The Place Matters!

You could hold the Super Bowl in a high school stadium instead of a NFL stadium...field length is the same...but you would be limiting yourself. You could ride in a parade in a mini-van instead of a Corvette convertible....the number of tires is the same...but you would be limiting yourself. You could take your wife on your 25th anniversary to McDonald's instead of a 5 star restaurant...both have seats...but you would be limiting yourself. You could fish in a street puddle instead of the ocean...both contain water...but you would be limiting yourself.

The place where you hold your Children's Ministry matters. I believe one of the key factors to building a vibrant Children's Ministry is having a great place to meet. A great Children's Ministry place will make your Children's Ministry seem better than it really is and a mundane Children's Ministry place will make your Children's Ministry seem worse than it really is.

I believe relationships keep kids coming...but you have to get them in the door to build a relationship with them. You can't build a relationship with an empty seat. Great places fill empty seats. An example is the T-Rex restaurant. The food is not any better than other restaurants in the same price range...but the place is. And that's why kids and families line up to get in.

The size of your budget is not the issue. You can make a place better with even a small budget.

I remember when I first started serving in Children's Ministry. The place where we met was in an old, bland looking basement room. I decided to take the $0 budget that I had and make the place more kid-friendly. I named the place the Kid's Clubhouse. I went out and found free wood, branches that had fallen off of trees and a little paint. I decorated the place with what I had available...and it made a difference. Instead of the Children's Ministry place being a dull basement room, it was now a clubhouse just for kids. Same amount of walls...same amount of square footage...different looking place. And we grew...and families were reached.

Take a look at the place where your Children's Ministry meets. Ask yourself, "How you can make it better?" It may be the deciding factor that can help your Children's Ministry get to the next level. If it is, then do something about it. You can do it! Go for it! The return will be worth every effort you put into it.

Posted by Dale Hudson