RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

What Children's Ministry Leaders Want Parents to Know

9:26 AM Dale Hudson

It's not an easy task to lead and volunteer in children's ministry.

But millions of people serve in children's ministry on a regular basis.

Why do they lead in children's ministry? Why do they give up their time to volunteer in children's ministry? Why do they invest in the next generation?

Here is what children's ministry leaders want parents to know.

We serve and lead because God has called us to do this. He has placed a burden and vision for helping your child know Jesus and follow Him.

We serve and lead because we really do care about your children. This compels us to pray for them. This causes us to teach them. This compels us to invest in them. This causes us to build a relationship with them.

We serve and lead because we want to see your children grow in their faith and become disciples of Jesus for a lifetime. At the end of the day, that's what matters most. We want your children to experience the radical love of Jesus and what it means to walk with Him.

We serve and lead because we care about the future of the church. Your children will be the spiritual leaders one day. We want to help you equip them and prepare them for this.

We serve and lead because we want to make an impact and leave a legacy. Long after we are gone, the children will carry on the work of the kingdom. We want to help prepare them for that.

We serve and lead because we want to partner with you. It can be a challenge to lead children spiritually. We want to help you succeed in this.

We serve and lead because we want to help you maximize your influence with your children. You are the biggest influence in your child's life. We want to help you maximize your influence.

We serve and lead because we want to be a blessing and encouragement to you. It's not easy being a parent. We are here to encourage you and support you in the journey.

3 Things You Should Be Doing Every Week in Children's Ministry

8:59 AM Dale Hudson

There are a lot of things you can do in children's ministry. Programs. Events. Camps.

All of these are good things and can help you disciple kids.

But today let's talk about 3 things you should be doing every week in children's ministry.

Great children's ministries are not built on programs or events. Rather, they are built by doing these 3 things week in and week out.

Are you really serious about building a children's ministry? Are you committed to doing some key things every single week?

Let's take a look at the 3 things.

#1 - Invite someone to serve with you.

Effective children's ministries are build and sustained by great volunteer teams. Let's be honest. It takes a lot of work to build a great volunteer team. You have to consistently invite people to serve with you.

Our church has an indoor playground area. We open it up after services so kids and their parents can hang out after church services are over.

Come visit us and you will see where I hang out after the service. I am at the indoor playground...asking people to join our volunteer team. This past weekend, I was able to personally invite 2 people to serve and one of them said "yes."

Do that every single week and I promise you that your volunteer team will grow. Don't complain about not having enough volunteers if you are not asking people to serve with you. Personal invites...it's the best way to build a great volunteer team.

If you haven't read my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" you need to get it. In this book, I share how we built a volunteer team of over 2,000 in 9 years. You can use the same formula to grow your children's ministry volunteer team. The principles in the book will work in any size church. You can get the book today at this link.

#2 - Thank people for serving with you.

Did you know that 65% of volunteers have never heard the words "thank you?" Don't be that kind of leader. Say "thank you for serving and making a difference" every single week to all of your volunteers.

While building a team is where it all begins, showing gratitude to that team of people is where it is sustained. Personally thank every volunteer, every single week, for serving.

#3 - Share the Gospel.

There is nothing more important than sharing the Gospel. There are a lot of things that you can teach children. But the most important thing is the Gospel. Paul said this in Romans 1:16.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The one and only way kids and families can know God and have eternal life is through the Gospel. That's some great news. The best news ever!

We only have a short window of time to reach children with the Gospel. We must make it count. Does that mean we should just talk about the Gospel each week. No. After children come to Christ, they should be discipled...but the Gospel is the starting point and it should be woven into the lesson each week.

So those are the 3 things I believe we should be doing each week. What do you think? Love to see your thoughts and insights in the comment section below.

The Day We Got Cussed Out at Church

7:45 AM Dale Hudson

Yes. You read the title correctly. We recently got cussed out at church. An angry mother let us have it.

It had to do with a lost name tag. Believer it or not.

Parents got upset because of some critical mistakes we made as a team.

What should you do when you are faced with an angry parent or guardian?

What should you say?

What kind of attitude should you have?

Here are some guidelines we follow when faced with an angry parent or guardian.

Remember that many times you are seeing the surface symptoms of deeper issues going on in their life. Hurt people hurt. People who are stressed can have a short fuse. The anger they are expressing toward you may really not be about you or the Children's Ministry. You may be an outlet where they can vent their anger about a deeper issue. The mom who explodes at the check-in line may be a single mom who is trying to raise three preschoolers by herself. The dad who yells at a volunteer may have just lost his job and doesn't know how he is going to take care of his family. Looking beyond the anger to see the hurt will help you enter the situation with empathy instead of defensiveness.

If you're in a crowd, move to a private, quieter place. This helps alleviate some of the pressure that has built up. It also changes it from being a "scene" to a sensible discussion.

Lower the decibel level. If you're like me, my human nature wants to respond by matching their tone or even overriding it. But that is not the wise thing to do. Remember Proverbs 15:1? It says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh response makes tempers flare." If the parent is talking in a loud, angry tone or is even to the point of shouting, do not match their tone or decibel level. Instead talk in a quieter, softer voice. It will eventually bring their level down as well.

Zip it up and listen up. Most of the time, the parent just wants to be heard. They want to know that you care and are genuinely interested in their concerns. Instead of arguing, let them know you are there to listen. And...don't say what you are thinking. If they are way off base or misguided in their concerns, the temptation is to set them straight...to tell them off. But that will only widen the gap. Pride tells someone off. Humility listens.

Use silent pauses. As they vent, pause for a few seconds before you respond. This helps you lead by example instead of emotion. And if they are so angry that they are zoned out, this will also bring them back to earth.

Use the word "let's" instead of "you." This technique is very effective in moving the situation from a battle to a collaboration.

Rehearse back to them what they said. This will show that you listened and truly want to bring resolution.

Ask open ended questions that they can respond "yes" to. The word "yes" has a calming effect.

Brainstorm options with them. Ask how they think the situation can be resolved. Again, this moves you from battling to collaboration. Leave the situation with action steps or possible solutions.

Thank them for their concerns. This shows you value them as a person.

Apologize even if it's not your fault. Pride looks for an apology. Humility gives an apology. Pride looks for victory. Humility looks for resolution.

Follow up with them. Let them know about any steps that were taken to resolve the issue. At times, a card, flowers, or gift certificate is a great touch. Kindness dissolves conflict.

It's never easy when anger suddenly surfaces. It takes patience and practice to handle it well.