Why does it seem like all the other ministries get the best volunteers? People will serve on the worship team for twenty years or be on coffee duty for a lifetime, but many modern churchgoers seem to see Kids Church as a "seasonal" thing. This post dives into some of the reasons why children's ministry is often a quick pit-stop for volunteers and how to grow so that volunteers can last.
Kids Volunteers are nomads
There is a lot of stigma around serving in Kids Church. In every faith community that I've been part of, there have been unique challenges that seem to taint the fragrance of kids' ministry. Before we dive into the many reasons why volunteers leave and what you can do to make them stay, let's consider the trend for a moment.
Sociologists define a social phenomenon as something that happens because of social influence. These "social facts" are often regarded as the truth without much question about how this truth came into being. A social trend like the stigma around kids ministry is usually not perceptible until it becomes a problem.
"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken" - Samuel Johnson
If you're still reading, you might be familiar with this phenomenon. Why is it that other ministries get it right that their volunteers last for the long run but the kids' workers are considered 'seasonal'?
Some volunteers are nomadic because they are parents. They join kids ministry because their children struggle to separate from them at church and so they "might as well" help out. While this is not bad in itself, it certainly explains why there would be no reason for them to stay once the child can let them go.
Reasons why Volunteers avoid Kids Church
Let's discover some of the reasons why people don't last very long as Sunday school instructors:
"I don't want to miss worship!"
"I never see anyone else. It's lonely."
"It's tiring and I get exhausted."
"I don't like it."
"It's embarrassing".
"I want to be seen".
"I need to hear the sermon".
Usually when a volunteer gives one of these reasons, they take off. But what if this was the start of a conversation about how the ministry can grow?
Getting Volunteers to Stay in Kids Ministry
Instead of reinventing the wheel, let's consider the first three verses of Hebrews 12:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
I'll weave these verses into the discussion below so that we can see how it applies to the topic at hand.
Simple changes you can make to show volunteers you care about these reasons
1: "I don't want to miss worship!"
Many people encounter God through music. It is a special way for us to unite with fellow believers and have a time of meditation and reflection. Do you have music as part of your kids church program? You could play worship music while the children do a craft.
If worship is about singing to God and encountering the Holy Spirit, we should be able to do that through Kids Dance and Worship too. If you can't, it might be time to bring in your favorite worship song. We even did soaking time where the kids just lay on the floor and worship music was playing over them. Some fell asleep and we prayed they dreamt of heaven!
At another stage, we actually asked the volunteers to only come out to kids church after worship was done. They got to stay inside and have a moment of connection with God before coming out to serve. We also played worship music in the space before church and our team prayed over the program and the kids coming that day.
2: "I never see anyone else. It's lonely."
This one is for the extroverts who have FOMO for whatever is going on in big church, but it is also for the introverts who can feel lonely in a room full of kids. Introduce name tags for both the kids and the volunteers and start each day with a fun name game.
Focus on creating a "family feel" for your group. Put up photos of the volunteers and the kids on the classroom wall and do group work more than individual crafts and games. You can even buy a massive roll of paper (1m wide) and have EVERYONE draw on it together versus having separate A4s per person.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses...
One Sunday, after working as a Kids Pastor for a church for three years, I had a Sunday off. I usually tried to take a Sunday off once a month, but a volunteer would be sick last minute or something would go wrong. You know how it is. Anyway, I was walking around in the church, and then someone came up to me and said: "You must be new here. I am _____! Welcome to church!"
This is a funny story now, but it holds 2 major truths: 1: I needed to get out from behind the scenes and actually know the church & 2: Nobody should miss the service every week. 'Belonging' is an important aspect of church membership! Don't overschedule your volunteers!
If you don't have enough volunteers to have a rotation going, CANCEL KIDS CHURCH. Drastic I know. But, bring the kids in and have them do coloring activities inside big church one Sunday a month. If anybody has a problem with them being there they can kindly be reminded that the kids are part of the family AND (this part is crucial) they can be invited to join the volunteer team!
3: "It's tiring and I get exhausted."
Kids ministry is perhaps a little more taxing on the body than some other ministries. However, it is your job as ministry coordinator to make sure it is easy for volunteers to serve. How about this:
Sarah: "I wish I could help with the kids, but because of my back, I just can't stand for that long."
Kids Leader: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Sarah. But do you know what we really need? Someone who can sit by the door and watch that nobody runs out. You'll provide a great opportunity for us to teach the kids how to love family well."
Sarah: "Well, I kinda just thought I'd have to be on my feet the whole time. Are you sure I wouldn't get in the way?"
Kids Leader: "In the way? Are you kidding? We would love to have you there. And, seriously, it would help me a lot to have an extra set of eyes on the little ones."
Serving in children's church should be easy enough that ANYBODY should be able to slot in somewhere!
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
4: "I don't like it."
Now, this one is a bit more tricky. There are definitely giftings and talents that God gave certain people, but sometimes people have the idea they need to be The Child Whisperer in order to be able to serve in kids. That's not the case at all! I recently read a quote that said: "Imagine how quiet the forest would be if only the best singers among the birds sang!" and it applies here as well.
A great way to respond to this is to have them do a giftedness test. The wonderful thing about kids ministry is you need basically every person on board: Administration (Schedule volunteers and communications), Teaching (the lesson), Hospitality (classroom and snack), and so forth. Play your volunteers to their strengths and they will stay for a long time!
If we view Sunday school as a family, there is a place for everybody. Jesus was a thirty-something-year-old man, yet He said: "Let the children come to me!" It was not His main purpose of being, but He loved kids well anyway. The issue shouldn't be whether someone likes children or not...
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
5: "It's embarrassing".
Kids ministry should never be embarrassing. Sure, we can be silly and playful if that is our character, but that is not for everybody. Sitting in front of thirty kids with neon green oversized glasses on your face won't help them pay better attention to what you're reading from the Bible.
How the faith of youth takes shape needs to be more authentic than that. For them to have true faith formation and not just entertainment, they need a LIVED faith; a tangible faith; and a faith that does not push them off to the side.
Read this post that I wrote about moving kids church beyond entertainment and towards true faith formation.
With that being said, we should not be too proud to share the Gospel with kids.
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
6: "I want to be seen".
OK, I doubt that anybody really told you this in so many words. Perhaps they struggled to express what they feel: "It's so hidden away and removed from everything else". Kids ministry is humbling. Imagine the volunteer who has three children hanging from them and glitter on their face in a room somewhere far away. Now imagine the worship leader standing up on stage under the spotlight, literally.
If someone expresses the Fear Of Missing Out desire expressed here, pause and pray. Perhaps God actually does want them in big church for a specific reason, but more often than not God meets us in our hiddenness. 'Obscurity' is actually stated as a spiritual practice by some.
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
7: "I need to hear the sermon".
This one is valid. One of my mentors once said: " Leaders should be self-feeders". If you want to be able to point children to the living water, you need to know where it is. If your volunteers lack "umph" (I mean, the vooma and passion); this is probably the reason.
As the ministry leader, you have the responsibility of also being a spiritual leader for your volunteers. Send them worship songs and share devotionals with them. If your church records the sermon, send it out to your communications group every week and encourage the ones who served on Sunday to give it a listen.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
Still stumped?
If you've done all of the above and you are still stumped - Why do they leave? I want to encourage you to study your church and your kid's church volunteers like a population. Use the questions below to prayerfully discern what the issue might be:
Are most of the volunteers male or female? How can you even that out more? God grants different genders unique gifts when it comes to working with kids.
How big is your church? What percentage of your members are serving in kids?
Are the kids represented by the volunteers? (Race, Language, Nationality, Bodily Ability, etc)
How old are your volunteers? Different generations can have a massive impact on the dynamics in the ministry space. In my experience, grandparents help with discipline and respect and youth help with fun and creativity.
If you are serving alone, might it be because the ministry is inaccessible to others? Have you expressed the need for help?
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