POSTED BY KATIE EDWARDS
A few weeks ago we gathered all of our volunteers leaders together for training, community, and encouragement. One of the best elements of the night was a series of student videos we showed. I wanted to encourage some specific volunteers and say thank you for the roles they are playing in our ministry. So, we enlisted some help from their students. Below is an example of one of the videos we shot. It was a quick, easy, way to give our volunteers something meaningful.
Other simple ways to encourage your volunteer leaders:
- Go old school with a note card. Adults love getting mail that is not a bill!
- Program cell phone numbers in your phone and send encouraging texts each week.
- Schedule your volunteer’s birthdays/important dates into your calendar and follow-up.
- Shoot a 30 second video from one of their students on your phone and send it to them.
As youth workers, we can get so focused on the needs of our junior high students, that we forget to encourage our partners in ministry who are helping us to meet those needs! Your volunteers need encouragement. It can be something quick yet meaningful. Something small yet thoughtful. The way you pour into your volunteers will not only fill their tank, but it will set an example for the way that you want them to love and encourage their students.
Kurt Johnston leads the student ministries team at Saddleback Church in Southern California. His ministry of choice, however, is junior high, where he spends approximately 83.4% of his time. Kurt is also the founder of www.simplyjuniorhigh.com, and he writes, speaks and looks for opportunities to encourage other youth workers. He likes to surf, ride dirtbikes and hang out in coffee shops. He is married to Rachel, and they have two teenage children, Kayla and Cole
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Scott Rubin is the Director of Elevate, the junior high ministry of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. He's mostly a middle school pastor, but he also writes some, speaks some, and blogs some. He's the co-author of the book Middle School Ministry, and a few other titles too. He likes sports, summer, his wife Lynette, his 3 sons, and often wishes that Lake Michigan was actually an ocean.
