Do Your Volunteers Know Jesus?

After small groups one night a volunteer came up to me with a lot of enthusiasm. She said, “Chris, I had a connection with one of the quieter teens in our group tonight!” I smiled, and asked her to share the experience. As the leader broke down the conversation it became clear this wasn’t a good thing. The advice she had given the teen was of good intentions but filled with bad theology. I kept smiling as I debated whether or not to squash her enthusiasm to address her poor catechesis.

A healthy ministry not only needs relational adults, but ones who are confident and competent in their faith. They don’t have to be perfect, they just need to know what to say, when to say it and how to say it. To help them make sure you:

DEBRIEF THE CONTENT BEFORE IT’S SHARED

Whether you teach out of a book, run small groups or do a message series make sure you review the content with your team. You can do this in a meeting, or host a little webinar where you tell them what they need to know, and answer questions they might have with the content. This is where you can also play out scenarios where a teenager might approach them on a certain subject and how they can best address it.

PAIR THEM UP WITH A FAITH PARTNER

We’re stronger when we are two by two. It would be awesome if you could sit down one on one with all of your leaders to sharpen their faith, but that’s not always possible. Pair your volunteers up with one another with the task of:

• Praying for each other
• Checking in on a regular basis regarding their faith and personal life
• Holding each other accountable to grow in their faith

By having faith partners your volunteers will be given accountability and encouragement along their journey.

INVEST IN THE ADULT FORMATION IN YOUR PARISH

I do believe that youth ministry is the best ministry in your church, but if you don’t have spiritually healthy adults it’s going to be a struggle to invest in the next generation. If your parish has small groups or discipleship groups get your leaders plugged into them. If you don’t have these groups consider starting seasonal ones (i.e. during Lent or the summer). In these groups cover the basics of your faith, or hot topic issues.

Invite your volunteers to join you at workshops and conferences. Share with them the resources you are using to grow in your own faith and encourage them to continue to grow. It might feel like a big investment, but the return you’ll get is worth it. The stronger your leaders feel with sharing the Truth the more they’ll share it with the students.

REMIND THEM TO MAKE IT RELATIONAL

It’s easy to absorb all this information and forget how to share it with others. We don’t want to create an arsenal of Pharisees. To help your leaders not only share Truth but do it with God’s Grace you need to give them scenarios where they can practice. Give your team time to be relational with their faith at meetings. Meet with them one on one.

Remind them that effective faith sharing takes time and that they need to build trust first. Have them focused on getting to know the names and interests of the teens. Teach them about empathy and how that will open someone up to listening to you. Teens that trust your leaders will be willing to listen to what needs to be taught.

Everyone wants a healthy youth ministry and while you want it to grow in numbers it’s important to remember depth. Share the burden and equip your team. Help them become disciples who can grow other disciples.

How are you helping your leaders know Christ and the teachings of the Church?

Want More? Subscribe to our Newsletter