Is Your Children’s Ministry Missing Any of These 5 Core Components?
You’re new to heading up the children’s ministry at your church and have a desire to make it the best it’s been. Or you’ve been doing it a while and it’s going fairly well, but can’t quite figure out that one thing that your ministry seems to be missing to make it even better.
As a children’s ministry director myself, I am always evaluating whether we are doing everything we should. Am I missing something? In speaking to other children’s ministry leaders, we are doing a lot! And not just a lot of the same thing, but many different things at different churches in different places and stages.
The challenge then for all of us is are we doing the best there is for the kids? There are five core components that every children’s ministry should be based upon.
THE GOSPEL
Belief in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ as the only means to salvation cannot and must not be skimmed over. Even with children. Children need to know of the God who created all things. They need to know the standard set before them, and the sin that keeps us from God’s presence. And they need to know that this same God provided a way to be righteous before God. So we must ask ourselves a few questions.
Is the gospel being presented every time a child is in the classroom or at a children’s event? Is it presented in an age-appropriate way? What is the most basic thing you want to accomplish with having a children’s department?
A focus on the gospel is going to filter through pretty much every other core component of children’s ministry, but make sure it is at the forefront of all planning and implementation. Some churches are simply seeking childcare opportunities during adult gatherings. Some offer minimum teaching and lots of fun, hoping to keep the kids desiring to come back. And some offer stricter school-style classrooms and drills.
Depending on where your church is and how many qualified teachers you have in your church, you could fall under any of those categories. A good balance of gospel-learning and fun can be achieved… and achieved in a way that keeps the kids wanting to come back, but also putting into their hearts and minds the word of God and a hunger for it without them even knowing it. That takes qualified volunteers and quality curriculum choices.
VOLUNTEERS
You may think that the next core component will be the curriculum choice. But it’s the people. Both the teaching and non-teaching areas of a children’s department are very important. New mommas bringing their babies into the nursery for the first time have an insecurity that rivals no other. But you’re ready with a curated crew of volunteers. You need ladies (and gentlemen!) who have that magic touch with the little ones. These are the ones who aren’t afraid to slip off their shoes and sit on the floor with a crawler. These are the ones who will happily sit for the entire time in a rocking chair calming a fussy baby.
And then there are the teaching areas… areas in which you cannot place just any person. They need to be gifted with children. Able to teach a lesson from the book (because that’s why you bought that curriculum, right? It’s full of good stuff and matches the goals you have set out for that class). Able to keep a group of second and third graders in line long enough to get through the hour and have them leave with a sliver of more knowledge about God, more knowledge about themselves according to the Word, and more knowledge about the gospel. These are the people who are willing to spend a couple hours outside the church walls preparing the lesson and being ready to teach when it is time. These are also the ones who give willing high fives and fist bumps as they pass their students in the halls at church or maybe even attend a sports game or music concert of their students.
How do you get such magical people to volunteer in the children’s department? They do exist! Sometimes it takes a direct ask from the children’s director or an elder for that calling to come into clear sight. Sometimes they just fall into your lap, asking to serve.
No matter how they get to the point of wanting to serve, volunteers need to be vetted before serving. The elders of the church should be included, for they know the membership well. Conversations should happen between prospective volunteers and the children’s ministry director, and between the children’s ministry director and the elders. More will be said about this in the safety core component below.
EQUIPPING VOLUNTEERS
Now that you’ve recruited and vetted your volunteers, they need equipping. To start, evaluate the best role to place them in so they will thrive. Some folks are best suited for toddlers, while others for a formal teaching role.
Offer training sessions for your volunteers. A big annual training can accomplish much, especially if there are breakout sessions designed to conquer different topics such as special needs in the classrooms and sessions for youth volunteers. Allow new teachers to shadow veteran teachers. Train them on the curriculum, and the vision you’ve set out for the classes they will be teaching. Set them up for success.
CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES
Curriculum is important. Yes, we could choose what is the most available, but is it good? We could choose what is the cheapest, but again, is it good? We could even choose the most expensive… but again, is it good? Does it match the vision and mission of the children’s ministry? Does it share the gospel consistently and accurately?
Choosing curriculum can be quite daunting because there are many different styles, price points, and publishers out in the children’s ministry world. I’ve found that the best resources when it comes to curriculum choices are fellow children’s ministry directors. Are you part of a cohort where you can all get together? If not, join one. If you know of none, start one. Networking with other directors is an invaluable tool.
Be thinking through what you want to accomplish with your curriculum choices. To what do you want to devote Sunday mornings? What about Sunday nights or Wednesday nights? Having a teaching goal will allow you to narrow down your choices, and choose what is best.
Be sure to give your teachers everything they need to teach a lesson that the kids will remember! Have a stocked supply closet that they can run to grab disposable and reusable objects for their lessons. But also have their classrooms stocked with basic supplies so teachers aren’t worried about pencils and glue sticks, but rather teaching the lesson. A lesson that has been intentionally planned to share the gospel.
For resources on ministry philosophy, books, and curriculum used by my church, visit Children’s Ministry Books and Curriculum.
SAFETY
It’s no secret that the world we live in is very different from the time our grandparents left their homes without locking their doors. Nowadays, we have security cameras at every entrance point to our homes and hit the lock button on our car fob three times just to be sure our vehicles are indeed locked. Those are just for possessions. Things.
What about our children within our walls at church? Safety must be a consideration. What is your church’s safety plan? Do you have one? Do you know it? Is it implemented each week? Do you use a safety team or deacons to help? How do you keep them safe in your own church’s environment? Does your volunteer vetting process include background checks, an application, and interviews?
Some churches have entire wings or buildings devoted to and only accessible by the children’s ministry. Others, like my own, do not have the capability to devote an entire area, but have pockets of classrooms throughout the campus. Whatever the configuration for your children’s ministry, set in place procedures to keep kids safe. Even more than the physical space, give much thought into your volunteers. Yes, they may be great with kids, but have you put up safeguards to keep unwanted volunteers out? Often, it’s the ones who are thought to be the best volunteers who end up being the perpetrators. Everyone knows a convicted child abuser shouldn’t serve in a church’s children department. But do you know who those people are? Do your due diligence. Again, having a network of fellow children’s ministry directors will be invaluable in thinking through all the many safety steps you can implement.
For resources to help your church think through child protection (and adult protection, too!), view Children’s Ministry Safety Policies Resources.
LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME TO ME
Jesus certainly welcomed children into his presence (Matthew 19:14). And I know you are reading this article because you want to welcome the children into your church. What’s the goal of having a children’s ministry if it isn’t to have them grow in their own personal walk with the Lord. We must pray that the Lord calls them to himself. We must do the hard labor of presenting the gospel in many ways and over a long time. The challenge is to not just merely be childcare. Teach the children. Welcome and love them well. Give them the gospel. No one ever regrets having followed Christ from an early age. Let’s be a church that gives kids that chance.