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By Samme Rousopoulos

If one were asked what is the most challenging work of children’s ministry, I imagine that at least nine out of ten would say, “recruiting.” No matter what size your congregation is, finding enough volunteers for children’s ministry is a challenge. Why not try the following:

1. Pray. If we look to Scripture, we see that God has arranged the parts in the Body just as he wants them (1 Corinthians 12:18), and we are told to ask the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38). Do you have faith that God will provide the workers? Spend time alone with God, listening for his direction—then follow it.
2. Cast God’s vision for children’s ministry broadly. What do you believe God wants to do through you, your volunteers, and your church, to grow the Kingdom? If you have a vision, you’ll become passionate in your recruitment, and because of the excitement that it generates, people will want to join you.
3. Engage the pastor. The pastor or senior pastor in a multiple staff church should be one of the loudest cheerleaders for children’s ministries. Share your vision with her/him. Ask the pastor’s help in raising the visibility of children in the church.
4. Build enthusiasm and energy. Continually assess your educational environment—what works and what doesn’t. When you have an exciting program that is solid developmentally and theologically, not only will kids want to come, but so will adults! Benchmark against other churches larger than yours. Take your ministry team to visit those churches. It helps them to dream and to get excited and motivated to reach the vision.
5. Always be looking for leaders. Think ahead to what people are needed to achieve the vision and then write out a job description clearly for each position. Matching people with their SHAPE is important. Before you place volunteers in a class, find out what their Spiritual gifts, their Heart, their Aptitude, their Personality, and their Experience has been in relation to working with children. People will continue to serve in an area that is a good fit for their SHAPE. Plant seeds in people’s minds and hearts a good distance out. That gets them thinking. Look for people doing something well and make a note to meet with them one-on-one to share the possibilities and opportunities in working with children at your church.
6. Reproduce yourself in others. Invite others to come alongside you as you lead; engage them in ministry through partnership or mentoring. No one likes to work alone. The road is always more enjoyable with another.
7. Everyone is a recruiter—widen those circles. Raise the expectation with your leadership team and current teachers that they are recruiters too. I know just so many people, but when you add other people’s circles of influence, the number of possibilities multiplies!
8. Make the job worthy of their time. The job needs to be big enough to demand their interest and commitment. Don’t apologize, ask half-heartedly, or beg. That communicates the opposite of what you want people to believe about children’s ministry. When they have a job that is worthy of their time, energy, and talents, ownership will happen.
9. Enlist, equip, and enable. Meet with potential recruits one-on-one—not on the fly and not in the church parking lot or in the hall while people are trying to go some place else. Equip them. Provide the training that is needed and make it fun. There are resources for training from Church of God Ministries (call 800-848-2464, ext 2169 and ask about teacher training workshops (TAG!); on the Web (Group Publishing-Church Volunteer Central https://shop.grouppublishing.com/cvc/); and in printed material. Model good teaching with people new to teaching. Pair them up with an experienced volunteer. Invite them to workshops—local, regional and national conferences for children. (Scott Kinnear, a young man raised in the Church of God, has written the new training module that Group Publishing will be presenting this year in the states.) Also check out these groups on the Web: the International Network of Children’s Pastors, Saddleback, Promiseland at Willow Creek, and North Point Community Church.
10. Inspect, encourage, and appreciate! Don’t be afraid to give guidance. You can and should speak the truth in love, encouraging and helping them succeed. Don’t forget about the power of praise! Be their cheerleader! And appreciate! Need ideas? A simple search on the Web using the words “showing appreciation” will find you a bundle of ideas.

Friend, don’t be discouraged in recruiting. It’s the opportunity that will engage people to invest their lives for eternal results. Look to God, give it your best and trust the Lord of the harvest.

Author: Samme Rousopoulos is the children's pastor at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, Indiana.