Celebrate volunteers, cheer for salvations, talk feel connected when they walk in your room to to be a part of, only to pass the baton and
about the wins. When people know that they serve. Talk with your pastor about getting an watch everything crumble. In her book, “The
are winning, they want to keep winning! excerpt of his Sunday’s notes to share with your Art of Mentoring” Darlene Zschech says,
team. Get the list of weekly announcements “Some people hold on to a position or title
and go over them with your team. If your for dear life; they hold on so tight, in fact, that
church records Sunday’s message, send it out they sabotage their own lives in the process.”
in a link over the following week. When our ministry starts thriving, it becomes
3. FLANNELGRAPH JESUS
At the beginning of this article I talked about
the fear of missing out. Our volunteers have very easy for us to hold it tight and never let
created a dichotomy that doesn’t need to it go. We begin to think of it as “our ministry”
exist, and it is this: I receive in main service; or “our legacy” when, in fact, ministry is a gift
I give in kids service. This belief is partly our
fault. Some of the lessons that we have taught
in kids ministry are flat out boring and not
compelling at all! They are cute and light and
have no real depth.
My pastor says something that I love. “We
don’t give our kids Mini-Holy Spirit”. Meaning,
the wonder and greatness and closeness of
my God should not be stripped away for cute,
nice, flannelgraph Jesus. Now I get it. Service
should be fun and engaging. It also should be
A magician
from God and all the people we’ve led are His
anyway. As leaders, we should be the opposite
never reveals of magicians. A magician never reveals his
his secrets, but for free. Find someone and start pouring into
a great leader the late nights with you, coach them, pastor
gives his away the ministry you’ve been entrusted, you will
for free. on your shoulders and attain the dreams that
secrets, but a great leader gives his away
them. Take them to coffee, invite them to work
them. And when the time comes to hand off
watch the people you’ve trained as they stand
God has placed in their heart as well.
compelling and just as powerful for us as it is
My goal in writing this article is to encourage
for our kids! As a worship leader, it is my job to
choose to engage in worship and sing praise Another way to be the doorway is in your you that you have the tools you need to
to my God from my heart, whether I’m leading scheduling. As the kids pastor or leader, you succeed, you are enough, and God has called
a group of 4-year-olds or I’m on stage leading should know when the last time your volunteers you (yes, you!) for such a time as this. It has
thousands of adults. The same is true when sat in the main service! It’s easy to only focus never been so important that our children
I prepare a message. If the game is fun for on when they are on schedule, and forget to are being taught the Living, Breathing, Word
me, the worship is a reflection of my personal make sure they are sitting in service as well. In of God. So, spend some time in prayer with
relationship with God, and the message is digging into this information, you may find two God this week. Lean in and begin believing
convicting for me, then not only will my kids things. The volunteer who has served faithfully that He’s got some new mountains for you
be more engaged, but my volunteers will stop every week and hasn’t been in main service for to climb. They may be tough, the terrain may
feeling as though they can only “receive” from quite a while, or the volunteer who comes only be ridden with obstacles, but the reward is
the Senior Pastor and they will begin to see when they are on schedule to serve. Have the eternal. And God has called you to lead this
the value and the power of a transformative conversations, make the course-corrections, kids ministry to the top!
kids ministry. and watch how valued your volunteers feel
when your number one goal becomes making
4. YOU ARE THE DOORWAY sure they are taken care of.
As amazing as your kids ministry can get, it is 5. COPY PASTE
still your job to make sure your volunteers feel
connected to what is happening in the adult I have seen good leaders take all these steps
service. This is a huge part of making them and create the ministry that people wanted
Terryl Padilla
Terryl is a Creative Coordinator at Capitol CMG,
overseeing kids ministry products. He and his wife,
Katheryn, currently serve in the kids ministry of their
church as well. Together they have two children,
Nevaeh and Atlas.