RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

There is something I do at the conclusion of every volunteer huddle that I lead. 

p.s. When I say huddle, I am referring to a brief meeting with your team right before they start serving. 

Here it is. I have everyone stack hands and we break it out with a cheer. 

Here are some of the breakout cheers that we do. 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...Jesus! 

1...2...3...Rock Bridge Kids! (sub the name of your ministry there)

1...2...3...Jesus!

1...2...3...Reaching Kids and Families! 

This simple little step is very valuable. Here's why. 

It brings unity to your team. 

There is something that doing a cheer together does...it binds you together as a team. Unity is key to having a successful ministry. Breaking it out with a cheer says we are one unified team.

It brings energy and enthusiasm to your team.

Energy and enthusiasm are important in children's ministry. I have found that when you don't break it out at the end of a team meeting that you risk ending the meeting with a blah.  That's not what you want them feeling as they start serving. 

Here's the deal. As the leader...you must be a thermostat and not a thermometer. The difference...a thermometer measures the temperature...a thermostat controls the temperature.  One of the most important times you need to be a thermostat is at the end of your team meeting. 

Breaking out your meeting with a cheer will immediately bring a spark of enthusiasm. You will see smiles and you will feel the temperature rise. 

It helps everyone focus on the mission and reminds them of why we do what we do.

It's easy for volunteers to forget why they are serving. You can't just rely on casting vision once in awhile. Why?  Because vision leaks...and quickly I might add. 

Breaking it out with a cheer each week will help everyone focus on the mission and the part they play in fulfilling the mission.

So there you have it. One very important thing I do at the end of every volunteer meeting. 

If you're not doing this...give it a try. You will be amazed at what it does for your team.  

Need more volunteers for your ministry? 

I do. 

I'm sure you do as well. 

So...where are you going to find them?

Here are 5 key places where you can find new volunteers.

In the back of the auditorium /worship center.

Often people who are not connected will set in the back of the auditorium by themselves.

This past weekend, I went into the auditorium between services.  I noticed a young man sitting by himself in the back. I felt the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit say, "go talk with him...he wants to serve."

I went up to him and introduced myself.  I found out he is a bio-chemist. After making small talk for a few minutes, I asked him if he was serving anywhere. 

"No....but I've been thinking about it."

"I'd love to have you serve alongside me in children's ministry."

"Yes...that would be amazing...I'd like to serve with you."

He is joining our team and will start serving in the next week or so.

New Member's Class 

If your church has a class that people go through to join the church, it's a great place to find new volunteers.  Ask the people who lead the class, if you can come in and share about opportunities to serve in children's ministry.

Guest Reception

Does your church have a place where guests can go to meet the pastor, staff, etc. after their first visit? This is a great place to meet new people and share the vision of children's ministry. 

Here's a real life example of this. One Sunday, I went to the guest reception that was held after the worship service. When I walked into the guest reception, I saw a young lady sitting by herself. The Holy Spirit nudged me to go and talk with her. I did so.  Long story short, she started serving in our children''s ministry at that campus. She is now the children''s pastor at the church's largest campus. 

Bible study classes for adults.

Does your church have traditional Sunday School classes for adults?  Or maybe you have small groups for adults that meet during the week? 

These classes and groups are another great place to find volunteers. Connect with the leaders and ask if you can come in and share the vision of serving in children's ministry. 

Student ministry. 

Do you have students serving in your children's ministry?

Students make great children's ministry volunteers.  While you need adults serving in your children's ministry, it is also beneficial to have students serving alongside of them. Kids look up to students and so students can make a big impact in the life of kids. 

Connect with your student pastor and ask to get in front of the students to share the vision of serving in children's ministry. Students are normally enthusiastic about serving in children's ministry. 

All of these places have something in common.  Do you know what it is?  

All of these places are outside of children's ministry. This means you need to get freed up so you can go to these places. It is hard to build a volunteer team if you are stuck there and can't get out to meet people. 

Do you have a copy of "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams?" It is packed full of proven ideas that you can use to build your children's ministry.  You can get your copy at this link. 

I believe building your volunteer team is the most important thing you do in children's ministry. Get out there and see what God does. 

We often complain about a lack of volunteers. But the Bible reminds us that "we have not because we ask not."  How many people are you asking to serve each week?  Don't complain about a lack volunteers, if you are not asking people to serve.  

You got this. Get to these 5 places and you will see God begin to grow your volunteer team. 

Communicating well is very important in children's ministry. Here are a few tips that can help you become a pro at talking with kids. 

Get on their eye level.

We forget as adults what it's like to be a child looking up at this tall, big person staring down at you.

Kneel down so they can see you face to face. Making eye contact is very important. 

One of the best preschool leaders I have known would get down on her knees at the entrance of her classroom and would greet each child by name when they entered and would say "I'm so glad you are here! I've been waiting all week to see you!"

Be positive when you are redirecting children. 

Here's an example. Instead of saying, "no running" try saying, "inside we walk...outside we we run."

Speak encouraging words.

Your words hold so much power when it comes to children. You can make a huge impact by encouraging them with your words. 

Call them up instead of calling them out.

Kids hear all the time what they can done wrong. Instead of putting them down, call them up to the behavior you'd like to see. 

Here's an example. If a child is picking on another child, instead of saying "Stop picking on so-and-so. That's not a nice thing to do.  I am very disappointed in you." Instead, call them up by saying "God wants us to treat each other with kindness and I want to call you up to God's best. He is a kind and merciful God when He deals with us, and as His children, He wants us to do the same. So follow His ways by being nice to the other children in the room."

Talk about their interest and show that you care about them.

"Hey...what video game system do you have?"

"What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"What's your favorite movie?"

"How's school going?"

"What's something really cool that happened to you this week?"

When you do this, kids will open up their hearts to listen to what you have to say.

Don't talk down to them.

Make sure you are age appropriate. 

A fifth grader doesn't want to be talked to like they are a kindergartner.  

Ask open-ended questions.

That is, questions that are not answered with a simple yes or no answer.

This questioning style provides invitations to say more and share their heart, ideas, and feelings. 

Here's an example.

Instead of saying, "Did you enjoy John's birthday party?," say "What was the best part of John's birthday party?"

Show them you are interested in hearing what they have to say and that they are important to you. 

I hope these tips have been a help to you as you talk with kids and impact their lives for eternity.

I believe kids are key to a church's success. Here's why...

Jesus made children's ministry a priority.  

In the midst of busy ministry, the disciples tried to divert children away from Jesus. 

But Jesus quickly made known His priority in the situation. He told the disciples to let the children come to Him. 

When a church makes children's ministry a top priority, it is inviting Jesus' presence and blessings upon it. 

Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 9. 

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes not only me but the One who sent me.” 

Welcoming children is about valuing them. If you want to see Jesus' blessings fall upon your church, make children's ministry a priority.

Many people come to Christ because of their children.

Think about this with me. Think about the many instances in Scripture where people came to Jesus for one reason. They needed something for their children. Healing. Deliverance. Raised back to life from death. 

Their introduction...their compelling need...their draw was because of their children. 

I have personally seen this happen thousands of times.  Parents bring their children to church because their child is starting to ask questions about what it means to follow Jesus or about baptism. 

Parents also bring their children to church because they want their children to get a good life foundation to build upon. 

In the process, the parents end up coming to Christ as well. One of the primary ways I have seen this happen is through parents bringing their child to a salvation class / milestone.  The parents get in the class with their child, hear the Gospel clearly, and realize they need to come to Christ as well. 

I have a class / milestone I use for this. It's called Starting Point.  You can get it at this link.  Use this class and I promise you that you will see kids and parents come to Christ. 

Children's ministry is a big reason why families pick a church. 

Here are the top 2 reasons why families pick a church.

How friendly are you?  

What do you have to offer my kids?

Tonight there will be a family who decides to go out to eat. They will drive past steak houses, nice Italian restaurants, and other high-end places to eat. 

They will end up going to McDonalds. Why? Because that's where the kids want to go. The kids want to get a kid's meal and they want to play on the playground. 

A church that is really serious about reaching families will make note of this phenomenon and will tailor their ministry after this. They will spend money on building an indoor playground. They will create spaces designed with kids in mind. They will make children's ministry a significant amount of their budget. They will hire quality staff for children's ministry. 

How many children's ministry staff members should you have?  I created a chart that can help you with this. It tells you what positions you should hire and when you should hire them.  Send me an email and I will send it to you free of charge.

Children are the greatest mission field in the world.

There are nearly 2 billion Gen Alpha kids in the world...most of them don't know Jesus. We know that about 80% of people who come to Christ do so before the age of 18. 

Children are the greatest mission field and we must reach them while we can. We must share Jesus with them while their hearts are young and tender to the things of God. 

Churches that focus on reaching children with the Gospel will be blessed.

Churches that consistently share the Gospel with children will have the anointing of God on their ministry.  

Churches that reflect the heart of God for children's salvation will be aligned with His heart.  

The next generation is the future of every church. 

I often drive by an empty, decaying church building. There is a for sale sign on the property. When I see this I am reminded that at one time they were babies crying in the nursery. At one time there were kids laughing in the hallways. At one time there were teenagers giggling in a classroom. 

But the church wasn't able to pass along the faith to them.  The baton got dropped.  Perhaps it was dropped because of tradition. Perhaps it was dropped because the older generation wasn't willing to change to reach the next generation. Perhaps it was dropped because of a lack of strategy to reach young families. Perhaps it was dropped because the church put rules before relationships. Perhaps it was dropped because children's ministry wasn't a priority. Perhaps it was dropped because of a lack of vision to pass along the faith to the generation that was coming behind them. 

Remember...without succession there is no success. 

Here's what I know.  If you look at the largest, fastest growing churches in the country, you will see children's ministry is a top priority for them.  Without exception. 

Bottom line...if you want your church to succeed you must make children's ministry a top priority. Kids are a key part of a church's success.