RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Think about this with me - nothing of eternal value happens without prayer. 

It is crucial that you and your team spend significant time praying for your children's ministry.  

When you pray, here are 10 things you should ask God for.  

More volunteers. 

In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells us to pray for this. 

There is an enemy that wants to kill, steal, and destroy your ministry.  We see examples of this when there is a church shooting. We see examples of this when there is abuse.  

We must do everything in our power to protect the ministry with background checks, safety and security rules, and pro-active guidelines. 

But we must also spend time praying for God to protect the ministry.   

18.  What's so important about that number? Let's talk about it. 

Research from Dr. George Barna has revealed that the vast majority of people who accept Jesus as their Savior do so before the age of 18. 

64-68% of all believers in the U.S. come to Christ before their 18th birthday. 

Not sure about that? Do this. The next time you are with a group of believers ask them how many of them came to Christ before the age of 18. The vast majority of them will raise their hands.  

Every time I stand in front of a group of kids, I feel the burden of this. Will they come to Christ while their hearts are tender and open to the things of God?

If you have heard me speak, you know that I often use the analogy of cement and concrete. Wet cement is impressionable. You can easily write on it, make impressions on it, and shape it. Contrast that with concrete. Concrete is hard to write on or make impressions on. You have to use a hammer, chisels, etc. 

We often here it said, "children are like wet cement." It is true. While they are young, they are very impressionable and mold-able.  But soon the wet cement turns to concrete. You only have a small window of time before this happens. 

We must reach children now.  

We must consistently share the Gospel with children. Make sure...make sure...make sure your curriculum is sharing the Gospel with the children God sends your way.  More than character traits....the children you interact with and teach need to come to Christ for their salvation.

Go all out to reach children.  Make the Great Commission your primary marching orders. Be passionate about it. It's what God is passionate about.  He is not willing that anyone perishes, but that everyone comes to salvation.

I believe those who serve in children's ministry are laboring in the greatest harvest field in the world. God has entrusted you with reaching the next generation. 

One of the proven ways to reach children is by having a salvation milestone. When kids show an interest in Jesus, invite them to attend a class with their parents. In this class, thoroughly share the Gospel with them.  At the end of the class invite their parents to lead their children to Jesus. 

The proven class that I use is called Starting Point. I have seen thousands of kids and many parents come to Christ in this milestone class. In one year, in a local church, I saw over 430 children (and many parents) attend this class and come to Christ and follow Him in baptism.  You can get more information about the class at this link - it is called Starting Point.  

430 kids may seem like a lot of kids and I rejoice in what happened. But...that is not the number we should focus on. The number we must stay focused on is the number of kids in our community...in our city...in our area who don't know Jesus. We are surrounded by many, many kids who don't know Jesus. That is the number that should keep us on our knees praying and that is the number that should keep us faithfully sharing the Gospel. 

18...time is short...let's reach kids. 

Volunteers. I believe they are the most important part of your ministry.  

At times, they may get tired. 

At times, they may get discouraged. 

At times, they may forget why they are serving. 

At times, they may even feel like quitting. 

As the leader of the ministry, it is important to remember that it's your job to encourage them. 

We all need encouraging at times.  

We all need a pat on the back at times.

We all need someone to bring a smile to our face when we are tired or discouraged.  

With this in mind, here are 10 ways you can encourage your volunteers. 

Send them a text message. 

A text message with an encouraging word will brighten their day and remind them that you appreciate them. FYI - 95% of text messages get read so you know you can use this to connect with them. 

Send them a personal, handwritten note.

In the days of digital communication, a personal handwritten note is gold. You might even include a gift card for coffee.   

Give them a copy of my book "52 Devotions for Children's Ministry Leaders." 

This book will encourage them and help them renew their commitment to reaching the next generation. You can get your copy at this link. You can also get great discounts when ordering 5 or more copies.

 

Say "thank you for serving and making a difference" to them each time they serve.  

Did you know that 65% of volunteers say they have never had anyone thank them for serving? Don't be that leader.

Shepherd them well. 

You are a shepherd for your volunteers.  Be there for them.  Help them grow spiritually. Visit them in the hospital. Pray with them. 

Give them a copy of the book "Legacy...Leave Your Mark on This World.

This book will remind them that they can leave a legacy.  They can leave their mark on this world as they serve in children's ministry. They can be a difference maker.  You can get the book at this link. Discounts are available for orders of 5 or more. 

Show them a video clip from the movie "Wide Awake."  

This clip is phenomenal to encourage volunteers. You can get it at this link on YouTube. 

Show them the video "Now and Later."

This video is a great minder of the impact volunteers make when they serve. Great for volunteer training, appreciation, recruiting, and more.  You can get it at this link. 

Have a volunteer of the month. 

Highlight the volunteer and share how they are making a difference. 

Your turn. How do you encourage your volunteers?  Share your ideas in the comment section below.

Do you want to see your ministry grow this year? 

How can you see this happen?

Here is a practical guide to growing your children's ministry.  

I have personally seen these factors work as I have led in some of the largest and fastest growing churches in the country. One of the churches where I served grew from 6,000 to 16,00 in three years. Sounds crazy, doesn't it.  It was quite a  ride for sure. Serving in churches like this has helped me see the key factors to growing a ministry.  

Here are some practical tips to growing your ministry. 

Make room to grow.  

Do you have room to grow? If your space is 85% full, your growth will be capped.  This includes both adult space (adult auditorium) and kids' space. When you hit 85% in either of these areas you will stop growing. The answer - start more services or build more space. 

Go multi-site.

The largest, fastest growing ministries have something in common. They are multi-site.  I have experienced this having started many new campuses for churches.  In every case, we grew when we started new campuses.  

Connect with parents. 

Kids don't drive themselves to church.  If you are going to grow, then you have to reach parents as well. 

When you reach a child you change a life. When you reach parents you change a family. Always be looking for ways you can connect with parents and influence them.  The greatest influence in a child's life is his or her parents. If you want to influence kids, then you have to influence their parents. 

One of the best ways I have found to do this...especially with parents who are new to your church, is to meet them for coffee or lunch.  I contact fathers who have visited our church with their children and invite the father to lunch.  I call them on Monday and set up a time to meet them for lunch. Yes...it works. Most of the time when I do this, we end up seeing the family become a part of our church. 

Get really good at guest services. 

The first impression is truly a lasting impression. If you want to grow, then you have to give new families a great first experience. If they don't have a good experience, they will not return. You can call them, visit them, send them emails, text them or even show up at their house. All of this won't get them back if they don't have a great first experience.

Have you read my book "Be Our Church Guest?" It is full of proven ideas and insight that can help you give guests a great first experience.  You can get the book at this link. 

Grow your volunteer team. 

You must have a solid, growing team of volunteers who can minister to the children. Keep your ratios up to par. Without a growing volunteer team, there will not be ongoing growth. 

Need help growing your volunteer team?  Check out my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams." You can get it here. 

Stay relevant. 

This is not 1970.  Children have changed. Childhood has changed.  It is crucial that you stay on top of how today's kids are wired and what they like. 

McDonald's practices this concept with their kids' meals. The food in the box stays the same. But the box and the toy inside changes to stay current with what is popular.  

This applies to our ministries. The food (God's Word) doesn't change. But how we present it must change to stay relevant with today's kids. 

We must stay anchored to the truth while being geared for the times. 

Focus groups.  

Twice a year, bring in a group of parents and ask them key questions to get their feedback.

What is working in our children's ministry?

How can we improve the ministry and be more effective?

How can we better support you as a parent?

What do we need to stop doing? What do we need to start doing?  

p.s. You can also do this with kids and get great feedback. 

*If you would like a list of focus group questions to ask parents and kids, you can email me 

Keep your eyes on what matters the most.  

If you are going to grow your ministry, then you must keep your eyes on what matters most to Jesus...kids and families who don't know Him. 

You are surrounded by kids and families who do not know Jesus. At the end of time...this is what will matter the most....saved or lost.

How can you reach lost kids and families?  Here are some of the proven ways I have seen unchurched kids and families come to Jesus.

VBS with an emphasis on having parents come for a "family night."

Sports leagues like Upward Sports can be effective at connecting with kids and families in your community. 

Fall festivals...trunk or treats...Easter egg hunts...Child Evangelism Fellowship...are also great ways to connect with and reach unchurched families. 

Milestones.

Milestones are key times in a families' life when they are open to your spiritual influence. Think about Abraham and Isaac and the experience they had together on the mountain. They remembered that for the rest of their life. 

I am a huge believer in milestones. In just the last month, I have seen two pre-teens follow Jesus in baptism whose families are not believers. But many of their family members came to see their baptism and heard the Gospel. 

I have five milestones that I use to reach and disciple families. You can get more information about Milestone kits at this link.

Have clear next steps.  

If you want to see kids and families get plugged into your ministry, then provide clear next steps for them to do so. A next step may be joining a Bible study, finding a place to serve, going to a milestone class, attending a new members class, etc. 

Do a few things well.  

You can do a lot of things mediocre or you can do a few things with excellence. Focus on a few things that you can provide for kids and families with excellence. Sometimes the best thing you can put on your ministry calendar is eraser marks. 

Remember...kids and families are drawn to excellence. 

Grow yourself. 

If you want to grow your ministry, it starts with you. 

If you want to lead a level 10 ministry, then you have to be a level 10 leader.  

As you grow spiritually and as a leader, you will see your ministry grow. 

Invest in yourself as a leader.  Read leadership books. Listen to podcasts. Go to conferences. Get a mentor. 

I offer a six month coaching program called Advance Coaching.  You can get more information about this at this link. 

The most important factor is prayer. 

God grows His church.  Our job is to be faithful to pray and be faithful to reach kids and families. 

Nothing of eternal value happens with out prayer. 

I believe God wants your ministry to grow. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. 

Feel the heart of Jesus as He looks over the crowds and weeps for them.  May His tears flood our hearts and cause us to be passionate about what He is passionate about.