Comments on: Why Does Children’s Ministry Matter?

By: Sandra Peters

Sandra Peters — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:09:05 +0000

I am viewing your website for the first time and don’t have any suggestions regarding additional ways Children’s Ministry matters, but what I see is very helpful. I’ll be checking back another day. Thank you!

Sandy Peters/Calvary Bible Church, Mount Joy, PA

By: Maggie Alinane Msowoya

Maggie Alinane Msowoya — Fri, 21 May 2010 22:17:52 +0000

I really appreciate the wonderful job that you people are doing. the list is wonderful and important.

I am sure it will help me in my ministry.

may God bless you .

By: Mollie

Mollie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:45:15 +0000

Thank you so much for this wonderful list. I think it just about answers every reason why we teach our children and why we want the parents to be part of teaching them also. I teach children’s church for Kindergarteners through 5th grade children. It is so much fun to see their faces when they say their memory verses and read from the Bible. It pleases God I’m sure to know his children are here learning about His Words and passing them on to their children when they are all grown up too.
Thank you so much!

By: rodel

rodel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:31:09 +0000

im a volunteer religion teacher here in our parish

since im teaching elementary level this site really improves my teaching quality which i know will interest the children in better understanding God!!!

thia article also aflame my heart to commit more to God as his teacher and to spread the good news!!!!

By: Elvie I. Junio

Elvie I. Junio — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:25:08 +0000

im elvie from the philippines, thanks a lot, they are very useful tips, im going to use them in our sunday school teachers’ training. You labor in the Lord is not in vain… God bless you and your ministry

By: Tony Kummer

Tony Kummer — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:52:19 +0000

Thanks for sharing this encouraging story!

By: Liz Eubanks

Liz Eubanks — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:34:05 +0000

I wanted to share something we did in our nursery departments. This might be long. Getting people to take a rotation during the worship service for the nurseries is a headache. I think it has been better since we started just taking a month at a time, rather than “the 3rd Sunday.” The kids get to know you when you are there 4 or 5 weeks in a row. Makes the volunteer feel out of touch, but better for the toddlers.

Anyway, my son does maintenance for the church. He put in small flat screen TV monitors on the walls in the baby and toddler nurseries and hooked them to the soundboard and the camera in the sanctuary. You can’t believe how this has helped with kids and adults. Adults have said, “Wow! I might volunteer in the nursery now.” No one likes to feel out-of-touch with what is going on.

As for the kids…The first Sunday they were up, I was in the toddler room. First of all, it was apparent that these toddlers were used to watching TV. Here is how they were helpful for me. When a couple of the kids were doing their normal crying when their mother left, I pointed to the screen and told them that their mothers were in that room, “see, you know that room, it is just down the hall (they recognize it).” I told them if they looked, they might see their mommy or daddy. The kids immediately stopped crying.

When the singing started, I thought it was a good opportunity for the toddlers to get acquainted with the music we sing, so we danced around during the fast ones, I sang aloud, and we circled the wagons and other things. If some of the children wandered off, that was fine, but we were participating in the worship.

I turned the sound off during the sermon, and concentrated on the children and reading their story, etc. Then when I noticed that someone was getting baptized, I walked to the screen and saw it was a child most of the toddlers knew. Of course, they can not understand baptism, but they will. I told them that Chris was getting baptized and all of them stood and watched the whole thing in silence. It was amazing. Also, I did not feel as if I had missed out completely on what is going on in our church. I also got a visual of who joined the church that Sunday. Made a lot of difference for me.

The other great thing was, that I did not get the kids all ready to go home 20 minutes early. I knew exactly when the parents would be coming and could get the kids excited about cleaning up.

It has been a life-saver for our nursery. I think they’ve already lost the remote – good thing it has controls on the side of the TV.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:13:15 +0000

Jan -

I can understand your frustration with no-shows. When no one shows up, you may want to tell parents that the nursery has been shut down for that Sunday and they’ll need to take their children with them to the service. This may seem drastic, but I can tell you from experience that it’s one way to make your point that people will remember. Unless they’re inconvenienced, some people will continue to take advantage of you until the 12th of Never. Also, if you continue to cover for no-shows, there’s not only no incentive for people to be more responsible, but you’re merely reinforcing an unacceptable behavior. Why should anyone else step up to the plate if you always do it for them?

We tell our volunteers right off the bat that if they don’t show up for their rotation, they can expect a follow-up phone call. That way they’re not surprised. As part of our training program, we also let people know up-front that anyone with two unexcused absences/no-shows within a one year service period is subject to removal from the rotation.

Another thing you might try is letting parents know that anyone who has children in the nursery is expected to take a turn on the nursery rotation. There’s no reason why you should have to contend with no-shows while over 100 women show up for women’s events. Be courteous, be polite, but revise your policies and BE FIRM.

By: Karen Jordan

Karen Jordan — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:15:08 +0000

I just came across your site today while searching for inspiration for words of wisdom for my Sunday School teachers and our congregation during the closing program. I was touched by these lists and really appreciate the hard work that went into them. Thank you for your dedication to children and I will definitely a frequent visitor to your site!!!

By: JoeE

JoeE — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:42:03 +0000

To Sheila–Having been a children’s pastor and bus minsitry director in three very large congregations, I can identify with your situation. Often Sunday School and children’s ministry volunteers can become tired and feel they need a break. One of the first suggestions that can come up is to discontinue the bus ministry and children’s program during the summer. I have two things I’d like to share about this:
(1) Prior to getting to that point, I tried to recruit volunteers to keep the volunterer pool fresh and excited about service. If you have a sufficient number of volunteers, people can take a Sunday or two off throughout the year without feeling guilty or like they are letting someone (or even the Lord) down. With more involved, you can have different people present the lesson, drive the bus, lead the singing, help with crafts, from Sunday to Sunday, etc. A team approach helps lighten the burden on the individuals. One way I attracted volunteers was to try to identify people that I thought would be good working with children. I would tell them that I needed someone to teach a 5th grade class (or drive a bus, etc.) and then ask them to pray with me over a period of a couple weeks or so that God would lay that burden on someone’s heart. Often, after praying about it with me, they would come back to me and report that while praying about it, God laid the burden on them.
(2) Throughout the year I would remind volunteers that when we are making decisions about how or why to do a particular thing, that the children’s ministries (bus program, etc.) are for kids. I remember drawing a large poster with the TRIX cereal bunny on it with a headline that read, “VBS is for Kids!” Sometimes we plan children’s ministries with us — the teachers, leaders — in mind, not the children. It’s not that children need a break during the summer — they need things to do and places to go when school is out! Instead, it’s that the volunteers want to take the time off — usually a sign of too few doing too much throughout the year. It’s certainly not a sin to suspend the children’s ministry during the summer months, but I can tell you it is very hard to get it rolling again in the Fall — especially if many of the children come on the buses. If the kids are the children of church members, they’ll probably be back in the Fall because their parents will be also. But, it is different for kids who don’t get a lot of support and encouragement at home about attending church.
I hope these ideas are an encouragement and help to you. Be assured that I’ll remember you and your church in my prayers!