Training Your VBS Volunteers

With an onboarding process like that, do you think that VBS volunteer will be willing to serve again next year? Not likely. But all too often, that’s how we train our volunteers. In our desperation to fill roles, we fail to prepare people for these roles. We aren’t setting up our volunteers to succeed.

Training your VBS volunteers should become a VBS nonnegotiable each year.

Training your VBS volunteers should become a VBS nonnegotiable each year.

1. Introduce them to the year’s theme and lessons. Each year’s VBS features a different theme and lessons. Make sure your volunteers are familiar with them. Each element in every area should be tied back to the theme and lessons; more than just your Bible study teachers need to be familiar with the theme.
2. Make sure new volunteers understand how your church does VBS. Every church’s VBS looks different. Go over the schedule, room assignments, theme days, and all of those details that make your VBS, your VBS. This is especially important for new volunteers. If they feel unprepared and unsure of what is happening, they aren’t as likely to return next year.
3. Train volunteers on welcoming and connecting with children. When it comes to making a child feel loved and welcomed at your VBS, everything matters from facial expressions to what you do waiting for service to start. Train volunteers on how they should connect with children and give them ideas on showering kids with Jesus’ love.
4. Cast the vision of VBS over and over again. You aren’t having VBS because none of the adults in your church had anything better to do. You have VBS because it can make an eternal difference in the lives of children. Cast that vision to your VBS volunteers. If they understand the importance of VBS, the way they lead at VBS changes.

There are lots of details that need to be communicated to volunteers, and in order to properly set up your volunteers to succeed in their role, you need to train them on it. But how? Luckily for you, you’ve got options.

• Host an in-person training meeting.
• Make and distribute VBS packets containing all of the important information.
• Film training videos to send out.
• Host work days for specific areas, offering training in those specific areas.
• Send out emails with training papers, videos, or notes.
• Have a 5-minute VBS huddle leading up to VBS.
• Make it a lunch-and-learn or a VBS volunteer dinner.
• Do things backward and have your VBS appreciation banquet/dinner/breakfast before VBS and provide training then.
• Direct volunteers to watch videos from the Answers VBS YouTube channel.

Get creative and figure out how best to train your particular group of volunteers.

Get creative and figure out how best to train your particular group of volunteers. You might need to offer a variety of training options so that everyone can make it work for both their schedules and the way they learn best. However, you decide, make the commitment today that you will intentionally train your volunteers so this year’s VBS will be the best yet!