At the beginning of the semester we all make a big push to get as many people interested in our ministry as possible. It makes sense, especially because it’s the best time to reach out to students before they choose what they will commit to. But getting students in the door is only the beginning, after that the real work starts.
Often it’s easier to get someone to check out your ministry than it is to get them to come back.
Plenty of students come to a meeting, but few feel like they make connections with others or see a place that they fit. While not everyone will want to serve in a capacity within your ministry, everyone wants to feel needed in some way. The best way to keep people coming back is to offer next steps for new people from the time of your first meeting until the end of the year.
So, when John comes to your meeting for the first time hand him a folder or short list describing ways he can get involved. When Sarah hears an announcement about the need for students to help create and hand out flyers she may see that as an opportunity to get to know other students. When Dave gets invited to join a small group he’ll feel like a part of the group.
There should always be ways for you to offer next steps for students to get involved. I’m not suggesting you immediately involve them in leadership or put them on the worship team, but there are always tasks to be done that require less responsibility. There are several ways you can let students know how they can get involved.
- have new students fill out a form with their contact info and ask what areas they would be interested in helping out
- for areas that really need volunteers make an announcement during your meetings
- hold open leadership meetings regularly for anyone interested in contributing to the group (this will also help you find potential leaders)
- encourage your students to intentionally reach out to new students
Even if you don’t have tasks to hand out you can easily make people feel included simply by getting them into small groups or personally inviting them to social events.