You have a variety of options when it comes to giving your club leaders the training that will help them have success
Years ago I volunteered to teach kindergarten Sunday school. I was given a manual and sent off with no training. It was sink or swim—and I sank!
Don’t let that happen to your Pioneer Clubs leaders. A little training can make all the difference in whether you have successful volunteers who will stay year after year. Between the training your church may offer and training materials available from Pioneer Clubs, you have a variety of options that should fit every volunteer.
Church training. Find out what training your Christian education or children’s ministry department is offering this season. Training planned for Sunday school teachers, for instance, may work well for Pioneer Clubs leaders, too. Ask if they can join in. Or maybe there’s training planned for all children’s workers combined.
Or, host a club-specific training workshop for your leaders. Check out the downloadable training workshops covering a variety of topics from program-specific trainings, to club training resources such as leading Bible Exploration, Game Time, or Songs, to general children’s ministry training resources such as presenting the gospel to children, or understanding age characteristics and learning styles. Each training workshop includes a slideshow presentation, presenter script, worksheets and more.
Basic Training Workbook. Your leaders can work on this book individually or with their coleaders. Or you can plan group training sessions around it. (Item #2799)
The book covers all the key topics your club leaders need to know to be successful, whether they’re new or veteran leaders: understanding the parts of a club meeting, learning how to lead meetings, creating a workable discipline plan and much more. Workbook exercises reinforce learning.
Mentors. On-the-job training for your new leaders is invaluable. Match them up with an experienced leader in their club age-group. If all the leaders in an age-group are new, assign each one a veteran leader from another age-group who’s willing to field questions as the club year goes along. Maybe they could meet for coffee once or twice a month so the mentor can answer questions and provide tips on what has worked for him or her. In between, perhaps the mentor can be available by email. Set some guidelines so the time commitment doesn’t get overwhelming for the mentors.
Online helps. Club leaders can explore the Pioneer Clubs website at their leisure, discovering various training resources. Under the “Leader Resources” tab, they’ll find articles about leading and managing many areas of club, including Bible Exploration and activity awards. The “Forms for Club” tab offers downloadable forms, such as a club year calendar and attendance chart, to help leaders get organized.
Your club leaders are individuals, so they may appreciate different kinds of training. With all the options available to you, you can mix and match to provide training that reassures and equips them for success in club this year.
