A Leader VIP Meeting Structure

Let’s admit it. Your volunteer leaders are the VIPs of your ministry. It’s true; they are very important people, and they are more than simply names on a spreadsheet or glorified babysitters. These are men and women who have stepped up to volunteer in your ministry to serve in some capacity. That’s incredible! Because of that, they are important!

Throughout your ministry year, there are several ways to gather with them. There are important trainings, calendars to go over, vision to share, things to pray about, etc. But what if there was a way to sprinkle those things in week after week? Out of doing that, you might even build a new sense of community, build new routines for leaders, help ensure they get to church on time, and have fun together. Let me introduce you to what I call the “First Ten – VIP Meeting.” So, what is it, and how does it work?

Most youth ministries gather on a Sunday or Wednesday, where students and leaders hang out for a bit, play some games, do Bible Study, and then head home. Your student ministry programming is probably designed with the students in mind. That’s a great thing! But what if there was a way to include your volunteers every week? Insert your weekly “First Ten – VIP Meeting.” This is a simple structure you can implement each week with your volunteer leaders before your student ministry programming begins. It only takes 10 minutes, and it can be the first thing you do with your leaders once they get to where you meet at church. Here’s the breakdown for your VIPs.

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V – VISION

Your volunteer leaders need vision. They need to be reminded of the purpose of the gathering. They need to be reminded of what they’re doing and why it matters. As their youth leader, you can share the vision for the night with them. Maybe that’s an overview of a message, Bible study, a game, the goal of the small group, etc. Use this time to encourage your leaders that the ministry they are doing matters. One thing I’ve always enjoyed sharing during this time is a story of God at work. What greater encouragement and vision reminder than sharing with them how God is working in the students they are leading? These stories can cover a number of things. It could be a story of a leader who stepped up and went above and beyond, a student who made a spiritual next step, a story of a student bringing their friends to church. A story of God at work is simply that. God at work in your ministry that you celebrate with your volunteer leaders. Vision is motivating, empowering, and encouraging. You must share it!

I – INFORMATION

This is a quick chance to remind them of anything important you have coming up. Ask yourself, “What information do my volunteer leaders need to have right now?” You can always share the calendar or the “need to know” of the ministry with them. If there’s a deadline for an event, if there’s a new sign-up starting, if there’s anything else they need to know to help them communicate with students and parents, this is your chance to let them know. Information isn’t always fun to share, but it’s important. You want your leaders to know and have as much information as they possibly can.

P – PRAYER

Spend your final few minutes praying for each other and the ministry. It’s a great culture builder to ask your volunteer leaders how you can pray for one another. This is great for building the community of the group and allows you, as their youth leader, to pray for them, be let into what’s going on in their lives, and provide a space for them to share so that they can receive encouragement, help, and prayer. I’ve been moved by the prayer requests leaders will share in our weekly meetings.

This time of the meeting also gives everyone a chance to unite their minds and hearts in prayer before they get back out and continue ministering to students. It is the power behind all that we do in our ministry. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Prayer in the church is the steam engine which makes the wheels revolve, and really does the work, and therefore we cannot do without it.”

That’s the VIP meeting. It’s a short and sweet weekly meeting that you can begin to implement in your ministry at any given point. It gives you, as the youth leader, the opportunity to share vision, information, and prayer with the VIPs of your ministry!

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

• How often do you meet with your volunteer leaders? Do you think it is at a healthy rhythm? Why or why not?
• Out of vision, information, and prayer, which category do you feel like you are doing well in? Which category do you feel like you need to improve in? Why?

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