kids Ministry leaders.
Be Excited About What You’re Offering
Recruit Off People’s Strengths
Put Yourself in Strategic Positions
Be Future-Thinking About Potential Seasons of Need
(Note: This is part 2 in a 3-part blog post. In part 1, we covered 3 Recruiting Mindsets to Overcome in Kids Ministry and in part 3 you’ll learn How to Train Your Kids Ministry Volunteer Team.)
Want the kids at church to have an incredible experience every single week? Check out the Kids Ministry Atmosphere Checklist: 11 easy steps you can take for ALL kids to WANT to come back week after week after week.
Before we dive in, imagine for a moment that you’re building your best KidMin team ever.
What kind of people are you looking for?
Which gifts and talents do you wish they had?
What is your dream team for your KidMin?
All those questions revolve around people. So, the key is to get the right people. You want an amazing team, fully committed to building an awesome KidMin, enthusiastic to lift your arms, and ready to help you carry out your vision.
That is the Dream Team, right? It’s what you want in a volunteer team. On the flip side, what you don’t want is a group of warm bodies just filling slots on a roster.
How do you get the right people? Of course, it starts with relationship.
Relationship is King!
I’ve tried lots of methods to recruit a team; phone calls and cold calling, emails, and Sunday handouts. However, they all had a very low return on my investment. This pertains to how you recruit Kids Ministry leaders as well.
The one thing I found that worked over and over again…relationship! I was intentional about building relationships and making sincere connections with the parents and people who attend my church.
That small thing was the turning point in my recruiting. The key word that you need to pay attention to is sincere! You want to build a sincere relationships with the parents and people in your church.
Don’t make connections with a “What can I get” mindset. People are smart and can tell if something is fake and insincere. You are building a foundation, a relationship.
If they get to know you, then people will get to know your heart, and they will hear your WHY. Furthermore, they will hear your passion for Kids Ministry and why it is so vital. Furthermore, that passion will spread and you will find people who connect with your passion and will want to serve on your team.
Another bonus, once people know you and know your heart, is that it will be much easier to get them to answer your phone calls and emails. Remember, you are not building relationships to “get something”, but rather to sincerely show interest and care for the people of your church.
Set a goal each service or weekend to expand your influence and make three, four or five new connections. It may sound like a hard task but what you are doing is putting yourself in a position to meet new people, to make church more personal, and to hear stories about what God is doing in their lives.
Building sincere relationships is the first step to being an amazing recruiter and to start building your dream team.
Be Excited About What You’re Offering!
This one is all about your WHY. Share what they will get to do and get to be a part of when they join your team. Share stories of kids who have experienced God in an amazing way, and share salvation stories. Stories connect people to all that God is doing and how they can play a part.
When you share stories and tell them why Kids Ministry is so awesome…
You are…
- Giving people a chance to be part of changing the future.
- Teaching the next generation to love God and love God’s house.
- Helping people discover their gifts and talents and build the kingdom.
- Pulling people further into the plan God has for them.
- Creating an atmosphere where people want to do something awesome- what’s more awesome than changing the world?
Be excited about the roles and the opportunities you’re recruiting people for. After all, no one should be more excited about KidMin than are you.
Recruit Off People’s Strengths!
Think about the volunteer needs you have and make a list. Now think about the types of people you would want to fill each role. You are now armed with a list of strengths and I guarantee, there is someone in your church who would be an amazing fit for you…think of it like a treasure hunt, it makes it more fun!
Let people know why they would be a great fit for your need. Using their strengths and speaking specifically to those strengths shows they are being seen, it makes the request personal.
It also helps you more clearly state what you’re asking them to do and why you think they would be awesome at it. You’re speaking life and encouragement over them.
- “Your smile is nice…”
- “You are so kind…”
- “Your knowledge about sound equipment is incredible…”
- “You relate so well to your kids…”
Keep in mind that a “no” does not equal a “not ever!” Furthermore, don’t get discouraged if you hear the word “NO.”
This can be a huge hurdle and really discouraging, but just because you had a “no,” don’t give up. Give them some time but continue to build those relationships. You want to care more about the person and less about the slots you need to fill.
Frame the “no” in this context, it isn’t a “no” but rather a “not yet.”
Every conversation you have is a seed planted. So, make calendar reminders to follow up if they said they are busy or aren’t able right now.
Want to grow your kids ministry team to be the best it can be for you and the church? Download the 4 Proven Ways to Build Your Kids Ministry Team and watch your team grow in effectiveness, reaching more children than ever before.
Put Yourself in Strategic Positions!
As you recruit Kids Ministry leaders, think about your needs.
Based on your volunteer needs, place yourself in the best locations to have the most conversations for that need.
Think about when parents pick up/drop off kids. So, if you need 3rd grade help, stand near where 3rd grade parents are picking up.
Greet families at the entrance of your KidMin. Walk through the common areas of church. People may be sitting in lobby areas during service.
Think about where you can position yourself to be the most effective and have the biggest impact, and get to meet more people.
Be Future-Thinking About Potential Seasons of Need!
Grab a calendar and identify areas that could/would have a volunteer attrition. Think about summers and times when college students go home. Consider any holidays, grade transitions/promotions and plan ahead to have your team built up.
Have a deep bench of team members you are constantly building and training to avoid seasons of desperation. Have conversations early with the current team about their plans and know what you will need to do to replace them.
One of the best tricks I used was to have a departing volunteer try to fill their spot or at least give me names of people they knew who would be great. The more time you can prepare for potential attrition/transition and have a plan in place, the easier you will walk through those seasons.
The more you are future-thinking in terms of your volunteer team, the stronger your Kids Ministry will be!
KidMin is an amazing world. You’re speaking life over kids, showing them Jesus in a personal way, and helping them build the spiritual foundation on which they’ll build their life… and you’re doing it week after week.
The team you recruit and gather around you can help you be more effective and make an impact greater than you can imagine.
God is doing great things! God has more He wants to do in you and through you.
You’re becoming an all-star volunteer recruiter! It’s time to recruit Kids Ministry leaders! Congratulations! So, what’s next?
Part 3! In part 3, I share ways to strengthen and train your team. Click here for all the fun!
Like this post? Sign up for our free blog updates to never miss a post. We’ll send you a FREE ebook to say “Thank You.”
Discover what pastors of growing churches do to see massive growth and how you can position your church for the greatest days ahead.
Click here to get immediate access to this free masterclass.
