Need more volunteers?

Of course you do. This is kidmin, right? There will always be a need for amazing men and women who will invest in the next generation. The problem we face each and every week – where do we find more of these amazing men and women?

There are a lot of tactics, but let me share one that we’ve had success with lately. Think about our most readily available audience. It’s the parents of the kids who attend our programs, right?

This isn’t a new thought. Many ministries have considered this abundant resource and we’ve all done the math. If every parent served X times a year, we’d have more than enough people to fill every space on our roster. Parents are a goldmine and they’re just right there. We’ve wrestled different ideas and strategies on how to move parents from the hall to the classroom. One idea is to require parents to serve. Turning your children’s ministry into a co-op is an idea – but not a very good one. This is a debated topic, But I believe that when you make something a “requirement” you rob the thing of its joy. It’s like homework and gluten free dessert snacks. No, thank you.

A couple years ago we decided to try a new approach. We launched our “Parent Partnership Plan.” We ask (not require) parents to serve just 6 times a year, on dates of their choosing, to support the ministry. They click on the link and fill out the form. We come along side them and make the experience as easy and as incredible as we can.

Wins:

  • First hand experience of their child’s worship and lesson hour
  • “On the job” training that equips parents new and fun ways to teach Bible stories and basic truths to their kids at home, Monday-Saturday
  • Discovering that serving in our ministry really is FUN
  • No-holes in our Sunday staffing!

We’ve had more parents move from Parent Partner to ministry leader than any other endeavor we’ve tried thus far. It’s the blind date of the courting process of both recruiting new leaders and partnering with and equipping parents.

Loses:

  • I haven’t experienced one yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Your turn! How are you moving parents from the hallway to the classroom?