Ask any children's ministry in the country what their biggest need is and 9 times out of 10 you'll hear ...

Volunteers

From smaller, rural churches to larger, urban churches, ministries never seem to have enough volunteers.

No matter how many volunteers you have, you're going to always need more. Especially if you want to grow and reach more kids. And it's also crucial if you want to effectively disciple kids, since discipleship happens through relationships. Proper ratios are essential to kids being able to establish a relationship with a caring volunteer.

If volunteers are your ministry's biggest need, then they should be your biggest focus, right? This means building your volunteer team week in and week out. This means setting your volunteers up for success by giving them the training and tools they need. This means caring for and shepherding your volunteers well.

This means the biggest priority on your calendar should be volunteers. This means the biggest percentage of your time should be spent on volunteers. Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers. That's what it's all about.

Why are volunteers the biggest need for most ministries?  Because it's not easy. Building a volunteer team is hard work. It takes tenacity. It takes consistency. It takes being strategic. But it can be done.

Over the years, I've learned how to build a volunteer team by first learning how to not build a volunteer team. I've made about every mistake you can make in this. But here's the good news. Because of all the trial and error, I've been able to come up with a formula that really works.

In my most recent local church ministry, we were able to build our volunteer team from 300 to over 2,600 in eight years by using this formula.

I'd like to share that formula with you and help you succeed in building your team. That's why I wrote The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams.

In this book, I share...

• Enlist Your Team: How to bring new volunteers on your team on a weekly basis.

• Equip Your Team: Create a solid process for on-boarding new volunteers and then continue equipping them with on-going training.

• Engage Your Team: Building solid relationships with your volunteers so they stay long-term.

• Endorse Your Team: How to show your volunteers you value them by helping them discover and maximize the gifts and talents God has given them.

• Encourage Your Team: How to show your volunteers you appreciate them and keep them motivated.

• Empower: How to invest in your volunteers and empower them to own the ministry as leaders.

This book has helped ministries across the country build a strong volunteer team. If you haven't gotten the opportunity to go through it yet, I want to encourage you to do so.

The best thing you can do for your children's ministry this year is build up your volunteer team. When you do this, you'll see the ministry thrive at a whole new level. Let's partner together to make it happen.

Dale Hudson has been in children's ministry for over 27 years. He is the director of children's ministry at Christ Fellowship Church in south Florida. Christ Fellowship has nine campuses and ministers to over 25,000 people on weekends. Dale leads a children's ministry staff team of over 70 and a volunteer team of over 2,600. He has authored 100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Children's Ministry, 100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Preschool Ministry, Children's Ministry in the 21st Century, Sunday School That Works, the churchleaders.com Top 100 book, and If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry.

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