What Are You Doing With Them? Basic steps in giving your ministers purpose

What would you do if 10 adults walked up to you tomorrow and said, “I want to start serving in the student ministry this weekend?”  It’s almost like the million dollar question for those of us (everyone) who needs more ministers.  While we all agree that more ministers would be good, would we know what to do if we were suddenly overwhelmed with inquiries on how to get involved?
Here’s what I’m trying with our new ministers:
Shadowing
One of the worst things we can do is overwhelm a new minister.  This can be hard considering some of us just need them to step up and grab leadership right from the get go.  Let’s not overdue it, instead mentor them in a way where they can watch what you do and learn from your actions.  When it comes time to do it on their own, it won’t seem as intimidating.

Reviewing
If this is their first time experiencing your program you’ll want to debrief them.  Do this after the first time they serve, do this 6 months and then a year down the road.  Ask them how they felt, what they saw and if they have feedback.  This will not only give them answers to their questions but give you the insight that you need in order to improve your ministry.

Vision Casting
Sometimes it’s not a matter of placing them in a specific role, but having them find a hole and filling it with their gifts and talents.  Tell them your hopes and dreams for the ministry and they’ll be able to contribute to how you get there, they just need to know where you are going.  It’s never too early to share vision with your ministers.

Defining
Not only should you give them vision, but you should give them direction.  Define their role, tell them when all else fails this is what they rely on and they’ll have the confidence to serve in student ministry.  Let them know that even though they have this role that you encourage going above and beyond.  As long as there’s a base, your ministers will have a jumping point.

If you don’t know how to answer this question you risk losing them.  When someone walks into your ministry with no vision, no role, no idea what they are doing it’s easy to become disengaged.  We need to create a system that’s going to encourage outside the box thinking and the desire to invest themselves in the growth of your ministry.  So create a process, lay out steps and let them know that in ministry amazing things happen.

So, what would you do if 10 ministers were to walk into your ministry?

What obstacles do you face in keeping ministers?