There's a paint spot that is missing at the gym where I work out.
It's about the size of a sticky note. The spot is by the trashcan, so I am assuming someone accidentally knocked the trash can into the wall and made the missing paint spot.
Every day I walk by that spot and think "why don't they fix this?" I've even thought about finding the matching paint can and fixing it myself.
I know what you are thinking. Is he ADHD or what?
Yes...maybe I am a little ADHD. But first and foremost, I am committed to helping churches understand that having a ministry of excellence is critical if you want to grow.
And excellence is found in the small details. Small details like a missing area of paint.
I talk about this in my book - "If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry." Walt Disney was all about the details. Everything had to walk the talk. He placed trash cans about 30 feet apart throughout Disneyland. Every employee is expected to pick up trash when they see it. And there is the infamous story of the design of the Tiki Hut show. Walt wanted the birds in this show to look like they were breathing. You can read more about what happened in this situation at this link.
There are some areas of the park that get touch up paint every single night. These are the areas where there is lots of traffic and the paint gets worn down due to contact with tens of thousands of people.
To keep your children's ministry area in tip top shape do this every month: Get a group of 3-4 people together and walk your space. Look for areas that need touched up with paint, light bulbs that are out, things that are not working properly, outdated items, items that need some extra cleaning, etc. Then turn that into a to-do-list and knock it out quickly.
No matter what size your ministry area is, you can keep it clean and looking good with an intentional plan. I was speaking at a church a few months ago. The front lobby looked good but once you got past that area and into the hallways and classrooms, things went downhill quickly. Ceiling tiles that were brown from water stains, baseboards that had been damaged, pulled off and not replaced, unclean bathrooms and lots of "stuff" and "clutter" laying all around. Outside there were weeds in the flowerbeds and trash blowing around on the grounds.
Not a good look if you are trying to attract young families to your church.
And remember - excellence is simply the small details done well. Details that you can see and do something about.
So please...paint the missing paint spot before I freak out.
