"We don't have money for that." I hear some version of that sentence almost every time I talk with a Director of Religious Education or a parish youth ministry leader about volunteer training. The budget is thin. The calendar is full. And formation for catechists and teen ministry volunteers keeps sliding to the bottom of the list.
I get it. I have been there. But here is what I have learned after years in parish ministry: training your team does not require a line item. It requires intention.
Start With What You Already Have
You do not need a curriculum subscription or a guest speaker to form your catechists well. Some of the most effective training I ever led happened around a table with coffee and a single question: "What is one thing you wish you knew before your first night?" That conversation gave me insight that helped me invest in my team at a whole different level.
Consider, pairing your new catechist with a veteran for their first few sessions. Ask the veteran to do two things: a quick check-in before the session and a five-minute conversation after. That is embedded coaching, and it costs nothing. Additionally, it forms bonds amongst catechists and builds a team that lasts.
Build Short, Repeatable Rhythms
Over the summer, I used to offer casual drop-in gatherings for my volunteers. I would hold them in the morning and evening, where we would review a section of Renewing the Vision or talk through a real scenario from the previous year. Nobody had to attend every one. The sessions did not build on each other, so anyone could walk in without feeling behind.
Send a two-minute voice message or short video to your team each week with one idea they can try that night. It takes you five minutes to record and it keeps formation alive between gatherings. That weekly rhythm matters more than any annual retreat.
Invest in People, Not Line Items
Your teen volunteers are not just extra hands. They are emerging leaders. When I started asking teens to help lead small group conversations instead of only setting up chairs, the shift was immediate. They took ownership. They showed up more consistently. And the adult catechists had more time to focus on what they do well.
Give a teen one clear task, check in after, and thank them specifically for what they did. That is training. According to a Barna Group study on volunteer culture, churches that match responsibility to capacity see stronger commitment and longer retention. The same principle applies in your parish.
You do not always need a bigger budget. Sometimes you need five minutes at a staff meeting to share what your catechists are learning. Sometimes you need your pastor to mention volunteer formation from the pulpit so the parish sees it as a priority. When your pastor understands that formation is stewardship, the conversation shifts.
Training catechists and teen volunteers on a small budget is possible. It starts with showing up, asking good questions, and trusting that God is working through the people right in front of you. If you want practical tools and training kits to support your team, Ministry To Go (M2GO) was built for leaders like you.