RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

As a children's ministry director/pastor, how should you spend your time on weekends?  Teaching elementary kids?  In a preschool room helping with crafts?  Running a check-in station?  Walking new families to their classes?

All of these are good things, but they are not the best way to spend your time on weekends. 

As the leader, you should spend your time wandering around your children's ministry. 

Wandering?  Yes.  But not wandering just to be wandering around, but rather, wandering around with a purpose.  Wandering around will take you up to 30,000 ft. so you can see what's coming, what needs to be changed, what to invest time and attention toward and what has the potential to thrive.

Wander by the nursery.  What is the atmosphere?  Is it relaxed?  Are the hand-offs from parents to volunteers going well?  Are the ratios being met? 
 
Wander by the check-in area.  Are greeters smiling?  Is check-in going smooth?  Are our volunteers walking them to their classrooms.  Shake hands with a few of the first-time guests and thank them for coming. 

Wander over to the preschool area.  Thank the volunteers for their heart for the next generation.  Smile at the preschoolers.

Wander over by the elementary area.  Listen to the lesson.  Watch the kids response to the message.

Wander over to the kids who are helping lead worship and let them know how proud you are of them.

Wander by the pre-teen area and sit in on a small group for a few minutes.  Are the kids connecting?  Is dialogue happening?  Thank volunteers for serving.

Wander around and look at the facilities.  Anything need tweaked?  Anything need adjusting?  Anything need changed or replaced? 

Wander around after the service and connect with parents.  How was their week?  How are the kids doing?  Anything I can pray about for you? 

Wander around outside of the kid's ministry area.  Connect with adults.  Recruit new volunteers.  Encourage parents. 

Wander.  Wander.  Wander.  When you begin wandering, you will make a bigger impact for the ministry.  Remember your calling is to equip, empower and release people to do the work of the ministry. 

I know what some of you are thinking. 

" I can't get free to wander right now because I have been stuck in a classroom teaching ever since the previous volunteer quit? "

or

"I want to be in the classroom with the kids."

or

"I don't have enough volunteers to wander."

I am reminded of an amazing leader who was on a team that I led.  She always had lots of smiling, positive volunteers in her area.  I asked her what her secret was for building such an awesome team? 

She responded by saying she sees her role as a flight attendant.  She "wanders" around her area and encourages, equips and empowers her volunteers.  She finds out what their favorite dessert is and cooks it and brings it to them.  She gives her personal phone number to each volunteer and lets them know they can call her any time they need something. 

Why does she have such an amazing team?  Because she wanders from room to room in her area.

Here's my challenge to you.  Try to increase your "wandering" time this weekend.  Be very intentional about it.  Start somewhere.  Record what results you got. 

Do this and track your progress for a few months.

There are lots of improvements, updates and changes you should be making.  But you have to wander to see them. 

There are lots of volunteers that need you to encourage them.  But it will only happen when you start wandering.

I "wonder" what can happen if you start wandering? 

p.s. If want more proven ways to build and lead a volunteer team, get my book "The Secret Formula for Building Volunteer Teams.  Here's the link for it.

Leading in children's ministry is no easy task.  Most people outside of children's ministry think leading in children's ministry only involves leading children.  

But leading in children's ministry means you have to effectively lead, not only children, but also teenagers, young adults, middle-age adults and senior citizens.

It takes skill to lead that many generations effectively.  The good news...you can lead all these generations well, if you will focus on the 10 keys you're about to read about. 

Let's dive in and look at 10 keys you need to be an effective kidmin leader.

1. Bring the energy.  This means you don't just measure the temperature of the ministry.  Rather it means you set the temperature for the ministry.  I often use the thermostat vs. thermometer example.  A thermometer only measures the temperature, while a thermostat controls the temperature. 

If you want to be an effective kidmin leader, then you've got to bring energy, excitement and enthusiasm.  Just like you have to add wood to a fire to keep it burning, you must continuously bring energy to the ministry. 

Your team is a reflection of the energy you are bringing to them.  Stay fired up so the ministry can stay fired up.  Stay fired up so the ministry will stay excited.

2. Don't accept mediocrity.  Pursue excellence.  Don't adopt the attitude that says, "It will be fine.  They are just kids, they won't notice.  Hang on there.  It does matter.  Kids do deserve your very best.

This doesn't mean everything will be excellent all the time, but it does indicate that you should constantly be striving to make the ministry better and pursuing excellence.

Don't accept mediocrity.  Every week look for at least one way you can make the ministry better. 

3. Have a clear vision.  The vision should be your rallying call.  It should be simple and easy for people to remember.  It should be infused into everything you do as a kids' ministry.  Someone should be able to ask any volunteer on your team what the vision is and get the same answer.

A clear vision helps you keep your team focused on the why.

4. Make the hard decisions.  This doesn't mean you have to make hard decisions by yourself.  You should always seek counsel and input from people you trust, before making a hard decision.  But once you have gathered the necessary facts and sought counsel, you should be decisive.  Don't constantly be second-guessing yourself.  Walk in the confidence that you have made the right decision. 

5. Collaboration.  An effective kidmin leader doesn't try to go at it alone.  They ask a lot of good questions which lead to really good answers.  They know the smartest person in the room is the room.  They build bridges to other ministries in the church. 

6. Lead by example.  Effective kidmin leadership is not just taught, it is caught.  Model the kind of leadership you want your team to embrace.  If you want your team to walk an extra mile, then you need to walk two extra miles. 

We are told by Paul the Apostle in I Timothy 4 to, "be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 

He's saying to us to "Be an example in what you say, how you love, how you trust God and how you strive to walk in the power of a pure heart."

7. Embrace change.   Change.  We like to change stuff that other people created, don't we?  But what about when it's something we created or started?  Changing that is not so easy, is it? 

But effective kidmin leaders, hold everything with open hands.  Even the stuff they created.  They know that the last three letters of TREND spells out the word end.  When they uncover something in the ministry that is a hindrance or something that's not in alignment with the church's overall vision, they make the necessary changes.

8. Always stay in school.  When you feel like you have arrived, you are in a vulnerable place.  Be thankful for what you've learned thus far on the journey.  But don't hit pause.  God has more for you.  Always be in a growth mode.  Always be looking for fresh ideas.  Always be striving to become a better leader.  Have the mindset that there is always something new you can learn.

9. Work on your interpersonal skills.  Kids' ministry is all about people.  It's important to know how to interact with people in various situations.  Know your personality type.  Know the personalities of your key people. 

Work on staying calm when someone else is displaying anger.  Work on listening to your team..,really listening to learn. 

Work on being nice to people and approachable.  Be nice, because you are nice, not just because someone is being nice to you.

10. Develop others.  If you are going to be an effective leader in kids' ministry, then you've got to know how to build a solid volunteer  team.  The Scriptures say your primary role is to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry."  Switch from being a doer to primarily pouring into your team members.

Focus less on being a star and more on developing starts.

Focus less on being powerful and more on empowering others.

Focus less on being in the spotlight and more on getting others in the spotlight.

So there you have it.  Focus on these 10 keys and you'll become an children's minister extraordinaire.

You can get more great ideas for leading in children's ministry in my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams."  It's available in both ebook and paperback.

Today is a guest post by Seth Ray.  Seth is the children's ministry director at one of our campuses.  He is a gifted leader and team builder.  I have watched him prove that the strategy below works as he leads his team.  

Give it away!  That's it!  The number one strategy to get more done is to simply give it away.

Some may call it delegating, some may call it empowering, but no matter what you call it, it's time to give away things so you can do what only you can do.

This isn't about being a bully or being lazy or being bossy or even being in control.  This is about being productive, being efficient, getting more done and doing more of what you are passionate about!  It's also about pouring into your teams, providing opportunities and partnering with those you lead.  It's about being a better leader.

2 Things to Consider When Giving It Away

The reality is we are not all passionate about the same things or gifted in the same ways.  The things you hate to do, someone else loves.  Just like the things you love to do, someone else hates.  So before giving anything away, be sure to first assess the passion and talents of those you are giving it away to. 

4 Ways to Give It Away

•  Shepherd

Just like a shepherd would carefully look after his flock, so you should carefully watch over the task that you've assigned.  This strategy is best used when you assign a task to a leader who may be extremely passionate, but lacks the skill or talent to effectively get the job done without your watchful eye.  This method of getting it done requires lots of detail as you begin to set expectations and establish perimeters.

• Sway

Have you ever believed in someone more than they believe in themselves?  So often when giving away a really hard, but very important job to a leader we believe in, we have to sway or move their thinking to the other side.  In other words, this strategy is best used when you assign a job to someone who may lack the passion or skill or talent to accomplish the assignment.  

• Engage 

This give-it-away method is one of the greatest empowering tools and one of the simplest to utilize.  Engaging a leader with a task or project provides great opportunity to be part of things they may have never been part of before and provides the leader with an opportunity to offer up suggestions and ideas as they contribute to the task.  Here you simply bring the leader into the picture as they get to see and be part of what's typically behind the curtain. 

• Encourage

When you have a leader who is passionate and talented in a particular area or project, all you need to do is get out of the way and simply serve as the foundation.  In this method, you provide encouragement and support while keeping a pulse on the progress.

Not quite sure which method to use?  Take advantage of this tool...
First, assess the passion the leader has for the project or task and then assess the level of giftedness the leader has related to the challenge ahead.  Once you've been able to pinpoint these two factors, simply utilize the chart to identify which give-it-away method to use.  

For many churches, kids are just an afterthought.  They're just kids, right?

Evan, the 9-year-old behind EvanTube, makes over $1 million a year reviewing toys on his YouTube channel.

His channel has over 1 million subscribers and has amassed over 1 billion views.

He's just a kid, right?

It's time for the church to wake up and started equipping and empowering kids to lead.  They are the church of today and tomorrow.  There is no greater investment we can make!

A couple great resources I recommend for empowering kids to be leaders are LeadershipForKids and KidLead.  Check them out.

Last weekend, the kids in our church led worship in the adult service.  Why?  Because we gave them the opportunity.   There are Evans sitting in your church right now.  Equip them...empower them...give them opportunities...and you'll be amazed at how God will use them.

Here's more about Evan.

Disney World is the number #1 family vacation destination in the world.  It has incredible rides, shows, attractions, restaurants, parades, music, fireworks and more. 

All of this adds to the magic, but there is one key that makes it such a special place for families.  It’s the Cast Members…the people who work there…that make Disney World the “happiest place on earth.” 

Good leaders are powerful.  Great leaders are empowering.

Want to find out how you're doing as a leader?  This one question will give you the answer.

Ask your team...Which is more true...our leader is powerful or our team is powerful?

Here's some signs you are more powerful than you are empowering.

• You do most of the talking at meetings while everyone else is quiet.

• Your team is afraid to disagree with you.

• You always make decisions by yourself.

• Your idea always has to win.

• You don't ask for feedback.

• People can't make any decisions without "running it by you" first.

• You like being in the spotlight more than you do putting your team in the spotlight.

• You never hire anyone smarter or more skilled than you.

• "I" is used a lot more than "we."

• You constantly worry about "losing control."

• You feel threatened when someone else on your team shines. 

• You are quick to take the credit and slow to take the blame.

• You become jealous when someone else is honored on your team.

Powerful leaders are stars.  Empowering leaders create stars.

Michael Jordan said it well..."Great players win games.  Great teams win championships."

So which is it?  Powerful you or powerful team?

This past week at the Kidmin Conference I shared how to empower your volunteer team.  Here are the notes from the session.

• You can see the Disney video  - "Every Role is a Starring Role" at this link. 
• You can see the virtual choir video at this link. 
• You can see the "Leader vs. Driver" video at this link.

You still remember it, don't you.  Hurtful words someone spoke to you when you were a child.  A name a classmate called you.  A cutting remark someone made.  A put down that brought tears to your eyes.  Hopefully you've moved past it.  And even though you've proven those words were wrong...they still linger in the back of your mind and occasionally surface.

You also remember the words that brought life to you, don't you.  Encouraging words spoken by a caring teacher.  Words of praise from a parent.  Empowering words spoken into your life by someone who believed in you.  Words that lit a fire inside you and propelled you forward.

Proverbs 18:21 says, "the tongue has the power of life and death."

Your words have power in the life of each child you minister to.  Your words are seeds being planted in their heart that will grow and impact them for the rest of their life.

Be intentional about planting life-giving words into their hearts.  Use the power of your words to make a positive difference.

Here's 20 ways to plant words that are seeds of life in a child's heart.

1. You did an awesome job.
2. God has a special plan for you life.
3. I enjoy spending time with you. 
4. I saw how you [insert specific positive action].  I’m so proud of you.
5. I believe in you.
6. Lately I’ve really seen you grow in the area of [insert character quality], like when you [insert specific action].  I'm so proud of the young man / woman you are becoming.
7. You're incredible.
8. That was a really wise choice.
9. You're a winner.
10. You are God's child.  He made you special.  No one can take your place.
11. I knew you could do it.
12. Great job.
13. That was so brave.
14. You have some real gifts in the area of [insert adjective].
15. I love you.
16. You are one cool kid.
17. I prayed for you this week.
18. I'm so glad I got to see you today.
19. You brighten my day.
20. You're important to God and me.  

What are some other words of life you speak into children's hearts?
What are some other ways we can use our words to plant seeds of life in children's hearts?

Share you ideas, thoughts, and input with us in the comment section below.