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.

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.

Did you watch the latest season of America's Got Talent?  There were so many exceptionally talented people, weren't there?

One thing that stood out to me was the kids who were in the competition.  They dominated!  

In fact, the final two contestants, who received the most votes, were kids! 

Darci Lynn Farmer won it all.  The 12-year-old had an amazing ventriloquism act.  Her jaw-dropping performance featured performing with two puppets at the same time.  On top of being hilarious, she sang with an impressive voice through the mouths of her puppets.

Right behind Darci Lynn, was 10-year-old Angelica Hale.  Angelica's name rings true.  She has the "voice of an angel" and performed songs such as "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys and "Symphony" by Clean Bandit.  She is the youngest runner-up in the show's history. 

Celine Tam, a 9-year-old, made it into the finals this year as well.  She has made fans all over the world.  A clip of her audition, when she sang Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," went viral.

Evie Clair, a 13-year-old from Florence, Arizona, also made it into the top 10 this year.  She not only did an amazing job singing, but also shared that she was singing in honor of her father who was battling stage four colon cancer.  Her father ended up dying during the competition.  
In 2008, a 4-year-old named Kaitlyn Maher, reached the top 10.  She was a singer and her cute songs and appearance wowed fans.

Issac Brown, a 6-year-old, showed off his voice and dance moves on the show in 2012.  He went on to play a part in the Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.

In Season 9 (2014), a 12-year-old named Quintavious Jones, placed fifth.  He had an incredible voice, great personality and whistled parts of the songs as well.  

Go back to Season 1 in 2006 and you'll see the winner was Bianca Ryan.  The 11-year-old singer went on to release a studio album.

And Grace Vanderwall won Season 11 in 2016.  The 12-year-old singer-songwriter played the ukulelist as well.  She won with a blend of original songs and ukulele playing.  She went on to release an EP that went to number nine on the Billboard album charts. 

This is a great example of what kids can accomplish when someone believes in them and gives them an opportunity to use their gifts and talents. 

Kids don't have to wait until they grow up to make an impact for God's kingdom.  Yes, they are the church of tomorrow, but they are also the church of today.  God is ready to use them right now. 

If you look in Scripture, you'll see that kids have always played a significant role in God's kingdom.  From the Little Maid who told Namaan where to go for healing to the boy with the lunch that Jesus used to feed over 5,000 people, kids made a difference.

We also know that kids who get involved in serving stick with their faith at a much higher percentage.  When we challenge kids to serve others, it activates their faith at a whole new level.

It's time the church takes note and starts equipping children to do ministry and then gives them opportunities to serve.  For too long, we've told kids to "sit still and be quiet" in church.  And then we wonder why they grow up to "sit still and be quiet."  It's because that's what we told them to do!

Children are eager and ready to make a difference, they're just waiting on us to give them the opportunity.  Kids have talents!  Let them use those talents for God's glory!  

Many times someone who is leading one area of children's ministry is asked to step up and lead the entire children's ministry.  This is how I raised up children's ministry directors in a multi-site church.  When someone was leading either nursery, preschool or elementary well, I moved them into the director role at a new campus we were starting.

Perhaps you are currently leading a specific area of children's ministry, but feel God will eventually have you lead the entire children's ministry, either where you are now or in another ministry.  Or perhaps you've just been asked to lead an entire children's ministry.  Or perhaps you've been leading an entire children's ministry for awhile but need a reminder of what it takes to be effective.

In many aspects, leading an entire children's ministry is different than leading a specific area.  It takes a different level of leadership skills.  Let take a look at 7 keys to effectively leading an entire children's ministry.   

Key #1 - Shift from focusing on one area to focusing on the big picture.  You must shift your focus to the 30,000 foot view.  Someone has to fly high and have an eye on the big picture.  That's your job as the leader of the entire ministry.  If you are always down in the trenches, you won't be able to see down the road.  Whereas you were operating as a specialist, you must now operate as a generalist.

Key #2 - Know how to make good decisions based on what is best for the ministry as a whole.  You will be the key decision maker for the ministry.  But don't go at it alone.  Ask for advice.  Gather people around you that can help you make wise decisions.  Remember, in the multitude of counselors there is safety.  In the end, you will be the one who makes the final decision, but by listening to the right people you can make the best decision.  

Key #3 - Move from primarily being a doer to being an equipper.  In your previous role, you were an equipper to some extent or you won't have been asked to take a lead role.  But as the leader of the entire ministry, you must take your equipping to the next level.  You will need to spend the majority of your time investing in key leaders and live by what I call the law of the few.  Your goal is to reproduce yourself.  This is done by mentoring and pouring into the people who lead the specific areas of the ministry.

Key #4 - Become a problem fixer and conflict solver.  As the leader of the entire ministry, guess where problems and conflicts will land...on your desk.  You must become known as someone who can fix problems.  There will also be times when people on your team will have conflict.  You will be the one who mediates this using Biblical guidelines.  Read and learn all you can about navigating conflict.  Your people skills is one of the main growth areas you should concentrate on.

Key #5 - Know how to cast vision for the entire ministry.  You will guide the ministry forward, casting vision for where God wants the ministry to go.  This is one of the most important things you will do as the leader.  

Key #6 - Become a collaborator with the rest of the church.  Become a bridge to the other ministries in the church.  How can you partner with the men's ministry?  How can you partner with the women's ministry?  How can you collaborate with the student ministry to ensure a complete discipleship pathway from preschool to high school?  Plan the children's ministry calendar in collaboration with the other ministries.  You must constantly be thinking how you can see the children's ministry benefit the church as a whole.

Key #7 - Become good at communicating.  Communicating the vision.  Communicating the core values.  Communicating expectations.  Communicating upcoming events and happenings.  Communicating information to key leaders.  Communicating change so that it doesn't catch people by surprise but rather is a process.

If God has called you to lead the entire ministry, then He will give you everything you need to be effective as you seek Him.  Where He guides, He provides.  Walk in this confidence and focus on growing yourself in the above areas.

Your turn.  The floor is yours.  What are some other keys to leading an entire children's ministry?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.                   

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.” 

Here are the notes from the second session I taught at the Kidmin Conference.  It covers 12 keys to equipping your volunteer team.