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5 Tips to Build Your Youth Ministry Volunteer Dream Team · Ministry Coach: Youth Ministry Tips & Resources

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I would go so far as to say the health of your overall youth ministry starts with the health of your volunteer team.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: So how you recruit is just take really good care of people and let the reputation go before you, and the high quality of your ministry attracts and keeps the high quality volunteer.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I want reliable people.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: I want people who love students.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: I want people who have integritous lives and love the Lord and put him first.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I want people who love students.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I want people who have integritous lives and love the Lord and put him first.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: I want people who communicate well.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Be that person, because the culture that you create well, those are the type of people that will thrive in that environment.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Are you looking to build your dream team of youth ministry volunteers?
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Today, we're going to give you five tips to make it happen.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where we give you weekly tips and tactics to help you fast track the growth and health of your youth ministry.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: My name is Jeff Laskola and this is Kristen Laskola.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: And today we're going to answer the question how I built my dream team of Youth Ministry volunteers.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: And it is just that it is the dream team and you know, I have to say it's been the dream team for years, because even when people leave and new people come in, it still maintains its dream team status.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: So, which makes me think that it's not just like I've struck the only gold that there is out there, but it's more of a cultural thing.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: It's habits that we put into place and it can be recreated not just at my youth group, not just at my church, but at yours as well, and I would go so far as to say the health of your overall youth ministry starts with the health of your volunteer team, because we know that healthy growth comes from healthy leadership and that's kind of the core of everything we do.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: So it's really important that we dial this in and figure out how do we create not just health in ourselves, but are able to create health, a healthy environment for all of our leaders, a healthy leadership culture that translates, trickles down to the students, and that's what really ultimately shapes your ministry.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to give you five things today that are steps to help you build health in your volunteer team, how you can build your own dream team of volunteers.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: So number one a quality ministry is going to attract a quality team.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: So if your ministry is disorganized, if you don't communicate very well, if there is just an unhealthy culture of students and they're super disrespectful and there's no discipline or accountability, that is a recipe to keep a revolving door going for your volunteers Would you also say that if your ministry is disorganized, do you attract disorganized people that are like hey.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: I can survive here.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Maybe, because wouldn't the opposite be true?
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: Because organized people are repelled from disorganization.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: One of my all-star volunteers I ever had.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: I think he was on my team for 13 years.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: I was on your team for that long.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: Go on, see what I did there.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Whoa, that was out of left field.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: You were great.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: I miss you.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: I hope you come back sometime.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Maybe We'll see.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Because then we'll get to hang out.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: That'd be fun.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: No, his name was Zach.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, and.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: I remember like he had started because his children were coming into the ministry and he's like hey, as their dad, you know, I'd love to help out and stick around and be involved.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: I was like, sure, why not?
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: And he was a great volunteer.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: And then, long after his kids left, he stayed.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: And that's happened at least four or five other times and I said, why do you stay?
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: And he kind of phrased it in a funny way.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: But he's like hey, you put out a really good product and I like being a part of it.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: And you know, he was one of those caliber of people that it's like exactly what you're saying.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: He was like a super organized, super type A, like he would not stick around some like rickety operation.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: That was like always frustrating him with frustration for small seasons and stuff like that.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: But if volunteers are perpetually frustrated and can't be proud of the ministry that they're a part of and I think that's a really big sound bite there is like they need to be proud of the ministry they're serving and like, hey, I'm on this team, I serve in this ministry.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: And that is kind of the vibe he was giving me.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: It was like this is a great product, I'm proud to be a part of it.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: I love being here and I've heard other leaders say that too over the years.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: I'm so proud to be a part of this team.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: I feel like we're doing so many good things and I'm part of that and I was like whoa, that's cool from that perspective that they're getting that and so the if your ministry is well run, people who are high caliber will be attracted to it and then think about this, your reputation, so the reputation of your ministry is going to be a huge piece and building your dream team.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Because, like take Zach, for example, the guy was just talking about well, if he's raving about it to his friends, I've had like that happened so many times where these high quality people will talk about the ministry outside of the ministry walls, to their Bible study, to their own family, to their you know friends or neighbors, and recruit them as like, oh, this is amazing, you should be a part of this, why don't you come check it out?
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: And they bring their high quality people with them.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Like I had a really like it was this crazy trickle down effect.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: So my guy's director, caleb, my associate pastor guy, he's in a Bible study with this amazing girl and he was like why don't you come check out our youth group?
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Well, she came, loved it, she's amazing.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Well then, she loved it so much, she has an amazing brother.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: And he's like I see, what you see in this ministry, I love it, I want to keep going.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: And then the other people in their Bible study were like whoa, you both help out there.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: What is this thing?
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: I want to go.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: And they were all like a plus people and it was like boom, boom, boom.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Brother, sister Bible study, bible study.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: And we got four new leaders that are incredible because of that.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: And so if they had shown up and they're like I don't know, like the kids were really bad and nobody showed me around, the leadership wasn't very welcoming.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: I never knew what was going on, nobody followed up with me, nobody was interested in getting to know me.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: They're not going to invite people.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: So how you recruit is just take really good care of people and let the reputation go before you and the high quality of your ministry attracts and keeps the high quality volunteer Bottom line.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Put in the work first and be the kind of people you would like to attract.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: So, whatever you're trying to attract, oh, I want organized people.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: I want reliable people.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: I want people who love students.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: I want people who have integritous lives and love the Lord and put him first.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: I want people who communicate well, be that person, because the culture that you create, this is what I want.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Well, those are the type of people that will thrive in that environment.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: And then if a person's kind of like I don't know, I'm not really that kind of person I've noticed those people kind of like fade into the background and it's kind of like, oh yeah, I guess it wasn't ever a great fit.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: But when you catch them where they're like oh, I can tell, this is a tight ship and these people are close and these people love Jesus.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: They're like this is where I belong.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: You want them to see themselves there.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: It's like that's who I am and I love that, because you're not creating some farce of an image.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: It's like this is really who we are and you'll attract people.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: That match that.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: I'm sure that makes sense.
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: Right, jeff, you're a smart guy.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I could follow it, so that says a lot.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: We're not ready for you in our ministry yet You're not smart enough.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: I got kicked out.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: No, no, well, kind of Our baby kicked you out when we had a baby, okay.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: Number two make the leaders your focus.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: We were kind of touching on this before, but if you're going to build a dream team of youth ministry volunteers, they're going to be your focus.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Like I said, your ministry is only as good as your leaders, so your relationship with them is something that I cannot overemphasize.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: You should be working on it every single day, every workday, every day of the week.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: There should be some point of contact with not every leader I'm not saying like every leader hears from me every day, but every day you should ask yourself it depends on the size of your team.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: If you only have three, then maybe it's like a once a week thing.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: But I like to go through the list in my head of my leaders and I'll think who do I need to contact?
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Who do I need to spend more time with?
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Who do I need to send an encouraging text to?
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Who do I need to write a thank you card to?
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: And, you know, maybe go out of my way to bring them dinner or coffee, or whose birthday do I need to be celebrating?
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: And I think about them all the time and I'd say this too, on a very spiritual level.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: I pray for them and thank God for them all the time, because I never want to take them for granted and they are literally a gift from God.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: Like the recruitment process I was describing before was like these people just like find us and they kind of knock on our door and they're the most high caliber people.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: If I had tried, I couldn't have recruited someone that amazing.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: And so God literally brings these people and so if you're in a state of needing volunteers, start praying.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: I was praying for female leaders, I think.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Like two months ago.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: God was like I know what you need.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: You asked me for what you need.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Here you go and I'm fully stuffed.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Again Last year, maybe two years ago, I was in desperate need of guy leaders.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: I prayed and prayed and prayed.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Two months later I had every spot filled, and so God really wants your ministry to thrive and be healthy.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: He knows what you need.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: So make sure that's kind of a stewardship piece too.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: These people are gifts, these people are blessings to you and to your ministry, because you can't do it without them.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: So take care of them and remember to thank God for them.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Kind of in my mind yesterday, when I was getting ready, I was making the bed and I was going through their faces and small groups in my mind and I was like God, thank you for Andy, thank you for Matt, thank you for Jed, thank you for Liberty, thank you for Arden, thank you for Kayla, thank you for Heidi and just thinking about them like and just wow, I'm so blessed.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: And so that's just even more reason to take care of these people and make them your absolute focus and then pray for them.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: So thank God for them and then, on your way home, pray for them.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Be that spiritual leader for them as well.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: I think we always look at them as like well, they're fine, it's like the kids who need all the help.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: But don't forget, your leaders want you as their spiritual leader also a lot of times.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: So give them you, make them your focus, give them you meaning, give them your time, give them your energy, give them your focus, give them your resources and your time and your encouragement, give them your listening ear.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: And I would say that's probably one of the most important things ever is people just like, want to talk to you and they want, well, yeah, talk to you like at you.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: People love to be heard and no one is really a good listener these days.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: We've talked about that before.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: But just listening to a leader asking them about their life, praying over them, why not take them to coffee?
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: You know, I think we've talked about this before.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: If you're like, oh no, I'm a male youth pastor and I have a female leader, how can I do this?
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: Well, I had a brand new guy leader come on and I really wanted to hang out with him.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: So I brought my guys director and we all three of us had lunch and it was a blast, like one of the most fun lunches we ever had, and he loved it too.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: And so, I don't know, bring your wife, bring a girl, bring one of your female directors or leaders, go make a day of it, go grab coffee, I don't know.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Know, but you can find a way based on your comfort level and all of that, but don't neglect leaders of the opposite gender, like that's always very sad to me of like, well, you know, I would be nice to you, but you're a girl, so it's like, come on, we can find appropriate ways to love people.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: You know that.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: Don't cross any weird boundaries, so be creative of what that looks like for you, but give them you, um, give them opportunities.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: I did a series this May called what I wish I knew in high school and it was dedicated to our eighth graders that are promoting to high school and I said hey, leaders, you guys, I know you're not pastors and preachers, but people can share.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: Hey, this was me in high school.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: Here's what I wish I knew, and tie in God's word and God's truth to that.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: And so every week we've had a different volunteer that the kids never hear from share and the coolest thing happened.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: So last week one of my leaders, who he has such a passion for God's word and he spoke on what I wish I knew in high school.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: And afterward him and the guy who spoke the week before him said we want more.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: And I'm like what do you mean?
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: They're like we're starting a Bible study this summer, like we're going to just like meet before a youth group, whoever wants to come.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: We're just going to dive into some of the foundations that these kids are missing and help them understand, like that this isn't moralism, but like who Jesus really is.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: And I'm like really, and I'm like, okay, get me an outline of the different weeks and what you guys are going to talk about, and all of that And's meet and all of so it just like sparked this passion in them and I wrote them cards of like way to go.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: One of my favorite things to do right now and hopefully my leaders don't hate it is I love sending a voice text and, like one of my leaders, johnny, spoke a few weeks ago and I just sent him a voice text of like hey, I'm so proud you.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: I just want to let you know you did a great job and thanks for all the prep that you did for that and that, you know, blessed our kids so much.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: And it's just like this little like encouragement throughout the day but really makes them your focus.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: Think, who have I not been in touch with?
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: Who's itching to do more?
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: I think sometimes as youth pastors, we put our leaders off a little bit.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: Sometimes one of them will have an idea that we don't like and we're just like.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: I kind of just want you to not you know, but brainstorm with them.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Like, help it become an idea that works for your youth group.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Like whoa, I love your passion.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: Whoa, I love that idea Because people, they have ministry ideas and ministry passions and you don't just want to squash them If it won't work for you.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Find a way to, especially if you have nothing to lose.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: It's just so encouraging for your leaders to have someone believe in some of their dreams for ministry and it keeps them engaged and invested.
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: And some of my best programs and best ideas have come from leaders and come from their feedback and come from their ideas.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Just, don't get too tight of a grip on.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: This is my ministry and I have all the ideas and I'm steering this ship.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: But collaborative leadership is so much healthier.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: Like yes, we all know you're in charge, like it's, it's okay to learn from one of your volunteers of like whoa, I never thought of that.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: I think some youth pastors are kind of insecure and if the idea didn't come from them, they kind of shut it down or they take offense.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: And I've found myself feeling that way, like if someone's like you know we don't do enough blah, blah, blah.
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: I'll take it as a personal attack of like well, you didn't do enough of this and you should have and this is a weak point and I need to fix it.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: But I have to remind myself no, no, no, no.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: They're seeing something and excited to address like how can we make this better for our students?
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Right and I don't.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: I think they want to team up, not to usurp anything right and so just be careful of creating stories in your head of like they're, they're disrespecting my leadership, you know, because they might not be, they might just be like let's do this thing together.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: So, instead of seeing yourself so far ahead of them like come on, guys.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Like think of it as like linking arms and like here we go together for our students and kind of like we're running alongside each other, not I'm running so far in front of you that you can't catch up.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: I don't like those kind of leaders where they're so far ahead that you're like hello, like you left us behind.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: But what if we?
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: What's that proverb?
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: Like, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: Not proverb from the book of Proverbs, but kind of like a saying I love that.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: And that is the mentality of giving them.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: You meaning you might have to slow your pace to be with them, shoulder to shoulder, partnering in ministry, sharing leadership, bringing them along, including them, not leading them from afar from this ivory tower of, I'm the leader.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's very few people maybe outside of like Steve Jobs, who has all the good ideas.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: You know, it's always a collaborative effort where you know, the more voices you can kind of get speaking into the ministry, the better it's going to be, because people are going to see things from a different perspective and have different opinions, different flavors of how they think maybe things should go, and that could also become a problem.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: So I guess, like you're saying, it's kind of how to know, knowing how to rein that in and guide it in the right way.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: But getting those, that feedback and those extra ideas is good.
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: Or or I find a lot of times too I like to pirate ideas, where it's almost like someone maybe has a good idea and it's like I like that idea, but what if we even did it like this too, you know, adding to it, and kind of like.
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: I feel like that's a, that's a good way to kind of like just branching out and broadening some of your uh, your ideas, for lack of a better word, hmm, Deep Good idea.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: Uh, yeah, I, I agree wholeheartheartedly.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: I think we also can't underestimate how much time this takes.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: So if you tend to be an impatient leader, that's just kind of like we did that.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, move on this, always looking for the next hill to climb, like thing to do, thing to build, and no one can keep up with your pace.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: It's not very inspiring just watching you do all this stuff and we're not included.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: It's like.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: So how can we support you like or clean up after you're done, you know?
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: Even worse, you know like where they just give you like the right, the busy peon work and nothing's inspiring.
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: All these balloons.
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like thanks.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: But including people in the creative process too.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: It just don't underestimate how much time it takes to give them you, to truly give them you to stop and hear their ideas, implement their ideas, help them fly, collaborate with them, pour into them, meet with them, encourage them.
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: It will take time and it should, you know, if you want to keep them around, that's what, and it's so life-giving for you too.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: I mean, ministry is so much more fun done as a team rather than like it's not a solo sport, it's just boring that way I think, All right, let's move on to number three.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: It's just boring that way I think Right, all right, let's move on to number three how to build your dream team.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: Stick around long enough to have your students come back as leaders.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: And, man, the moment that hit me I will never forget I was like this is amazing, because they started coming back and they're the best leaders.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: Some of them are the best leaders I have ever had.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: I don't know if this is a saying, but homegrown is always better than imported.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Meaning like somebody who grew up in your ministry, that has that DNA, who is a big fan already and just can't wait to come back, is someone who will stick around for a really long time and they don't really need a ton of training because they've swam in these waters they yeah, they've seen it and it just becomes so much more seamless.
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: It's like they have the dna and then they just need you to build them up as you a leader and sharpen those skills and train them as a leader, but like they don't need to learn the culture they already know it.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: And it's, and I've noticed, like with my student leadership team, like whenever I'm launching that in September while we do the presentation in August, I'll like point around the room to the students.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: I'll be like hey guys.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: Like'll like point around the room to the students.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: I'll be like hey guys, like our student leadership team signups are coming up and if you look around this room, look at that, this person was on that leader and they were on our student leadership team when they were in junior high and they've grown up to become a small group leader in this and that.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: And just like students will look around at their leaders like whoa, you were in student leadership when you were in junior high.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: It's come full circle.
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: Now you're here, like it's a pretty cool thing for them to see, like you were once sitting where.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: I was sitting.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: I want to be that, I want to be you, so stick around.
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: I think sometimes the hardest time of youth ministry is the first few years.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: It just is because you don't have a track record yet.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: You probably haven't graduated a class yet, you haven't had those people come back, you haven't really reaped the full fruit of what your ministry is doing, probably until like the first four or five years.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, we look at that like wow, five years.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: It's like you're just getting started at five years and so stick around.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: Because you might think, well, it's been four years and this thing still isn't off the ground.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: It's like, okay, that's all right, stick around another year stick around five.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: What, what?
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: I think that is the mark of all right.
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: What, what are we producing?
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: in this ministry.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I think you can tell it five years.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: How are you doing as a youth pastor?
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: You're going to be able to tell it five years, and usually not very accurately before that.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: So stay the course.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: Um, and those leaders will come back.
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: Okay, number four, come back.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, number four train them up early.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: I used to have a very strict rule in my youth ministry that no high schoolers could help out in junior high.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: You had to wait until they graduated, and there was some good reason for that.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: But then, slowly over the years, what I've noticed is, yeah, I wouldn't like just give a junior, like an 11th grader, just say here's a small group, bye.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: But what I realized is if I train them up early, like put them as juniors in a small group with a very seasoned veteran, I pair them very well, then they have almost two years of training before they get their own small group and the groundwork is already laid.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: And it sparks interest in these young high schoolers that it's like, wow, I have this steady cycle of you know, because they're too young to help in high school ministry.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: And if they don't want to help with little kids, it's like, hey, you're not old enough, mature enough to lead your own small group, but you can learn from someone who's been here for years and they'll show you the ropes.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: And so building that dream team, I'm like, wow, starting them early is so good because they end up learning from the best and then they stick around.
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: And having young leaders I've just noticed I love having that age range because those young leaders can do things the older leaders can't, and the older leaders can do things the younger leaders can't.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: And the students have a different relationship with each one and think the younger ones are so cool and like get so excited to see them and feel so special when they like high five or know me or we hang out or play a game.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: And you know it just creates this really cool atmosphere of like whoa, the cool high schoolers want to hang out with us, like they love this ministry, like it just gives you a little more street cred to your ministry too.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Of like the juniors and seniors want to be here as leaders.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: You know, and you know I have this little joke with my junior hires when they're leaving they're like can I come back and be a leader someday?
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: Like yeah, just don't turn into a sketchy high schooler.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: And they're like I won't and I'm like, well, we'll see.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: I don't know, you know, but a lot of them come knocking on my door around junior year and I investigate a little bit.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: I mean, you can't know everything about someone, but I check out their social media.
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: I talk to people who know them.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: Where are they currently involved in the high school group?
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: You know there's some questions to go through, but once they kind of make it through that, I'm like, yeah, come check it out, we would love to have you.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, what would you say?
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: Cause a lot of youth ministries are combined and I know that you're not in favor of that but sixth through 12th grade, and I think a lot of those youth ministries will take the upperclassmen and I'm actually not in favor of this, but they will put them as leaders inside that ministry.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: And to me I say that's the time for all of those students to be fed, and once you're serving, I think it's important to serve, but I feel like that is the time where you're there to be fed and I feel like it's doing them a disservice by saying now you need to.
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: You know, teach up the younger students.
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: What do you think about that?
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know, I think I don't know that it really takes away from their experience.
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: I think sometimes serving enhances the experience and you grow and you're more engaged and you're more dialed in.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: But imagine this what if every church service you're serving yeah, but you're saying serving in your own ministry.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: So you're there, you are there, but it's like you're missing.
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: So you're there, you are there, but it's like you're missing.
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: They're missing out on maybe being fed and being poured into, and they're.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: It's like they're constantly being a Paul and never a Timothy.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I could see that I think you have to make sure you're balancing health there.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: I am not a fan of like.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: So there's one thing, just because I think you're saying one word for two different things, meaning serving and leading, and yeah, maybe it is potato, potato.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: But I'm thinking of like serving in the ministry.
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: Oh, I go and get the offering and I push the buttons.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: But if you're saying leading like I'm a small group leader and.
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: I'm in charge of these kids and I'm supposed to be, yeah, where you can't just come and receive and just relax.
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: So I guess there's a miscommunication of terminology.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: So, if that's what you're asking, I don't think peers should ever lead peers.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: I have a student leadership team and they're peers, but they're not their small group leaders, they're not their spiritual leaders.
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: I encourage them to be examples, but they're doing jobs, they're not mentoring like a leader would.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: So I think it's kind of tricky to have like.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Are you saying like juniors and seniors leading freshmen and sophomores?
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, or even middle schoolers.
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: I mean I have juniors and seniors Like no, but I mean within because the way you have it set up, you are a split ministry, Right.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: So high schoolers come to a service.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: That's not meant for them to help lead.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: That would be, too, if I had six through 12, I think it would be like, exactly, I agree with you.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: It'd be way too much to say, hey, juniors, seniors, this is your youth group and also the place that you are a small group leader.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: I think at that point you have to have just people from college age on, because at that point we're all peers, Whereas like well, my high school and junior high are separate, so high schoolers go to their own thing on Wednesday and they get to serve with us on.
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: Tuesday.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: But it would be weird if it was like I'm a high schooler and this is my youth group, but I'm also serving in it for the little ones you know serving to leading Right.
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: So I think it would be not a great idea, because then there's nothing separate for them, like you said.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: So I guess, be careful of that.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: This only I mean.
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: Do whatever you want.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: You're the pastor?
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: No, no, they have to.
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: You don't have my permission.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: I just am saying I personally would not, but if it works for you I've said things before where I'm like I wouldn't do that and people are like I'm doing it and I love it, so great, do it.
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: I'm just saying for me I would not.
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: But who knows?
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: All right, so number five.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: And lastly, be their biggest fan and have so much fun together, your volunteer team, be their biggest fan.
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: So I did this talk recently and I was studying neuropsychology because I was trying to make this illustration and it worked.
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: It was very.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: It put it all together but what I learned?
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: So there's this neuropsychologist at UCLA and he's studied the brain and relationships and what relationships do for the brain, and they found that your behavior is most influenced not by what you believe but by what you love, like what you're attached to, meaning our attachments dictate our behavior.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: But then he kind of went one step further and he said it's actually the joy that comes from attachments that have the most influence on your behavior.
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: And so I just thought, wow, like to think that joy itself shows up in the brain, like on a measurable level, and we can see the impact that it has on our lifestyle and behavior.
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: There is something super significant there and just it kind of drove home this point for me of having joy in my relationships and how that breathes life into the bonds between us, of not just like I know you, you know me, but we shared a joyful experience that strengthens the bonds.
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: You know that's a great case for games and youth ministry.
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: I know games aren't for everyone, but I I noticed something this week this is an aside Even if you're not playing the game, those people love watching the game.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: You know they were like cheering and some of them they're like checked out on their phone, whatever, but like I think they enjoy that.
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: Oh, I don't really want to have fun, but I enjoy the atmosphere of the fun, like I'm glad other people are running around and there's hype.
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: I don't really want to do it but I like being in the midst of it.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: I truly do believe that.
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: So now, going back to the leader example, it's like building relationships is important, but they have to be fueled by joy.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: Joy is like the gas in the tank that builds these bonding experiences and I'm sure all of us can attest to that.
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: Like when you've laughed with someone.
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: All of us can attest to that Like when you've laughed with someone.
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: That's why inside jokes are so bonding.
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: You know, like when you have that one weird nickname, you call that person and it's because of some story and you guys were there and everyone's like dying laughing.
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: It just creates such joy.
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: Last night, when we're putting our kids to bed, we were watching this video that they had made on Jeff's phone and it was so funny.
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: Like my sides were like aching, I was laughing so hard and you could just tell the energy in the room changed, the relationships changed, the love grew just by laughing and having joyful experiences together.
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: So don't underestimate its power.
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: Be their biggest fan and create every opportunity to have fun and laugh together.
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: However much we emphasize on this podcast playing games and having fun with your students, leaders are a part of that, but leaders need their own fun and their own joyful experiences with each other and so really fold that into your schedule and make that happen of hanging out regularly, laughing together regularly, playing together regularly.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: It is such a bonding experience where people are going to connect, people are going to build inside jokes and you know, I will say this like I think a lot of my leaders stay as long as they do.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: They love the students, but we all know students eventually leave and I think the reason they stay and outlive the students is the team.
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: I think that's what keeps people.
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: I really do, because I remember when I graduated my first class of eighth graders, I laid on the couch after church and was like a corpse.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: I was so sad and I was just like, oh, It'll never be the same.
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: It'll never be the same.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: I loved them, we were so close.
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: And so when students come and go, the constant has to be the same.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: I loved them, we were so close, you know.
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: And so when students come and go, the constant has to be the team.
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: And for our small group leaders too, it's like their kids leave, like they pour their lives into these kids every week.
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: What keeps them from being heartbroken and leaving when the kids leave?
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: You know, they love their students, but the team, I think, is really what keeps them.
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: And I don't know if I've told this story.
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: My security guard asked one of my longest standing volunteers why do you keep doing junior high?
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: Your kids are out of junior high years ago and she said Kristen, she's the reason I stay and it's our relationship, it's being on the team, it's being a part, and I don't say that like she loves me so much.
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: I just think it's like the power of people, like peers, and joy and relationship and fun.
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: It's like we can really stick in there with youth ministry when we've got each other.
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: You know and I look at my team a lot of times I'm like guys.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: I don't think.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: I think, given our unique personalities and gift sets, we could solve any problem that comes our way together.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: Like someone will know how to do it, someone will figure it out.
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: Like I just feel like there's such loyalty and we all have each other's backs and no one's going to let anyone fall and everyone's going to help.
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: And that comes just with major intentionality.
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: Those shared joyful experiences over time create affection that's hard to break.
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: You know it really is.
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: We have such affection and love for each other, even though we're all so different.
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: You know we're all different ages, stages, genders and stations in life.
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: You know we have men and women and young boys and young girls, and somehow we all make it work and we're all close and it's really cool.
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: But, like I said, this is not just unique.
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: Oh well, you found the 25 best people in America.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: It's like you can really duplicate this, I believe, if people know you're totally for them and you create a place where they can't help but want to be.
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: So that's great.
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: That's five great tips to kind of keep that momentum going and create this dream team.
• 37:25
  Speaker 2: I think it was making me think.
• 37:26
  Speaker 2: As you were talking, we are in Southern California.
• 37:28
  Speaker 2: Surfing is big, I don't surf, I don't surf, you don't surf.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: I did once.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: I have surfed.
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: I have surfed.
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: It's a lot of fun.
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: It made me think, though.
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: When you're out there paddling first, you're out there sitting for like 40 minutes doing nothing, which is why I hate surfing, but when you actually a wave is coming, you in.
• 37:56
  Speaker 2: So it's almost kind of the same idea where you're building this youth ministry, this team and then finally the wave starts to create the momentum and it's pushing.
• 38:00
  Speaker 2: So, like when you're saying people are inviting other people to come join, it's no longer you having to do the paddling, having to get all these people how about you?
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: How about you Come check it out, it out, they're coming to you.
• 38:09
  Speaker 2: That momentum is kind of pushing you in.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: So just beautiful analogy.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know.
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: What I was thinking too is you know, it's almost the dream team.
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: You know, I'd make it a dream team me.
• 38:22
  Speaker 2: Yes maybe one day my little surfer boy not quite, if you guys are looking for an episode about how to recruit volunteers.
• 38:33
  Speaker 2: We did one a while back, but it is still pertinent today.
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: Go ahead and check that one out.
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: It is how to recruit the right volunteers and that's the key word the right ones for your ministry.
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: You know I can't paddle out.
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: That's the hardest part.
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, duck, diving was a little I could never get past the, the shore break.
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: Is that what it's called sure?
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: The wave line um, and so I would just kind of like wait till a wave came, and then I would jump on the board like my feet would be touching the ground, and then I'd be like oh, here comes a wave and I just get up and I could ride it in.
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: I just like who has the upper body strength for that?
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: That is a lot of paddling.
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: Felt like I like was gonna pass out yeah, well, if it's your first and only time doing it, I'm sure you have not built up the muscles to do it.
• 39:17
  Speaker 2: I'm not speaking from experience, because it was equally as hard for me uh yeah, you do guns.
• 39:24
  Speaker 2: All right, I'm gonna do a community comment of the day and we will call it a day.
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: This comes from sarah dash, fv8 hg, who says I feel like y'all are putting out content just for me.
• 39:40
  Speaker 2: Thanks, ministry coach.
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: Thanks god, sarah finally found the content we meant for her.
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: We've been doing all of these episodes, 199 episodes just for you, sarah the ministry coach for Sarah podcast.
• 39:53
  Speaker 2: You're welcome.
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: When you feel like someone's talking straight to you, you're like God.
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: Is that you like speaking through people?
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: Like I love that it's exciting.
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: Thank you, sarah, and thank you guys for watching and listening and hopefully some of the rest of you got something out of that too.
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: All right, we will see you next time.