Spring is a time of endings as well as beginnings. You’re children’s ministry program may be winding down for the year or getting ready to start a new season with new kids. But spring is also the perfect time to look ahead for new volunteers. You can get people involved now that will wet their appetite and pave the way for volunteering.

  • Invite Potential Volunteers to Attend – Meet with current teachers in March or April. Ask them for suggestions of potential volunteers to invite to your program for the rest of the season. The volunteers could be “helping hands,” or they could do tasks such as taking attendance or serving the snack. This will give them an opportunity to get to know the kids and become interested in being a teacher.
  • Bring an (Adult) Friend Day – For an upcoming special event, create an invitation that current teachers can give out to their adult friends, asking them to join in the fun and provide an extra set of hands. Include the idea that this is a way to spend time with their friend and maybe make some new friends, while doing a valuable service. Helping with one event can be the first step toward becoming a volunteer in your children’s ministry.
  • Get the Pastor Involved – Ask if your pastor would be willing to preach one Sunday about serving, about using the abilities God has given, or about the value of children. During the sermon, the pastor can explain how important a service it is to volunteer in your children’s ministry and mention positions that need to be filled. When the congregation sees that your ministry has the pastor’s backing in this way, more people are likely to consider volunteering.
  • Create a Buzz During a Church Service – Ask for some time in a morning or evening service. Get the kids involved in presenting thank-you’s or gifts to their teachers or telling how much they appreciated them. Show a video of your ministry year. After the service, display photos and curriculum, serve refreshments, and answer questions. Provide a sign-up sheet listing the various spots you need filled. Make this a big production! Seeing the excitement of the teachers and kids should lead people to want to be a part of your program next year.
  • Promote Kids to Trainee Status – Tap into the potential of children who will graduate from your oldest age level this spring. Create an “Assistant Teacher in Training” job description. Schedule a meeting a couple of months before the end of the season, and explain how kids can continue the experience in the program next year by training to be assistant teachers. Review the job description with them, and answer questions. For kids who are interested, make official name tags or t-shirts that say “Assistant Teacher in Training.” Their official training will begin over the summer or next season, but start “pre-training” before the season ends. Help kids learn and do one or more special jobs before the end of the season, such as leading singing for a younger group or preparing supplies for activities.
  • Take Part in an All-Church Ministry Fair – Get together with other ministries in your church and plan an event where people can discover – all in one place – all the ways their gifts could be used through volunteering. Every ministry – from food pantry to choir to your children’s ministry – can staff a booth with information for people to look over. Provide refreshments for people to snack on as they look over photos, view videos, and talk to current volunteers. Include job descriptions for people to take with them, plus sign-up sheets to volunteer or find out more.