One of the most important, if not the most critical aspect of every church is the children’s ministry.
The children are the future of the church. If your church is going to have a future, then you need to develop your children’s ministry as much as possible.
Improving your children’s ministry isn’t just about creating a wonderful ambiance and providing sophisticated gadgets. We must ensure that our children are not spiritually impoverished as well. So, in the end, it should be a mix of both. Here are five steps to help you improve your church’s children’s ministry.
Get the best hands for the job
Not everyone is fit to become a teacher in your children’s church. You need your best hands to handle this task. The children’s church is one of the most delicate sections of the church.
Proper congregation management requires you to seek out the best individuals in your workforce fit for the task. Even after choosing these individuals, you still need to make an effort to provide them with adequate training.
The fact that they are willing or have previous skills doesn’t automatically make them fit. Our world is rapidly changing, and our kids are exposed to these changes per second. As such, your teachers should receive adequate training to match up with our ever-evolving world. The strategies have changed over the years, and they should learn the new strategies to keep up.
Gather the best materials
There is a tendency of watering down the Word because it is children’s class. Of course, you are not going to be preaching complex sermons to kids. However, you cannot water down the standards of the Word. You must serve it in the best way possible for these young minds to assimilate.
The children should just come to Sunday School because they love the ambiance. They shouldn’t come to just mingle with their friends. The main aim of the children’s ministry is to build in these young ones a heart of Christ.
Because of this, you have to invest in the best materials possible. From print to audio-visuals, everything that you can lay your hands on, even games. The idea is that everything they do must show them why it is essential to love Christ and serve Him. Not using these strong media is missing the opportunity to train up these kids in the right way to grow.
Establish necessary security protocol
We cannot discuss improving the children’s ministry in your church without mentioning security protocol. It is imperative to invest in necessary security protocol else the parents wouldn’t pay so much attention in the adult church. Parents need to know that their children and wards are safe during services. The kind of security protocol you have in place will influence this.
As such, you invest in church management software like ChurchPad. This software presents you with several protocols to maintain the security of the children. A typical example is “children check-in.” Don’t just have these security protocols in place for the children’s church; establish them for your teenage church as well.
Establishing the necessary security protocol also means that you should run background checks on all the teachers. You cannot leave anything to chance. Anybody that has a shady background shouldn’t be allowed to work with minors. They should not even come close to the area dedicated to the children’s church.
Don’t forget that we are in a period where social distancing is the new normal. As you set in place a new security protocol, don’t forget social distancing. It should be one of the key protocols in place. Without health security, physical security is not so beneficial.
Upgrade your children’s ministry facilities
The church should be a place of all-around excellence. This means that the children’s church and its facilities must be excellent as well. You cannot water down the standard or drop the bar. There shouldn’t be a wide chasm between the quality of your adult and children’s churches.
Don’t forget that the enthusiasm of the children to attend church determines whether their parents will come to church or not. You need to show the children and their parents that you truly care about the children, not just your numbers. How do you do this?
Upgrade the facilities in the children’s church. Are the chairs comfortable? Do they have the necessary media equipment to help them enjoy service? What about the musical instruments? Is the space wide enough to accommodate the children? How good is the children’s church convenience?
You must invest in the right furniture, media equipment, and musical instruments. The whole idea is to give these kids a reason to come back to church. Rid the environment of clutter and paint the walls in attractive colors. Remember that it must be a mix of a great environment and a quality spiritual atmosphere.
Work with families
The family is the basic unit of any society including your church. You cannot exclude families when trying to grow the children’s ministry. After all, these kids are all from families. Provide support to families where necessary. Also, endeavor to seek input from parents when working on children’s church affairs.
The more comfortable the parents are, the easier it is for their kids to attend your children’s church. There are several ways to support parents. You could organize a date night for parents and have volunteers care for their children during this period.
Another thing you could do is organize seminars to teach parents how to better relate with their children. Send gifts to expecting mothers and set up a support group for all new parents in your congregation. ChurchPad can help you gather the data you need and also send the information across easily. Finally, you can have family retreats periodically to help families bond spiritually and socially.
Conclusion
The future of the church is the children’s ministry. Interestingly, neglecting them today will mean a decadent church tomorrow. We have shown you 5 ways to improve your church’s children’s ministry. You can check ChurchPad for different features that will help you in this regard.
