Building A Youth Ministry Staff: Recruiting Youth Workers
January 23rd, 2006No matter what size church you serve in, you can always use additional help in your youth ministry. Whether you are a full-time, vocational youth pastor or an adult volunteer worker, I’m positive you could always use additional adult youth workers to assist you.
We have previously discussed the importance of identifying and securing other youth workers to work with you. (You cannot do everything yourself; teenagers need several adult role models; and it is the adult workers who provide continuity in the ministry.) We have also identified the characteristics of effective youth workers. (They should love the Lord, love kids; be able to communicate God’s Word; and be faithful over the long haul.)
The real issue now is how to recruit other qualified adults to work with you in your church’s youth group. Here is a simple recruiting strategy, which I recommend you implement immediately into the fabric of your church’s youth ministry.
Make a list of desired traits and abilities.
This is the place to start in your search for additional adult youth workers. It’s important to identify exactly what you are looking for in the adults who work with youth. I suggest that you get the church leadership team together and make a specific list of the qualities youth leaders should possess. Undoubtedly the senior pastor has some specific characteristics in mind, as do the parents of teenagers and other church leaders. It is essential for the leadership to be on the same page. Here are some possible things to consider: Are you looking for married couples or singles? Do all youth workers need to be members of your church? What skills or abilities should they possess (e.g., teach Sunday School, lead youth group meetings)? Do they need administrative skills or are building relationships more important?
Don’t forget to think about practical things, like the need for a specific driver’s license or background checks.
It has been my personal experience that each church will have its own particular list of qualities, which may or may not be important. You want to identify people who would make ideal youth workers, so make a specific list of the qualities you are looking for, and then go on to the next step.
Write down the names of potential youth workers.
Once you have a list of the precise characteristics you are looking for, make a list of the people in your church who possess those qualities. Many churches publish a church directory. Take some time to prayerfully work through the list of church members, and then select which people hold those key traits and abilities. At this stage, just make a list. Once you have a list of people who potentially possess the qualities you are seeking, you can then contact them.
It is also important to review this list with the senior pastor, the deacons, or other church leaders. These church leaders may know more about the individuals on your list than you do. There is real wisdom in this “multitude of counselors” process. Youth workers should be experienced and dedicated. They should also be faithful and loyal. Of course, it is vitally important that these people do not possess any sinful habits that could disqualify them from effective youth ministry. That’s why it is imperative that you obtain input from others. You want the most qualified people to work with your church’s teenagers.
Pray specifically for those people by name.
Now that you have made this list of the people in your church who are qualified to be youth workers, it is critically important that you bathe this entire process in specific and fervent prayer. Don’t take this step lightly. The Lord Himself emphasized the importance of prayer in the recruiting process for laborers in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye the therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” Christ presented one way of securing new workers: prayer.
I can’t emphasize this point enough. If you need youth workers in your church, you must make prayer your highest priority. My advice is to get as many people as possible involved in this process. Remind people by placing announcements in the church bulletin and by making public appeals to pray for this need. God can use specific and heart-felt prayer to put a burden on the hearts of the right people for this strategic ministry.
I also highly suggest that the people involved in this process should pray specifically by name for the potential youth workers on your list. God works through prayer, and I know that He will specifically answer you as you call out to Him for youth workers.
Approach qualified people.
I am not a fan of taking volunteers to serve as youth workers. I believe that the church leaders should approach the qualified people to ask them to pray specifically about working with the youth. It can be quite dangerous to accept volunteer youth workers. It’s sad to admit this, but we live in a day of predators and abuse. There might be carnal or sinful reasons why adults would volunteer to work with kids. Be careful about utilizing volunteers. There are some important guidelines about the selection of leaders or workers in Luke 9 and 10. Those who volunteered for service did not pan out. The Lord specifically called those He wanted to serve Him. This passage lists some key principles about this subject. All of us would do well to study this account carefully.
Instead, you should approach the qualified individuals on your list. Ask each of them to pray specifically about your need for youth workers, and then give them a deadline. In other words, you could talk to them about this need and ask them to pray specifically about it for two weeks. Do not specifically ask them in this initial meeting to be youth workers, just ask them to pray about the need. At the end of that appointed time, go back to them to privately and ask if they’d be willing to serve as a youth worker. If they agree to fulfill this responsibility, you can then talk with them about opportunities, job descriptions, training, and other specifics. (I’ll write more about these things in future issues of this newsletter.)
This simple strategy can be very effective. It’s uncomplicated and efficient. May the Lord bless you and your church as you prayerfully identified qualified adults to serve along side of you as youth workers.
Mel, I don’t agree with your statement… “I am not a fan of taking volunteers to serve as youth workers. I believe that the church leaders should approach the qualified people to ask them to pray specifically about working with the youth. It can be quite dangerous to accept volunteer youth workers. It’s sad to admit this, but we live in a day of predators and abuse. There might be carnal or sinful reasons why adults would volunteer to work with kids. Be careful about utilizing volunteers.”
I attend a larger church where this model wouldn’t work. There is quite a few youth works involved with the ministry and the development of the staff to know and search out these qualified leaders would not necessarily work. Their ability to watch individual in action and the knowledge of a person’s heart would be limited. I do understand your concern about the intent of an individual working with teens and great caution needs to be taken. I am reminded of a young man who came to the junior high teacher and stated he felt God was leading him to lead a small group of teen girls. Yep, you are right he isn’t working with the teen ministry. I think other safe guards can be put into place. First, I had to fill out a five page application which was in-depth and asked a lot of personal questions. Secondly, I had to be interviewed by the senior-high pastor (I work with the senior high ministry) for about an hour. In that interview I was asked why I wanted to work with the teen ministry, what my passions were, and questions about my personal walk with Christ. Finally, I had to sign an agreement that allowed the church to do a criminal background check. This was done before I was allowed to even come to one of the teen events.
Yes, I am aware of the desperation of some ministries to find individuals to work with teens. Yet, I truly know that God will provide that individual with great prayer, wisdom and insight. If the person who is seeking those to be involved with the youth ministry is praying and asking for God’s direction then how they come isn’t important. I truly believe that God will provide the needed workers by laying it on their heart and getting those folks in touch with the ones who need to make the decision.
Comment by Dave Bosket — January 31, 2006 @ 7:09 am
Thanks for your comments, Dave. You have thought this through and I certainly appreciate your thoughts - even if you disagree with me. I know that there would be exceptions to this principle of “approaching qualified people.” Of course, the Lord can place a burden upon the hearts of qualified people to serve Him in specific areas of ministry. However, I still believe it is a Biblical concept to “watch individual (people) in action” before assigning them to long-term ministry positions – especially with young people.
In Luke 9, the people who volunteered (“Lord, I will follow you”) were the ones who didn’t pan out. They weren’t willing to do what the Lord expected of them. In 1 Timothy 3, the Lord expected deacons to have already served in other areas of ministry before they were selected to this position of servant-leadership. In the stories of John Mark and Timothy, both young men had proven track records of faithfulness before they became part of the ministry team. And when the early missionaries were sent out by the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1 ff), they selected those who were already serving in positions of ministry. So, in my opinion this principle is a sound policy.
In the situation you described, the church took several layers of extra precautions by asking volunteers to fill out detailed applications and by interviewing the applicants before plugging them into positions as youth leaders.
I agree with you that the bottom line here is for the church leadership to pray specifically and aggressively that the Lord would supply the workers He wants in youth ministry! (Pray the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth laborers.”) As you state in your post, “God will provide the needed workers by laying it on their heart and getting those folks in touch with the ones who need to make the decision.” The key here, of course, is prayer, on the part of the leadership team and on the part of interested youth workers.
One more thought. I was writing from the viewpoint of church leaders looking for youth workers. If I were writing to individual adults who are interested in working with students, I would definitely encourage them to go talk to the leaders about your desire to be involved. If God has put a burden on your heart for the spiritual lives of teens, then by all means, talk to the church leadership about it. Make sure your motives are honoring to God and then approach the people in your church who make those decisions.
Thanks, Dave, for your note. God bless you & your ministry with students.
Comment by Mel Walker, Director of Student Ministries — February 6, 2006 @ 12:28 pm
Great advice. I have seen and expereineced where volunteers don’t always know how to best mentor or teach the kids, but simply baby sit them. God will provide true workers who have a heart for the youth and the gifts necessary to help them. We have to be patient and allow God to have His way in His timing.
I believe it is better not to have a youth program than to have one just for the sake of having one. We can do harm to a child in the long run. Our youth need dedicated and gifted youth workers who are willing to treat each child like their own and build Godly principles into them. Without the proper training, gifting, or heart, the children will not receive that from the leaders and the ministry will not be effective for Christ.
The last thing we need to do in a Church is cheat our children. Some of us need to think about that before we “volunteer” for youth ministry and others of us who are gifted for youth need to step up, sacrifice, and volunteer. Our youth leaders also need to be open and welcoming to those God sees as gifted, not who the leaders feel are gifted! Again, prayer is the priority when it comes to our kids!
Thanks and God bless!
Comment by Jerry Carroll — February 7, 2006 @ 7:07 am
I am a 21 year old who has just sarted a music ministry and I am looking for a band and singers from ages 16-24 to be apart of my music ministry called Agape Ministry which is on the southside of Chicago but we minister all over. Who would be a good contact to spread the word about what we’re looking for?
Comment by Aasha Gholar — March 27, 2007 @ 11:58 am
Nike jordan 3.5
Comment by haley — June 4, 2009 @ 10:17 pm