"But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” Mark 6:37
How much do you do vs the adults that serve with? Do the adult who help you have anything to do when they arrive or are they just waiting for kids to show up?
If the answer to the first questions is everything and the answer to the second question is nothing, you're missing an important step to ministry partnership.
Are you ready for the 4th step for moving "just volunteers" into ministry partners?
Give Ownership
The more ownership you give your volunteers, the more they’ll grow. Invite them to lead something meaningful — a discussion group, a prayer time, or a short devotional moment.
Let them plan part of an event or take on creative responsibility. When people have a role in shaping ministry, they feel like partners, not helpers.
Ask for their observations, “What are you noticing about the students lately?” That question alone can turn observation into pastoral care.
And when you see growth, name it. Give feedback privately and encouragement publicly. Volunteers grow fastest in environments that are safe, affirming, and honest.
Ask your adults to help you with set up, a special project or the game for that night. Let your students see that your adult leaders are more than Shush Czars.
Jesus invited his disciples to participate in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. From finding the boy with the lunch to breaking the large crowd into small groups to gathering the baskets of leftovers, Jesus said, "This is your miracle too" and laid another brick in foundation of ownership in ministry,
Don't leave your team out of the miracles God wants to do in, and through, your youth ministry.
Have a great week,
Paul
P.S.
You can find the previous 3 steps in here, here and here.
Video
I am not a fan of anything Christmas before Thanksgiving, but in the case of planning, I'll make an exception. If you don't have your Christmas Party together, yet, here's my playlist of Christmas Party Games
As the year begins to wind down and you evaluate your youth ministry and yourself, ask yourself, "Did I get the help I needed to become the best youth pastor I could be?" If the answer is no, maybe it's time to think about coaching.