Home Children's Ministry Leaders Children's Ministry Blogs What KidMin Leaders Do: Build Relationships (3)

What KidMin Leaders Do: Build Relationships (3)

In our last post we spoke about the importance of building relationships with our leaders – our core leaders.  Some of these core leaders might be staff, but in the vast majority will be volunteers.  Core volunteer leaders fall in to that last post we spoke about.  It is virtually impossible, however, to have deep relationships with all of your volunteers.  And the larger the church, the more this is true.  And in certain environments – such as multi-site – this is even more true.  Having led children’s ministry in multi-site and in churches of 4500 and 7000, I found it one of the most challenging tasks on my plate…but still so essential.

Relationships are so important regardless of the environment! so how do you build relationships with those volunteers who serve faithfully every week but wouldn’t be considered core leaders?

  • Be available. I found that one of the keys to knowing volunteers was simply being available.  If the gal who serves once a month in the resource room feels like she can stop me in the hallway on a busy Sunday morning to say hi, then she feels like I care (which hopefully I do!).  If the game director in AWANA feels like he can call me to talk about managing kids on Wednesday night, then he feels like I’m concerned.
  • Communicate. Communication is relatively easy these days, with automated email programs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and yet we often don’t maximize these tools.  Use them!  And insert some personality in them so volunteers get a glimpse of who you are.  It will make connecting with them easier.
  • Create opportunities for relationship building. One of the best events we ever initiated was an annual Volunteer Beach Bash.  Here’s what we did: go to the beach, eat, hangout & play (volleyball, boat rides, etc.), sit by the bonfire.  That’s it!  But what was happening the entire time?  I and my core leaders were getting to know our volunteers on a much more personal level.  Find ways to connect outside of church.
  • Equip, empower & expect your core leaders to build relationships. In other words, make relationships a part of the culture of your ministry.  You must build leaders in order to succeed long-term.  Make relationship building as much a part of the leadership development for your core leaders as accomplishment of their assigned tasks – it is probably more important!  As you build relationships with your core leaders there will naturally be a trickle down effect as they build relationships with their volunteers – volunteers will “see” and “hear” you in their interactions with other core leaders.  When you have opportunity to personally connect, you will be further along in the process.

I know some of you are thinking that we are segmenting people, putting them in to categories.  To some extent you are correct…and it’s ok.  And the larger your church, the more this will be necessary because there’s only so much time and energy to go around.  Jesus Himself did this, giving time to the masses, more time to the 12 and still more time to the core 3.  It’s the reality of life and the reality of ministry.

But Jesus was also available to everyone – and we must be also.  You cannot neglect those you serve with, so do what you can to know and build relationships with those who serve with you.

So how do you build relationships with volunteers?