Kids Church Volunteer Training

Every January we try to host an event to get all of our children's church volunteers on the same page. This year we are hosting a training and appreciation day. We are planning a free indoor movie theater for the kids of the volunteers. The kids will decorate boxes to look like cars and watch a movie together with paid childcare workers that do not volunteer at our church. We feel it is important to provide free childcare because this is one of the best ways we can show our appreciation to families who give up their Sundays to serve the families of the church.

We are also having the event catered by the best restaurant in town. We don’t just feed the volunteer, but their spouse and children because we realize that the entire family sacrifices their Sunday when one volunteers in the kid’s wing. We plan to give each children's church volunteer a small gift of a $10 gift card and a hand written note. They deserve something much bigger, but our budget allows for a small gift.

Our training will include some general vision casting for the adults. We will share what we want to accomplish this year. We will share the dream of what our kids wing should look like and how it should function. We dream BIG and hope that casting that large vision net will catch more children's church volunteers who are inspired to carry out a part of the dream that we cannot produce.

Next, we divide into our individual rooms where we volunteer each Sunday and meet with our team leaders. Each class has a team leader that makes the schedules, keeps up with curriculum, orders supplies, etc… This time is a good time to train class volunteers about the electronics in the room, how the classroom should function, and allow everyone to share ideas and ask questions.

Our children's church volunteers need to be shown great appreciation for what they are doing with kids because they deserve it, but also because it keeps them going. The most important factor of getting enough volunteers to work in your Children’s ministry is retaining the ones that are already faithful. Then, when other parents and church members are considering being a Children’s Ministry Volunteer, they will see how much you appreciate the workers and the comradery you share and hopefully they will want to participate too.