As a leader of volunteers there are so many areas that I need to be thinking about. Being relational with my volunteers, encouraging my volunteers, finding the right volunteers, helping volunteers find their place in our ministry but one of the most important areas of volunteer ministry is training. All volunteers need and want training. Below are some key thoughts on training your volunteer leaders.

Spend time doing general and specific youth ministry training
Every volunteer, whether they are a rookie or veteran, needs general youth ministry training. Take time to train your leaders on

The age group they are working with
Student/pop culture
Ministering to parents
Your ministry vision & purposes
Leading a student to Christ
Your ministry values
Leadership expectations
Volunteer commitment

General training should include any kind of youth ministry training that is not specific to any certain role and can enhance the ministry of your volunteer team as a whole. I try to add an element of general training every time I meet with my volunteer leaders. It might be a refresher on our ministry values or some time discussing what junior high life looks like today. Whether they have been on my volunteer team for 5 years or 5 weeks, I want all of my volunteers to feel like they know basic youth ministry principles.

Specific training looks a little different from general training but it is equally important. Every volunteer needs training in his or her specific role in your ministry. There are times when we are so desperate to fill a spot in our ministry that we toss volunteers in a role before they are ready and have been properly trained. Spend some time preparing volunteers for their personal ministry. I train volunteers once a month in the area of their specific ministry. For instance, I meet with all of the small group leaders in our ministry on Sundays after church. Once a month we gather in our youth room for lunch and we talk about small group ministry for an hour (I don't want to cut into a large chunk of their Sunday afternoon so I keep it short & organized). Some of the things we talk about at a small group volunteer meeting

Creative bible study teaching
Helping students take spiritual 'next steps'
Crisis counseling
How to ask good questions that lead to significant conversations

Three things come out of these specific trainings for me; I get to touch base with all of the leaders, I spend time giving them training that relates to their role, and small group leaders rub shoulders with other small group leaders. I have a few different areas that volunteers are serving in and I make it a priority to spend time training them each month in their ministry role. Specific training helps volunteers feel empowered & equipped for ministry and it helps me know the pulse of my volunteer team.
TIP: As youth workers we tend to do heavy training in the fall (when all of our programs launch) and then we lighten up as the school year progresses. Be consistent with training. Volunteers need it year round.

Design a fun training meting
When you gather your volunteers together for a training meeting make it fun. No one likes meetings it's a fact. So make your time with your volunteers valuable and worth their time. Add some other elements besides training show a fun video, play a youth ministry game, get volunteers talking to one another, share a meal, share stories and then do some training. I want volunteers to walk away from our meetings feeling equipped for ministry but I also want them to walk away feeling valued and part of our youth ministry family.
Some things to keep in mind while planning a training meeting

Don't do a 3 hour training meeting be respectful of their time
Mix it up try not to do the same meeting format twice
Choose a time that works for most of your volunteers I know this is difficult but don't be afraid to try a different time until you find one that works
Get parents involved do the meeting in someone's home have parents cook the meal for your volunteers
Think gathering not meeting

TIP: Check out Go Team: 101 Ways to Energize Youth Ministry Volunteers. This resource has a chapter on creative meetings and gatherings.

Team up rookie volunteers with veteran volunteers
Some of the best training happens on the job. I love to team up newer volunteers with veteran volunteers. As you know youth ministry can be intimidating at times especially to someone who has never done it before. I find that my newer volunteers have an easier time finding their way in our ministry along side of a veteran volunteer. My veteran volunteers know our ministry, they love our ministry, and they are typically excited to show the newer volunteers the ropes. And there are times when veteran volunteers can offer training that I can't. For instance, if a veteran and a rookie are teamed up as summer camp counselors and they have a situation arise in their cabin the veteran has an opportunity to do on site training. I am training leaders in many general areas but a veteran along side of a rookie can really offer specific hands on training as different situations arise.

TIP: Empower veteran volunteers to train along side of you at training meetings. Get them into the training mind-set. Don't just team them up hand over the reigns! Use their excitement and experience in your ministry to pour into the lives of newer leaders.

Use technology to help you train your volunteers
There are so many great ways to encourage and train your volunteers through technology. Send out a weekly e-mail to your volunteer leaders with training tips for their ministry. Take turns sending out general training tips and specific ministry tips. Send volunteers website links that offer youth ministry training, articles, tips, ideas, curriculum anything that might equip them for ministry. If you are using a great website pass it on to your volunteers. There are so many opportunities to use technology to train volunteers don't miss out!

TIP: Send your volunteers the link to the Simply Youth Ministry Site there are great freebies and ideas that they could take advantage of. They also might see a resource that would enhance their own personal ministry.

Be a good listener good listeners are good trainers
A lot of youth workers ask me what I train my volunteers on. The answer is simple I train my volunteers on whatever I hear they need training on. What I mean is when my volunteers talk about their ministry that is where I find my next topic for ministry training. In order to train my volunteers in the areas they need training I need to be listening to their stories, their needs, and what is happening in their personal ministry. I need to be asking good questions about their ministry and listening to the answers. For instance, if a volunteer tells me that they are struggling with engaging their students in discussion then maybe a training on discussion starters or asking questions that students have to respond to. I really try to hear what volunteers are experiencing in their different areas of ministry and then respond with training that relates to what they are going through.

TIP: Sometimes as youth workers we get hot on a topic and we really want to train leaders in an area that we are excited about. It is great to share your excitement with your leaders, but try not to miss the point of a volunteer training it's for the volunteers not for you.

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