How to Build a Thriving Volunteer Team for an Adventure Sports Ministry
How we inspired over 100 people at a time to serve and lead the Bayside Adventure Sports' Ministry
Introduction
Bayside Adventure Sports (BAS) wasn’t a planned ministry for Bayside Church. It became the first church-based ministry in the country using adventure sports to attract and attach people to Jesus and His Church because we (my wife Gloria and myself) loved working with volunteers. I was hired to be the Middle School pastor in 1997 but by 1998 I was also running the “Extreme Sports Ministry” (the ministry’s first name which was later changed to BAS). It started because I had other people wanting to be volunteers ask me to enable them to do it. Yep, it was the volunteers who started this ministry, and it was the volunteers who made it work
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We started with a Dirt Bike ride (off road motorcycles) which was super fun and successful. We began scheduling more rides but those guys said they also rode mountain bikes and asked if I could help them plan some of those rides too. I did and people came! Then people heard I was taking my family camping in Yosemite and they asked if they could come along, so we started offering camping trips! Every time I spent any time at all promoting Bayside’s ESM (Extreme Sports Ministry) it attracted unbelievable attention as people invited their friends from the area to attend then they started going to Bayside Church.
At this point I was running a huge Middle School Ministry with almost 200 students, 2 interns, and 25 adult volunteers and we were still just a five year old church without a building! We had four kids at home ages 16, 15, 10, & 8 to whom Gloria and I were committed to raising well.
One of my Super-Powers is recruiting volunteers, and I focused more and more energy in this arena. I built a large team of adult volunteers for the ESM and the rest is history. We became a separate non-profit for insurance reasons and grew to be running 400 events per year with many of those weekend or week long events with hundreds of people. We launched a Sponsor program, did fund raisers, began doing International Adventures like climbing Kilimanjaro and trekking to Machu Picchu, and became one of the most effective ministries at Bayside Church for attracting new people to the church.
None of this would have worked without the army of volunteer adults who loved combining their love for Jesus with their passion for their particular sport. In this article, I want to cover some of the ideas I incorporated to build our volunteer team, because without them, none of this would have happened.
The Buffet Approach: Choose What Fits Your Ministry Stage
Before diving into the specifics, it’s crucial to understand that this article is designed as a buffet of ideas for you to choose from.
While there are foundational steps every adventure sports ministry must take—recruiting committed volunteers, providing basic training, and casting vision—many of the strategies, systems, and structures outlined here are for your future consideration as your ministry grows. And it will grow, especially if you have a team of trained and inspired volunteers!
Don’t feel overwhelmed by everything presented here. When starting out, you might have just one team of volunteers running events across several sports. That’s not only okay—it’s ideal for building unity and allowing the team to grow together. As your ministry expands, you can thoughtfully implement more of these ideas, customizing them to fit your church culture, volunteer availability, and ministry vision.
Think of this guide as a menu of possibilities. Take what works for your current season, bookmark ideas for later, and feel free to adapt everything to your unique context. The goal isn’t to do everything—it’s to build a sustainable, thriving volunteer team that will serve for years to come.
Working With Volunteers: The Foundation
The volunteer team is the core, the backbone of an adventure sports ministry. Building a thriving volunteer team is the most important aspect of the adventure sports director’s job and should occupy the largest block of time every week. With a large, strong, diverse, committed and effective volunteer team the only limit on the ministry is the ability of the director to keep all the volunteers engaged and going in the right direction. They are the key to offering more events, better events, larger events, safer events, and more profitable events. Remember, every event is an opportunity to tell people about Jesus and invite them to church.
Section 1: Recruiting Volunteers
The Philosophy of Perpetual Recruitment
Recruiting volunteers isn’t a seasonal activity or an occasional push when you need help. It’s a constant, ongoing mindset that permeates everything you do as an adventure sports ministry leader. Here’s how perpetual recruitment works in practice:
The ministry leader recruits everywhere, anywhere, and all the time. This means viewing every conversation, every event, every church service as a potential recruiting opportunity.
Every volunteer knows to recruit everywhere, anywhere, and all the time. When your team catches the vision for multiplication, they become your greatest recruiting force.
It’s surprisingly easy when you find the right people. If you meet someone who is a follower of Jesus and has a serious passion for one or more adventure sports, the only thing typically keeping them from becoming a volunteer is the fear that it will take too much time.
Address the time concern immediately. When potential volunteers hear that each person has a customized “job description” based on their “realistic time availability” and that you’re looking for people to pace themselves to serve for a minimum of two years rather than burn out after a season, their fears are put aside. We would rather have an army of volunteers who will serve just a few hours a month for years and years instead of a few volunteers who burn out after one season.
Making the On-Ramp Short and Fast
Don’t create unnecessary barriers to serving. If a person is already known by others in the ministry, they can literally begin serving that day. Why make it hard? The goal is to get people engaged quickly while they’re excited, not to create a lengthy application process that kills momentum.
If a person isn’t known by anyone in your ministry, then you or another key leader should meet with them to get to know them. This is about relationship and trust, not bureaucracy. This personal touch is essential—you’re building a team, not just filling positions.
The Five-Step Process for New Volunteers
While you want to keep the on-ramp fast, having a clear process helps potential volunteers know what to expect:
Start: Participate in at least three adventure sports events within the desired division. By attending multiple events, potential volunteers gain clarity about what the ministry actually does, see current volunteers in action, and determine if they could see themselves leading or assisting with events like these.
Show Intent: Read about possible volunteer roles and fill out the basic volunteer application online. This demonstrates genuine interest and commitment.
Share: Have an interview/discussion with the Division Leader about serving in that division. This isn’t a corporate interview—it’s a relationship-building conversation based on trust, respect, transparency, fun, and serving one another. Together, clarify and identify the position desired.
Sequence: Follow that division’s steps toward filling the desired position. Different divisions and sports will have different requirements. Some may include specific training for the sport, computer software training, assistance in leading events where experienced leaders can guide them, or outside training like first aid or smartphone app training (such as how to use a Garmin InReach GPS with Bluetooth).
Serve: Start serving with the division and allow the Lord to work through you in His amazing creation!
Defining Volunteer Roles and Job Descriptions
Being a volunteer with an adventure ministry means agreeing to use adventure sports to attract and attach people to Jesus and His Church. Practically speaking, this means every volunteer is living a life and connecting with other people in a way that naturally and organically connects those people to Jesus and the church.
As your ministry grows, you’ll want to define job descriptions based on the role each volunteer is taking on. Here’s a comprehensive framework of potential volunteer positions—remember, you won’t need all of these when starting out, but they provide a roadmap for growth:
Leadership Positions
Division Leaders (DL): Help recruit, organize, and lead a team of volunteers in a division/sport to plan outings. This is a leadership-focused position that requires commitment to building and maintaining a team.
Division Co-Leaders (DCL): Assist a Division Leader in organizing and planning for the division/sport. DCLs are positioned to take over as a DL if/when a transition is needed, providing crucial succession planning.
Activity Leaders (AL): Own and run activities for a specific division. There should be multiple ALs for every division, as this enables the division to offer events at different levels (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced). Often there will be a primary AL and one or more secondary ALs running a specific event together. For divisions that do hikes, rides, or any kind of trip, there should always be at least one leader and two assistant leaders so there’s someone at the back of the line and another who, in case of an injured person, can stay with that person and help them get back to where they need to go.
Support Positions
It takes many people to help a division grow and host events throughout the season or year. Here are areas where people can assist the ministry:
Social Media Staff: Help with pre-event postings and post-event postings on X, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Meetup, and other platforms.
Sponsor Support: Work as the liaison with local retail store sponsors who offer discounts to ministry members. Keep on top of how the ministry can serve the sponsor and where the ministry could use assistance from the sponsor. (See article on “Building a Sponsor Program”).
Training Coordinator: Work with Division Leaders to determine and assist in offering outdoor education classes for the division. These classes enable the ministry to help people get started in new sports through classroom sessions or practical outdoor sessions teaching and practicing skills.
Growth Track Campus Coordinator & Representatives: Help people at church campuses learn about what it means to be a Christian and how they can serve in ministry. The ministry needs coordinators and volunteers who can talk about adventure sports ministry opportunities with those considering a volunteer role.
Kiosk Coordinator & Hosts: Set up, host, and manage information booths on church campuses during weekend services and special events. Ideally, there will be a coordinator for each campus and multiple hosts who are trained to staff it.
First Aid & Medical Training Coordinator and Staff: Assist in offering Basic First Aid, CPR, and Wilderness First Aid certification courses to volunteers. Coordinate the overall plan to certify hundreds of volunteers.
Equipment Management: Manage, update, clean, and store ministry gear. Perfect for people who love taking care of equipment.
Travel Specialists & Epic Adventure Leaders: Develop and lead major adventure tours like Kilimanjaro trips, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and other international adventures.
Devotional Writing Team Director & Members: Create well-written short devotionals that naturally connect the sports to God’s Word. The ministry should provide models and coaching to work with this team.
Qualities to Look for in All Volunteers
For all positions, seek volunteers who are:
Fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ
Servant-minded
Team-oriented
Fit well and work well with the leadership
Section 2: Training Volunteers
The Personal Approach to Training
Training volunteers is a personal question—it depends on each person. Most people recruited as volunteers are already proficient at their sport because they’re passionate about it. The key is to put them into roles that fit their personality. If someone is a strong introvert, don’t ask them to be the outgoing connector for an event and try to teach them to be an extrovert. Instead, help them develop a role of building a few deep relationships through the ministry—something that comes more naturally. They may need some training on aspects of the ministry, though, like how to lead a conversation in a spiritual direction.
Volunteers may also need help learning how to use technology platforms (The App for the ministry, the church’s registration software, Meetup.com, Facebook, Instagram) or other computer-based parts of the ministry. Having an administrative staff person or tech-savvy volunteer who can walk people through these systems is invaluable.
Four Strategies for Building Your Volunteer Team
When building an adventure sports ministry, the volunteer team is the backbone. The larger and better the team, the more successful the ministry. When first starting out, having just one team of volunteers running all events through several different sports is a great way to build unity and allow the whole team to grow together.
As the ministry grows, dividing into subgroups or divisions that naturally connect related sports makes sense. One way of doing this is using groupings like:
Land Sports: Camping, hiking, mountain biking, road cycling, running, equestrian, shooting, hunting, etc.
Water Sports: Kayaking, SUPs, personal watercraft (jet skis), water skiing, sailing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, fishing
Snow Sports: Skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing
Motorized Sports: Dirt bikes, street motorcycles, 4x4s, side-by-sides, jet skis
As a ministry grows further, more teams can be formed for every sport or activity. This naturally makes it more work for the adventure sports leader to stay connected to every team, and it can also break down unity since hikers don’t naturally hang out with 4x4 people, or mountain bikers with fishermen.
One of the ways to keep the whole ministry moving forward and all volunteers connecting with one another is through regular gatherings for the whole team. Here are four suggestions—again, these are options to consider as your ministry grows:
1. Weekly Volunteer Leader’s Gathering (for all volunteers)
For Bayside Adventure Sports, Greg and Gloria Weisman hosted a Wednesday night gathering for volunteers at their home for over ten years. This weekly event runs year-round (with breaks for events or travel schedules) and has three components:
5:45-6:30pm Pot-Luck Dinner: People arrive, bring food, and meet one another. Socializing and connecting happen until everyone is ready to eat. People relax and sit around the home with others, eating a great meal and talking. This connectional time is really good because volunteers are often segmented by their sports. This helps build the team.
6:30-7:30pm Study & Discussion Time: The group studies books of the New Testament one chapter at a time, uses video Bible studies, or reads books together. Sometimes there’s an intro as a large group (sometimes 25 people), then breaking into small groups for discussion. The goal is to help each person grow in their understanding of the Bible, theology, and how to personally talk about spiritual things with people who come on events.
7:30-8:15pm Staff Training, Discussion, Planning: This varies quite a bit. It may be working through the calendar and planning events, training volunteers on software used by the ministry, or discussing case studies for how to deal with specific situations in the ministry.
Obviously, this model only works if the host (and their spouse) enjoy hosting people. It’s not mandatory attendance, but it’s incredibly healthy for building team unity and keeping volunteers spiritually grounded in their ministry work. The event functioned as the small group Bible study for about 20 of the volunteers.
2. Monthly Volunteer Leader’s Gatherings (for all volunteers)
Having all volunteers together monthly is usually very manageable for both the leader and volunteers. It’s very helpful to send a specific agenda of what will be covered to give volunteers a reason to attend.
Because many volunteers are in their positions because they want to be out doing activities and events rather than inside in meetings, it’s important to have specific topics for these gatherings. Here are some examples:
Training Topics:
First Aid Training
How to lead a devotional
How to launch comfortable conversations that lead to ministry
How to plan an event for your division
How to use ministry software platforms
How to respond to an emergency
How to build your division team
How to deal with difficult situations
Broad Planning Topics:
Planning an Adventure Sports Weekend
Creating logo-wear and logo-gear for the ministry
Planning a fund-raising event
Planning an all-volunteer retreat
Fun Reasons to Gather the Team:
Staff Christmas Party
Staff Annual Awards Night (honoring volunteers for years of service, special tasks done, growth, etc.)
A Night with the Senior Pastor—having the senior pastor come to encourage and thank volunteers
Game night—just to goof off and have fun
Staff bowling night—with volunteers required to be at a lane with other volunteers not from their sport
3. Monthly Division Leader Gatherings (for specific sports)
Having a monthly gathering for all the leaders of a specific sport or group (like Land Sports) makes it possible for the adventure sports leader to gather with more volunteers and help move the whole ministry forward. For example, Land Sports might meet the first week of the month, Water Sports the second week, Snow Sports the third week, etc.
4. Annual Volunteer Staff Leader’s Weekend Retreat (for all)
How fun would it be for your whole volunteer team to go away for a weekend trip where there could be great meals together and outdoor fun doing many different sports? While the team is small, this could happen at a large cabin. Or it could happen as a camping trip, or at a Christian camp. Getting the group all together, making memories, praying, being reminded of God’s calling on their lives, and having lots of fun will make this annual event a favorite.
Eight Indispensable Actions of a Volunteer Division Leader
Division Leaders or Sport Leaders are, next to the Director of the Adventure Sports Ministry, the most important people on the ministry team. The better the leader for a specific sport, the more successful and larger the ministry will be through that sport. Here are the eight most important actions:
Recruit a Co-Leader or Assistant Leader. The best news for a ministry is that there’s a plan in place for the next leader. Sharing leadership makes the job more fun, makes the ministry healthier, and if something happens to the leader, number two is there to cover for them.
Recruit and Build a Team. Perpetual recruiting should be the norm for a Division Leader. The larger and deeper the team, the more events can happen, the less work per event per person, and the more fun! Many people want to help behind the scenes with social media, gathering gear, planning events, preparing food, creating logo wear, or just making phone calls.
To build a large team, organize the team into subdivisions with different leaders for each subdivision. Each of these subdivisions can also offer training seminars for their specific focus. Here are some examples:
FISHING SUBDIVISIONS: 1) Fly Fishing; 2) Bass Fishing; 3) Trout and Stream Fishing; 4) Ocean Fishing
CYCLING SUBDIVISIONS: 1) Mountain Biking; 2) Road Cycling; 3) Bicycle Repair Classes
SHOOTING SUBDIVISIONS: 1) Handguns; 2) Shotguns (Trap, Skeet, etc.); 3) Rifles or long guns; 4) Conceal/Carry Classes
CAMPING SUBDIVISIONS: 1) Car Camping; 2) RV Trips; 3) Backpacking
HUNTING SUBDIVISIONS: 1) Duck; 2) Pheasant; 3) Big Game
Get Events on the Calendar. Having upcoming events on the calendar is what attracts people to the ministry. Having them posted at least a month in advance allows for marketing to get the word out to the community. Having them posted up to 6 months in advance helps build excitement and allows people to plan for attendance. This is especially true for events that are for a whole weekend or longer, as some may have to apply for time off work to attend.
Host Regular Team Meetings. Hosting regular meetings for the team to plan more events, celebrate and critique past events, offer specific training, watch a documentary about the sport, or just enjoy one another will reap great benefits for the ministry. A monthly gathering or planning for every other month can be a great way to build momentum.
Organize Team Training. Helping team members feel confident about how to lead trips and deal with unexpected challenges will not only keep the ministry healthy, it will also show attenders or participants that the leadership takes their roles seriously. Planning annual First Aid refresher classes, talking through case studies or situations that could come up, and training how to use technical assets like GPS, maps, and satellite devices are all valuable.
Model and Encourage Following Jesus. Being the leader in a Christian ministry necessitates the leader maintaining a close walk with Jesus and encouraging it in the team. Regular church attendance, participation in a small group, and personal disciplines of time with the Lord are all very important so that when out on events with other volunteers and attenders, there’s a vibrant faith to be shared.
Communicate with the Adventure Sports Ministry Director. Staying in regular contact with the adventure sports director allows him/her to guide the whole ministry and resource all of the other divisions. The primary job for the director is to build and encourage the volunteer team, and working closely with the Division Leaders makes the system work.
Pace Yourself and Keep It Fun. When a leader is enthused, healthy, looking forward, positive, and engaged, the whole team will catch the same spirit. When the leader is tired, burned out, discouraged, or negative, it can demoralize the whole team. It’s crucial that, as a volunteer, division leaders don’t assume a schedule or responsibilities that are not realistically possible to manage without burnout. Sometimes our own enthusiasm can lead us to make commitments that are just too much. Work closely with the team to keep it fun!
Remember: Division Leaders are guiding the teams for each sport of the adventure sports ministry. As they serve Jesus through their role of leading within the ministry, they enable many other volunteers to serve and thus become the backbone of the whole ministry. The list of tasks above is not comprehensive, but they are basic building blocks for the ministry.
Practical Example: How to Plan, Promote, and Lead a Hike
To give you a concrete picture of what volunteer training might look like in practice, here’s a comprehensive guide that could be used to train hiking leaders. This same framework can be adapted for any adventure sport in your ministry:
Phase 1: Planning the Hike
Figure Out Where and When: Plan a hike that you would enjoy hiking yourself—you’ll be way more enthusiastic about inviting others if you want to do this hike. Look at your own calendar and the ministry calendar to determine a date that works. Make sure the date is available and there’s not another hike already posted. It’s okay to have two hikes posted on the same day as long as they’re different levels or distances. Evaluate the time of the hike with the season, traffic, and weather.
Put a Plan Together: Figure out the address that works in a map program to get people to where hikers should meet—preferably a park and ride or other location near a bathroom, gas station, and possibly a convenience store. Make sure you’ve hiked the trail recently so you know it well. Check the web about the hike to make sure there isn’t anything in the news about the trail (fire destroyed it, person lost on it, closed for restoration, etc.). Figure out how many people are good for the hike—15 is a good number, but keep in mind permit limits (like Desolation Wilderness’s limit of 12). It’s common for people to cancel at the last minute or not show up, so you can take that into account when setting your limit. Registration systems will keep a waitlist that automatically bumps people up when there’s a cancellation.
Evaluate and Communicate: Evaluate the difficulty of the hike and rate it accurately. Determine any restrictions you might want to put in place, such as no children under 12, no one who has never hiked a certain level, etc. Will people need any money? Any fees involved? Toll roads? Determine any warnings you might want to mention: Fear of heights? Allergic to poison oak? Deathly afraid of snakes? Can’t do deep water crossings? Don’t like crowded trails? Don’t like horses or mountain bikes or dogs on the trail? Get altitude sickness easily? Get sore knees from long and steep descents?
Prepare Resources: Make a list of what each participant should pack (ideally have several different packing lists already created for different scenarios—you can refer to “Packing List #3: Summertime Hike”). Make a list of what you as the leader need to take. Plan or pick out a devotional that would work well for this trip.
Phase 2: Recruiting Co-Leaders and Promoting the Event
Recruit a Co-Leader or Two: Recruit an assistant hiking leader for the trip with whom you work well and who is well suited for this hike. It’s crucial to have someone at the front of the group and someone at the tail end of the group, and for those two people to be able to communicate (bring radios). If it’s a large group and there are people coming whom the Division Leader knows well, connect with those people in advance and ask them to assist with the hike.
Promote the Hike: At least a month in advance, post the details of the hike on your registration platform (like Meetup) or wherever the ministry events are posted. You might wait to officially “announce” your event until weeks prior (that’s when it will get emailed to members), as you’re more apt to have no-shows if you announce too early. You can also go to a past or future event and “copy” it, then make your edits.
Train for the Hike: Make sure you’re in shape for leading this hike. As a leader, you’re expected to be able to carry extra resources (a heavier pack) and still be in the lead.
Phase 3: Pre-Event Communication and Preparation
Check Registrations: Work with your administrative support to make sure all participants are members of the ministry and have signed the online waiver. Look at who is registered and determine if there are any people coming who are brand new to the ministry. If so, plan to do an orientation about what the ministry is all about. If all who are coming are veterans, orientation will be shorter.
Communicate with Participants: Remember that the goal is not to take any strangers on an event, so if someone is signed up whom you don’t know (they are a stranger), then call or meet with them in person to form a connection and make them “not a stranger any longer.” Post a friendly comment on your social media or registration page. Send an email to all participants with a reminder of what to bring, when and where to meet, how long it will probably take to get to the trailhead if it’s a long way, and any warnings or restrictions they need to be reminded of. Make sure all participants know your cell phone number and the number of the assistant leader.
Prepare Yourself: Pray that the Lord would bless this hike. Make sure your own transportation is safe and secure. Get a good night’s sleep the night before. Print out the list of those coming or download it to your phone. Pack your own pack with all items necessary for this hike, including: at least 3 radios with fresh batteries, fully stocked first aid kit, map and compass, trekking poles, lunch, extra socks, rain poncho, survival kit, multi-tool, duct tape, cell phone with good battery, camera, ministry shirt and hat, ministry sign to put on car, extra printed liability waivers, “opt out” forms, and extra supplies for participants (extra water bottle, energy bars, Gu or Power Gel for immediate energy help).
Phase 4: The Day of the Hike
Morning Preparations: Pray that the Lord will use you. Check the weather again for the area you’ll be in. If it has changed significantly, determine if you need to communicate that to participants. Check your registration platform, email, and text messages to catch any last-minute messages. Double-check your pack against the packing list to make sure you have everything. Leave extra early so you don’t have to rush while driving.
Gathering the Group: Get to the location where the group is to meet and park your vehicle in a location where people will easily see you and can park near you. Put a sign out for the organization or ministry so people know you’re the host. Welcome people as they arrive, ask their names, and check them in. Have them add their emergency contact info on your list. Give a radio to the assistant leader and make sure they know how to use it. If any arrive who haven’t filled out a liability release, have them fill one out and give it to you.
Carpooling: Due to liability issues, the ministry cannot organize or provide carpooling. Explain that you cannot arrange or provide carpooling (have a carpool waiver that discloses this). It’s up to the participants to arrange their carpooling with the drivers. Be sure everyone has directions to the trailhead. Mention the bathroom stop for the ride to the trailhead.
Phase 5: Orientation at the Trailhead
Conduct a thorough orientation covering:
Welcome: Welcome everyone warmly.
Attendance: Introduce yourself and co-leaders with a little info about yourselves. Have each person introduce themselves to the others as you check people off expected attendance. Make a count of how many will be hiking so you can easily confirm if everyone is accounted for.
Unregistered Attenders: If there are any in attendance who did not pre-register, have them fill in a liability release and pay if there’s a fee to collect.
Give Brief Overview of Ministry: (If all attenders are veterans, you may skip this.) Explain that you’re a Christian organization for everyone—you love to have anyone and everyone participate, no matter what background. You’re a ministry of the church. If people don’t have a local church they enjoy attending, consider visiting yours. Explain your belief in “Transformation through Recreation in God’s Creation”—if you recognize God’s creative fingerprints out here, it’s hard not to be changed. Mention the various sports offered and your motto.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions: “Do any of you have a pre-existing medical condition that I should know about? You can either tell me now or in private, but I need to know if anyone here has any of the following: any kind of pre-existing heart condition; diabetes; issues with feet, ankles, knees, or hips that could be aggravated by hiking; prescription medications you’re taking; severe allergies such as bees—and if so do you have an EpiPen (epinephrine injector) with you?”
How Today Will Work: Theres a lot here that you might want to use in the Orientation:
a. Explain that everyone should stay between the leaders during the hike. The leaders have radios and can communicate if you need to stop.
b. Ask people to help reach the destination on time by not stopping constantly for photos—take pictures quickly and catch up with the group.
c. Encourage getting to know some new people while hiking.
d. Practice “Leave No Trace” principles—stay on the trail, pack out everything you brought, including all trash, orange peels, etc.
e. If you see horses on the trail, step off the trail, take your pack off, set it down, and talk calmly with the horse/riders as they come by.
f. Explain when you’ll plan to eat lunch or take a snack break together.
g. Remind them that “our feet are our transportation—let’s take care of them.” If they begin to have any kind of irritation or blister forming, let a leader know and stop to take care of it. You can assist with duct tape, band-aids, or moleskin.
h. Explain that you can spread out on the trail, hiking at different paces, but everyone must be responsible for the person behind them. At any intersection or confusing part of the trail, stop and wait for the person behind you so they can see which way to go. If anyone gets separated and thinks they’re off the trail, stop and wait. Don’t continue hiking. Call out to the others in the group, use your whistle, or your phone if there’s service.
i. Remind them of the list of suggested items to carry: plenty of water, snacks, lunch, extra layers of clothing, an extra pair of socks, any personal medications, TP, etc.
j. If anyone chooses not to complete the hike with the group today and decides to stop early and go back on their own, ask them to fill out an official “Opt Out” form. Ask if there are any questions.
k. Close with: “As a ministry, we like to always begin our hikes with a word of prayer, please allow me to pray for our day.” Keep the prayer short, don’t use churchy language, don’t have people hold hands in a circle, don’t ask others to pray if you don’t know them well. “When we get to our destination, I would like to read a short devotional for the group. In the meantime, let’s enjoy getting to know each other on the hike.”
l. Ask everyone to make sure their vehicle is locked and their keys are with them, use the bathroom, and meet right back here in 5 minutes to begin the hike.
Phase 6: During the Hike
Starting: Make sure everyone is present and ready (take a head count to make sure) and take a group photo with everyone spread out enough to see each person’s face and clothing. This is important because if one of those people gets lost, then this photo will be used to give to Search And Rescue, showing them exactly what the person is wearing. Then the leader should lead out at a very moderate pace, checking in with the group regularly as this is when the leader will recognize any issues with pace and/or fitness issues among the guests.
Blister Check: At a logical rest stop, ask the group if anyone is feeling any sore spots or hot spots on their feet. Remind them that stopping a blister from forming is way better than managing a blister that has formed.
Water/Food Check: Make sure people are staying hydrated. Remind them that the number one cause of most issues is not drinking enough. Also remind them that it’s better to snack along the trail than to wait and eat a big meal later.
Encourage Connection: Remind the group to hike with some new people and get to know others while on the trail.
Phase 7: At the End of the Hike
When getting back to the vehicles, gather the whole group for a quick Post-Hike Meeting covering:
Thanks for coming with us today!
Are we all here? Make sure everyone is accounted for.
If you took any photos, we would love to see them! You can upload them or send them to the leader.
If you borrowed any equipment, like radios, trekking poles, etc., please bring them over to the leader’s vehicle or the vehicle of whomever you borrowed it from.
If you enjoyed the experience, please share your thoughts/photos on social media and email your friends and family. We would love to have them join us next time.
If you think you might want to help or volunteer in our ministry in the future, please let the leader know.
If you don’t have a home church, please consider visiting one of our campuses or the church the leader of the hike attends.
Would you like to join a great small group Bible study? We have several to join.
“This is the conclusion of our Adventure Sports Event. Thanks for coming with us.”
Closing Prayer: Ask the group to join you for a short word of thanks, then close with a short prayer thanking the Lord for the day, for new friends, for safety, and for His Creation. Note: Often people want to stop and possibly have an alcoholic beverage with lunch or dinner on the way home. This is not covered by ministry insurance, so if the leader chooses to go, they’re just “one of the gang” hanging out. The leader should, as always, consider how they’re modeling being a Christian in leadership if they choose to have a beverage with the group.
Final Check: Before leaving the parking lot, check to make sure each driver is okay, that their vehicle will start, that they didn’t lose their keys (it has happened), and that they know how to get home. Don’t leave a lone person in an empty parking lot by themselves. Wait for them. Drive safe on the way home.
Phase 8: After the Event (Within 48 Hours)
If anything especially noteworthy (good or bad) happened on the trip that the director should know about, text him/her ASAP so they hear it from you.
Go back on your registration platform and make a comment to thank everyone for attending and ask them to share some photos.
Post some of your better photos.
If there was someone brand new, please text or email them or send a message to thank them for coming and invite them to come again. Ask them if they have any questions.
Fill in the online post-trip evaluation.
This detailed framework can be adapted for any adventure sport, providing volunteers with the confidence and competence they need to lead excellent events that attract and attach people to Jesus and His Church.
Section 3: Inspiring and Retaining Volunteers
Supervision: Loosely, Because They Don’t Need Much
Once you’ve established confidence in a person’s ability to serve in the adventure sports ministry, they don’t need much supervision. What you offer instead is long-term friendship and partnership in the ministry, continuous training and development, more opportunities for the volunteer to refine their leadership skills through training, conferences, and resources, and of course, much prayer and spiritual coaching. Trust your volunteers and empower them to lead.
Understanding Volunteer Time Commitments
Your volunteers will invest somewhere between 1 and 100 hours per month. The variation is significant and that’s okay. Some people spend upwards of 20 hours per week serving during the summer season when helping with camping trips. Most volunteers spend their hours around the event(s) they’re helping to run. They may go for 2 or 3 weeks doing nothing more than a few emails or texts, then the week before their event spend about 3-5 hours in preparation, then spend the day with their event.
Some volunteers serve at a single annual event they love. An example would be dirt bike riders who help lead or guide other riders every year at a twice-yearly weekend dirt bike event. This kind of specialized, limited-scope volunteering is perfectly acceptable and valuable.
The Benefits of Being a Volunteer: A Growing List
One of the most effective ways to inspire volunteers is to consistently communicate and demonstrate the benefits of serving. Here are key benefits that keep volunteers engaged and excited:
A Custom Opportunity to Serve the Lord Not Found Anywhere Else in the World (Really!). An adventure sports ministry is likely the first ministry of this size, breadth, structure, and maturity in your area. While you hope it’s the first of many, for now it really is a unique ministry where anyone who has a passion for an outdoor sport can use it for ministry. One reason only 20% of the people in most churches do 80% of the ministry is because churches have limited the kinds of ministry opportunities to only fit the gift-mix of about 20% of the people. If you don’t want to work with children or youth, if you don’t sing well, if you don’t teach or host a small group, if you don’t want to usher at a service, if you don’t get elected to serve on a board, then there really aren’t a lot of options to serve. This common-sense concept opens up hundreds of ways people can serve others in their church and community.
The Best of Relationships & Connections. Your volunteers will connect with other people in the ministry and build deep, lifelong friendships. Friendships are like Lego building blocks—the more snap-on points between two Legos, the stronger the bond. Same thing with people. The more characteristics two people have in common, the stronger the bond will be (which has been the philosophy behind building small groups at churches). When people meet and find they have common passions, common hobbies, common family values, there’s an immediate and superglue bond that occurs. You’ll regularly hear of volunteers going on multi-day trips with others they’ve met through the ministry. This is by far the best by-product of the ministry.
The Opportunity to Change Their World, Including Their Own Family. People want to do something significant with their lives and leave the world a better place than they found it. An adventure sports ministry offers the opportunity to do this with their family and through their ministry. You’ll constantly see posts on social networks of families out on events having their best and most impacting experiences of their lives.
Discounted or Free Trips. Volunteers are on regular trips for free and on epic adventures for discounts not available to those who are not volunteers.
Use of Ministry Equipment. When you have lots of equipment and it’s not being used for a ministry trip, it’s available to volunteers to use anytime, including the director’s personal gear. Volunteers love being able to borrow bicycles, motorcycles, trailers, kayaks, SUPs, easy-ups, tables, etc.
Epic Adventures. Often build epic adventures around your volunteers. When volunteers dream up trips like Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail, Annapurna Trek, they can go! Let volunteers inspire the big vision trips.
Pro-Deal Discounts. Consider connecting to a deep discount system with manufacturers that allow volunteers to purchase gear at significant discounts.
Shirts, Hats, and Other Logo Items. When you design and create logo items, volunteers get hats, shirts, water bottles, maps, Yeti-style cups, etc.
A Personal Relationship with One of the Pastors of Their Church. Sometimes this is the biggest benefit. In a mega-church of thousands of people, it’s often hard for a person to build a relationship with one of the pastors of their church. Your volunteers should know that you’re available to them. This pastoral care aspect of adventure sports ministry leadership cannot be overstated.
Providing Resources for Your Volunteers
The broad answer to what resources your volunteers have to do ministry is: it depends on the sport/division and their leadership/creativity. While adventure sports ministries typically don’t have large budgets, you should always try to support the desires of volunteers for the resources needed for ministry. It also helps that you can often get equipment at significant discounts, enabling you to sell most of what you buy for what you paid for it if you need to.
Here are examples of resource categories:
Small Items
Many sports need walkie-talkies, first aid kits, clipboards for filling out forms, signs to put on cars so people can find them at meeting spots, t-shirts or hats for trips or sports, etc. Try to provide these items as quickly as you can.
Multi-Use Items
There are some resources that just about every sport wants and needs to use:
10’x10’ Pop-Up Canopies, so helpful for gathering people, especially in the rain!
Folding Tables: 6’ or 7’ ones that fold in half and are easy to fit in the car.
Signage and Banners: Signs that say your ministry name for anywhere and everywhere.
Trailers: Different sizes for different events and purposes.
Big Items (Sport-Specific Examples)
Some sports have needed much larger items. Here are real examples from Bayside Adventure Sports:
Dirt Bike School: You can’t really have a dirt bike school without dirt bikes, so finding great deals on about 5 dirt bikes plus gear (most donated) made this possible. An enclosed trailer to haul and store the bikes. A large storage shed to store all the bikes and gear. One committed director even invested in a Bobcat to build a track on his property for the school. That’s commitment!
Duck Hunting Club: A duck hunting club has to have tons of duck decoys, so investing in decoys until owning hundreds and hundreds of them. A hunting quad to travel through trails and flooded areas makes a big difference.
Fishing Division: Being given a double axle trailer full of everything needed to take 30 kids on a camping/fishing weekend trip (from Christian Bass Anglers Fellowship) meant tons of fishing gear!
Kayak Division: Buying 6 sit-on-top recreational kayaks and a lightweight trailer set up for hauling them was about $5,000 worth of equipment. This investment was made because having this equipment makes a significant difference in attracting and attaching more people to Jesus and His Church. People who want to learn how to kayak can come for free and learn. These kayaks also come on trips to lake and beach campouts, making those campouts more attractive and productive.
Camping Division: Camping trips are probably the best events for really attracting and attaching families, couples, or singles because almost anyone can come. Investing in resources to have on hand makes trips go smoother and provides spare gear in case someone shows up with issues. About 8 tents ranging from 3-person to 8-person, camping stoves, lanterns, chairs, axes, extra sleeping bags, pads, blankets, coffee makers, tablecloths, pots/pans, etc. A large inflatable water mat that holds about 20 kids standing and jumping on it is a favorite on the water—super great for parents who all sit together and watch their kids connect and build friendships.
Remember: These are examples of what’s possible as your ministry grows. Don’t feel like you need all of this equipment on day one or even year three!
What We Wish We Could Do Better: Systematic Training, Support, and Development
Though many adventure sports ministry directors are good at dreaming up systems, maintaining them can be challenging. Ongoing systems often have much to be desired. One area that always needs improvement is providing more systematic training, support, and development for volunteers. For example, the dream is to have all volunteers certified for CPR and First Aid with a system to provide training on a quarterly basis, making it free for volunteers to attend as yet another benefit of being a volunteer. This seems like it shouldn’t be too difficult, but someone has to set these up and they cost money. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do everything perfectly—just keep improving over time.
Conclusion: Your Ministry Will Grow If You Build the Team
Building a thriving volunteer team for an adventure sports ministry isn’t about implementing every single idea in this guide immediately. It’s about understanding the foundational principles—perpetual recruitment, personalized training, generous benefits, and consistent inspiration—and then thoughtfully applying them as your ministry grows.
Remember the buffet approach: take what you need now, bookmark ideas for later, and adapt everything to your unique context. Your ministry will look different than Bayside Adventure Sports, and that’s not just okay—it’s ideal. The key is to start small, build trust with a core team of passionate volunteers, and expand as God provides the people and resources.
When you invest in recruiting volunteers who love Jesus and love their sport, when you train them with practical tools and spiritual formation, and when you inspire them with a vision of using adventure sports to attract and attach people to Jesus and His Church, something remarkable happens: your ministry multiplies. Events multiply. Relationships multiply. Life change multiplies.
The volunteer team is the backbone of the adventure sports ministry. Build that team well, care for them deeply, empower them consistently, and watch what God does through ordinary people with a passion for the outdoors and a love for Jesus.
None of this would have worked at Bayside without the army of volunteer adults who loved combining their love for Jesus with their passion for their particular sport. The same will be true for your ministry. Build the team, and the ministry will follow.
May God bless your efforts as you build a volunteer team that will serve for years to come, transforming lives through recreation in God’s creation.