The non-children Children’s Ministry volunteer. You know the type. They volunteer for VBS, Kids Church, Sunday School, Camp, almost everything. Then they stand in the back of the room, talk with other volunteers, and the kids are left alone. No relationships are formed with kids, just with other adults.

I feel like this is one of the greatest atrocities in modern children’s ministry. These people feel an obligation to volunteer, a sort of “duty”, and so they do. And that is honorable. But their downfall is in that they ignore the very people they volunteered to help! Could you imagine if those people volunteered to serve lunch at a homeless shelter, then stood in the back of the room while the people remained hungry? It would never happen! But for some reason people think that kids are “too low for them” and “not worthy of their presence”. These kids are a lot like those homeless people. They are hungry for the word of God, and we’re standing in the back of the room chatting, while they starve to death.

OK, so here is my brave statement of the day: You are better off not volunteering at all, than volunteering then not working. That does two things:

1. It says to the kids: “I don’t care about you, I’m here for the adults.”
2. The event director doesn’t have enough help. When they say they need 25 volunteers, they mean working volunteers, not 10 workers and 15 “hang-outers”.

I know no one likes to “fire” volunteers per say, but sometimes it is necessary. If a volunteer can’t get the idea that Children’s Ministry, uh, um, involves real live children, maybe they should be working elsewhere in the church. As leaders, we need to set an example for the other leaders, not join in! Don’t do it just because it’s “cool”. Peer pressure is as much pushed on adults as kids and teens. So make sure that you set an example, then enforce the idea, rather than simply letting it slide.

So what do you think?

Update 10:32 AM-6/14/07: Hey, this is Evan here.  A commenter named Laura made a good point in the comments about the volunteers who do things like snacks and sets.  I responded to her here. I would encourage you to check it out. Thanks!

In the Bible, Jesus was notorious for hanging out with “the wrong crowd”. He could commonly be seen with the drunks,  loose women, and sick that no one else would be seen with. Quite often he was criticized for this. Here’s some examples:

Mark 2:15-17 (ESV): “And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

Luke 4:36-47 (ESV): “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’
‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven–for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’”

Seems not much has changed since Bible times. Two types of people no one likes: tax collectors and sinners. But that’s not my point.
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Evan Doyle
Tech Admin/Author

I feel that my generation has an amazing chance to reach out and change the world.  Our postmodern generation has gone from avoiding “religion” all together to seeking it out and wanting to know more.  They’ve seen where the isolationism and hopelessness characteristic of “Generation X” landed them, and don’t want to have it happen again.  We need to take hold of that passion, and take our kids from apathetic to involved in and excited about ministry.

1 Timothy 4:12 is really my life verse.  Its exhortation to lead while young has been my driving passion.  And I believe that if you could light a fire of leadership under our generation of kids, they would be amazing agents of change in society.  So many times my generation is portrayed as spaced-out carefree kids, but we’re not.  We have as much stress in our lives as some adults I know.  Give us something to cling to, and we will.

The important thing is to take these ideas from ifs to action.  One thing the book “Be the Change” by Zach Hunter (already reviewed for our Super-Ultra-Amazing-Must-Read Book List!) points out is how often the church says “Wouldn’t it be great if…”, or “If only we could…”.  Don’t stop there!  It’s lovely to talk about these things, yes, but if you don’t put them into practice now, another generation of kids will not be dealing with the issues in their lives.

Rather than your kids having to tell you what their skills are, go to them and learn what they enjoy.  You may be surprised at what your kids can do and how they can help you if you just ask.  That’s how I developed to who I am today.  I asked Ryan if I could make PowerPoints for our kids choir that he directed at the time.  He approved.  Over time, he began asking me to do little bits more at a time, until I got to where I am today.  Four years ago if you told me if I was going to be the Technology Director for KidzMatter and our church’s children’s ministry, author on a children’s ministry blog, and traveling to conferences all over the country, I would have laughed you into the next century.  But passion leads to calling.  And my calling is children’s ministry.

Be The Change
Written by: Zach Hunter
Publisher: Invert/Youth Specialties/Zondervan
Themes:Anti-Slavery, World-Changing, Inspiration, Young Writers

Slavery is not something you think of as part of modern-day society. But chew on this: 27 million people are in modern-day slavery around the world (according to the UN and other sources). That’s more in slavery at one time then during the entire transatlantic slave trade combined. Astounding, isn’t it? But that’s the theme of Be the Change. Written by 15 year old abolitionist Zach Hunter, this book not only focuses on changing the world by eliminating slavery, but also by changing the world immediately around us. The book is absolutely full of quotes and facts about slavery and world-changing that I could spend hours talking about, but I won’t take time for that here.

I knew modern-day slavery existed before I read the book, but my eyes were opened to the atrocities still committed today. This book is not only great for you to read and be inspired, but for your middle school kids too. Each chapter includes discussion questions for both group and personal settings, as well as a chapter-by-chapter challenge. You could easily use it as a middle school summer curriculum in a discussion group setting.

So you may think, “Great, but how can I change things?” Zach presents two ways in the book:
1. Support free trade products. Choose not to buy products you may suspect are made in sweatshops or under unfair conditions. There is only so much you can do in this area, but it’s a good start.
2. Start a Loose Change to Loosen Change project. This simple project collects the loose change of kids, parents, and friends, and donates it to Anti-slavery organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.lc2lc.com.

I would highly encourage you to read this book, even if you just need an “encouragement boost”. I know it lit a fire under me to think that someone my age was doing something so big. To only think what we could all do together in this area.

Buy “Be the Change” at Amazon.com

To see some heart-wrenching statistics on slavery, click the “Continue Reading” link below.
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