Has your ministry fallen into a rut? Feel like you're spinning your wheels? Know God has more for the ministry, but can't seem to get started moving toward it?
It could be due to one or more of the following factors. Let's take a look at 5 factors that may be holding your children's ministry back.
Factor #1 - Lack of Delegation. This happens when the leader of the ministry tries to do everything by himself/herself. The leader becomes the person that is holding the ministry back...he/he is the lid.
There are many reasons why a leader refuses to delegate. It can be because of insecurity. He/she is afraid of "losing control" or someone else getting credit. Another reason may be the leader is a perfectionist to a fault. He/she refuses to give things away because he/she is afraid other people can't do it as well as they can. Or they don't trust people to get things done. The leader may even have a "super hero" complex that compels them to work harder rather than smarter.
Is this a factor that's holding back your children's ministry? If so, here's some help.
Factor #2 - No Room to Grow. Once your ministry reaches 85% capacity, it will stop growing. This applies to not only the children's areas, but also to the adult auditorium, the general hallways and the parking lot.
Here's an example. If your preschool area will hold 100 preschoolers and you are averaging over 85 preschoolers per weekend, you will stop growing in that area. Or if you have room in your children's area, but the adult service is full, you will stop growing.
If you're out of space, you've got to create more space if you want to continue to move forward. This may involve starting an additional service or building more space.
Factor #3 - A Small Vision. The ministry will never outgrow your vision. Great ministries come from great vision. If the ministry has stalled, the first place to look is in the mirror. The ministry is simply a reflection of your vision and passion as the leader. Here's some tips for expanding your vision for the ministry.
Factor #4 - Lack of a solid ministry for adults. You can have an amazing children's ministry, but here's something you must consider. I've never seen a church that was growing that didn't have the combination of a great children's ministry and solid adult ministry.
The children's ministry can be exciting and relevant for the kids, but if the children's parents are sitting in a service that is outdated and not relevant to their life, eventually you will lose the family.
If you see this happening in your church, it may be time to sit down and have an honest conversation with church leadership. Make sure you do so with a humble spirit that comes from a place of wanting to see the church reach families.
Factor #5 - Children's Ministry is not a priority in the church. It is difficult to move a children's ministry forward when it's not a priority. Show me a children's ministry that is growing and 99% of the time it is part of a church that highly values children's ministry and pours resources, volunteers, promotion, budget and facilities into it.
It can be very frustrating as a children's ministry leader to be in a church that doesn't value children's ministry. You want to help the ministry move forward, but you feel limited because it seems to be out-of-your hands.
We'd like to help you make children's ministry a priority in your church. That's why we're hosting a live webinar later this month entitled "Making Children's Ministry a Priority in Your Church." Join Ricardo Miller and I for this special event. You can get more information below and register at this link.