Road Trippin With Rachael

If you have been in church for any length of time, you have probably been recruited at some point to work in some area of the church.  Serving is a part of being a member, and finding a place to serve that you enjoy is important to having that feeling of “belonging.” However, many church leaders are facing a deficit of people who are able AND willing to work in Sunday School ministry (regardless of age group). As a former college admissions counselor and director, I’ve learned a few things when it comes to recruiting. Here are some of the things I’ve learned.

Get to Know the Potential Recruits.

If someone really doesn’t want to work with toddlers, don’t recruit them to work with toddlers. It sounds simple, but many churches will make this basic mistake. Get to know the people that you are generally interested in recruiting and learn what they are interested in doing and where they may be interested in serving. By getting to know them, you will also find what they are passionate about and will hopefully find a way to relate that to Sunday School and Small Groups. The “see a need, fill a need” philosophy doesn’t work long term, so finding someone who will passionately commit is the best course of action. 

Spiritual Gifts

Gifts can work in a myriad of different ways. But having someone have a general knowledge of what their gifts are can help them find the best fit for them in the ministries the church already has, OR it can help set the groundwork for a new ministry the church previously hadn’t considered.  Obviously, if you are looking for someone to be a Sunday School Teacher/Assistant or a Group Leader you are going to look for someone to have gifts involving teaching.

Provide a “Why”

I can only really speak for millennials (because I am one), but as a whole we tend to want to participate inthings that we believe are going to fill a need. If someone is just filling a space, that could be anyone – we need to feel needed. If you can get a millennial to back a cause, we tend to be all in. You need to sell the benefits and idea of why they should agree to teach/asist in Sunday School or lead a Small Group. 

Let Them Experience It

More people leave jobs due to lack of training than any other reason. The same applies to volunteers. If you want to be able to keep your Sunday School and Small Group volunteers you need to give them adequate and regular training.  Help them to know expectations, give them the tools to prepare lessons, and make sure they know who they can contact if anything happens or they are out of town. It would also behoove the recruiter (you!) to let them co-teach before having their own class. This provides a mentor for them of someone who has already been teaching.

Start Recruiting Early

If you only ever recruit because there is a vacancy you will never be able to fill those places long term. Having your teachers and leaders commit to a set time frame each year, and recruit new teachers throughout the year for the start of the new cycle will allow for you to have good volunteers, who have had time to team-teach/co-lead, and have some training all before there is a vacancy needing to be filled. 

These simple steps take time and intentionality, but they have long lasting dividends for those who are in charge of recruiting volunteers. It takes pressure off everyone involved, and gives you an opportunity to know the people who are volunteering in the educational ministry of the church. The local church is meant to be a family and these steps help it to feel like one.