5 Helpful Tips For Volunteering In Youth Ministry

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So, someone finally talked you into it. Maybe it was a minister at your church. It might’ve been a parent. Odds are, God’s Spirit did some whispering too. Regardless of who did the coaxing, you’ve finally been convinced to become a youth volunteer. Or, perhaps it isn’t that you’re new to volunteering, but that you’re ready to grow in your role. I’m biased, but volunteering in youth ministry is one of the best things a person can do with their life. So let’s explore five helpful tips for volunteers.

Characteristics Of Great Youth Group Volunteers

Before we jump into tips, let’s set the stage by talking about you. All of the greatest tips and tricks in the world won’t matter if you’re not becoming the kind of person who can excel as a youth volunteer. But don’t let that statement scare you. If God has called you to this, He’s probably already given you everything you need. Let this just serve as a reminder of who He’s making you into. There are so, so many characteristics a healthy youth leader needs to thrive in their role, but I’ll list one before we move on. 

Young people often project great confidence, but it comes from a place of insecurity. This is developmentally normal. So being a great youth ministry volunteer requires a person to have thick skin and a soft heart. You need to be willing to be the butt of the joke from time to time. You need to be comfortable being “old”. You need to be emotionally healthy enough to patiently lead them toward being kind with their words. Your skin needs to be thick, but your heart needs to be soft.

So if operating from a place of high insecurity is common for you, talk with the Lord often about that. Ask the Holy Spirit to begin healing you from the things in your past and present leading you toward insecurity. Naturally, that’s going to be really good for you in general, but it’s also a great way to prepare yourself to be a ministry leader–especially with teenagers.

Now, let’s get to those tips.

5 Tips For Volunteering In Youth Ministry

1. Align With The Vision

For some people, agreeing to work with the teens isn’t a matter of reluctant acceptance. On the contrary, you’re absolutely thrilled to be working with young people! In fact, you can’t wait to implement several ideas you’ve had for a while! This first tip is for you: align with the vision of your church’s youth pastor. 

The minister leader who oversees the youth ministry at your church probably has a clear vision and strategy for the youth ministry, and part of being part of a healthy church is embracing the unified vision of your church. So while your ideas are probably fantastic, be sure to seek clear understanding of the youth pastor’s vision for the youth ministry. Maybe some of your ideas are a perfect fit! But it’s also possible your idea for a citywide evangelism trapeze circus might not fit within the strategy of your church right now. 

Joining a volunteer team is exactly that: joining a team. So be prepared to enjoy the incredible and unifying benefit of running in the same direction with your team, even if that means you don’t get to enact 100% of your amazing ideas.

2. Bring The Fullness Of Yourself To The Role

I know. This one totally contradicts the last one. Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it?

Yes, you need to align with the vision of your youth pastor, but you’ve also been called to volunteer in youth ministry because you’re you. Too often, human beings change major aspects of our personality to fit inside a box we think we need to fit into for a certain role. But in a life stage filled to the brim with shame and uncertainty, what teenagers really need is youth volunteers who are unashamedly themselves.

If you love jigsaw puzzles, love jigsaw puzzles. If you’re really into anime, bring that aspect of yourself to the table. You may be a massive fan of musicals. It’s a safe bet some of your youth are, too. Yes, you need to interact with teenagers as a responsible adult. But if you want to have a real influence in the lives of the students you work with, you need to be more than just a “generic responsible adult” to them. The good news is, you are way more than that. God has created you to be more than that. All you have to do is show it!

3. Establish Boundaries For Your Time And Energy

This can be so difficult to do, especially for young volunteers or new volunteers, or potential volunteers. When you’re brand new to something, the last thing you want to do is send the message that you’re not “all in” by requesting time off. But, and this is a guiding gospel principle of mine: God’s Kingdom will be fine. So since God’s Kingdom will be fine without burning you out, you may as well take care of yourself. God loves these students and this ministry, but He loves you too. 

So when you’ve got a conflict, say no to the youth event. Every once in a while (aka not often), when you’re burnt out from an incredibly tough week at work, call out of Wednesday night youth group. Set a hard line with all-nighters if you’re absolutely certain they aren’t for you. Your youth pastor will, in the long run, appreciate a volunteer who is healthy and consistent over a long period of time. That is far better for the ministry than someone who burns too bright and burns out quickly. 

4. Lean Into The Awkward

If you’re recruited to be a small group leader or discussion leader of any kind, you’re going to encounter awkward moments. Small groups with teenagers are almost inherently awkward. Even when the group is talkative, there are bound to be awkward moments because teenagers stick their feet in their mouths all the time. 

Lean into the awkward.

I’m not saying make awkward situations more awkward. I’m just saying step fully into it, normalize it, and do your best to make everyone feel safe in the midst of the awkward spaces. One of the best ways you can do this is by taking the first awkward step in any situation. Take the first awkward step by starting a conversation with a student sitting alone. Take the first awkward step by sharing a personal story during a discussion. Take the first awkward step by being the first to raise your hands during the worship time. 

Will they put you in a different category because you’re an adult? Probably. But it’s because we’re the adults in the room that we need to be willing to lean into the awkward and normalize moments of discomfort for the sake of others. 

5. Sow Sow Sow

Everything in youth ministry is sowing. The events? Sowing. Bible studies? Sowing. Volunteer meetings? Sowing. Fart jokes? Sowing. Dumb YouTube videos? Sowing. Everything we do is sowing. And that means we don’t always get to see the fruit of our efforts in a timely manner. Sometimes the influence you’ve had on a teenager’s life won’t be made evident for years. That’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up when flawed, imperfect humans in a difficult life stage make bad decisions, take steps backward, or withdraw away from you or church. 

Good Things CAN Happen

If you’re reading this, there’s a huge chance God has called you to this. That means you don’t have to measure your success by your own easily observable, human metrics. We don’t believe those are the only metrics that matter here at Small Church Ministry. When you sow faithfully in the lives of students over time, good things happen. I’ve seen it time and time again, and I know you will too.

So align with your youth pastor’s vision. Bring the fullness of yourself to the role. Establish your boundaries. Lean into the awkward. And, most importantly, sow faithfully. Volunteering in youth ministry is one of the greatest things a person can do with their life, and keeping these five tips in mind will help you do it well. 

Read More:

Your Guide To Starting A Youth Ministry From Scratch

Keeping Kids Safe In Church Youth Group

4 Tips For Small Church Youth Leader Success