RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Making your children's ministry a safe place must be a top priority.

The first reason is to protect the children God has placed in your care.  Not too concerned?  Go to www.familywatchdog.us and put in your church address.  You'll change your mind very quickly.

Secondly, to protect the ministry of your church.  The evil one would love to hurt the cause of Christ and see the reputation of your children's ministry destroyed in the community.

Thirdly, is for parents to feel safe leaving their kids in your care.  If parents don't feel their children are safe, they will not return.  Your children's ministry will not grow because of this.

Here's 7 keys to making your children's ministry a safe place.

Key #1 - Background checks on everyone before they are approved to serve.  Please, please, please don't skip this step.  You can't afford not to.

Key #2 - Personal interview with everyone before they start serving.  Sit down with each person and have a list of questions you ask them.  This includes questions like, "Is there anything in your past that we need to know about that would make it questionable for you to serve with kids?"

Key #3 - Never allow anyone to be alone with a child.  Do not open rooms until you have at least 2 volunteers present.  This must be a non-negotiable.

Key #4 - Have a window so you can see in every room.  There should be a window in the door or wall so people can see in the room at all times.  (if possible also put a camera in every room that records the activities - there will be times when you will need to go back and watch the tape to see what happened in an incident)

Key #5 - Have "kid-only" restrooms.  Adults should not be allowed in the bathrooms the kids use.  

Key #6 - Have a check-in system that provides matching security tags for kids and their parents.  Parents must have the matching tag to pick up their child.  No exceptions.  This is another non-negotiable. 

Key # 7 - Only approved volunteers are allowed in the children's rooms.  They should wear a name tag, shirt or badge that identifies them as an approved volunteers

One of these keys alone is not enough.  The more you have in place, the safer your children's ministry will be.  When you have all 7 in place, it creates a solid wall of protection.

What are some other steps you take to keep the kids in your ministry safe?  Share with us in the comment section below.

This past weekend, I was walking around encouraging our volunteers.

I stopped and spent a few minutes with Lamont.  Lamont is a big guy.  A man's man.  He serves on our volunteer security team and helps keep the kids safe while they are here.  This includes locking and unlocking doors, helping walk kids to the bathroom, blocking the people traffic flow when our preschoolers are crossing into the park for chapel, and much more.

As a talked with Lamont, God reminded me to tell him something.  Here's what it was.

"Lamont, I want you to know that what you do makes a huge impact on families.  New families are usually nervous when they walk in here for the very first time.  One of the things they are wandering about is if their kids are going to be safe.  When they see you, it helps them feel at ease.  They are able to go to the service and listen to the message without being worried about the safety of their child.  As a result, many of them come to Christ.  And you play a significant part in that.  That's WHY you're here."

"You also help kids transition to chapel time where they hear God's Word taught.  You make it possible for them to transition safely and you have a part in every child who is impacted by God's Word during chapel time.  That's WHY you're here."

Your smiles and "welcomes" to families makes them feel at home.  Many of them come back because you helped make feel welcome.  As a result, many of them begin a relationship with Jesus.  That's WHY you do what you do.

Lamont's eyes lit up.  He looked at me, smiled, and said, "thank you."  I could tell it meant a lot to him to be reminded of why he is serving.

Don't just thank your volunteers for serving.  Take it to the next level by reminding them of "why" they are serving.

Example - "Thank you for teaching the 2nd graders today."  (that's the what)  This is good, but take it to the next level by reminding the volunteer of why they served today.

"Wow...I so appreciate your heart for God and the kids.  Because you served today, many of those kids will find Christ as their Savior.  And the truths you taught them will impact their lives."  (that's the why)

See the difference?  Don't just stop with the what - remind them of the why.  It will bring encouragement and energy to your volunteers.

Safety and security must be a top priority for every church and ministry.  If you're looking for a great solution, I recommend KidCheck.

KidCheck provides secure children's check-in solutions for churches, fitness facilities, activity centers and child care centers.  They help streamline the check-in process, improve security and create a positive parent and visitor experience.

KidCheck offers complete solutions with easy-to-use children's check-in software, as well as check-in stations, computers, and supplies and accessories such as label printers, scanners, keytags and check-in labels.

The video below -  "Improving Child Safety in Your Organization" and companion "Child Safety and Security" guide discuss the leading concerns around child safety to help organizations create a safe environment for the children in their care.

Topics include:

• Creating a Security Team
• Securing Your Facility
• Medical Emergencies
• Volunteer/Staff Policies
• Emergency Situations
• General Childcare Safety

   
Child Safety and Security Guide (pdf) - click to download

We are giving away a 6 month free subscription to KidCheck children's check-in software (hardware not included).  You can enter by emailing dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.  We will announce the winner next Monday, October 21.