The Core Models of Good Volunteers for Your Youth Ministry

Ask any youth pastor what his biggest need is in his youth ministry, and nine times out of ten you'll get the exact same response: youth volunteers! It seems like every youth ministry everywhere faces the same problem of trying to find people to fill the needs in their youth ministry.

American culture makes it very difficult to recruit and maintain a solid volunteer base to work from, but there are some definite types of people to look for when staffing your youth ministry

Youth Ministry Task Agents
One of the most underrated types of volunteers in youth ministry are the task agents. These volunteers serve the ministry by performing a specific function, and freeing up other people to pursue the more involved task of engaging students in relational ministry.

First you have to find then, though. Look for parents who are actively involved with their kids. Parents who ask lots of questions tend to like being a part of what's going on in your youth ministry. Also, keep your eyes and ears open for older people in your church who are looking for a place to serve. Many have loads of life skills to offer, extra time after retirement, and often money and resources built up over a fruitful career, and they love to interact with kids.

The kinds of roles task agents can reach out into is nearly limitless once you start to tap into the potential of your volunteers. Some will want to provide snacks for your midweek programming, some are experts at bookkeeping, some are musically inclined enough to help with your worship teams, and some just love to drive the van on youth trips. Approach task volunteers with minds open to new possibilities in their service of your youth ministry, and watch your group reap the benefits.

Relational Youth Ministry Volunteers
Relational volunteers are the bread and butter of youth ministries everywhere. Even in smaller ministries, odds are that the youth pastor does not have nearly enough time to spend building into all the students in his youth group. There are just too many to be effective with all.

This is where the relational volunteers come into play. Find those people in your church who love students, who live godly lives, and who have the time to invest into your kids. Make sure that you spend time training them to communicate exactly what you want them to communicate, as they can be your greatest allies in reinforcing what you are teaching. Also, be certain to empower them to make decisions once they understand what you value in your youth ministry and have proven they can make wise judgment calls concerning the students under your care.

Youth Ministry Coaches
Te very best kind of volunteer in youth ministry can learn to function as a coach to the other volunteers in your youth ministry. These are your seasoned veterans who know youth ministry and know your ministry, and who can push others to extend their reach out to the students in your youth ministry.

To find this kind of volunteer, look specifically for someone who is already doing this job. These are your volunteers who are building good relationships with both parents and students, who are faithful to your ministry, and who are anxious for more responsibility. Find those volunteers you already trust to make good decisions and to mentor students well, and empower them to train and organize your other volunteers.

It is important that you not force someone to step into this role if they are not ready. This kind of square peg/round hole scenario can cause some real trouble if the potential coach isn't ready for the responsibility of leading other leaders or if he is not confident enough in his own abilities to pass them on to others. Steer clear too of those who you have any concerns about and who are actively seeking a role training your volunteers. Often they are pushing their own agenda, and to bend to that kind of push can have terrible repercussions.

Employ these three types of volunteers in your youth ministry, and watch the effectiveness of your service increase dramatically.