Go where lots of people live.
If you're going to grow a huge children's ministry, you have to be where there are lots of kids and families. I am thankful for every church that ministers in a scarcely populated area. We will not be rewarded for how many kids we reached, but for our faithfulness. That being said...if you feel God is calling you to reach lots of kids, then go where they are.
Focus on those who are not attending.
Keep your focus not on the number of kids who are attending, but on the number of kids in your community who are not attending. That is the number that should keep you up at night. Yes, we have thousands of kids coming each weekend to our services, but compared to the number of kids who live in our community, it's just a drop in the bucket. We must stay consumed with reaching kids and families who are far from God.
Make room.
If you are going to reach lots of kids, you must have room for lots of kids. If your space is 85% full, you will plateau until you build more space or start more services. Don't let the size of your building be the determining factor in the size of your children's ministry.
Build a great volunteer team.
A huge children's ministry has the foundation of a great volunteer team. The strength and size of your children's ministry depends on the strength and size of your volunteer team.
Teach kids to invite others.
We've had over 4,800 first-time guest families register for our children's ministry so far this year. The vast majority of them were invited by another child or family who attend our church. Constantly encourage kids to invite their friends and give them tools to do so.
Give first-time guests a great experience.
Families decide in the first 8 minutes if they are going to return to your church or not. Go all out to make those first 8 minutes an experience they won't forget. This includes great customer service, making them feel loved and comfortable, helping them get to their rooms, etc. Excellence leads to growth.
Stay small.
The larger you get, the smaller you must get. In other words, you have to help kids and families get connected to a small group of people who will know them and care for them. People stay because of relationships and this happens in small groups of people. Children's ministries that grow huge find a a way to maintain a "small church" feel.
Be willing to change.
Children's ministries that grow huge are constantly evaluating, tweaking, and improving what they do. They are grounded in the truth but are willing to change their methods to reach today's kids.
Realize it's not your job.
It's not your job to grow a huge children's ministry. It's your job to simply reach kids and families for Christ. You want to know how to grow a huge children's ministry? You go out and you reach one family. And then you reach another family and another family and another family and another family. One day you'll look up and there will thousands of those kids and families that have been reached and are attending your church.
Stay humble.
When you realize it's God's job to grow the children's ministry, you will not grow proud or take credit when it happens. You will realize it's much bigger than anything you could accomplish on your own. This leads to a humble Godfidence that is constantly dependent upon Him.
What are some other keys to growing a huge children's ministry? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
