Recruiting Counselors

One of the best ways to increase the reach and effectiveness of your Cadet club is to recruit effective counselors. Asking someone to commit to being a Cadet counselor can be a daunting task, and it can seem as if the timing is never right. But God is in control of the timing of events – our job is to be ready for whatever He sends our way. This means that recruiting is an ongoing process and not just a set of steps designed to get men on board with the Cadets ministry.

Your primary concern during this recruiting process is to find men who have a heart for reaching boys for Christ. Even if it seems time and talents may be lacking, if a counselor truly feels called to Cadets, he will find the time and learn the skills necessary to be a good counselor.

How do you find such men? Here are a few things that will help make the search easier:

• Pray regularly that the Lord will lead you to the right candidates (and the right candidates to you). You are seeking someone who is also being called, and you will want spiritual discernment.
• Be active in your church so you can be aware of and in contact with potential counselors. You won’t be able to encourage someone to get involved unless they can see that you are involved.
• Keep your eyes open to see the Spirit’s work in the men of your church community. God controls the timing, but you can – and should – always be ready to see potential opportunities.

If you have someone that you think could be a good candidate, extend an invitation to meet with you (and possibly another counselor) so that you can explain a little about the program. Traditionally, this meeting might take place over coffee. In our current situation of social distancing, your meeting may need to take place over the internet. Make sure the potential counselor understands that this meeting in no way obligates him, but that you feel it is important that he get a good idea of what the Cadet ministry is about before making a decision.

In your meeting with the potential counselor(s), it is important to be very up-front about the struggles as well as the exciting things that the Lord is doing. It is also important to emphasize that while the Cadeting ministry takes time, energy, perseverance, and prayer, it also involves much fun and a lot of joy.

You may want to present some Cadet materials – guidebooks, counselor manuals, Cadet Quest magazine, etc. – to give the potential counselor a better idea of how the programs work. You may also want to refer to the counselor job description as a guide to what is expected of counselors. Think about leaving them with a copy of the “What it means to be a counselor” brochure. Again, depending on the nature of your meeting, you may need to share these materials digitally (we’ve included some links below).

Ask him to take the information that is presented and pray about it and that you will talk to him in a few days and ask if he feels the Lord’s calling.

Though it can be challenging, be encouraged in your recruitment efforts knowing that the better and more effective your counselors are, the better and more effective your club will be.