RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

How does your church view your nursery and preschool ministry?

Sadly, for many churches, nursery and preschool ministry is looked at and even called child care.  They view it as babysitting. 

Let's set the record straight. Ministry to babies and preschoolers is not child care. Rather it is caring for children at the most important time in their life. 

The pathway of children is largely determined by their early years. Those early years are critical.

Research shows that the first five years are particularly important in a child's development with the first three years being the most critical. Early experiences provide the base for development and functioning throughout life. Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life. 

What happens in the nursery and preschool rooms is just as important as what happens in "big" church. Churches that truly want to reach the next generation will make nursery and preschool ministry a top priority. 

How soon should churches start caring for children enough to teach them about Jesus? The answer is found in 2 Timothy 3:15.

From INFANCY you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Look what it says in 2 Timothy 1:5.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I am persuaded now lives in you also. 

Timothy became a great Christian leader because his mother and grandmother made spiritual investments in his life from infancy. 

Does your church view your nursery and preschool ministry as a big spiritual investment opportunity?

If you want to shift the perception of nursery and preschool ministry in your church from child care to caring for children, then here are some steps. 

Empower your volunteers to know that when they teach infants, it makes a difference in their life. Yes...you can teach infants about Jesus. Here are a few examples.

Play music that points them to Jesus. 

Quietly pray over the babies as you hold them. 

Quote Scripture over the them.  Put a Bible promise verse on the wall in your nursery and preschool rooms. Encourage volunteers to quote the verse over them when they are with you.

p.s. Share the verses you are quoting over them with their parents so they can do the same at home.  

Hold up the Bible and tell them it is the Word of God.

Show them a picture or video image about a Bible story and share it briefly with them. 

Show them a picture of Jesus and tell them Jesus loves them. 

Share with the entire church the importance of nursery and preschool ministry.  If you will cast the vision for this, your church can shift from child care to caring for children enough to make sure they know about Jesus who loves them. 

Which reminds me...Jesus paused "adult" ministry and made time to care for and bless children. He wasn't a happy camper when the disciples tried to prevent this.  It became a teachable moment for the disciples and Jesus helped them understand how much ministry to the little ones matters.

Take inventory...how does your church view ministry to babies and preschoolers?  Is it time to make a shift from doing child care to caring for children enough to teach them about Jesus from infancy? 

p.s. Have you gotten your copy of my book "100 Best Ideas to Turbo Charge Your Preschool Ministry?" It contains 100 ways you can care for and invest in babies and preschoolers. You can get your copy here.  

I believe preschool ministry is one of the most important ministries in the church.  It is ministering to people at one of the most critical times in their life.  So much growth happens in the first few years of a person's life.  

If you want to improve your ministry, then preschool ministry should be at the top of the list. 

Let's look at 10 tips that can help you improve your preschool ministry.

Tip #1 - Eye Contact. 

Children need to be looked in the eye when engaged in conversation to feel you're genuinely interested in them. This usually means getting down to preschoolers' eye level. 

Tip #2 - Recognition.

Every child wants to be known and to know that he or she is valued. Preschoolers need to be recognized and called by name. Learn children's names and use them. Every week find at least one good thing to recognize about each child and acknowledge it. 

Tip #3 - Use Play as a Teaching Tool. 

Knowing facts alone isn't enough. Just because a preschool can repeat something, doesn't mean he or she has learned it. Children learn from meaningful experiences. Play that is hands-on, interactive, and focused promotes learning that lasts. Companies have discovered this and are producing toys that teach. Offer guided play opportunities that teach God's Word. 

Tip #4 - Stories. 

Kids (and adults) love stories. Use stories to communicate truth. Present each story in an engaging and exciting way. The way you tell the story is important. 

Tip #5 - Age-appropriate songs and leaders.

Use fun, energetic worship leaders.  People who have of smiles will set the atmosphere for children. Middle school and high school kids make great worship leaders for preschoolers. 

Tip #6 - Have good ratios. 

When you have good ratios safety is increased, leader retention is increased, and parent confidence increases. Here are the ratios I follow:

3-year-olds - 1 to 8

4-year-olds - 1 to 8

5-year-olds - 1 to 10

Tip #7 - Work with adult ministry.

Your ministry to preschool parents is vitally important because when you influence parents, you influence the primary source of spiritual formation in preschoolers. 

A partnership with adult ministries in your church is one of the most strategic moves you can make to leverage the impact of your preschool ministry. 

Tip #8 - Keep spaces clean. 

When parents look inside your preschool rooms, they quickly access cleanliness. If rooms are untidy, messy or dirty, you will loose the parents' confidence. 

Keep toys clean and disinfected. Throw away or repair damaged furniture. Keep the floor vacuumed and the trash emptied. 

Tip #9 - Remind your volunteers that this is not baby-sitting. 

In fact, it is ministry at one of the most critical times in a person's life. So much is happening in those first three years. Kids are growing and making connections that will effect the rest of their life. Help your volunteers see this and cast vision about impacting kids' lives during those first 3 years.  I often say this. 

People won't line up to change a diaper, but they will line up to change a life.  

#Tip 10 - Care. 

Even at their young age, preschoolers can sense when someone genuinely cares about them. They need leaders who will love them and welcome them with a smile.  Leaders who will see them and know them by name.

Have you read the book "100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Preschool Ministry?"  It contains over 100 ideas to improve your preschool ministry.  You can get your copy now at this link. 

If you serve in children's ministry, there are 3 big questions you should ask every week. 

These 3 questions can unlock the door to growth, ministry improvement and encouragement. 

When I lead in a multi-site context,  I ask each campus to send me the answers to these 3 questions.  If you are not multi-site, then you can ask your staff members and some of your key volunteers to send you answers to these 3 questions.

Here are the 3 questions:

Question #1 - What went well? 

This question will provide you with information about the wins.  Here are a few examples that people might comment on. 

Particular parts of the lesson?  

The worship time?  

The Sunday School or small group time?  

Object lessons?  

Check-in and check-out?  

Preschool story time?  

Greeters? 

Large group time?

Volunteer engagement?

Question #2 - What needs to improve or change?

This question will provide you with information about things that need to be improved or changed? Here are a few examples that people might comment on. 

Kids didn't engage with a worship song.

The craft took too long to put together.

We did not have enough greeters. 

The pick-up time took too long for parents.

The games did not connect well back to the main point of the lesson.

The lesson for preschoolers needs to be more interactive.

We did not have enough time in small group time because the large group lesson went too long.

Question #3 - Where did you see God at work? 

We had 3 new families come today.

A volunteer shared that they had a big prayer answered this past week.

The preschool lesson kept the kid's attention and they were engaged.

A new volunteer we have been training led a small group by themselves for the first time today.  

5 children and parents signed up for baptism class.

It was wonderful seeing the kids engaging in worship and praising Jesus. 

We had 5 new volunteers start today.

Take the notes that are sent to you and use them as talking points with your team. 

You can gain great insight and growth if you will do this each week.

There are 10 things that every preschooler needs from your ministry. Let's talk about this.

Prayer

Nothing of eternal value will be accomplished in preschoolers' lives without prayer.  God can do more in seconds than we can do in a lifetime. 

Pray regularly for the preschoolers in your ministry.

Encourage your volunteers to pray for the preschoolers that are in their class.

Pray with the children each weekend.

Teach the children to pray.

Call parents and ask them how you can pray for their children.

Put a prayer verse on the wall in each preschool room.  Pray it each week for the children in the room.

Recognition 

Every child wants to be known and to know that he or she is valued. Preschoolers need to be recognized and called by name. Learn the children's names.  Each week find at least one good thing to recognize about each child and acknowledge it. 

Eye Contact

Children need to be looked in the eye when engaged in conversation to feel you're genuinely interested in them. This usually means getting down to prechoolers' eye level.

Security 

Preschoolers are growing up in a scary world. Parents hold them close for fear of kidnapping, abuse or endangerment.  Church must be a safe place. Go the second mile to make sure every team member has been background-checked, interviewed, reference-checked and approved.

Have a thoroughly secure check-in and check-out system.  Put in place volunteer procedures and policies that provide security. 

Care 

Even at their young ages, preschoolers can sense when someone genuinely cares about them.  They need leaders who'll care enough to pray for their boo-boos, send them "miss you" cards when they are absent, and cheer for them at their kindergarten graduation.

Happy Birthday 

Birthdays are a big deal for preschoolers. They need you to celebrate their special day - so sing, bring a birthday treat and give them a small gift.

Opportunity 

Preschoolers need the opportunity to hear God's truth and build a foundation for faith development.

Open Ears

Every child needs someone who'll listen with open ears.  So really listen - to preschoolers' stories, questions, fears and small talk.

 Laughter 

Every preschooler needs to be able to laugh...to have fun...to be able to be a child.  Preschoolers need leaders who'll encourage this through age-appropriate activities that allow laughter to happen spontaneously.

Empowerment 

God has given each preschooler unique talents and abilities.  Empower your preschoolers to use these talents and abilities through learning experiences and activities where they can succeed. 

If you are not making preschool ministry a top priority in your church, you are missing out. 

Secular preschool content creators understand this and have recently made a pivot to engage more preschoolers.  They have started producing more content aimed at preschoolers. They understand that if they want to engage the next generation, then it must begin in the early years of a child's life. 

In a recent survey, 72% said their primary audience is 2-to-5 year olds.  This is an 8% increase compared to 2020.    

"If you are not serving the youngest person in the household, you are missing out.” Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros.

Friedman says looking forward, some of the key themes and elements that will resonate with preschoolers are:

• music geared for preschoolers

• multi-leveled humor

• joyful, meaningful stories and characters
  

• live action

• 3D animation
  

From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

How did Timothy learn about God's Word at such an early age?  

The answer is this - his mother and grandmother were intentional about teaching him God's Word early in his life.  Please, please, please hear me.  Preschool ministry should be one of the most important ministries in your church.  

Put your best PEOPLE serving in preschool ministry. 

Make preschool ministry a high PROFILE ministry in your church.

Significant PROGRAM funding should be poured into preschool ministry.

Don't miss out.  So much is at stake.  Invest your time, talents and treasures into ministering to preschoolers and their families.  

Preschool ministry is not babysitting.  Preschool ministry is not childcare.  Preschool ministry is not just fun and games.

Preschool ministry is ministry at the most strategic time in a person's life.

God wants to start working in the hearts of preschoolers even now.  And He wants it to happen through you and your preschool ministry. 

Don't miss out on this!