Top Ten Things...

Hi Faithful Volunteers!

We appreciate you so very much! We have received most of your applications (if you haven’t turned yours in, there is still time!), and are finally fully staffed for Fall. Thank you, and praise GOD! We want to re-iterate that the process of collecting this information was not meant to judge you, but to know you better and to help us not lead by making assumptions. We appreciate your openness and honesty, your willingness to participate in growing our CCC children, and your faithfulness in serving our Lord. We look forward to a GREAT year ministering together!

Joyfully – Your Children’s Ministry Staff Team

Here are the Top 10 things we hope to see amongst our Volunteers this year:

1. Love God. We aren’t looking for an extremely gifted people who live a life of religious routine and their “Christian faith” simply revolves around church activity. We want those who truly know and love God working with our kids.

2. Live a life of faith. We want people working with our children who are walking with the Lord in true faith, stepping out in ways that don’t always make sense to our human minds.

3. Be a true spiritual leader. We want volunteers who minister with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control! That is the start of being a true spiritual leader!

4. Know and love Scripture. We want volunteers to be in Scripture regularly, interacting with it, and seeking to know it better. Our entire Christian faith stems from the truths of Scripture, and leaders should seek to know it.

5. Avoid behavior management. Rules are important – they help us keep our classrooms safe and focused, however, our desire is to have volunteers who are more concerned about loving our kids, engaging them in positive activities and conversations, and looking for “teachable moments” than enforcing rules and policing the children! There are times when we will need to address behavior issues, but it is always with love, and patience, with the intention of “training” them up, not punishing them.

6. Hang with kids. Relationships are of utmost importance! Mix with the kids, play with them, AND talk with them during free time. Sit with them and worship with them during their lesson time. Sit on the floor if you are able, or grab a chair. We intentionally staff our classrooms with plenty of volunteers SO THAT relationships are intentionally nurtured! Elementary volunteers - feel free to join us for Kidz Worship on the 2nd Friday of the month, or Grapple (4th/5th graders) on Friday afternoons, or join in any special events you see advertised.

7. Know the big picture. We want all of our volunteers, regardless of the age-stage they’re working with, to realize that we are a team! We are part of our Church Family, and we support one another, and our church!

8. Integrate into families. Having relationships with kids is great, but it’s also important to get to know and love their families. As children arrive, or are leaving, say hi to the parents. If you had a great time with their child that day, be sure to tell them so. If you are a parent, invite another family to lunch!

9. Force thought. We desire to have volunteers who help our kids to think, not just spoon-feed them answers. We want them to ask questions, and to think about answers – and not just answer “Jesus” to any question asked

10. Be teachable. We all are in the process of growing! We all need to be able to receive input and suggestions; we all need to realize that we are imperfect people in need of a Savior, who will continue to learn and grow throughout our lives!

This article is adapted from: Simply Youth Ministry (www.simplyyouthministry.com) Top 10 Desires for Volunteers
by Chuck Bomar
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