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I've got a new topic, and input would be great. I'm developing content for a Willowcreek workshop, I've love to be able to glean a handout worth of field-tested best practices from this network. Here are my q's... 1) What recruiting methods do you find especially effective when recruiting 20-somethings? High school students? 2) What "selling points" of your ministries seem to appeal to 20-somethings? and to high school students? 3) What are the challenges that you face with working with these populations? How did you solve them? 4) What have you found the best way to communciate with these populations? (Phone, email, text, facebook, micro-blogging, etc.) 5) How do you go about affirming these populations? Thanks for you input! Larry Shallenberger
Lisa B from NC
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1) What recruiting methods do you find especially effective when recruiting 20-somethings? High school students? Our best recruiting practices are through strategic partnerships we have within our next generation team. Our college and student pastors place a premium on volunteering in children’s ministries with their leaders. Because they support and encourage people in their ministry to serve it makes them more receptive when we make the ask. We also have members of our children’s ministry staff hanging with students during their ministry events. They get to know us and we get to know them. We also make a specific volunteer push during their ministry events a couple of times during the year. One advantage is that our church doesn’t offer programming for high school and college students on Sunday mornings to that gives many of our students the ability to serve. 2) What "selling points" of your ministries seem to appeal to 20-somethings? and to high school students? Students and 20-somethings want to be a part of something that is bigger then themselves. We try to show them how they can make a difference. We also use them for IMPORTANT volunteer positions. Many students lead worship in our preschool and elementary environments. They are key small group leaders and large group Bible Storytellers. We have high school students producing dramas and leading teams of other actors. They serve on our tech teams…running cameras, lighting, etc. We depend on them and count on them…and treat them the way we do our 30+somethings when they don’t follow through. 3) What are the challenges that you face with working with these populations? How did you solve them? Dependability can be an issue. We have found that valuing them and treating them like adults has help alleviate this. 4) What have you found the best way to communicate with these populations? (Phone, email, text, facebook, micro-blogging, etc.) TXT – hand down the fastest and most efficient.
Lisa B from NC
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Last Login: Yesterday @ 3:20:52 PM
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Here are my answers to your questions: 1) What recruiting methods do you find especially effective when recruiting 20-somethings? High school students? Answer: We spend a lot of time in youth ministry teaching the teens about serving others and then offer them opportunities to serve in kids ministry. Mostly this is one on one recruiting done by the Marco (our youth pastor) and Belinda (our junior high coordinator). My kids ministry coordinators and I also single out teens or young adults that we know would serve effectively and we recruit one-on-one. 2) What "selling points" of your ministries seem to appeal to 20-somethings and to high school students? Answer: I guess the selling points are simply the opportunity to give back and that seems to work. Once they begin to serve they get to experience the rewards of watching kids lives be affected by their love and seeing that love reciprocated. There is nothing like having a little second grader chase you down the hall dragging their parent behind wanting to introduce them to their "teacher." I have to also say that we throw a pretty fun spring teacher appreciation brunch. :-) Another thing is the teen volunteer appreciation pizza and sundae dinner. 3) What are the challenges that you face with working with these populations? How did you solve them? Answer: reliable transportation for younger teen volunteers. We try to get the parent to make the commitment to serve as well if by nothing else then changing the service they attend to make sure their teen is able to fulfill their commitment. Older teens and young adults: busy work and school schedules. We simply ask them to review their calendar and give us an honest commitment and not an emotional or "want to please the pastor" commitment. It seems to work. I have a number of young adults who will commit their summers to me a year in advance. 4) What have you found the best way to communciate with these populations? (Phone, email, text, facebook, micro-blogging, etc.) My coordinators send out letters and e-mails. 5) How do you go about affirming these populations? Answer: we include them in our teacher appreciation brunch and also hold a pizza and sundae party for them once a year. Further, our youth pastor, my coordinators, other key staff, and I make it a point to single out young people for affirmation and to also help them when course corrections are needed. It seems to work. We are going to be trying some new ideas out in the fall for all teachers. We are looking to develop a kid acknowledgement push. Each teacher will be given two cards and envelopes per week. They are going to be asked to keep their eyes open for a child in their area of ministry that could use a note. For example: a miss you card for a student they have not seen lately, and encouragement card for a student they hear or know to be going through a difficult time, an "atta boy or girl" card for a student that did something worth acknowledging, or any other reason they come up with. The goal is to help develop closer bonds between volunteer staff and their students. We are also going to be doing the same thing with the coordinators only their cards will be for their volunteer staff. Just an aside. Hope this is helpful! Mike Rev. Michael D. Bulkley
Lisa B from NC
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