This could be why your KidsMin Department is not growing…
Okay, let’s all admit to this; If you’ve been privileged to serve in KidsMin, you know just how much of time and patience it could take to get the ministry to where you want it to be. Such progress could take months, even years to accomplish!😥
In this week’s blog post, I highlight five reasons as to what could be the causes that are preventing your Children’s Ministry Department from growing, and how you can work against them towards building a stronger and healthier foundation for the Department.😉
✔Taking Quick Fixes.
Raise your hand if you are used to taking to short-term tactics during times of emergencies…and count my hand in too! It is very easy to look for a short term solution. For example, there’s a church meeting and you need to give a report of how well your ministry is fairing, so you decide to get temporary volunteers as a way of getting your department together. What happens when the meeting is over? The temps eventually leave.
Quick fixes are good tactics for short-term goals. However, if you want to build a ministry that will last long-term, then you need to take care of the basics. Instead of looking for temporary ways out, seek permanent ways of coming up with solutions. That way, you are not always rushing to fix your department every last minute.💯
✔Failing to empower the volunteers.
Remember, the KidsMin Department has two main groups; the children, and the workers. However, most departments tend to give most of their time to the children, and forget that the workers or volunteers in the department need to be taken care of too!
Leaders should take time to build teams with all their volunteers, connect them with more opportunities for growth and empowerment by holding trainings, seminars and even workshops for them, and also schedule times when they can have retreats for fun! A motivated employee is likely to last in your department for the long-term.😉
✔The Leader Does it all by THEMSELVES!
And I am soo guilty of this!🙈 When I started out in KidsMin, I’d feel the need for everything to go in what I felt was the best way. So I’d tell myself, “Instead of asking Volunteer A to do this for me, why can’t I just do it for myself?” I’d eventually end up doing most things by myself.
However, over time I got burn outs, and that’s when I realized I had been doing so much while failing to engage the other volunteers. They knew nothing about the schedule, where to buy goodies for kids… hope you get the point. I had failed miserably in engaging them, and as a result, I had to backtrack and right that wrong.
It is very important for any leader to actively engage the volunteers. Give them roles to execute, encourage communication and listen to their problems. When a leader works hand-in-hand with their team, it is easier for the department to grow faster as compared to when the leader does it all by themselves. Think of it this way; if you have one stick, it is easy to break. Take a couple of sticks and tie them in a bunch, then try breaking them. They will be harder to break.😉
✔Expecting Parent Engagement.
Times without number, I have heard volunteers complain about how Child A’s parent is never supportive. To be honest, I too have felt that certain parents weren’t supportive and I really used to wonder why.
However, I came to realize that it should actually be the other way round. Instead of volunteers expecting parents to engage just because their child attends your ministry, the volunteers should be the ones working towards earning their attention. Volunteers can do this by tapping into the parent-child relationship. Give them work to do at home after your sessions. Have shows where the children perform and parents can actually come and see them. By tapping into such activities, you will not need to complain further about not having a parent’s attention. The most important thing here is to build a relationship based on trust and service.♥️
✔Measuring events on Numbers rather than impact.
I’ll be honest with you; countless times I have been frustrated when I organized an event for children and most failed to come.😥
In children’s ministry, and this is my own opinion, reach may not always be very important at the beginning. You may start out with one or two children, but the most important thing is to focus on the impact you are creating with those two children. Chances are that those two will bring in more children next time, and those other children will bring in more. With time, your department grows. It may not be easy, it may take time, but eventually, it will happen. All you need is a little patience.😉
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