Case Study #3 Pool of Drool (The Search for Sunday School Boredom Busters)
Situation: When St. Albans Church has found it difficult to recruit Sunday School teachers, they developed a rotating schedule with different adult volunteers filling in each week. Initially, this approach seemed like the perfect solution. Youth got exposed to a broader range of adults, and no one had to carry the overwhelming responsibility of teaching every week. Though the teachers enjoy the flexibility, they complain that the students are often listless and bored; and when they are not, they are disruptive. The Youth Director Barry has tried every kind of curriculum imaginable. In fact, he makes it a point to purchase something new at the Christian Bookstore every 6 weeks.
The Solution: It’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to build momentum with adult leaders changing every week. The church and the youth ministry need the consistency of one (preferably two) dedicated leader(s) for each class, with a consistent volunteer base of one adult for every five active youth. Though the curriculum needs to be engaging, purposeful and age-appropriate, an exclusive focus on finding the “right curriculum” will not likely be effective apart from a consistent leadership team in place.
The Result: YMA helps churches devise strategies for developing sustainable volunteers, ensuring that the appropriate number of volunteers are recruited and trained (even if the first few attempts at recruiting are met with less than stellar results). YMA will also work with stakeholders in Church Education Program to create a template to identify and teach the church’s core competencies and locate creative resources and appropriate curriculum.
Additional Resources:
Article on 310 Family Based Youth Ministry Ideas.
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If you are interested in signing up for a FREE month trial fill out the form at the bottom of the link.
Contact us to schedule an assessment.
Read other case studies #1 #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7
Situation: When St. Albans Church has found it difficult to recruit Sunday School teachers, they developed a rotating schedule with different adult volunteers filling in each week. Initially, this approach seemed like the perfect solution. Youth got exposed to a broader range of adults, and no one had to carry the overwhelming responsibility of teaching every week. Though the teachers enjoy the flexibility, they complain that the students are often listless and bored; and when they are not, they are disruptive. The Youth Director Barry has tried every kind of curriculum imaginable. In fact, he makes it a point to purchase something new at the Christian Bookstore every 6 weeks.
The Solution: It’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to build momentum with adult leaders changing every week. The church and the youth ministry need the consistency of one (preferably two) dedicated leader(s) for each class, with a consistent volunteer base of one adult for every five active youth. Though the curriculum needs to be engaging, purposeful and age-appropriate, an exclusive focus on finding the “right curriculum” will not likely be effective apart from a consistent leadership team in place.
The Result: YMA helps churches devise strategies for developing sustainable volunteers, ensuring that the appropriate number of volunteers are recruited and trained (even if the first few attempts at recruiting are met with less than stellar results). YMA will also work with stakeholders in Church Education Program to create a template to identify and teach the church’s core competencies and locate creative resources and appropriate curriculum.
Additional Resources:
Article on 310 Family Based Youth Ministry Ideas.
Try one of our Spice Rack Lessons for FREE.
If you are interested in signing up for a FREE month trial fill out the form at the bottom of the link.
Contact us to schedule an assessment.
Read other case studies #1 #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7
