Should Your Children's Ministry Volunteers Wear Matching T-shirts?

OrShould you require your children's ministry volunteers to wear matching children's ministry t-shirts when they serve? I've worked at churches that did it and some that didn't. I think there are good reasons to do it and some reasons you might not do it. Here are the reasons it's a good idea.

1. Creates a sense of belonging and team. Wearing matching shirts can lead to a "team" atmosphere and a sense of belonging. It can elevate the level of commitment and excitement your volunteers feel to serve when they remember that they belong to the team and feel connected to one another. When a new volunteer went through the training program at one church I worked at, after four weeks of training, one of the cool things we got to do was "graduate" that person to become an official volunteer and give them their shirt, and they knew then that they were a part of the team!

2. Takes away the stress of "what to wear" each Sunday. Instead of having to worry about picking out your church outfit each week, you always know what you're going to wear!

3. Cuts down on modesty issues or inappropriate clothing. If everyone is wearing their team T-shirts, you won't have to worry about clothing that's not appropriate for serving in children's ministry. Matching t-shirts can create a level of "professionalism" that is the same across the board for all volunteers.

4. Eliminates the "fashion show" mentality and levels the playing field. I love clothing and there's nothing wrong with dressing in trendy styles, but it can be tempting for some churches to get so caught up in trendy clothing and fashionable styles that the focus is shifted away from the true purpose: worshiping God and serving others. It can also cause some to feel left out or less-than if they can't (or don't want to) dress that way.

5. Gives visibility and recruiting in the church. When others in the main service, parking lot, lobby, or hallways see people wearing the children's ministry shirts, they may be inspired by knowing that person serves in children's ministry, or may be encouraged to want to serve themselves. The children's ministry shirts allows your church to see who serves in your children's ministry and appreciate those people.

6. Helps identify leaders for parents and new families. Parents and new guests can easily see who the leaders are and know who to come to with questions. It also allows everyone to see who is screened and approved to be in the kids' area. We also changed the shirts each year, so it helped us know who was current.

7. Shows value for volunteers. Everyone loves a free t-shirt! Especially ones that remind them of something important in their lives. One of the coolest things at one church was the volunteer 'rally' each year to kick-off the new ministry year, when we revealed that year's new shirt design. We revealed the shirts in a fun "fashion show" and the volunteers were not only excited to see the new design, but it encouraged them to attend that meeting to get their shirts that day! Some people had 7–10 (or more!) different shirts from the children's ministry from each year of serving. What a great way to appreciate and show that you value your volunteers!

8. Communicates and reminds everyone of your church's vision. If you're strategic about the shirt design, it can be a great opportunity to show everyone the mission, vision, or values of your ministry. 

9. Free publicity in the community. Volunteers could wear their shirts out around town and then others had an opportunity to see your church team out and about and ask about it. We actually had several new families attend our church because of talking with someone who was wearing their shirts out in the community.

10. Creates intentionality for serving. Rather than just showing up unprepared or at the last minute, planning ahead of time to wear the team T-shirt creates a level of intentionality for your volunteers before they ever serve that day. They need to find their shirt and make sure it's clean, then plan to wear it on Sunday. Some people might show up to serve and forget their shirt (or lose it!) so it's a good idea to keep extras on hand. 

Reasons You Might NOT Choose Matching T-shirts

1. The cost. Not all churches have the budget money to purchase matching t-shirts (especially with a new design each year) for volunteers.

2. Volunteers might not want to. Or YOU might not want to. Some people enjoy dressing up and wearing their own styles and expressing themselves through their style. Not everyone will want to wear t-shirts (or even pants; some wear dresses to church) to church. We did have several people who brought clothes to change into for serving.

3. It might be a hassle. Knowing the number of shirts and collecting sizes may be too much work. It might seem like too much of a hassle to get and track volunteers' sizes and order the right number of shirts (How many new volunteers will you recruit throughout the year? What do you do with the extras?). 

What do you think? Should volunteers wear matching t-shirts when serving in children's ministry?