Secrets of a Seasoned Volunteer

By Cheryl Franklin Baertschi July 26, 2016

The year was 2010 and the last of our 4 boys headed off to college and suddenly the house became quiet—too quiet! I did not realize how much I would miss the sound of high school kids in the basement playing pool and ping pong, chaperoning trips to Washington DC and Disneyland, and preparing our kids for mission trips. I never thought I would hear myself say it, but I missed being with students! So, I decided to volunteer with the Student Ministry at our church. The past six years have flown by. I have been to New Orleans twice, Spain, Kansas City, various retreats, and hosted a number of events in our home. This past few weeks, my social media has reminded me of these experiences. I decided it was a good time to reflect back and think about what I have learned over the years.

• Never leave your cell phone unattended. You will have 250 selfies in a matter of seconds
• Always have ibuprofen and Band-Aids within arm’s reach
• Girls have a lot of words
• Girls open their hearts and share more while coloring
• If you open your door and bake some cookies, students will come
• It is my job to say the same thing as parents, I just have a different voice
• Communication with parents is essential
• Praying for my students is just as important as being with my students
• On an 18 hour van ride, choose someone to sit behind you who does not crack their gum and if a video is made of that interaction, keep in mind it should not be used as a promo for volunteer behavior
• If you take photos at an event, it is expected you have those photos up within an hour
• If you have a real camera, keep in mind #1
• Planning ahead is absolutely crucial and YES, the details are important
• You can tell the students how long their shorts have to be for a mission trip, but they will ask you the same question about it 20 times, in hopes that it might change (Just go to Kohls, girls)
• Doug Franklin and LeaderTreks is an invaluable resource in helping youth leaders
• NO cell phones on mission trips or conferences. I will repeat this, NO cell phones on mission trips or conferences….enough said!
• If you made a rule about those cell phones, stand firm in the consequences
• Don’t be afraid to go into the mess
• Take time to listen. Just listen, don’t solve
• Love students where they are at
• If a student needs help beyond what you can give, advocate for them to get that help
• Laugh with students
• Cry with students
• If there is a sparkly jeweled pillow in the room you are staying, just make the best of it—you are making memories
• The REAL youth ministry happens outside of Sundays and Wednesdays
• The real bonding with students happens in the one-on-one interaction
• There is a difference between mentoring and discipleship
• Go to where the students are: their games, their concerts, their school
• Cancel the dinner reservations and stay at hospice. You don’t want to miss the blessing of joining a family in singing praises to the Lord in the midst of the pain of losing their mom
• Take a girl who didn’t get asked to Prom out for a fancy dinner with your husband on Prom night. Tell her how special she is and remind her of God’s plans for her
• Give lots of hugs
• Send written notes of encouragement—beyond texts, beyond a Facebook message—actual written notes
• Create a safe place for open sharing and listening
• Girls can braid hair like I have never seen before
• After a week-long mission trip in the summer, students stink. Embrace the stink
• Ideas and plans must be followed by implementation
• Students are smarter than you give them credit for. They will know if you are truly wholeheartedly engaged or not. You better not fake it
• The student acting out the most or being the most annoying is probably the one who needs love the most
• A youth leader can only serve through the power of Jesus Christ
• One-on-one follow up is critical, particularly after retreats and mission trips
• Take the names of all students in group, write them on pieces of paper, and pray for them, by name, daily
• If they don’t have a Bible, get them a Bible
• It’s ok, not to know the answer, look for answers together with the student
• Do NOT stop communicating with students after they graduate high school
• You do not have to be in a specific role in your church’s youth ministry in order to serve students. In fact, sometimes you can make a bigger difference outside of that
• A youth ministry program with a lack of student leadership is missing vital opportunities
• Personal invitations work best when trying to encourage students’ participation. It lets them know they are wanted and needed.
• Keep in mind that students want you to spend time with them. Discover them, connect with them, and pursue them
• There will be times of weariness and discouragement.
• More and more young Christian young people are walking away from their faith in their early 20’s. Now is not the time to abandon them
• It is critically important to prepare our high school students for heading off to college and how to find a church and get involved in a Christian ministry

After my kids moved out, I found myself needing to add some more “noise” to my life. During the years that my kids were in Jr. High and High School age, I loved being a part of the youth ministry. Now that they have moved on, I still love being in the trenches! I hope you will use this list as an encouragement and as a guidepost for your own ministry or for adult volunteers in your church. The students that I have had the privilege of working with have taught me so much these past six years and I look forward to the new lessons they will teach me in the future! What does your youth ministry list look like?