0:05
Welcome to Kids Ministry Answers. My name is Jason
0:08
and I’m Linda and this is the podcast where we help you answer all your kids
0:13
ministry questions. So, Linda, a little bit about us. I
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guess we should start with I am Jason Civite. I live in Kansas City, Missouri.
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I am the spiritual formation pastor at a small church called Engaged Church here
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in Casey. Basically, every pastor on staff does all the things. So, I lead
0:33
kids, I lead youth, I lead worship, I preach sometimes, but kids is a big part
0:39
of what I do there. And I’m also a kids book writer. So, I have a lot of
0:43
experience working with kids, writing for kids. And I am the creative lead at
0:48
Stuff You Can Use. So you will see my work if you ever watch a Cali video or
0:54
if you watch a Crow TV episode or you know any series you might use might have
1:00
my writing in it also. So that is why I’m here today.
1:05
Yes, you are. And I’m Linda Moon. I am the executive director of curriculum for
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stuff you can use. So that means I work on creating content for kids, teenagers,
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and all of their associated grown-ups like volunteers and parents and
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families. Um, I like you, Jason, also am a small church pastor. I oversee the
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English ministry at a small church here in Laatta, California. Um, I serve at a
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KoreanAmerican immigrant church and that has just kind of been my field for my
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whole life really. That’s just been my community. And I also have uh two kids
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and they’re 11 and seven. And they are the ones who asked me all the questions.
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So here I am trying to answer some of theirs and some of yours.
1:55
Right. Cool. I’m I should have mentioned I have two kids, too. Two boys, 10 and
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six. Yeah, we both have two boys.
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Yeah, both. What a wild life we lead.
2:06
What a wild life, boys. Oh, man. Well, we should jump right into it. So, here’s
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the question that we’re going to be tackling today, and it comes from Pastor
2:17
Troy out in California. How do you build momentum and get
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volunteers excited for the next school year?
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Good question. Very big question. Um, what we all know is volunteers, and
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thanks for the question, Troy, by the way. Yes,
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what a great question he brings up here today. So, volunteers are one of the
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most important parts of our ministry, probably like the most important part.
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Uh we can’t do much without them. And so, it is important that they are
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excited and engaged in what we’re doing. We don’t want disengaged, bored,
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overwhelmed volunteers, right?
2:59
But we’re also working with all sorts of folks with our volunteers, right? So,
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I’m sure Troy is doing the same. like you’re working with all sorts of people
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when you you have volunteers, veteran volunteers, you have new volunteers,
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people that just joined the team. So, I think it’s a great question. What do we
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do to get everyone on the same page and ready for another school year? Um, one
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of the best ways I’ve done this is a volunteer kickoff. So today, what we’re
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going to do is we’re going to walk through four steps to help you host one
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of those, one of those volunteer kickoffs that’s fun, that’s meaningful,
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and actually gets volunteers fired up for what is coming next.
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So, where do we begin, Linda? Yeah, where do we begin, Troy? That’s
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such an excellent question and I love that you’re thinking about it because a
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lot of times when it comes to our volunteers, we forget that they are in
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fact such a vital part of our ministry and that they are in fact our ministry,
3:57
not just the kids and they’re not just tools that come in to help that we also
4:01
need to minister to them. So finding ways to keep them engaged and just set
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off a wonderful tone for the new year that is such a wonderful place to begin.
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So, let’s start with the first step on building this volunteer kickoff to help
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motivate your team for the new year. And I would say step one is start with fun.
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And look at that, it rhymes so you can remember it.
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So, before you do anything else for your kickoff, like come in with the mindset
4:30
of making this a celebration because you’ve probably had countless meetings
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throughout the year and your volunteers are probably accustomed to that. So
4:40
already meeting with you in a room is going to feel a certain way, but you
4:44
want to kick it off letting them know that we are here to celebrate you. We
4:47
this is a thank you party. Maybe it’s even more like a pep rally, right? Just
4:52
to like gear them up and like, hey, we’re here for you. We love you. And
4:56
treat it more so like that than just kind of like a routine checklist that
5:01
you have to go through. So, the some things you might want to think about for
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this kickoff to make it fun would be adding in games and ice breakers as
5:09
people arrive to your celebration, not meeting. Um, have good food, something
5:14
other than your standard weekly pizza that you might have in your ministries.
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Nothing against pizza. No shade against pizza. Love pizza, but maybe this one
5:23
deserves just a little bit fancier menu. Um, include some prizes, some giveaways,
5:28
some team t-shirts. That’s always really fun. Yes. And just incorporate a lot of
5:34
time for people to laugh and connect and just like just let loose, you know,
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because you want this to be like a casual setting even though you will
5:43
probably be going over a lot of important things as we’ll talk about in
5:46
a little bit, but you just want to set the tone with like, hey, we’re here to
5:50
just love you and to appreciate you. So, I mean, even a bonus idea would be like
5:55
to connect it with like a bonfire maybe if you can or do like lawn games and you
6:01
could even use this opportunity to have them invite friends who might not want
6:05
to serve yet but are kind of interested so they can just come and hang out with
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you and see what your ministry vibe is like. Yeah, I really think it’s
6:12
important to have like the one fun thing, some kind of icebreaker to help
6:16
them kind of get the feeling that this is going to be a celebration because
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like you said, there’s so much information that’s going to be coming at
6:23
them. It’s important. You need to know it. They need to be engaged with it, but
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you want their attention. You want them to know it’s going to be fun. So, you
6:31
have to do something off the bat. I didn’t personally do this, but I have a
6:34
friend who used costumes to actually incorporate into their volunteer
6:39
kickoff. So they had their volunteers dress up as different things, didn’t
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tell them why until they got to the volunteer kickoff, and then use the
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costumes they were dressed as to kind of unroll what they were going to do the
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coming year. That was a super cool way, I thought.
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That’s really cool. Yeah. Yeah. To get the volunteers engaged, to
6:59
get them interested in what’s going on and keep them engaged throughout the
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meeting as he was like unrolling what we’re going to teach this year.
7:07
So, I thought that was super cool. Um, so all right, step one. What is step two
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for making a great volunteer kickoff? So if step one is start with fun, step
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two is, sorry, it’s not going to rhyme. It’s make your environment shine. And
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this is super important because like we mentioned before, we want this event to
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feel different than a normal Sunday. And so whatever mentality you go into with
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planning this kickoff, like we already said, we’re going to establish it as a
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fun thing, but now let’s expand that to what they can see, like add that to your
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visual environment. So maybe that means setting up balloons, colorful
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tablecloths, some fun centerpieces, having some table games, you know, like
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think of it as like you’re planning a kid’s birthday party, honestly. have
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some fun music, some signage, maybe some slideshow of some fun events that you
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did throughout the year. And you know, if you want to take it even further, you
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can have like videos, printed programs to keep things really clear and fancy,
8:10
but also very inviting. Like we created this for you. Like this isn’t just a
8:15
classroom experience. This is a space that has been created for you for you to
8:20
feel welcome and for you to know how much you are valued in this ministry,
8:24
right? It’s so important. But I think it’s something that just doesn’t come to
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mind when you think of a volunteer right away when you think of a volunteer
8:33
kickoff like the environment. Why do you think
8:35
that they have such a big impact? Cuz I think it can be overlooked, maybe even
8:40
feel like cheesy if we put too much into it,
8:43
but we know that it matters a lot. So, why do you think that that is?
8:48
Yeah. And I’m going to start off with just a note of encouragement because I
8:51
know all of us as kids ministry leaders, directors, like it does feel like it’s a
8:57
lot more work on top of the a lot of work you’re already doing. So, it might
9:02
feel a little overwhelming to think about at first, but just putting in a
9:07
little more extra effort just really communicates to your volunteers that you
9:11
really do want to partner with them and you are so happy that they are part of
9:16
your ministry and that they are such a big part of your ministry at that. And
9:20
so, they are always with you trying to create environments for the kids and
9:24
just being alongside you. But this is the one time where you can say, “No, no,
9:28
sit back. This is actually something I’m doing for you.” And so you do want to
9:32
make it a big deal for them. And then maybe it is something that you do feel
9:36
like I just cannot accomplish based on my time and resources. And that’s okay.
9:41
You don’t have to like get into like a whole guilt shame spiral because you’re
9:46
not doing, you know, the big grandio parties. But even if you can just change
9:51
the location from where you normally meet with your leaders, that’s going to
9:56
set a whole different tone for the meeting. And I say this because this can
10:00
also work both ways. Um because I remember one time we did uh something
10:05
similar to a volunteer kickoff where I really wanted to like on board my
10:09
leaders and like we’re going to have a good time. But we were at a hotel so we
10:13
met inside a conference room and we were all dressed up nice and so like nobody
10:17
wanted to play games like nobody wanted to like mess around or get messy, you
10:21
know? They were all just sitting like really prim and proper like more than
10:25
usual. literally
10:29
entered the room. It was ridiculous. And so I was like, “No, this isn’t the vibe
10:33
I wanted.” But it ended up being like a business
10:38
meeting. And so that was a flop. And so remember those little things do count.
10:43
So, make it casual, make it fun, like we always talked about, but also make that
10:47
environment shine and and just let your leaders know that yes, this is something
10:53
that I’m willing to do for you because I love you guys and we’re so happy you’re
10:57
here. Mhm. All right. Step two, make it shine.
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Okay. What is step three? So, step three would be now that we’ve
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established the vibe, we have to think about structure. So now this is where we
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can get a little bit more into the nitty-gritty of how to actually
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communicate information your leaders are going to need to read, right? So maybe
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your first session is a little bit more of like the vision and the inspiration,
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right? We we start with some game, some team introductions.
11:31
You can cast vision for the year that aligns with your church’s mission. Um,
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you can share a story and remind them that what they do matters and then maybe
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end that session with a discussion prompt like what is your biggest hope
11:45
for this year or how would you like what would you classify as a win for this
11:49
year to get them like thinking about the things that you had just presented to
11:53
them. Yeah.
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And then you can move on to session two. And I would say keep this session kind
11:58
of light and brief because this is like heavy. I know that sounds kind of
12:03
counterintuitive, but if your second session you’re going to talk a little
12:06
bit about policies and procedures, that can get really drab and drawn out real
12:11
fast. And so this is where you probably are going to need to talk about really
12:15
important things like code of conduct, crisis protocols, calendar events, like
12:19
there are some big things that you need to talk about, but if you just like read
12:23
off of your pamphlet or folder or whatever materials you’ve provided, it’s
12:28
going to just feel like, oh, I’m going to tune out after like 2 minutes maybe.
12:33
And so if you wanted to make an impact, maybe highlight some of the key things
12:37
you want to tell them from each of those sections and then say, “Hey, you have
12:41
this manual as a resource for you if you ever need it. Just remember that you
12:45
have it.” Um, and then, you know, just use visuals, humors, maybe do a skit,
12:50
and make sure you’re just keeping it really clear and engaging when you’re
12:53
communicating that part. And then after that, if this pertains to your ministry,
12:59
you can do breakouts to do more like role specific training because not
13:03
everybody in your ministry might be a small group leader. Maybe they’re
13:07
greeters, maybe they’re on the tech team or maybe they’re on the worship team.
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So, you can split them up by their different positions and they can get a
13:14
little bit deeper with like how can we set ourselves up for success in our
13:18
department. And then make sure you share any tools that they need like handbooks,
13:23
business cards, maybe a list of our ministry goals for the year, and then
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you want to cap it all off with making some time for Q&A because you really
13:33
want to show them that you are listening to your team’s concerns. And then just
13:37
more time for bonding and having more fun.
13:41
Okay, cool. Yeah. Um, so question as a person that would probably walk away
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from a meeting like that with like one thing that I took away from it. What is
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like one piece of training? All of it’s important, right? We know that. But what
13:56
is one piece of training content that you make sure you always include in a
14:01
kickoff and why? Because I think this is the time,
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like you said, the part of the kickoff where engagement is hard to get but also
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so vital, right? So, what’s the one thing that you
14:14
would say, man, this has to get across to my volunteers? They have to go away
14:19
knowing this one thing. Yeah, that’s a good question because
14:23
absolutely we do walk away from meetings like these or events like this and be
14:28
like, wait, what did we talk about? So, it’s really great that you have already
14:32
prepared a booklet or a handbook of resources that they can always reference
14:37
throughout the year. And of course, they’ll have you as a resource. Um, but
14:41
something that I like to do for my leaders is I walk them through how to
14:46
prep for a typical Sunday. So, this is specifically more for small group
14:49
leaders, but this can apply to any role. And the reason why I do that is because
14:54
one, I want them to know that I’m not requiring so much prep for them that it
15:00
feels like a part-time job. And so, I want them to know like, hey, if you’re
15:04
spending like 20 hours on the prep, then like let’s let’s talk about it. Like,
15:08
what are you doing? And if in that if that’s something you want to do, great.
15:11
I’m not going to stop you from it. But I don’t want them to feel like if I don’t
15:15
do this, I’m not doing my job. And so I want to set that standard for them. But
15:19
also in kind of like a roundabout way, I am letting them know that you do in fact
15:25
need to prepare for ministry. Um even if it’s a small amount of time. So the way
15:29
that I walk through like how you prepare is not only showing them the things that
15:35
they can do but also like putting it in their minds like oh right I should
15:38
probably I should probably prepare. Right. Right. Right. Cool. Yeah.
15:43
Yeah. And also like throughout the so throughout the thing I like to always
15:49
include like a reflective piece for returning volunteers.
15:53
Um because their experiences, their stories are going to be really
15:57
motivational to your new volunteers as well. So you can ask things like what
16:00
was a win or like what have we done that we could do better? Or what is something
16:05
that we do that maybe we don’t need to do at all? And just having that back and
16:08
forth and getting feedback from them, even if it’s like through a
16:12
questionnaire or in real time really shows that you’re listening and you want
16:16
to work with them to build out your ministry.
16:20
Yeah, I love that. Asking volunt veteran volunteers to share and getting them
16:25
prepped for Sunday is like tangible stuff. They can see how it’s been done,
16:29
how it’s going to look going forward. So I I really love that. So step three,
16:33
think about structure. What is step four? All right. So, step four is kind
16:39
of like a great commission, if you will. Not the greatest, just a commission. A
16:45
great commission. So, step four would be to send them out equipped and
16:50
encouraged. Both things, equipped and encouraged. So, before they walk out the
16:54
door, make sure every volunteer has the affforementioned volunteer handbook.
16:59
Make sure they are walking away with clear goals for the semester or year,
17:04
however you split up your ministry year. Even if it’s the one thing, like help
17:08
them solidify what one thing to focus on. Uh business cards, contact info,
17:13
like vital information to your ministry. And you know, like we said, that team
17:17
shirt can really help build an identity and help them feel like they’re part of
17:22
the team cuz they are. They’re such a big part of the team. and maybe a small
17:26
gift or a thank you note that you can give them as a token of your
17:29
appreciation and just remind them once again that they’re not just like filling
17:33
a role. They’re not just there to like provide body heat. They’re part of the
17:37
mission and this isn’t just like prep, but this is the moment that you’re truly
17:41
like sending them out to really impact the lives of kids.
17:46
Yeah. So, why is it so important that our volunteers leave feeling both
17:52
prepared and valued? I’m asking because this happens at the end, right? And at
17:56
the end, we’re all just wanting to get to the end. Like, we just want to
18:01
be done. We feel tired. We feel like we’re just racing to the finish line and
18:05
we can forget this end part. So, why is it so important that this ends well and
18:11
leaves them feeling valued and equipped? Yeah, that’s a good question. Um, a lot
18:17
of times in ministry we especially in kids ministry, I feel like it’s we’re
18:23
just kind of overrun with schedules and programming that we don’t really take
18:27
intentional time to deliberately thank our leaders and maybe we thank them in
18:33
passing and maybe we tell them, “Oh my god, we love you so much.” But it
18:36
doesn’t feel sincere when it’s just kind of like this throwaway comment. And so
18:40
designating this time for them already is a great start to let them know that,
18:45
oh wow, you are actually going to train me and you’re going to show me how much
18:48
I am valued here. Um, but also like just the fact of the matter is kids ministry
18:54
work is very much invisible. A lot of what we’re doing is planting seeds.
18:59
We’re not really going to see a return on that anytime soon. And so it might
19:03
feel like, wow, like I did all of this, I don’t really have anything to show for
19:08
it. And so this is a great time where you remind them that what they do
19:13
matters. Maybe this is a time you bring in like a former Sunday school kid to be
19:17
like, “Hey, look, like here are the things that he remembers from being in
19:20
this ministry.” And just to acknowledge how hard it is, but also how rewarding
19:26
it is to do all of this for the kingdom. And in that sense, it could be even more
19:32
helpful. like this kickoff could be even more helpful for returning volunteers
19:36
because I mean let’s face it your new volunteers are probably already kind of
19:40
intrinsically motivated cuz you’re like all right I’m gonna take on this new
19:43
thing I have all this energy and hype and your returning volunteers would be
19:47
like okay same old thing right like why am I doing this why should I be
19:51
motivated to change anything do anything differently but when they see those
19:56
things during your celebration they’ll be like oh that’s why oh that’s why I
20:00
want to stick around for another year and that’s what what you going to leave
20:02
them with at the end of the kickoff, right? Or hear hear it in kids story
20:07
would be so cool. That’s such a cool idea.
20:09
So, we have talked about four steps to get your volunteers excited for a new
20:15
year. Start with fun. Make your environment shine. Think about structure
20:20
and send them out equipped and encouraged.
20:23
Yes. Yes. This is all of this. I mean, there are more things you can do
20:28
obviously, but these are just four basic building blocks you can build into your
20:31
kickoff. And all of this is really, like we were just talking about, it’s really
20:35
going to remind them why they said yes in the first place. And like this is a
20:40
really like small example, but my kids are in my kids ministry obviously. And
20:45
so sometimes I will hear things that they’re talking about, something that
20:49
they’re reflecting on from something that they learned in their Bible study
20:52
group, their small groups. And then I would you know tell them I would tell
20:56
the teachers just like on the following week I’m like hey my son was talking
21:00
about this like you know and I would like really give them credit for them
21:04
like oh thank you for you know engaging in them with that conversation and
21:08
helping them understand. And so like even these small wins from a week to
21:12
week basis can help. But now you have this event where you can do it on a
21:15
bigger scale and let them know that they truly do make a difference. And so this
21:20
kickoff is truly a celebration, not an obligatory event. Another thing that I
21:25
have to add to my event, uh my event calendar, I should say. Um but you know,
21:29
you get to send them out into the year with vision, with clarity, and just the
21:35
confidence that they belong and that they they are so important to ministry.
21:40
All right. And if you need help with a volunteer kickoff, we have a resource
21:44
that you can find at growcurriculum.org or that’ll walk you through what one of
21:48
these might look like for you. So before we go, we want to ask the question that
21:54
we ask in all of our podcasts and that is what are you into? So Linda, what are
21:59
you into these days? Jason, you know what I’m into is K-pop
22:04
demon hunters. I have been talking about this all summer long. It’s going to be
22:09
something I talk about for years to come. That is really all we are watching
22:14
and listening to in our home at the moment. We have memorized the entire
22:19
soundtrack. It’s so it Yes. It’s an explosive soundtrack. We
22:26
love it so much. And like every car ride, this is what we’re listening to.
22:30
Every time we’re like, “What should we watch?” The kids are like, “We’re going
22:32
to watch this show.” So if you haven’t, people get into it. It’s so good.
22:38
What about you, Jason? Volunteer, kick off, and then watch.
22:43
Absolutely. Right. Plan your volunteer kickoff around this movie.
22:47
Yeah. You can listen to the soundtrack. Yep. I love that. I too because of my
22:52
friend Linda have have seen K-pop Demon Hunters and I loved it. I
22:58
love Golden especially is my favorite song I listen to all the time. But
23:03
we also are probably both into what our kids are into. So we’ve been playing a
23:06
lot of tennis around the house, a lot of golf. My 10-year-old is into golf. and
23:11
we’re playing a video game called Stardew Valley.
23:14
Okay. Which is a farming uh simulator, which I
23:19
know sounds incredibly boring, but it actually is really really cool. You have
23:24
like your own farm. It’s multiplayer, so you can have like your like my son
23:28
Isaiah can help me build up the farm and get animals and stuff. So, that’s what’s
23:32
been going on. I’ll see your farm and I’ll raise you a garden cuz that’s what
23:36
my kids are doing on Roblox is they’re playing grow garden and I’m like this is
23:41
this is fun. I know. I know. I know. It’s like maybe
23:46
they’ll be real farmers someday because they played this video game. That’s the
23:49
way I just gardeners. So
23:51
yeah, gardeners, whatever. So, as we wrap up this conversation, listeners,
23:56
um, wanted you to know if you want your question to get answered on Kids
23:59
Ministry Answers, you can submit your question at the link in our show notes.
24:05
And last thing to think about, what is your plan for your next volunteer
24:10
kickoff and how are we going to make sure that it really counts? So, we’re so
24:14
glad that you listened today. We’ll see you next time with us.
24:18
Yeah. Thanks for hanging with us. See you next time on Kids Ministry Answers.
24:23
Bye.