The 9 Pitfalls of Volunteer Rotations

by Chase | Kid Min, Leadership, Student Min

Every church leader I talk to has the same frustration: People are too busy to serve at church.

It’s been this way for quite some time, so we started rotations to help convince busy people that serving is doable. The aim was to make ministry more manageable and volunteer friendly. But over the years, we have created a dangerous culture that values volunteers more than actual ministry. 

Nearly every church has a rotation of some sort within their church. Within family ministry (my context is babies through college), volunteer rotations run rampant. Volunteers have the option of serving one out of four (or more) weeks in an area.

Seems harmless enough, right?

Over time, I believe this system leads to volunteer burnout, frustrated parents, and kids who aren’t ministered to effectively. Here are a few unintentional issues we have created within the family ministries with volunteer rotations. 

The 9 Pitfalls of Volunteer Rotations

(This applies to both kids and student ministries. I use the word “kids” just to keep some consistency through the post.)

Your Leaders Are Not Rested

One of the main reasons for rotating volunteers is to give leaders flexibility and rest. But the truth is that many volunteers are on multiple rotations (nursery, welcome team, kids worship, etc.) and rest never actually happens. They end up serving in more areas of the church because it’s “just one Sunday out of every four.” They probably serve just as much as your leaders who serve every week in the same area, but they end up with multiple areas of responsibility, more than one set of procedures to learn, and lots of people to know and minister to. 

Elevates Leader Preference Over Kid’s Needs

Is rotating teachers best for the adult leaders or the kids? Rotations cater to the needs of the volunteers. Kids need consistency, relationships, and mentors. Rotations can communicate that we value adult’s schedules more than the kid’s spiritual needs. 

Administratively Exhausting

Pastors dread the words, “Can you find me a replacement?” Trying to get new leaders on the fly when the volunteer for that day cancels, doesn’t show, forgets, or is sick is a nightmare. How do you find a replacement? Can you get them extra curriculum? Does the new person have a background check? Constantly finding replacements and continually reminding people that it is their week to serve is administratively exhausting. It is much easier to have a few substitutes ready when needed than to recreate your entire volunteer roster every week because it’s summer vacation season or a holiday. 

Kids Do Not Know The Leaders

If your Sunday school class had a new teacher each week, how would you get to know them? Honestly, most kids simply don’t. Sure, they may know Ms. Heather’s name, but they don’t really know her or feel secure with her. There is too much transition and newness to create safe environments. I’ll say it again, kids need consistency, relationships, and mentors. They don’t need a new adult with a new way of doing things every week. 

Leaders Do Not Know The Kids

Working in kids ministry is more than teaching a lesson – it is about knowing your kids, their hobbies, and their families so you can connect with them and minister to them. Rotations make it impossible for a leader to develop relationships with kids. If you only minister to a kid 12 times a year, you have not made a lasting impact.

Parents Do Not Know The Teachers

When parents have questions, it is hard for them to navigate which teacher is the main teacher. Who is the contact for the upcoming summer camp? Who knows the details about the family campout? Who puts names on the list for baby dedications? More often than not, a teacher on a rotation has no idea. And from a parent’s perspective, it is difficult to learn four leaders’ names. The less connected the parents feel, the fewer opportunities you have to minister to their kids.

Inconsistent Teaching and Styles

When four teachers rotate in one room over four weeks you essentially have four teaching styles, four schedules, and four routines for the group of kids to experience. The more leaders you add to the equation, the more inconsistent each week is (even if they are using the same curriculum).

Lack of Policies

The less a worker is in the room, the fewer policies they remember. This isn’t to say the worker isn’t a great person. Volunteers have the right intentions. But when you serve once a month, it’s easy to forget child protection policies, checkout processes, what needs to be cleaned, and how to handle discipline problems. If you serve on more than one rotation, you have to remember the procedures for even more areas. 

Lack of Ownership

Whose job is it to minister throughout the week if leaders only work once per month? The hope is that all the volunteers in an area are praying for the kids and their families, thinking of ways to connect with them throughout the week, encouraging kids to grow in their faith, and more. But is that realistic? No. Ownership of that ministry area fades when you see your role as a once-per-month commitment only.

Now What?

Do you only have rotating volunteers for your ministry? If so, how can you secure more consistent leaders?

If you have consistent teachers from week to week, how can you encourage them to keep serving faithfully but also provide rest for them?