4 Places to Find Summer Volunteers for Your Ministry

Volunteers are hard to come by in the world of children’s ministry, especially during the summer after your team has been serving all year long! When possible, it can help to give your regular volunteer team a break during the summer months so they can relax, recharge, and refresh. Our subscribers have access to a Summer Serve printable that can help them recruit a team of summer volunteers, and here are 4 specific places to find volunteers to serve in your ministry during the summer months…

1. College Students – They’re headed home for the summer and most of them will be looking for something to do! Invite them to be part of your ministry on Sunday mornings. They often get out of school earlier than local public schools, so try and connect with them early or mid-May when they’re just getting home! Present it as a way for them to gain experience and give back to a church that invested in them.
2. Adults With Summers Off – Think professors, teachers, and other educators. They may not want to serve with the same age group they teach year-round, but they may be willing to serve with another age group, and can often help with preparation as well as Sunday mornings since their schedule is a little more flexible in the summer. Ask around and find out who the educators are in your church, but wait until the end of the school year before approaching them. The end of the year can be a stressful time for these adults, so asking them to serve when they’re already feeling overwhelmed might backfire.
3. Youth Group – Don’t forget about your youth group! Talk with your youth ministry leader about inviting the youth to serve in your children’s ministry. Maybe it becomes part of a summer serve initiative for the youth as a whole. Maybe it’s part of their training for a mission trip or summer camp. Maybe it’s just a way for them to give back and serve their church! You can also use the summer as an opportunity to give youth more opportunities to take on leadership roles and develop their leadership skills. Check out our Student Volunteer Package for some administrative tips and forms to help you help students serve in your ministry.
4. Ask Your Volunteers for Recommendations! – Tap into the team you already have and ask each of your current volunteers to give you the name of someone they’d recommend to serve with your ministry. They can be part of recruiting and expanding your team, and if the new volunteer already knows a friend who’s serving too, it can make it easier/more comfortable for them to get involved!

Bonus Idea: Summer interns! I had a summer intern every year, whether it was an upperclassman high school student or a college student, and they made life so much easier + it was a great way to invest in the next generation of leaders. This internship position can be paid, but it doesn’t have to be, and it’s a great opportunity to delegate. Want to see the job description for our summer intern? It’s included in our KidMin Admin bundle here.