How to Motivate, Train and Nurture Acolytes - Robert Ormston Eaton

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ministry. When a group of acolytes forms, esprit de corps grows as the team works together, through fellowship activities and through the acolytes’ pride in being part of an elite—although not exclusive—guild.

      Developing a sense of community helps keep acolytes committed to the ministry of serving, and encourages their continuing involvement as they move into their later teens.

      A way to foster development of the community is to form pairs or teams of acolytes at different skill levels, who work together for several months and then are regrouped with other peers. Not only do they learn from each other, but also friendships are formed and grow. Developing a sense of community helps keep acolytes committed to the ministry of serving, and in the case of adolescent acolytes, encourages their continuing involvement as they move into their later teens.

      Be sure to include the measurement of the acolytes’ skill levels as part of the ongoing training program, and to celebrate their accomplishments and commitment to the ministry. You can recognize levels of excellence by using special crosses or medals, various ribbon colors, differing vestments, and other signs as acolytes progress from novice to experienced levels. Or describe different stages of progress symbolically by using words particularly appropriate to your parish, such as the narthex, nave, or chancel teams.

       Worship as a Part of Training

      It is important to include a worship experience at the beginning of every training session to help participants and leaders become spiritually centered and focused on their work in the Lord's service. Build variety into the training program by using the various liturgies found in The Book of Common Prayer (BCP). This practice also will give acolytes an opportunity to experience the liturgical richness found in the Prayer Book. An additional benefit to varying the services is that different lay and ordained ministers will be involved in the services, which will help develop rapport between the acolytes and the leaders they will assist.

      One challenge in working with acolytes is that clergy come and go. Every time there is a change in personnel, the expectations and duties for acolytes tend to change, too. However, the basics don't change: If there are candles, acolytes light them; if there is a processional cross, an acolyte carries it. But it's the way the candles are lit, and where and how the cross is carried that vary. It's easy to visualize seasoned acolytes shaking their heads and saying, “Here comes a new priest (read “new way of doing things”)!”

       Training Theory

      The goal of training is to help acolytes retain information that is important, to help them do their jobs, and, even more important, to understand and internalize the significance of their ministry. To that end, we suggest developing a training program built around the workshops in this book. Combining group activities, one-on-one training, and lots of peer interaction, these exercises will encourage acolytes to:

       pay attention to the material being presented;

       think about what they are doing and why they are doing it;

       observe what is going on in liturgies and the acolytes’ roles in them

       relate to one another and build a solid community that is centered around service.

      Workshop training—like all good teaching—is most effective if it has three characteristics:

       a flexible plan;

       regular repetition of key points;

       full participation of all members of the group.

      There will be, of course, distractions. Attendance will not always meet your expectations, and the inevitable changes that take place when clergy or acolytes come to or leave a parish can be unsettling and confusing; however, by accepting these realities as a part of life, you will find that the program still works.

      The need for flexibility, sometimes described as “spontaneous creativity,” can be threatening to leaders. It is, however, an essential ingredient when working with young people as you try to foster their interest in understanding and working within the complicated and often uneven traditions of the Church. Your responsiveness to their learning patterns—your flexibility—will reflect your interest in their journey—and indeed will reflect your own youth.

      Flexibility in the workshops also is important because acolytes in one parish may well represent a variety of church backgrounds. That diversity would certainly be evident in diocesan workshops. What may be a basic responsibility, practice, or understanding in one congregation may be optional or even unheard of in another.

      Repetition of basic principles must be a part of every training experience and should not be neglected, regardless of the acolytes’ experience or expertise. In workshops and small groups, the acolytes’ growth in their understanding of common denominators such as candles, offering plates, and processional crosses should be identified and recognized. At the same time their understanding should be challenged by representing these basic concepts from different perspectives. We suggest techniques that can be used to make the necessary repetition of basic principles more interesting and engaging.

      In each workshop participation of acolytes at all levels of experience is strongly encouraged. Workshops should be designed so beginners learn from experienced acolytes, and those who “know the ropes” have the opportunity to train beginners. Constant interaction among experience levels gives acolytes opportunities to learn nuances of their ministry that trainers might not think to offer.

      Once upon a time, during an acolyte festival a young acolyte mentioned the “Sunday School Cross.” When asked what that was, she explained that it was the cross the acolyte uses to lead the Sunday school students into the church at the Peace. Many heads nodded in understanding as she explained how the procession worked, while other people were surprised. Proving that good ideas spread, after the festival at least one parish decided to adopt the Sunday School Cross as part of its tradition.

       Training “Nuts and Bolts”

       The Training Team

      You are the best judge of the resources that you will need and that will be available to carry out two important aspects of the training job:

       conveying information about the tasks to be done and the way to do them, and

       encouraging the growing acolyte community.

      A clergyperson and an acolyte director would be the ideal primary team, with the director carrying the planning and organizing burden. However, have as many additional people as possible involved on the extended training team to provide a variety of perspectives on the ministry. For example, an altar guild member, an experienced or even a former acolyte, or a seminarian could play an important role. Occasional visits by clergy from other parishes would provide a different and broadening point of view.

      A

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