VOLUNTEERS: From AARP to TOMS Wearers, and Everyone In-Between

“When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, 'Surely the LORD's anointed is before me.' But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: a man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart' ” — 1 Samuel 16:6-7.

YOUTH MINISTRY looking for qualified volunteers to work with amazing junior high and high school students. Applicants must have the following characteristics and abilities:

1. Young (between the ages of 20 and 26. Those who are older must look like they are between the ages of 20 and 26).
2. Attractive.
3. Funny.
4. A complete extrovert (he or she may be asked to do wild and crazy things at the drop of a hat in order to keep the attention of students at all times).
5. Cool.
6. Addicted to Facebook and twitter.
7. Have a special license to drive a 15 passenger van.
8. Must wear TOMS shoes.
9. Must look great in a beanie in all seasons of the year.

If you are a youth pastor and you look at this list and honestly think, “Perfect,” then I'm afraid to say that you are becoming dangerously close to choosing the wrong leaders for God's ministry that he has entrusted to you. How do I know this to be the case? Because when I first started youth ministry, this was the list that I thought was important. (Of course not exactly every single item—they didn't need to have a license to drive a 15-passanger van or bus, but it was strongly encouraged) I did not have it written out, but subconsciously it was easy for me to fall into the trap to find staff members who fit this criteria.

As years went on I learned that there were so many students that I was not reaching because my personality was not one that they could relate with. I learned that there are students, created by God, who were introverts, extroverts, athletes, academicians, artists, thespians, band geeks, computer nerds, video gamers, surfers, contemplative thinkers, class clowns, reactors and responders–and the list goes on. There is absolutely no way that I can effectively reach each one of these types of students in my own. There was a need to find staff members who could relate with these types of students.

I've grown to learn that the first thing that any youth pastor should do when looking for volunteers is to pray. We need to be asking God his opinion about the people that he wants involved in his ministry to the students that he has a contrast to entrusted to us. In the passage above Samuel thought that he had found the perfect leader to replace King Saul. However, God had something else in mind.

We are like Samuel. We're quick to look at the appearance of the individual while God is quick to look at the condition of the heart. God made this very clear to me when he brought a sweet little grandma to my high school volunteer team, and I am not sure that I have ever met a better youth worker than her. She had long conversations with the most introverted students, and they would open up to her in ways that they would never open up to me. Why? Because everyone loves grandma. She would take students to ice cream, students that would not talk or open up to anyone else on the staff. Each student was loved by Grandma Lee. And each student adored her. And in that amazing relationship, I sensed the smile of Jesus on me because his hardheaded boy finally learned the lesson.

Keep these things in mind when looking for staff members to join your volunteer team:

1. Start with prayer.
2. Look for people of godly character before specific personalities.
3. Make sure the person you were talking to about joining your staff actually loves Jesus and students.
4. Make the application process take effort for the applicant.
5. Shepherd the staff God blesses you with.
6. Be prepared: Not all of your staff members will be exactly like you.

When you build a staff with people of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and personalities, you will see effective ministry become a reality. Not only will more students be reached, but more types of students as well. In the hands of Jesus, Grandma Lee, the Tom's–wearing college student, and everyone in between, will be used to impact his kingdom. That's the beauty of ministry.