My dissertation is live at ProQuest and available on Amazon in physical and Kindle formats for anyone that wants to dive into my research project and learn more about what I’ve been working on the last few years during my doctoral pursuit. Here is the abstract:
Volunteer retention is an often overlooked, yet important part of the youth pastor’s leadership. Leading volunteers has been a consistent challenge for youth pastors over the years. While there are many resources that focus on recruiting and training volunteers, there has been very little focused on identifying factors that encourage and facilitate long-term volunteer engagement. This dissertation identifies and examines key factors in volunteer retention in student ministry, identifying practical strategies that foster longevity in volunteers ministering to adolescents.
The study employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating an anonymous survey of 342 youth pastors, interviews with 14 youth pastors, and interviews with 8 long-tenured volunteers. Drawing on biblical truths, current literature, survey results and the interviews, this study identifies six primary factors that contribute to volunteer longevity: Clarity, Training, Relational Connections, Meaningful Service, Rest, and Appreciation.
This dissertation provides actionable recommendations for youth pastors and ministry leaders who recognize the critical need for adolescents to have consistent Christian adults present throughout their middle school and high school years in addition to their parents.
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