Did you know that children can add great value and insight in building and growing a children's ministry?
Let's talk about how you can get children to participate in building the ministry.
Gather information by directly asking children what they like and don't like.
The Lego company does a great job with this. They have a four-step process that they use with children. Here are the steps:
Step One - Observation. Observe children's reactions when they are introduced to a new prototype or model. Watch for how children respond to a new video. See how they engage with a new worship song. See how well they participate in a small group discussion. Does the lesson keep their attention?
Blue's Clues is considered by many to be the top interactive show ever produced for kids. How did they accomplish this? They would bring in a group of children and have them watch a pilot of the show. Anytime during the show, when kids got restless or started looking around, they made a note of it. Then they went back and tweaked those parts of the show so it held kids' attention.
Step Two - Feedback and Insight. Give kids the opportunity to voice their concerns about new elements and resources. This will help you produce better content for children and will help children and their families better connect with you. It will also help you if understand what their needs are and how you can produce content to meet those needs.
A practical way to do this is to have a round table discussion with a group of 8-10 kids. Get their honest feedback. The truth is this. If a child says something is boring...they are usually correct.
Step Three - Value their ideas and insights. In many cultures, children have little or no opportunities to contribute. This is a big miss. Children need to be seen and heard. They have much to bring to the table. They are today's kids and have insights and ideas that previous generations do not have. Encourage them to use their insights and ideas to help build the ministry. Recognize that their knowledge and perspective can be a valuable asset. Gen Z and Gen Alpha can give you valuable information about how to connect with today's kids.
The Committee on the Rights of Children recommends including the following elements when you are involving children in building something.
- transparent
- voluntary
- respectful
- relevant
- child-friendly
- inclusive
- supported by training
- safe
- sensitive to risk
- accountable
When these attributes are in place and done well, children will open up their hearts and help you build a ministry that can reach and disciple today's kids.
May it be so!
