Working with volunteers (and at some point, you’ll realize that’s largely what a “student pastor” does) is critical to a healthy youth ministry. Too often volunteers are older than us, so we’re intimidated, or they’re younger than us, so we’re intimidated in a different way. When talking with volunteers interpersonally or in a group, make sure these can’t be said of you:

Lots of “uhs”, “ums” and searching – He’s not prepared for this
When you ask for a volunteer’s time, make it worth it. If it could be done over an email, send it in an email. If video would work, by all means shoot a quick YouTube video and send out the link. But if you have to meet, make sure you give them something remarkable. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering content, it could be great community, clear teaching or a great Q&A. Just make sure when you are on stage, you’re delivering something worth their time.

Poor eye contact – She is searching for someone more important than me
In the craziness of the weekend with students climbing all over you and your youth room, it might be difficult to keep focused on the conversation. The only problem is, every moment you’re not intentional with your eyes is a moment they wonder if you’re listening and care.

Backing up from someone, always walking briskly - He’s in too much of a hurry for me
One of youth ministry’s worst enemies is hurry. Now, there are things that legitimately need to be done right now, but too often I catch myself rushing past a key adult to make sure some program element is ready. Be prepared, and sacrifice a tiny bit of quality to make sure your team gets the time they need.

JG