Making Time for Volunteer Training
Welcome to the final part of our series on planning your disability ministry calendar! So far, we’ve covered:
Calendar Planning for Disability Ministry
Balancing Your Disability Ministry Calendar
Event Ideas for Disability Ministry
…and now: Making Time for Training!
So, you’ve planned your events and made your calendar. It looks amazing. But now you need to get your volunteers in order. Finding the time to train your volunteers can be challenging, especially if you are adding new volunteers frequently. Below are some strategies we’ve heard from others that can be helpful in making sure all of your volunteers get trained without busting your calendar:
Host an in-person training session once per semester.
Record any trainings so you can send them out to new volunteers who join in between the in-person sessions.
Send your slide deck along with the recorded trainings.
“Office Hours” for new volunteers to chat 1:1 with the disability ministry leader/coordinator or other volunteers.
Training volunteers is one of the most-asked questions we get at Awe & Wonder. We don’t have time today to dive into every aspect of training volunteers, but here’s a few points to include in your training that might help get you started.
Disability 101. This could be an overview of common disabilities or disabilities that are currently specific to your context. Give enough information for volunteers to feel informed but not overwhelmed.
How to use helpful tools. Give a brief overview of any commonly used classroom supports (visual schedules, sensory bags/rooms, break cards, Awe & Wonder curriculum, etc).
Give a few examples of possible behavior, as well as de-escalation tactics.
Involve parents. Parents are the experts on their children. Encourage volunteers to talk to parents of the individuals your ministry serves. You could even have a parent panel as part of your training session!
Open question and answer time. Let them ask the questions they’re scared or embarrassed to ask! This will make them more comfortable and more likely to ask for help when they need it.
Finding the time for training is hard, but vital. As we all know, the most effective training often happens on-the-go. Encourage your volunteers that they don’t have to know everything after one training session! If your volunteers are willing to learn and take the time to get to know the people they are serving, the rest will come in time.
Make the case for disability ministry in your church, describing the current landscape and your hopes for the future. Provide the biblical context for inclusion.
Remember, the Gospel is for Everyone!
Other resources for training volunteers:
Conferences are another wonderful training resource for volunteers, ministry leaders, and parents. Check back on Wednesday for a list of upcoming disability and children’s ministry conferences in 2026!
