RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

It's important to set ratios in your Children's Ministry and follow them.  Here are some of the benefits... 

• Effective learning can take place.  You can move from “crowd control” to interactive, hands-on learning. 

• Safety is increased.  Leaders can supervise children more closely which leads to fewer accidents.  Fire evacuation plans can be more efficiently followed. 

• Leader retention goes up.  Nothing will burn out a leader faster than putting them in a room where the ratio is way out of proportion.  They will leave frustrated and even the best leader will wonder if they can do it again next week.  When you honor your ratios you are honoring your leaders.  You are making their ministry doable and rewarding. 

How do you carry on a conversation with a preschooler?  Here's some tips if you want to improve your “Small Talk.”

• At ages 2-3, they begin to use complete sentences and begin to think logically and understand sequences of events.
  
• They use the word “no” to claim their space and the word “why” to question authority.
• They begin to make up their own explanations of things.  An example is “when it rains, the sky is crying.”
• They like to imitate other people's words.  You may hear them repeating words to their pet or toy that they heard someone else say.  I remember doing this when I was in preschool. I had a Denise the Menace.  Anytime I got in trouble, I turned around and gave him the same reprimand.
• ]They like to hear about and describe the same event over and over again.  This gives them a sense of security.
• By ages 3-5, they begin to understand cause and effect.  An example is “if you drink your milk, you will have strong bones.”
• They also talk through their body language, art, and play.
•  Ask more than just “yes” or “no” questions.  Ask open-ended questions that will encourage them to talk.

Fast forward with me to 2020.  How will Children's Ministry be different?  What are we currently using that will no longer exist?  Here are some predictions...

1. Rows of chairs.  Rows of chairs are rooted in the industrial age, some two centuries ago.  As schools move toward 21st century, active, participatory learning, the church will follow.  Rows of chairs will be replaced with a fluid classroom set up that resembles an airport lounge.
2. Hard copy books.  Bibles and class materials will shift to digital format as hard copy books continue to be replaced with digital reading.
3. CD players.  As CD sales continue to fall, music will be played from small digital devices instead of CD players.  For many this already happening.  The few CD players that remain in classrooms will disappear.
4. Phone books.  70% of adults "rarely or never" use a phone book.  Instead of thumbing through a giant phone book for the name of an inflatable company, Children's Ministries will simply use the internet.  I suspect that for most this is already happening.
5. Keyboard and mouse.  Industry leaders including Microsoft and Apple believe touch will play a pivotal role in the way we interact with tomorrow's computing devices -- and it already does. Touchscreens exist in seemingly every electronics segment, including cell phones, notebooks, and even printers.  
6. Internet usage charges.  Companies who are trying to be the gatekeepers of the internet and charge for usage, will be swept aside by free community internet.  
7. DVD players.  By 2015, 91% of internet data will be video.  DVD players will be replaced by streaming or archived movies in Children's Ministries.
8. Desktop computers.  Laptops and mobile devices will continue to replace desktops.  
9. Paper.  This is closely tied to #2.  In the next 10 years, schools will reduce their paper consumption by 90%.  Expect Children's Ministries to follow this pattern as well.
10. Lecture style learning.  This is closely related to #1.  Only two institutions still regularly offer lectures as a primary means of learning: universities and churches. And if a recent article in the Washington Post is accurate, the church may soon be the last institution on Earth that trains people primarily by verbal lecture.  According to the article, universities are “abandoning or retooling the lecture as a style of teaching, worried that it’s driving students away.”  Watch for Children's Ministries to eventually move away from a talking head model to a learn based model.  

Do you agree with these?  Why or why not?
What other things do you think will change in the next 8-10 years?
What needs to change if Children's Ministry is going to stay relevant?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

One of the best ways to help families grow in their faith is to give them opportunities to serve together.  Be intentional about creating these opportunities.

Parents are also the biggest influence in their child's life and when kids see their parents modeling service, the impact is exponential.

Families can be greeters together.  It is awesome to walk up to a church and see a whole family greeting people at the doors.

Families can participate in community service projects together.  Create opportunities for families to get out into the community and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Families can raise money to meet needs together.  Last year, we hosted a family yard sale.  Each family brought items from home and set up a table in the church parking lot.  They raised over $1,300.00 in one day that went toward stopping human trafficking. 

Families can participate in outreach events together.  At Thanksgiving, we prepare meals for the needy in our community.  It is wonderful seeing families participating in this together.

What are some other ways to get families serving together?

What are some things you have done to get families serving together?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson