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    connecting with your volunteers this summer
christina robertson
Summertime is great for building relationships with your students. You are hanging out with them at summer camp, boogie boarding with them at the beach, and serving with them on mission trips. As youth workers, we concentrate so much our time on those relationships, but how well do we know our volunteers? Here are a few tips on how you can utilize the summer to build some great friendships with the people your serving with.
LEAVE THE KIDS AT HOME
Listen, we all can admit that part of the reason we love youth ministry is because we love doing the stuff kids do. So let’s just get together and play…without the students! Summer is fantastic for getting to know each other on a level other than delegating responsibilities. Get the group together and see a movie. No matter how small your house may be, have everyone over for a bar-b-que and board games. (“Apples to Apples” is a great game for all types of people to get to know each other.) Feel free to invite their significant others and children to understand another side of them. Meet at the youth room late one night and play hide and seek. Just think, you don’t need permission slips or parent drivers.
INTRODUCE PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEERS
One reason volunteers don’t stay long in a ministry is the feeling that they didn’t connect with the other staff. It’s difficult to get to know each other on a Wednesday Night or in a Sunday Morning small group because those times are all about the students. Invite someone who is thinking about serving in the ministry to hang out with the current volunteers. A shy person may be intimidated by the youth worker stereotype of being caffeinated extraverts that know how to play the guitar. Once they see how eclectic the group is, they’ll be able to see that they too have a gift that can be used in the ministry.
SNEAK IN SOME TRAINING
Fall is right around the corner so why not equip your staff with the resources they need to tackle the new school year. Retreats are great for this! Many conference halls even give discounts for non-profit groups. If this is not an option, develop a Friday night or Saturday in-town retreat. Have it at a park or a lake, or a vacation home. What ever you do…don’t have it at church! It needs to be away so it doesn’t feel like a staff meeting. It should to be in a place where you can have some team building, training tips, calendar announcements, spiritual development, and don’t forget recess.
Summertime in youth ministry may be one of our busiest seasons, but it also can be such a fun opportunity to connect with the adults you are ministering with. So, seize the season and have a great summer with your volunteers.
Christina Robertson
Director of Middle School Ministries
College Avenue Baptist Church
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http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-from-the-field.html
christina robertson
Summertime is great for building relationships with your students. You are hanging out with them at summer camp, boogie boarding with them at the beach, and serving with them on mission trips. As youth workers, we concentrate so much our time on those relationships, but how well do we know our volunteers? Here are a few tips on how you can utilize the summer to build some great friendships with the people your serving with.
LEAVE THE KIDS AT HOME
Listen, we all can admit that part of the reason we love youth ministry is because we love doing the stuff kids do. So let’s just get together and play…without the students! Summer is fantastic for getting to know each other on a level other than delegating responsibilities. Get the group together and see a movie. No matter how small your house may be, have everyone over for a bar-b-que and board games. (“Apples to Apples” is a great game for all types of people to get to know each other.) Feel free to invite their significant others and children to understand another side of them. Meet at the youth room late one night and play hide and seek. Just think, you don’t need permission slips or parent drivers.
INTRODUCE PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEERS
One reason volunteers don’t stay long in a ministry is the feeling that they didn’t connect with the other staff. It’s difficult to get to know each other on a Wednesday Night or in a Sunday Morning small group because those times are all about the students. Invite someone who is thinking about serving in the ministry to hang out with the current volunteers. A shy person may be intimidated by the youth worker stereotype of being caffeinated extraverts that know how to play the guitar. Once they see how eclectic the group is, they’ll be able to see that they too have a gift that can be used in the ministry.
SNEAK IN SOME TRAINING
Fall is right around the corner so why not equip your staff with the resources they need to tackle the new school year. Retreats are great for this! Many conference halls even give discounts for non-profit groups. If this is not an option, develop a Friday night or Saturday in-town retreat. Have it at a park or a lake, or a vacation home. What ever you do…don’t have it at church! It needs to be away so it doesn’t feel like a staff meeting. It should to be in a place where you can have some team building, training tips, calendar announcements, spiritual development, and don’t forget recess.
Summertime in youth ministry may be one of our busiest seasons, but it also can be such a fun opportunity to connect with the adults you are ministering with. So, seize the season and have a great summer with your volunteers.
Christina Robertson
Director of Middle School Ministries
College Avenue Baptist Church
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