Five-Minute Mentoring: First Step In Building Your Volunteer Team | Season 5: Episode 2
The Making Sense of Ministry podcast is on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Audible.
Ready to create a stellar volunteer team for your ministry?
Kirsten Knox will guide you through the process of choosing the best possible team for your ministry. We kickstart the discussion with an engaging debate about the greatest basketball players of all time, using this analogy to highlight the importance of selecting the best team for your ministry.
Tune in to learn how to begin your recruitment process by considering the best. Discover why it’s crucial to maintain an open mind during the selection process and not prematurely dismiss potential volunteers. You’ll find out how prayer and the wisdom of Jim Collins on having the right people on the ‘bus’ can guide you toward success in youth or children’s ministries. Don’t miss out on your chance to assemble your All-Star team. Unearth more gems of wisdom on building success in youth or children’s ministries by visiting YMinstitutecom.
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Show Transcript
Kirsten Knox: 0:00
Youth Ministry Institute Original Podcast. Welcome to the Making Sense of Ministry podcast, the podcast designed to help you lead well in your ministry, transform lives and impact generations. I’m Kirsten Knox here with another five-minute mentoring episode.
Recently, I was having a conversation about who is the greatest basketball player of all times. I love having this conversation. Really, I just love talking about sports. If you were to look at my podcast library, what you would find is it is filled with sports talk shows. Oftentimes, I choose to listen to sports talk over music, and in this conversation, we were discussing who is the greatest of all times. Is it LeBron James? Is it Michael Jordan? Is it Kobe Bryant? Of course, I think there is a clear winner and that is Michael Jordan. However, not everyone agrees, but regardless of who the goat is, the same top people are in the topic of the conversation, because when we are discussing the greatest of all time, we will always consider the best of the group.
As you begin recruiting, you’re also our team of volunteers. The same holds true. If you’re planning to build something great, first consider the best. Some may say begin with what you need, take an inventory of your needs and find people who can help you with what you need. Others may say figure out why you’re doing something and begin with a clear understanding of the mission and vision. We say these steps are crucial and it will be important to know in what order they are done.
But first, even before you know the what and the why, start your list of who, who are the best people who will relate well with young people. Begin making a list and, as you are making a list, make this list of notable people in your church. Consider all ages and stations in life. If someone impresses you, add them to your list. If you find out that someone possesses a skill or is in a profession that might be helpful to your ministry, add them to your list. Also, interview other people, including your pastor, other staff members, your current volunteers and even the young people in your ministry. Ask them who they feel might be helpful to your ministry. Add the people they suggest to your list. Your list should be long. You want your list to be two to three times bigger than the actual number of people you need to volunteer.
At this point you haven’t evaluated your need. You are just adding people to your list. It is essential you write all the best people on your list without determining whether they will accept your offer to be involved in the ministry. In other words, don’t say they’re no for them. Give everyone an opportunity to say yes to being on your All-Star team. I think this is one of the biggest mistakes we make in recruiting our All-Star team, and I know for me, at times when I have made this mistake, I have said other people’s no for them in a way of protecting myself, because when someone says no, we can feel this sense of rejection. So don’t make my mistake. Give everyone the opportunity to say yes and then next pray over your list. Be sure to keep the people you are considering in front of you. Your continued familiarity with the people under consideration will help you become more intentional in your interactions with them. You want God to reveal which people will be a good fit for your ministry, so be sure to keep this list in a prominent place where you will see it daily.
Jim Collins, in analyzing successful businesses, uses the metaphor of a bus. Imagine the bus is your ministry and the people on the bus are the volunteers in your ministry. You’re all-star team. Colin says that it is more important to get the right people on the bus first, then after they are on the bus, you can figure out what role might fit them best their seat on the bus. So what are you waiting for? Start your list now and consider only the best for your all-star team. To learn more how we might guide you towards success in youth or children’s ministries, head over to YMinstitutecom.
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