Are you short on children’s ministry volunteers? With these seven ideas, you’ll solve a volunteer crisis quickly.
If you can hear the impending approach of small feet but don’t have enough helpers, don’t panic! We have several handy, in-a-pinch solutions for a shortage of children’s ministry volunteers. These ideas will help you and your team be effective in tough circumstances.
7 Steps When You’re Short on Children’s Ministry Volunteers
1. Combine classrooms.
This solution works well for short-term or long-term volunteer shortages. Your best bet is to combine classes that are close in age. It’s also better to combine “up.” For example, combine the class with an older, rather than younger, age group. That allows older kids to help younger ones and works well for relationship-building and mentoring. Plus, the teacher absorbing the class gains an entire room of “instant assistants.”
2. Move to a large-group/small-group setup.
Create a system where everyone meets in a large-group area and then moves to a smaller group. That means you need only one prepared teacher. Plus, you’ll need several small group leaders. But they don’t need teaching skills like your up-front person. For a great large-group/small-group curriculum, check out Group’s DIG IN or Simply Loved Curriculum.
3. Implement a rotation model.
Set up a rotation model where kids move from one learning station to another. You can also rotate teachers from class to class or group to group. This system requires children’s ministry assistants but cuts the need for trained teachers.
4. Recruit teenagers.
One of the most-overlooked church resources may be sitting in your youth ministry. Teenagers can be great with children. Plus, many teens are natural teachers. Beef up your volunteer base and get these students on a training track to become teachers!
5. Close classrooms.
This idea makes many children’s ministers shudder. But in some cases, it may be your best (or only) option. First, determine your room or class capacity. Then detail the procedure for closing a class. Your adult-to-child ratio should follow your state’s health and human services recommendations.
