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. 

It's 2026.  Time to get some momentum going as we head into the new year. 

What kind of impact do you want to make this year?

What is something new you've been thinking about trying?  

What has lost its momentum and needs to be replaced?

What needs to happen to see your ministry start growing?

Are you tired and seeking answers to move the ministry forward?

How are you going to invest in yourself this year? 

I'm here to help. Here are some new (and proven) resources that can help you move forward.  

Here we go...

Brand new book - Legacy...Leave Your Mark On This World.  Inspire yourself...inspire your staff...inspire your volunteers. Get it here. 

Live Online Webinar - register here. 

Advance Children's Ministry Coaching - take your leadership and ministry to the next level. Get more info. here.

 

For most children's ministries, it is also time to decide how you are going to spend your budget money for the new year. 

This is not about how large or small your budget is. It's about what percentage of your budget you will invest where.

Whether you have a large budget or a small budget, you must decide how you are going to allocate the budget money you have been entrusted with.   

What will you spend your ministry budget on this coming year?  Programs?  Events?  Outreach?  Milestones?  

Here's what I believe about this and what I do with the budget I have been given. 

I spend a large percent of my budget on volunteers.  I believe the wisest investment you can make with your budget is in your volunteers.  

Here's why.

Without volunteers, you have no children's ministry. The success of your children's ministry rises and falls on the strength of your volunteer team. Plain and simple. That's a fact. 

If volunteers are a high priority for you, then your budget should reflect this. 

A couple of weeks ago, I gave all of our volunteers a handwritten Christmas card with a Starbucks gift card in it. It ended up costing several hundred dollars. But it made a statement to my volunteers.  I value you.  I honor you. I care about you as a person. I believe you are a difference maker.  I thought of you. 

It was the best ministry investment I could make during the Christmas season.  

Remember this...where you spend your budget money reveals what you think is valuable and important.

Spend your budget money getting ministry shirts for your volunteers. 

Spend your budget money giving your volunteers small gifts at strategic times in your ministry calendar. 

Spend your budget money feeding your volunteers well at training meetings. 

Spend your budget money giving your volunteers a small gift on their birthday. 

Spend your budget money having coffee with your volunteers. 

One of best team members I ever had was one of our nursery coordinators. Every time I went to the nursery to check on things, I saw smiling, happy volunteers. Every room always had volunteers in place. I asked the coordinator what her secret was. How was she building such a strong volunteer team?

Her answer? She saw herself as an airlines stewardess. She went room to room encouraging and checking on each of her volunteers while they were serving. She brought them drinks and snacks.  And not just any snacks. She had a list of her volunteers favorite snacks and she cooked these and brought it to them.  She also gave her cell phone to all of her volunteers and told them to always feel free to call her if they needed anything.

Of course, I was thrilled with how she was spending her budget money.  

Any money you spend on volunteers is a win. 

What will you be spending your budget money on this coming year?   

2026 is just around the corner. I am sure you have started preparing your calendar for a new ministry year. 

Here are some tips that I use to plan my ministry calendar. 

Buy a big desk calendar. 

Spread out the months of the calendar on a table or other flat surface. This will enable you to see a physical copy of the whole year that is coming. 

Go through and start writing in ministry dates on the calendar. 

What do you need to write on the calendar for January?  February?  March?  

Write in recurring program dates like mid-week programming, Sunday morning Bible studies, etc. 

Next write in the dates for your milestone events such as salvation classes, baptism classes, parent and child dedication, etc. 

Then write in your big events like camp, vbs, trunk or treat, etc. 

More tips:

Make sure you are collaborating with the other ministries in your church. Show them your calendar and make sure there are no events on the same day. You don't want to have two big, competing events on the same day. An example would be avoiding a VBS volunteer training on the same date as a women's ministry event.  Plan together with other ministries to avoid silos when it comes to calendar planning.

Remember that less is more. Don't over plan your calendar.  You can do a few things with excellence or you can do a lot of things mediocre. Sometimes the best thing you can put on your calendar is eraser marks.  

Stay open to change.  The calendar shouldn't drive your ministry.  The ministry should drive your calendar.

Just because you did something in the past doesn't mean you should be doing it now. Take a hard look at everything you are doing.  Is it effective?  Are kids and families attending this (people vote with their feet)? Is it helping you reach and disciple kids and families?

Don't get stuck in the past. Be willing to change things that are not working. 

Plan out your entire year. You should always strive to be a year ahead on your calendar. Of course, there are occasionally a few exceptions to this that are out of your control, but the goal should be to stay a year ahead.

Start with the end in mind.  Where do you want to see the kids at spiritually when the year ends?  Your calendar should provide steps to seeing this accomplished. What do you want the kids to know about God and His Word at the end of the year?  Your teaching calendar should take them to that.

These simple steps can make your ministry calendar planning a lot less complicated and less stressful. It will also help your ministry be more effective. 

Your turn. How do you do your ministry calendar planning?  Share your thoughts and insight with us in the comment section below.

You've probably heard this before.  

"Everything rises and falls on leadership."

It is so true. 

Do you want to have more leadership influence with the team you lead?

Do you want to see the ministry you lead grow and flourish?

Are you looking for someone who can help you get to the next level as a children's ministry leader?

​Do you want someone who will personally invest in you and your ministry?

​Are you looking for someone who can help you navigate the challenges and struggles you are facing?

​Dale Hudson, one of the leading voices and leaders in children's ministry, can help you grow as a children's ministry leader. Whether it's your first year or fifteenth year in ministry, he can help you and your ministry get to the next level.

​Much, if not, most of ministry wisdom and knowledge cannot be learned in a college classroom. Dale's coaching is grounded not in theory alone, but in proven, hands-on leadership experience. For the past 36 years, he has personally built and led some of the fastest-growing, largest children's ministries in the country.

​ADVANCE Children's Ministry Coaching includes:

• 6 months of coaching. Next available session runs January to June of 2026.

• Monthly group coaching call. Live, one-hour sessions on the important topics listed below. Each session includes teaching and group discussions. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the topics with Dale and the other leaders in the group. Sessions are also recorded so you have access to them later.

Teaching includes...

• Self Leadership

• Leading Staff and Volunteers

• Leading through Changes and Challenges

• Keys to Growing a Ministry

• Creating a Dynamic Children's Ministry Culture in Your Church & Partnering with Parents

• Staying Relevant in Children's Ministry

Personalized growth plan: Personal one-hour phone session with Dale to help you identify areas of growth and development. From this, Dale will help you create a one-year growth plan in those areas. Includes identifying your personality traits, strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. Plan includes developing a personal mission statement, key books to read, guided growth conversations to have with key people in your life, action steps, setting goals and helping measure progress. There is also a one-hour follow-up phone session at the end of the year to access and celebrate your growth.

Copy of 8 of Dale's books: ($114 value)

• If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry

• Leading Well in Children's Ministry

• The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams

• Fertile Soil...see kids' faith grow and flourish for a lifetime

• 52 Devotions for Children's Ministry Leaders

• Be Our Church Guest

• Legacy...Leave Your Mark On This World  

​How can you be selected to be a part of Advance? Complete the application at this link.

Upon acceptance, Dale will contact you with the next steps.

Spots fill up fast. Apply today. Deadline to register is January 15, 2026.

More questions? Email me at dale@buildingchildrensministry.com.

Hi.  I am Dale Hudson and I'd like to ask you some questions. 

How do you want to be remembered after you are gone?

Do you want the impact you had to continue helping and blessing others in the years and decades to come? 

We all want to leave a legacy of some kind. We want to know that we have made a difference in the short time we have here on earth.  We want to know that our time and efforts helped those who crossed paths with us. I'm sure we share this in common.  We want to be able to put a stamp on the future.  We want to know that our serving investment made a difference in the lives of others.

The older we get, the more we begin to think about this. We begin analyzing our life and seeing if our priorities are reflecting this.

I want to leave a legacy.  I want to invest in and help those who are coming behind me and those who are currently surrounding me to be successful.  We only get to live our life once, so we must be intentional if we want to leave a legacy. There are those who live their life casually and then there are those who strive to leave a legacy. 

Do you want people to talk about you and your work long after you have finished your course?

Do you want the impact you had to continue helping and blessing others in the years and decades to come?

Do you want God to use you to help other people grow and flourish?

Do you want your legacy to resonate for generations to come?

        If that’s you…then I wrote this book for you. Step by step we will discover how to leave a legacy.  You don’t have to be rich or famous to leave a legacy.  In fact, most people who leave a legacy are just ordinary people who make the decision to live their life with purpose.

Yes…you matter.  Yes…who you are matters.  Yes…what you do matters.  Yes…you have the potential to leave a legacy. Are you ready to leave your mark on this world?  Then let’s get started. I want to set you up to be a difference maker.  God is ready to use your life to do something incredible.  Get your copy today and watch what God does in your life. You can order your copy at this link.

The greatest thing you can do for kids this Christmas is to share the Gospel with them. This is the heartbeat of Christmas. 

Here are 3 ways you can effectively share the Gospel with kids this Christmas.

Christmas Lesson

How will you share the Gospel through your lesson?  

I created a special Christmas lesson that shares the Gospel with kids. It's called the The Christmas Gift. It follows the story of a boy named Andrew who discovers the true meaning of Christmas and is given the greatest Christmas gift ever...Jesus. You can get more info. and order the lesson as an instant download at this link.

The Candy Cane Illustration 

Give each child a candy cane and use it to share the Gospel. 

The candy cane was created by a Christian candy maker many years ago.  He made it to help share the Gospel with kids.

White Candy – A symbol of our sinless Savior (2 Corinthians 5:31, 1 John 1:7). His sacrifice for our sins washes them away and makes us clean.

Red Stripes – A reminder that by the shedding of Christ’s blood and His death on the cross we are rescued from our sins and given eternal life. (Ephesians 1:7 & 2:8)

Shepherd’s Staff – The candy cane is in the shape of a shepherd's staff. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep will hear His voice and follow Him (Psalm 23:1, John 10:11).

Letter J – When the candy cane is turned upside down, it looks like a “J” representing Jesus our Savior (Matthew 1:21, John 3:17).

Happy Birthday Jesus Party

Invite the kids to a "Happy Birthday Jesus Party."  Make the party all about Him as the kids celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

Have a happy birthday cake for the kids to eat and take up a special offering for Jesus. Use the money the kids give to help people who are in need or for a special missions project. 

You can get the lesson for this at this link. 

You have to be intentional if you want to see first-time guests return.  

Did you know that the average church only sees about 7% of guests return? 

That's a pretty low percentage, but there are some proven ways you can see more guests return. Let's take a look at 5 ways you can see more guests return. 

The first one is a big one. 

If you want to see more guests return, then you must give them a great first experience. 

You only get one opportunity to make a great first impression. If a guest has a bad first experience, I don't care how many times you email them, text them or even visit them, they are not going to return. You must exceed their expectations on their first experience. 

I've shared before about the time I was having lunch with the pastor of one of the fastest growing and largest churches in the country. I asked him how he followed up with first-time guests and he told me he doesn't follow up. Instead, he puts all of his effort into giving guests a great first experience. As they create what he called "irresistible environments" they see guests return for a second time.  

That strategy was new to me, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  You want to see more first-time guests return? Then raise the quality of your environments. 

Send them a handwritten postcard.  

In the day of digital communication, a handwritten note is golden. A good way to do this is to have your guest service volunteers write the note. They are the people who interact with your guests and this helps the note mean more. Mention something in the note that is specific to that family. An example would be a family who just moved to your area from Pittsburg. Put something in the note that mentions this. 

Offer them a return gift. 

I decided to start offering a t-shirt on their second visit. This has been highly successful in seeing more guests return. We put a note about the return gift on the handwritten postcard. It obviously costs us some money to do this, but we felt it was worth it. When we started offering the t-shirt on the second visit, our return rate went up to 38%. 

Send the parents a text message. 

Did you know that 98% of text messages get read?  94% in the first minute. That's a high, high percentage. On the week after their visit, send your guests a simple text message that thanks them for coming. 

Establish a personal connection. 

I got this idea from another church and it is highly effective.  

Ask a guest parent to meet you for lunch that week.  

Yep. You read that right. Approach a guest parent cold turkey and invite them to meet you for lunch that week. You will be surprised to find out that most will say "yes." Obviously this should be a man meeting a man and a woman meeting a woman. 

Use the lunch to get to know them. Make a good connection and you are almost guaranteed they will be back the next Sunday.  I have seen this work time after time after time. 

Do these five things and I guarantee you that your return rate will go up. 

p.s. Have you gotten a copy of my book "Be Our Church Guest?"  It is full of ideas like this to see more of your guests return. Get your copy today at this link. 

I was shopping for an item this week.  I went into a store and walked to the section where this item is located. It is held in a glass container that has a lock on it. 

I found a salesman in that area and approached him.  When I asked him if he could open the cabinet for me, he gave me the "Don't bother me" vibe. You know what I am talking about?  They make you feel like it is a big hassle to have to open the cabinet door for you. 

To top off the amazing customer service experience he gave me, he also said that he had a couple of items he had to put back first before he could help me. Okay...so I stood there awkwardly waiting for him to do his "task" before he helped me. It caused me to feel unimportant and not a priority.

I don't think his manager has taught him proper costumer service skills. He should have been trained to always take care of the customer first before you take care of a task.  The task can wait...the customer may not want to wait.

This is why I rarely go into this store unless I have an emergency item that I need to get. Customer service is such a big part of the average person's shopping experience.

People don't return because of your merchandise.  They return because of how you make them feel.  

The same could be said about the experience you give first-time guests at your church.  If your guest doesn't have a good experience, I don't care how many times you call them, email them, text them or even show up on their door step. They are not going to return. 

It is crucial that you concentrate on giving guests a great first experience.  A big way you can do this is to always put people before tasks. If you are in the middle of a task and a person approaches you...drop the task and give your entire attention to the person and what they are asking from you.  

Ministry is all about people. First and foremost.  People are more important than any task you find yourself immersed in.

I had another incident that happened a couple of weeks ago at the church where I serve. We had a first-time guests family show up a little late after service had started. I took them to the classroom and was met at the door by one of our team members.  Our team member let out a sigh and said "Pastor Dale, why are you bringing us more children?  We don't have room for anyone else."  She said this in front of the new family.  The truth was we had plenty of space in the room and the ratio was fine as well.  

I was so embarrassed for this family and will be having a conversation with this volunteer.  People always come first and we never want people to feel like they are "bothering us" or causing us an inconvenience. 

Yes..we have to keep good ratios and not jeopardize kids' safety.  That being said, we also have to make guests feel welcomed and valued. For this to happen we have to put people before tasks.

Have you read my new book "Be Our Church Guest?"  It is full of ideas that will help you see more of your guests returnf or a second visit. You can get it at this link.

When was the last time you were in an adult worship service?  If you are a children's minister / director, you may not be able to remember. 

I find that for the average children's minister, they rarely attend the adult service. For some it has been months or even years since they were able to worship with other adults. 

Why is this?

The biggest reason is lack of volunteers. They haven't been able to enlist and equip enough volunteers to run the children's ministry without them. If they tried to step out to get in the adult service, things would fall apart.

Another reason is they don't enjoy the adult service. I find that often children's ministers love children's ministry so much that they begin to feel restless when they try to sit in the adult service.  They would rather be in the children's ministry area than in the adult service. 

Another reason is because they feel like the ministry can't run without them on hand. They are striving for perfection and feel like the ministry will not function at a high level without them being involved every single minute.

A final reason is they feel guilty being in the adult service while their volunteers are serving.  If they are asking their volunteers to serve, then they feel like they should be there as well all the time.

I understand these reasons. I have personally struggled with some of these as well.  Now that these reasons have been established, let's talk about why children's ministers should attend the adult service. 

Attending the adult service helps you stay connected to the church's overall vision and direction.  It is easy to become a silo. You can become isolated from the rest of the church while you do your own thing in the world of children's ministry.  Being part of the adult service helps you stay connected to the rest of the church. 

Attending the adult service helps you grow spiritually. Hearing the Word of God taught is an important part of growing spiritually. It helps you stay healthy spiritually and keeps bitterness, resentment, discouragement, and disillusionment at bay. 

Attending the adult service sets an example for your volunteers to follow.  Hopefully you are making sure your volunteers are attending the adult service. In fact, you should make it a requirement if they want to serve in children's ministry. You should hold yourself to the same standard. 

So what do you think? 

What has been your experience in this?

Do you attend the adult service? Why or why not?

What are some other tips you can share about this?  

Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

p.s.  Here are some resources that can help you. 

"The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" book. 

"Lead Well in Children's Ministry" book.   

Volunteers. Without them, there would not be a children's ministry.  I believe they are the most essential part of what we do. 

It's important to let volunteers know how much you appreciate them.  

One study revealed that over 60 percent of volunteers have never heard the words "thank you for serving."

Showing appreciation keeps volunteers engaged. When people feel valued, they’re more likely to stay involved.  

Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time to thank your volunteers.  Here are 20 ways you can do this. 

Idea #1 - Handwritten note.

Every week sit down and take some time to write some of your volunteers a thank you note. In a day of electronic communication, a hand written note is golden.  

Idea #2 - Give volunteers a note with a $100,000 Grand candy bar attached. Have the note say "you are priceless."

Idea #3 - Honor their years of service.

Honor their commitment. Express your appreciation for their years of service and faithfulness. 

Idea #4 - Find out what their favorite dessert or snack is and bring it to them.

Keep a list of your volunteers' favorite snacks and desserts. 

Idea #5 - Award volunteers with a "volunteer of the month" award.   Pick one volunteer per month for this and spotlight them.

Idea #6 - Host a volunteer appreciation dinner.  Serve them a meal and tell them how much you appreciate them.

Idea #7 - Give them a gift card to a coffee shop.  Better yet...meet them at the coffee shop and spend some time hanging out with them.

Idea #8 - Make a volunteer appreciation video. Grab your phone and shoot a 1-2 minute video where you brag on them and tell them how much you appreciate their heart for the next generation.

Idea #9 - Personally thank each volunteer each week when you see them.  I say this to every volunteer each week - "Thank you for serving and making a difference."

Idea #10 - Give them a Christmas ornament for their tree. Write the year and your ministry name on the ornament. You will find they will keep these and put them on their tree each year. 

Idea #11 - Almond Joy with a note that reads, “It’s a JOY having you on the team!

Idea #12 - A s’mores kit with a note that reads, “We'd like to have s’more volunteers like you! You are amazing!"

Idea #13 - A small plant with a note that reads, “Thanks for planting God’s Word in the
kids’ hearts!”

Idea #14 - Have the kids write thank you notes to them.

Idea #15 - Life Savers Candy - On a card write, "Thank you for being a kidmin Life Saver."

Idea #16 - Flashlight with a note that says "Thanks for shining Jesus' light to the kids each week."

Idea #17 - A journal and pen set.

Idea #18 - Candle that says "You are a light to the next generation."

Idea #19 - Microwave popcorn that says "You are a POPular volunteer with the kids."

Idea #20 - Give your volunteers a t-shirt with your ministry name / logo on it. 

Your turn. What are some other ways you have thanked your volunteers? Share in the comment section below.