RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

What makes a great leader? What sets apart a great children's ministry leader from a mediocre children's ministry leader?

Is obtaining a master's degree in children's ministry leadership the key?  While education is very important, I do not believe it is one of the big factors in great leadership. 

Let's look at 10 things great children's ministry leaders know and do.

1. Great children's ministry leaders know how to build a team. 

They turn the ministry focus toward enlisting and developing new volunteers.  They live out Ephesians 4 on a weekly basis.  Have you read my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams?"  It is available at this link.

2. Great children's ministry leaders know how to partner with parents.  

They invest in and help parents grow in their role as the primary spiritual influencer.

3. Great children's ministry leaders know how to lead through change.

They know the steps and timing that it takes to see effective change.

4. Great children's ministry leaders know how to grow their leadership skills.

They are not content with being "status quo."   They are constantly reading, stretching and growing their leadership skills.

5. Great children's ministry leaders know how to motivate volunteers.

They know how to motivate volunteers long-term.  A high percentage of their volunteers have been serving for multiple years.

6. Great children's ministry leaders know how to develop leaders.

They know how to find blind spots and help fix them.  They help people grow and expand their leadership skills.  The Advance Coaching program is a great way to do this.  You can get more info. at this link.

7. Great children's ministry leaders know how to impact not only the children's ministry, but the entire church.

They help the entire church grow and expand.  Entire families come to Christ because of the children's ministry. 

8. Great children's ministry leaders know how to be a servant-leader.  

They lead by example. They know it's not about how many people serve you. Rather it's about how many people you serve.

9. Great children's ministry leaders know how to correct the drift.  

It is a natural progression for ministries to drift off course.  Great children's ministry leaders know how to recognize this and bring everything back in alignment.

10. Great children's ministry leaders know how to go the distance.

They pace themselves and avoid burnout so they can go the distance.  They keep their eyes on Jesus and know when to slow down.  

They know that ministry success is not measured in years...but in decades.

If you'd like more tips on how to be a great children's ministry leader, check out my book "Lead Well in Children's Ministry." It is available at this link.

Do you need more volunteers?  You are not alone. I've never talked with someone who didn't need more volunteers in a local church setting.

That's why I am really excited about the upcoming live webinar "Building the Volunteer Team That You've Always Dreamed About."  

Four proven leaders will share how they build and lead volunteer teams.  

Brian Dollar, is a veteran children's ministry leader at First Assembly of God Church in Little Rock.  

Brian will be sharing how to lead volunteers. It takes strategic leadership to not only build a team, but to keep volunteers engaged and growing for the long-term.  

Bryan Cheney leads the children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church.  He will be sharing how to lead and built a volunteer team even in post-turbulence.  Just like the rest of us, Bryan has led through some turbulent times in the last few years.  Like the majority of ministries, Covid caused some of his volunteers to step away from serving.  But through this Bryan and his team have continued to build their volunteer team and enlist people to serve in the days of post-turbulence.

One of the big factors in expanding your volunteer team is building up volunteers who can lead other volunteers.  This is the next level and can be a challenge to see happen.  Heidi Hensley, a veteran children's ministry leader, has led in some of the greatest churches in the country.  She will share how she creates layers of volunteer leaders which is a big key in seeing your team grow.

I will be sharing three small tweaks that you can make that will help you build a great volunteer team. These are tweaks that I used to build and lead a volunteer team of over 2,000 in a local church.  These three tweaks can be a game-changer for you and your ministry.

And yes...there will be Q & A time in each session so your specific questions can be answered. 

We have churches joining us from across the country and from several other countries.  Register today and save your spot.  

Can't make it for the live webinar due to a schedule conflict?  No worries.  When you register, you will receive access to the webinar on demand so you can watch it whenever you want. 

As an added bonus, I am giving everyone who registers a copy of one of my books - The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams or 52 Devotions for Children's Ministry Leaders. 

You can register at this link.  Join us for this great time of equipping and empowering.

As a new children's ministry leader, director or pastor, you may think you have everything under control and know what to expect.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  You've got some big surprises ahead of you.

Here are a few surprises that you may face and how to be prepared to deal with it. 

Surprise #1 - You will be leading adults as much or even more than children.   This is the ironic thing about being a leader in children's ministry.  Your first responsibility is to lead the adults who minister to the children.  

Spend time reading and preparing to lead adults well.  You can be great with kids, but if you can't lead adults, you will have a rough go at it.  And remember this - your success in children's ministry will rise and fall on the strength of your volunteer team. 

Focus on building a solid team and equipping them to do the work of the ministry as stated in Ephesians 4.  Remember this - it's not about what you can do - rather it's about what you can empower others to do.

Surprise #2 - People don't care about your title.  They don't care if you are a "pastor" or "director" or "leader."  They will not follow you solely based on what your title is.  Rather, people follow someone that they love and respect.  And that has to be earned.  The longer you serve with excellence, the more people will want to follow you. 

Surprise #3 -  You can't be involved in everything.  Provide vision and direction and let your team run with it.  Don't fall into the trap of micromanaging.  Don't tell everyone what to do.  Rather, trust them to make the right decisions and complete the task.  Reassure your team members that mistakes are part of the process, and that taking risks is often better than indecision.

Surprise #4 - There will be conflict.  Anytime you have various personalities serving together, there will be some conflict...even at church.  People will question your leadership.  People will question your motives.  People will question your decisions.  And sometimes it can get ugly.  Yes, sheep do bite at times. Enjoy your honeymoon stage and prepare yourself for the conflicts, disagreements and attacks that will enviably emerge.    

Read books about how to deal with difficult people. Know your own personality type and what can trigger you at times.  Learn how to have hard conversations.  Work on your emotional intelligence.

People sometimes think that church staff members live in a happy bubble, where each day is a joy.  Realize that when you lead people, there will be times you will have to walk through the valleys.  But know that no matter if you are on a mountain or in a valley, God is with you. 

Surprise #5 - You will never have enough volunteers.  Someone said you will always have about 85% of what you really need to operate at peak performance.  It's the 15% that will keep you on your knees, praying for God to send more laborers for the harvest.  

Building a volunteer team is not a twice a year deal.  It's actually an every day task of enlisting, equipping and empowering volunteers to lead well. 

Surprise #6 - You won't hear a lot of "thank you's."   Don't let your fulfillment come from what other people think about you and your ministry.  Get your "thank you's" from God.  Be a good and faithful servant whether you are thanked for it or not.  Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord as David did in the Old Testament. 

Surprise #7  -  People will walk away from you.  Volunteers that you have poured yourself into will get upset and leave the church.  Teachers will quit on you.  Families that you have heavily invested in will move to another state.  You will make a leadership mistake and have to deal with the after shock.  

Keep your eyes on Jesus.  He will never leave you.  He will never forsake you.  Lean heavily into Him for wisdom and understanding as you lead.  With Him, all things are possible.  Walk in this confidence and don't let the surprises startle you. 

p.s. Your turn.  What are some other surprises that you've had to you face when you were a new children's pastor / director?  Share them in the comment section below.

Volunteers are incredibly important if you want to see your children's ministry thrive.

In fact, without volunteers there is no children's ministry. 

Leading volunteers effectively not only includes bringing them on the team, but keeping them on the team for the long haul.

Let me ask you a question.  How do you keep volunteers?  To find out the answers, you can look at what causes volunteers to leave.  

Let's look at 10 of the big reasons why we lose volunteers.

Don't thank them.  Did you know that 65% of volunteers say they rarely, if ever hear the words "thank you."  Determine that every single week you are going to look your volunteers in the eyes and say "thank you." 

You can also send them notes, cards and small gifts that say "thank you."

Expect them to serve 52 weeks a year.  Be intentional about giving your volunteers a weekend off now and then.  You might even give them the summer off and recruit sub teachers so your volunteers can have some time off.

Don't have proper ratios.  Having 30 preschoolers in a room with 2 volunteers is a recipe for disaster. At this point, the volunteers are just trying to make it out alive.  If this continues, they will burn out and quit.

Don't tell them what the wins are for the position.  Volunteers want to know they are making a difference.  Create 2-3 simple wins for each position.  Put it on the wall in the room and talk with them about it on a regular basis.

Don't communicate with volunteers during the week.  What happens during the week sets the weekend up for success.  

You can't keep your volunteers in the dark all week and then expect them to shine on Sunday.  Connect with them during the week via text messages, emails, website updates, phone calls, etc.

Don't keep your word.  Make a promise to a volunteer, but then don't write it down and forget to get it done.  Continued misses will cause volunteers to not trust you.  Your word must be your bond. 

Micro-manage them.  Get down in the weeds and tell them exactly what you want done.  Tell them how you want it done.  Then look over their shoulder and make sure they are doing it your way.  Don't give them any freedom to make decisions, no matter how small it may be.

Don't ask for their opinion.  Make your decisions alone.  Don't get input from them.  You always know what is best.

Ask them to stay over and serve an extra service.   They can skip worship and serve again for the next hour.  Don't worry about them burning out.

Get them serving in multiple roles.  Ask them to serve on Sunday and Wednesday and big events.  Turn them into a "super volunteer" with no worries of burning them out.

When you hear the word "volunteer," what comes to mind? 

Helper?

Servant?

Worker?

Faithful?

Supporter?

If you will notice, this list reflects what we want FROM our volunteers.  

But I want to encourage you to think about your volunteers in a different light. 

Instead of it being about what you can get FROM your volunteers, make it about what you want FOR your volunteers.  

We know serving is a key to spiritual growth.  So when you enlist volunteers,  you are giving them the opportunity to grow in their faith through serving.

We know serving helps people be more like Jesus.  Scripture tells us that Jesus came to "serve" and "give."  When we invite people to serve, they can go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. 

We know serving brings great joy into the life of a believer.  When we invite people to serve, we are inviting them to experience the joy of seeing God work through their life to impact others. 

We know serving gives people the opportunity to leave a legacy.  When we invite people to serve, we are giving them the opportunity to leave their mark on the world. 

In Ephesians 4, it says this...

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

It is clear in this passage, that as church leaders, we are to equip people (volunteers) for the work of the ministry. 

Why? 

The passage tells us why.  It's so volunteers can grow, be built up, mature and be in unity.

I know it is tempting to think about volunteers as someone who can fill a empty spot in a room, but see them as so much more.  You have the opportunity to help them become better disciples. 

Remember what our commission is from Jesus?

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 18

Notice what it says - we are to go and make volunteers of all nations?  No...it says "we are to go and make disciples of all nations." 

You are called to make disciples.  And that only happens when you shift your perspective from not just using a person to help the ministry.  But rather to someone whom God is giving you the opportunity to invest in.

Remember this statement:

"Instead of using people to build your ministry, use your ministry to build people."

Volunteers are the most important part of your ministry.  Your success will rise and fall on the strength of your volunteer team.

Another tip - Don't place volunteers where you need them, rather place them where they need to be.  What do most new volunteers say when you ask them what area they are interested in serving in.  Their usual response is "Wherever you "NEED" me."  And the temptation is to place them where you need them.  

You've got to flip that and do this...

"Don't place people where you need them, place them where they need to be."

When you place volunteers in a role that lines up with their passion, interest and gifting, they will thrive. 

When you highly value volunteers and see them as people God has entrusted you with, it will change your perspective about volunteers.  

When you approach people to serve, you can do so with confidence.  Knowing that you are not bothering them, but rather you are blessing them with the opportunity to grow and follow Jesus more closely. 

You can get this and other great volunteer tips in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It's available in ebook and paperback. 

Have a great weekend and be a blessing to the volunteers who serve with you.