RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Let me ask you a question.  Can you step away?
For clarity, I mean can you step away from the ministry and it still runs smoothly?

To me, that's the test of whether or not you have built a solid, effective volunteer team.

As a leader in children's ministry, you are called to equip volunteers, so they can do the work of the ministry.

If you are effectively equipping and empowering them, they can run the ministry without you.

Remember, your heart should be to create stars, rather than being a star.  To put others into the spotlight.  To be seen not as a powerful, but as empowering.

I was recently doing a consultation for a church.  One great thing they are doing well is empowering volunteers. They are doing a great job at creating an environment that doesn't depend upon the children's pastor.  The children's pastor shared with me that he spends most of his Sundays greeting kids and families as they arrive and depart.  He is not tied to any of the classrooms and this is what gives him the freedom to step away from the classrooms and connect with kids and families as they arrive and depart.

It also gives him the freedom to walk to each classroom and connect with the volunteers, thanking them and encouraging them.

I want to encourage you to work toward being able to step away and the ministry run just as smoothly without you.

Here are some more questions to think through:

Can I step away from the ministry and the ministry not miss a beat?

Are my volunteers dependent on me or have I equipped them to not need me?

Am I operating at 30,000 feet so I can look down the road, see the big picture and make adjustments and changes? 

Am I empowering my volunteers so they can solve problems and make adjustments without having to call me in panic mode?

What do I need to give up so the ministry can continue to go up?

Your goal should be to build a ministry that isn't dependent on you.  I know we all have this inner desire to be known...to feel important...to be needed.  But we must be willing to die to ourselves for the greater good.

Remember it's not what you can do, it's what you can empower others to do.

You can get the knowledge and strategy you need to build a great volunteer team in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It's available in paperback or ebook formats at this link.

I know it takes time and consistency to get to the point where you can step away.  But you can do it.  Make that your goal and then start working toward it.  The starting point is to realize that God has called you to equip and empower His people for the work of the ministry.

When you get the ministry to the point where you can step away and nothing misses a beat, you are leading well.

Head that direction and you'll find the freedom that comes from empowering others and giving them the opportunity to grow and maximize the gifts and talents God has given them.

Volunteers.  They make children's ministry possible.  They serve faithfully...impacting the lives of kids and parents.

Stop for a minute and think about the volunteers you are blessed to serve with.  Think about what a blessing they are to the kids and families.  I know you are appreciative for their heart for the next generation.

I also know you want them to continue serving with you for the long haul.  But, there is something that can cause you to lose them.

What is it?  It's not taking time to let them know you appreciate them.

The vast majority of volunteers never hear the words "Thank you.  I appreciate you!"  And when people feel like they are being taken for granted or that no one cares enough to thank them, they check out.

"A 10-year study of more than 200,000 employees shows that 79% of people who quit their jobs cite a lack of appreciation as a key reason. "

If people need appreciation to keep doing a paid job, imagine how much more people who are volunteering their time need to feel appreciated. 

Here are some tips for expressing your appreciation for your volunteers. 

Be sincere.  Volunteers know when you are expressing appreciation to "motivate" them and when you are expressing it from your heart in true gratitude for who they are and what they do. 

Be specific.  Talk about something specific that you've seen them doing.  Here are some examples.

"I so appreciate the way you smile at the new families and make them feel comfortable and welcome as you are greeting.  Your heart to be the hands and feet of Jesus shines through your smile."

"I was watching how you led your small group last Sunday.  I am so thankful for how you make each child in your group feel special.  The fact that you took time to pray for each child was impactful.  Thank you for your heart for the kids.  I appreciate you!"

"I looked into your preschool room last weekend and saw how you were sharing the Bible story with the children.  I could tell you had spent a lot of time preparing.  The kids were very engaged because you made the lesson interactive and fun.  Thank you for your commitment to helping children learn about God and His Word."

Tell them how their volunteering is making a difference.  Your volunteers want to know that they are making a difference.  One of the ways you can express your appreciation is by showing them the difference they are making.  Invite them to the baptism of a kid from their small group.  Tell them about the new parents who have started attending because the volunteer made them feel comfortable leaving their new baby in the nursery.  Tell them about the preschooler who quoted the Bible verse to her parents that the volunteer taught her.  Tell them about the preteen from their small group who boldly shared his faith while on a missions trip. 

A volunteer that sees (and hears from you) the difference they are making, will continue to serve.

Say it face to face.  Expressing your appreciation by a text, email or note is good.  But nothing has the impact like looking at a volunteer face-to-face and expressing how much you appreciate them.  When you express appreciation face to face, a volunteer can see your appreciation by your facial expression and they can hear the thankfulness being echoed through your words and emotions.

Ask them how they do what they do so well.  If you want to make a volunteer's day, when you are expressing your appreciation in front of other people, ask the volunteer how they do what they do so well.

"You do an amazing job communicating the lesson.  How do you prepare to teach?"

"I've noticed how you get the kids in your small group to talk about the lesson.  How do you get them engaged in the discussion?"

"The kids were participating in the worship this morning...even the 5th grade boys were singing.  How do you get them to engage in worship?  I watch what you do and say as the volunteer worship leader.   Any tips you can share with us about leading kids in worship?

When you ask a volunteer to share with other volunteers how they are successful with the kids, it boosts the confidence of the volunteer and shows them you have confidence in them. 

Acknowledge their character and efforts.  Show appreciation for faithfulness.  Show appreciation for going the second mile.  Show appreciation for commitment to excellence.  Show appreciation for showing unconditional love for the kids.  Show appreciation for how a volunteer intentionally connects with and partners with parents.

Choosing to serve.  Show your appreciation to them for living for others.  For choosing to leave a legacy in the kids rather than just sitting on a church pew.  For saying "yes" to serving and making a difference in the next generation. 

Do these things and you'll keep your volunteers and be able to build a team of veteran volunteers. 

You can get more great tips for building a dynamic volunteer team in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" at this link. 

"Can I talk with you after the service is over?" asks one of your best volunteers. 

Uh-oh.  Your heart sinks.  You know what's coming next.

Service ends.  You sit down with the volunteer.

"I like serving, but I have too much going on in my life right now.  I'm going to have to step down from my volunteer role.  I'm stretched too thin.  I'm burned out.

Ever found yourself in that situation as a children's ministry leader?  A key volunteer, whom you've invested a lot of time and energy into, crashes and quits because of burn out.  It can take the wind out of your sails, can't it?

While you can't stop volunteer burn out completely, there are some steps you can take to protect your volunteers from burning out.  Let's talk about it for a few minutes.

Rockstar volunteers can hit rock bottom.  Think about your best volunteers.  You know, the ones that always go the second mile.  The ones who show up early and are the last to leave. 

Because they are so good at what they do, you ask them to help with other children's ministry projects.  You keep adding and adding and adding things to their volunteer calendar.  The Rockstar volunteer gladly accepts the extra responsibilities. But eventually it catches up with them and they quit.

Remember this: Just because a volunteer is gifted and talented, doesn't mean they can maintain an overflowing ministry plate long-term.  Be proactive or you'll find them in your office saying they can't do it anymore.  It's just too much for them.

Put high-capacity leaders in their area of giftedness and then don't pile more on them.  When a volunteer is serving in their area of giftedness, they will thrive.  Let them flourish there.  Don't start piling other responsibilities on them just because they are good at getting things done. 

This doesn't mean you can't promote them and give them more responsibility.  But don't ask them to do their current role and the tasks of the harder role at the same time or you'll run the risk of burning them out.

Just because you know they will say "yes," doesn't mean you should ask them to take on unhealthy levels of responsibility.  Remember this...

"Don't use people to build the ministry, rather use the ministry to build people."

Give volunteers permission to tell you when they are feeling overwhelmed.  If you can catch it early on, you can help them make an adjustment to their volunteer role.  Better yet, ask them on a regular basis, how they are doing.  Watch and listen for signs of burnout and help them adjust as needed.

Remind them of the big picture mission they are on.  When volunteers forget why they are doing what they are doing, they can slip into burn out.  Make sure you constantly remind your team about why they are serving.

Strengthen volunteer's commitment to the mission and you'll be able to keep them on mission.

Protect your team members.  Sometimes, other ministries will approach your gifted volunteer to help with a special project or to serve with them on a regular basis.  Set up a policy for this.  First, a staff member should always check with the other staff person and get permission to talk with the volunteer.  It's not about control, it's about care.

Has this happened to you?  A new couple moves to your area and starts attending your church.  You get to know them and decide to invite them to serve with you in children's ministry.  When you make the ask, you hear something like this:

"We're not going to serve at this time.  The church that we previously attended, had us doing everything.  We ran the children's ministry, helped with women's ministry, men's ministry, youth ministry, outreach events and blah, blah, blah, blah.  We got burned out and so we're going to just rest for awhile."

Is it their fault they are burned out?  Yes.  But you'd also have to place some blame on their previous leaders who didn't teach them about saying "no" so they could have a balanced life.

Protect your volunteers so they don't burn out.  Help them find a sustainable pace they can run at long-term and you'll see them go the distance with you.

You can get more information about building a great volunteer team in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" at this link.

Your turn.  The floor is yours.  How do you protect volunteers from burn out? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.

How is your nursery ministry doing?  Lots of babies?  Fewer babies?

Nursery ministry is a key indicator of the future of a church.  Without the next generation, a church will eventually cease to exist.

What is happening in your nursery matters.  If you are reaching young families...young couples, your nursery should be thriving.

At the same time, we have to keep in mind the current overall birth rates, since this can affect your nursery attendance.  Let's look at the latest birth stats.

The U.S. total fertility rate has been declining for the past 10 years.  The number of women giving birth has hit a historic low.  In 2016, the general fertility rate hit a record low of 62 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.  In 2015, it was 62.5

One factor is this.  Millennials, who are the new generation of young adults, are getting married later. The average age for men is 29 and 27 for women.  So far, Millennials are much less likely to have babies.  There is speculation about whether they are just postponing parenthood or simply choosing to not have children at all. 

Interesting enough, while the birthrate for younger women has decreased, the birthrate for women in their 30's and 40's has been increasing. 

Another interesting factor to watch and keep in mind is the number of unmarried women who are giving birth.  This includes single moms and mothers who are cohabiting.  In 2015, 39.7% of all babies born in the U.S. were born to unmarried women.  This also varies a great deal according to race and ethnicity.  Women of Asian descent had the lowest proportion of births to unmarried women (12%), followed by whites (28.4%), Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (47.7%),  Latinos (52.5%), American Indian or Alaska Natives (68.1%) and African Americans (69.7%).

If we're going to reach today's babies and their parents, we must be a church that celebrates diversity.  Everyone should feel welcomed and accepted, no matter their social status, age, ethnicity or marriage status.  We must also be place where single moms can come and belong even before they believe.  

While there are fewer babies being born, this doesn't mean there still aren't lots of babies and their families that need to be reached with the Gospel.  Gen Z, today's kids, are still the largest generation on the planet and we must be focused on reaching them.

If you want to see your nursery filled with babies and your church connecting with young parents, then here are some articles that can help you.  My prayer is your nursery will be blessed with lots of little ones.  Make it a priority.  Your church's future depends on it.

4 Big Reasons Why Nursery Ministry is not Babysitting

Why Nursery Ministry Makes All the Difference

How Nursery Volunteers Can Make a Huge Impact in Children's Lives

Nursery Volunteers...Don''t Underestimate the Big Impact You Make

Your turn.  The floor is yours.  What birth trends are you seeing in your church?  How can we reach more young families with babies?  Share your thoughts, insight and ideas in the comment section below. 

The key to building a great children's ministry is first building a great volunteer team.  And that can be challenging.

Do you currently need more volunteers?  You're not alone.  Ask any children's ministry leader what their greatest need is and you'll hear the word "volunteers."

Here's the good news.  You can build a great volunteer team.  And here's how.  With 2 asks.  Check out this verse for the first ask.

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  ASK the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into His harvest fields'."   Matthew 9:35-38

The first ask - ASK God to send you volunteers.   

In the verses above, Jesus brings our attention to those around us who need Him.  He reminds us that there are many people that need to be reached.  Kids.  Moms.  Dads.  Grandparents.  He then shows us that it takes workers...volunteers...to reach them.  How will these workers be propelled into the harvest fields?  By ASKING God to send them.

Do you need more volunteers?  Pray.  Pray.  Pray.  Ask God each and every week to send you more volunteers.  During your quiet time...ask God for volunteers.  Ask some of the prayer warriors in your church to ask God for volunteers for children's ministry.  Every time you meet with your staff and volunteers...take time to ask God for more volunteers.  When you are driving down the road...ask God for volunteers (with your eyes open, of course).  When you are walking through the hallways of your ministry...ask God for more volunteers.  When people ask how they can pray for your ministry...ask them to pray for more volunteers.

How do I know God wants to give you more volunteers?  Because He told you to ask for them.  Jesus wouldn't have told you to ask God for something, if it wasn't something He wanted for you.  God's heart is full of compassion for kids and families who are hurting.  Kids and families who have yet to experience His forgiveness and healing.  He longs to have a relationship with them.  You can be sure He will give you the volunteers you need to bring them to Him...if you simply ASK. 

There have been times when I moped around because I didn't have enough volunteers.  But looking back...it was because I was spending more time complaining about not having volunteers, than I was praying for volunteers.

James 4:2 reminds us that "we have not, because we ASK not."  If you need more volunteers, then spend more time asking God for them.

And when you ask...take your prayers to a deeper level.  Ask God to send you to divine appointments.  You see, I believe there are people in your church that God is already dealing with about serving in children's ministry.  They are simply waiting to be asked.  How do you find them?  ASK God to lead you to them.  When you find a divine appointment,  the person will say "yes" when you ask them to serve.

I remember when we needed another volunteer for our security team.  We begin to ask God to lead us to the person He was preparing for this role.  One Sunday morning, after praying for God to lead us to a divine appointment, my wife noticed Dan.  Dan had three children in our ministry.  We had noticed him in the hallways when he dropped off and picked up his children.  That Sunday morning, the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit said, "There he is.  Dan is the person you're looking for."

My wife approached him and shared with him about the volunteer role.  As she begin talking with him, his eyes teared up.  He said, "I've been coming for about a year now.  God has been dealing with me about serving.  I had told God I would like to serve on the security team, but I wasn't sure if you had an opening or if I could do it.  And now you have asked me.  He began to cry as he said, "Yes.  I want to join the team!"

That's what you are looking for.  Divine appointments.  They come again by asking God for them.

That's the first ask.  Here is the second ask.  It's found in Matthew 9.

"As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the collector's booth.  'Follow me',  He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him."  

The second ask is PERSONALLY ASKING PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER.  Notice what Jesus did.  He approached Matthew and made a personal ask.

This is how you build a volunteer team.  Asking people, one at a time, to join you. 

Week in and week out.  Approach people (divine appointments) and make the ask.

I remember when we made a list of all of the volunteer ministry positions we needed.  It was our dream list...if we could have all the volunteers we'd ever need.  We turned the list into posters.  There was a poster for guest services, a poster for nursery, a poster for preschool, a poster for elementary, a poster for pre-teen, a poster for special events, etc.  Each vacant volunteer role was represented by a sticky note on the poster.  There were a lot of sticky notes on those posters.  Each week we would pray over those sticky notes.  Each week we would ask people...one at a time...to join the team.  And God begin to fill up those sticky notes.  In 8 years, the volunteer team grew from 300 to 2,600.  How did it happen?  One prayer at a time...one personal ask at a time.

Here's what you've got to remember.  It takes BOTH ASKS to build a volunteer team. 

You can ask and ask and ask God in prayer for more volunteers, but if you don't put feet to your prayers and ask people to volunteer, you won't build a volunteer team.  And if you ask and ask and ask people to volunteer, but you haven't first bathed your asks in prayer, you'll hear more "nos" than you do "yeses."

If you will leverage the power of the 2 asks, you will build a great volunteer team.

You can get more insight about building a great volunteer team in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It is available at this link.

Easter is just around the corner and for most churches this means extra services, lots of guests and all the members showing up on the same day.  And in many cases, you're also having an Easter egg hunt or other special event on top of it all.  This means you need extra volunteers to adequately care for all the kids and families who will be there.  This can be challenging since many people want to be free to spend the day with their family unhindered.

But what can be a volunteer challenge can also be one of the greatest new volunteer enlistment opportunities of the year.  If you have the right strategy in place, you can get lots of new volunteers this Easter.  Here's how to do it.

Although I normally discourage using mass volunteer appeals from the pulpit, Easter is one of the times it can work very well.  Here's how to approach it.

The Pastor or another staff member should get up and remind the congregation that Easter is coming.  Share the vision of what a great opportunity it will be to reach new people for Christ and reach out to those who only occasionally attend.  But in order for it to be effective, the church needs many people who have never served, to step up and serve one time at Easter.  Remember, you're simply asking for a one-time commitment.  Give people the opportunity to then immediately sign-up to serve by using a response card or texting to a designated number or stopping by a booth, etc.

Next steps...

• Take great care of the one-time Easter volunteers.  Communicate with them.  Give them clear instructions.  Make it easy for them to sign in.  Feed them.  Treat them like royalty.

• Place the one-time Easter volunteers with your rock star volunteers.  In other words, place them with your best, most enthusiastic, committed volunteers.  You want their energy, excitement and vision to rub off on the one-time volunteers.

• Put your one-time serve volunteers in roles that will make it easy for them to succeed and have a great experience.  An example would be placing an Easter volunteer as a greeter or helping hide eggs rather than shoving them in a room with 30 preschoolers.  

• The week after they serve, contact them and ask if they would like to join your team on a regular basis.  If you've given them a great first serving experience, I've had as high as 70-80% of the people decide to join the team on a regular basis.  

Let me give you a real-time example to show you this is not just theory.  A few years ago, we invited people to serve one time in an event we were having.  The week after the event, we divided up the names of the people who had served for the first time and begin calling them.  One of names on my list was a couple named Charles and Jessica.  I called and asked if I could meet with them about joining our team on a regular basis.  Long story short, they began serving on a regular basis.  Fast forward a few years and now they are both on staff and are making a huge impact.  And it all started from a one-time ask to serve at a special event.

You can get this and more proven strategies for building a great volunteer team in my new book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It is available in both print and ebook format at this link. 

Last week, I taught 4 sessions at the CM Conference in the Louisville area.  Here are the notes from the sessions if you would like to download them.

Session 1 - Be the One for One

Session 2 - 10 Secrets to Building a Great Volunteer Team

Session 3 - If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry
(you can also purchase the book at this link)

Session 4 - Good to Great...Take Your Leadership to the Next Level

As ministry leaders, our job is to empower volunteers to do the work of the ministry.  Ephesians 4 is clear about this.

"Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ."

It's not about what you can do in ministry, it's about what you can empower others to do.   

Want to know if you are empowering your volunteers?  Here's an easy test that will tell you.

How well does the ministry operate when you are not there?  If it runs smoothly and doesn't miss a beat, then you are empowering your volunteers.  If it falls apart, then your volunteers are not being empowered.  When you are empowering your volunteers, you should be able to step back into the shadows and everything runs as normal.  In fact, if you are doing a great job at empowering your volunteers, then the ministry should not just maintain when you are absent, but it should make progress and move forward.  

Are you hesitant about being away from the ministry because you're afraid things will not go well?  Are you looking for more ways to empower your volunteers?  Join us for a live webinar this Saturday, February 18th, to discover key ways to empower your volunteers.  Gina McClain, children's pastor at Faith Promise Church, will be sharing how to empower your volunteers to own the ministry. Gina is a dynamic leader who has build a great volunteer team.   She will add great value to your ministry. 

You will also receive an ecopy of my newest book entitled "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  In this book, I share how we built and empowered a team of over 2,600 volunteers. 

You can register for the webinar at this link.  Below is also more information. 

There is no “pixie dust” when it comes to building a dynamic volunteer team. I believe the number one way to build your team is personally inviting people... one at a time...week in and week out.  Approaching people...putting your arm around them...and inviting them to join your team.

A survey was done to find out the top 10 reasons why people volunteer. Here are the results.

10. External forces –pressure from an outside group or need

9. Boredom – have a lot of free time on their hands

8. Guilt – guilt is placed upon the person causing them to volunteer

7. Experience – looking for experience (an example would be someone who is studying to be a school teacher and wants experience working with kids)

6. Social needs – respond to a social need such as hunger or homelessness, etc.

5. Spiritual reasons – believe it will make them closer to God

4. Out of gratitude - way to show thankfulness

3. Personal connection – personally connected to the need (an example would be someone volunteering in a cancer fundraiser who has a friend with cancer)

2. Compelling need – natural disaster, social injustice, etc.

1. Someone personally asks them – a personal invitation from someone

Notice the number one reason people volunteer.  87-93% of people volunteer because someone personally asked them to.

That’s how Jesus built His team.  Look what it says in Matthew 9.

“As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow Me and be My disciple,’ Jesus said to him.  So Matthew got up and followed Him.”

And when you invite people to join your team, it’s vital to pray for divine appointments.  Look with me at the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.

“As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.’  So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia.  The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning.  Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and walk along beside the carriage.’’  Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’  The man replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me?’  And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.  The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.  And as a lamb is silent before the shearers he did not open his mouth.  He was humiliated and received no justice.  Who can speak of his descendants?  For his life was taken from the earth.’  The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?’  So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.  As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look!  There’s some water!  Why can’t I be baptized?’  He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”
Acts 8:26-38
  
This was a divine appointment.  God had already been preparing Phillip.  And I believe He is preparing divine appointments for you as well and He will lead you to them if you will ask Him. 

Dan had been attending our church for over a year but was not serving anywhere.  We noticed him as he dropped off his kids each week.  One weekend before people started arriving, we prayed for a divine appointment for a serving opportunity we had available.  Later, as we saw Dan checking in his kids, we sensed he was the one God was preparing for this role.  We approached him and shared the service opportunity that was available.  He immediately teared up and told us God had been dealing with him about serving in the very role we were talking to him about.  He had asked God to send someone to ask him if this was His will.  We were the answer to his prayer and of course he said “yes.”  He is still serving faithfully in this role.  That’s what we need when we ask people to serve. Divine appointments.  Ask God and He’ll arrange them for you. 
 
We’ve all heard the statement, “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step."  I would propose that the journey of 1,000 volunteers begins with asking 1 person to volunteer.  In the ministry I Iead, we started 8 years ago with 300 people serving and today over 2,600 are serving.  The vast majority of these people have joined our team because someone personally asked them.  We didn’t sit down and say, “We’re going to build a team of 2,600 volunteers.”  We simply went and found one person and asked them to join our team.  And then we went and found another person and asked them to join our team.  We did this consistently...week in and week out.  After years of doing this, we looked up and we had 2,600 of those “one” volunteers.  Great volunteer teams are constructed one person at a time.  If you will consistently make the personal asks, you can grow your team.

This is an excerpt from chapter 2 of my new book - If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry.  You can get this and other great ideas that will help you build the children's ministry you've always dreamed about at kidminmouse.com. 

Here are 10 questions that every children's pastor should be able to answer about their ministry.  As you read through these, what are your answers?  Your answers are a great litmus test of the health of ministry you lead.

If any of these questions cause you to start searching for an answer...or you're not satisfied with your answer...I've listed some helpful articles below that can be of help.

Let the questions begin. 

What is the vision of the ministry you lead? 

• 5 Keys to Communicating a Vision
• Why You Shouldn't Have a Vision for Your Children's Ministry 
• How to Lead and Cast Vision Like Walt Disney

What are you doing to grow personally?

• Are You Committed to Yourself? 
• 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Children's Ministry Leader 
• 10 Books to Read If You're In Children's Ministry

What is your process for leading kids to Christ?

• Steps for Leading a Child to Christ
• Why I Stopped Doing Large Group Salvation Prayers With Kids
• Great New Resource Now Available to Lead Kids to Christ

How do you equip parents to disciple their kids?

• 7 Ways to Communicate With Parents 
• A Simple Tool for Partnering with Parents of Preschoolers 
• Millennial Parents...the Latest Findings About the Young Parents You're Trying to Reach

How do you follow up with first-time guests?

• The #1 Reason Young Families Don't Return to Your Church
• 10 Ways to Make First-Time Guests Happy 
• The Biggest Thing That Will Bring Your Guests Back

How do you keep kids safe and secure in your ministry?

• Abuse Prevention...A Must for Every Children's Ministry
• A Way to See If the Kids In Your Ministry Are Safe in Your Care
• Parents' Expectations About Safety at Church (and how to meet them)

What is your current ratio of volunteers to kids?

• 7 Ways to Burnout Your Volunteers
• 5 Things That Will Keep Your Children's Ministry Growing
• Are You Following Ratios in Your Children's Ministry?

What is a ministry lid you are currently working on lifting?

• How to Build a Powerful Children's Ministry
• 10 Ways Children's Ministries Can Be Ready for the Future 
• Take Your Children's Ministry to the Next Level

Who are you personally investing in?

• The Best Children's Pastors Do These 5 Things
• 3 Investments Effective Children's Ministry Leaders Make Every Week
• Hand-Me-Downs...A Biblical Guide to Developing Leaders 

What's your plan for building your volunteer team?

• Want to Build a Great Volunteer Team? Use These 5 Cues from the NFL Draft 
• How to Build a Passionate Children's Ministry Team
• 10 Simple Secrets to Building a Great Volunteer Team

One of our staff members is doing an amazing job of building her team.  She oversees guest services and has grown a thriving team of leaders.

This past weekend, during their pre-service huddle time,  she gave all the volunteers Post-It notes.  She challenged them to use the Post-It notes to write words of love and encouragement to other people on the team and then stick them to each person's back.

At one of the services, the team loved the activity so much, they decided to go through the church and do the same thing for people who were serving in other areas.  They began "Post-It Bombing" volunteers throughout the church.

One of the people they gave an encouragement note to was Rachel.  Rachel is a police officer who helps keep our hallways safe on Sundays.  Rachel was so encouraged that she sent us a text thanking us for the Post-It's she received.  She also sent 2 pictures (see below) of the notes.  She has laminated them and put them up at her desk at the police department. 

This is a simple but powerful way to encourage your volunteers...and have them encourage one another.  Try it out! 

This past week, I taught 4 sessions at the national KidMin conference in Columbus.  In these sessions, I shared a proven, effective strategy for building a great volunteer team. 

I'll be posting the teaching notes here this week.

In the first session, I shared how to select a winning team.  Below are the notes.  Check back tomorrow for the notes from session 2.

Building up your volunteer team.  It's one of the most important things you do in Children's Ministry.

This week I did an interview with my friend, Matt Armstrong, who is the Executive Director of Crossroads Kids Clubs.  Crossroads Kids Clubs enrich kid's lives through church-led, school-based character formation clubs.

If you'd like help beginning a kids' club in your local public school, they are a great organization to connect with.

Matt and I talked about how to build up a volunteer team.  You can listen to the interview below or download it in iTunes.
 

2014 can be your best your ever in Children's Ministry.  Do these 10 things and you'll have a banner year.
 
Spend time with Jesus.
Make sure you don't get so busy working for Jesus that you don't have time to spend with Jesus.  Your ministry must be an overflow of your personal relationship with Him.  More on this at this post.

Do what only you can do. 
Make a short list of the things that only you can do.  Delegate everything else to other people.

Build your volunteer team on a weekly basis.  
Your success in 2014 depends on the strength of the volunteer team you build.  This link will give you ten simple secrets to building your dream team.

Have someone speak into your life. 
Who is helping you get better?  Stay teachable and you will be remain useable.  Give someone permission to ask you the hard questions, reveal your blind spots, evaluate your ministry, and provide you with feedback.

Passion. 
Passion creates momentum.  Passion turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.  Be the thermostat instead of the thermometer.  In other words, set the tone for your ministry instead of just reflecting it.

Have clear processes and plans in place.  
Provide easy steps for people to grow spiritually.  Here's an example at this post.

Focus.
Stop doing a lot of stuff and focus on doing a few things well.  Here's how to make that happen.

Reproduce yourself. 
Do everything with someone learning by your side.  Invest in key leaders.  Work yourself out of a job.  Don't worry....anyone who can work themselves out of a job will always have a job.

Change.
Evaluate 2013.  What worked?  What didn't work?  What needs to be changed, tweaked, dropped, or started in 2014?  Yesterday won't take you where you need to go tomorrow.

The floor is yours.  What else do we need to do to succeed this year?  Share your comments below.

Here are the notes from the "10 Simple Secrets for Building a Great Volunteer Team" session at Children's Pastor's Conference in Orlando and San Diego.