M I N I S T RY | K I D S
Recruiting a Multigenerational Volunteer Team The five R’s of onboarding all ages By KATIE MACIEL
A
few years ago, as I looked over my volunteer roster while planning for the week ahead, the Holy Spirit stopped me and asked me to look closer.
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Winter 2022
I sensed Him saying, “Remember the volunteers who invested in you as a child — the spiritual family of young and old, the ones whose names you remember to this day? Does your volunteer team have all ages serving the next generation?” I needed to do a better job of recruiting a multigenerational team. I want children to have a church family that includes spiritual grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters. No matter what their home life looks like, kids can experience God’s family by interacting with volunteers from all generations. The challenge is bringing together such a team. It requires intentionality and time, but it is well worth the effort. I started with what I call the five R’s of generational onboarding: