Your feedback has been amazing and we are ready to move ahead with this series of articles. Each post below is designed to give practical help in areas of struggle.
Overcoming Challenges
So Where’s the Volunteers? – A look at what keeps people from serving in children’s ministry.
10 Tips for Finding Volunteers – Nicole VanderMeulen offers some practical ways to staff your children’s ministry.
4 Storytelling Hints to Keep Children’s Attention – Kristen Charles share some great advice to help kids stay focused during your Bible lesson.
Making the Most of a Small Budget – Kristen Charles gives 8 tips for doing more with less money.
Share Your Struggles
I’m looking for some reader feedback to help us continue this series of posts. My goal is to discuss some of the hardest things about doing kids ministry. So, please let me know what struggles you face in your church. They can be anything related to parents, volunteers, Sunday School, children’s church or whatever. Just leave a comment in the post box below.
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I am looking to involve the older people in the nursery children’s lives i have asked them to help in the nursery and most have said they can’t for health reasons but I fear without their involvement there will be a generation gap that will not be good the children need to have spiritual guidance from those who have walked a christian life does anyone know about spiritual grandparents programs they were mentioned in a article on this site but I don’t know how they work.I would like to find out about them to see if it would help our church
i just moved in march from a church with a membership of about 1,000 to a church with a membership of about 50. The majority of members are older with grown children. There are about 11 young people coming on a regular basis. 5 of them come on our van ministry. 2 of the other youths come with their grandmother and aunt and are on poor terms with their parents. I just started teaching grades 1-4. former teachers are burned out and was glad to be released from teaching. i’m praying to be used by the Holy Spirit to nurture these 11 young people. They do absolutely nothing in church, but play during service. The teenagers are really bad.
After reading all the posts, I must say it is an encouragement to hear that my difficulties are not unique. It is hard not to take things personally when calls for volunteers go unanswered, etc. I take comfort and joy in knowing that I am serving the Lord by keeping the little ones safe while their parents are in Sunday School or Worship. I know things will improve.
I feel really sad for Cindy’s situation. I don’t know if I would stay in that church and continue to be treated disrespectfully. No matter where the disagreement started, no matter who is “right”, perhaps it is time to surrender the situation and see if the Lord leads you to serve elsewhere. Your critics have made their preferences clear, I don’t think their minds or hearts will change.
leslie and cindy
cindy’s situation is really hard right now. but dont think that’s a reason to throw in the towel and go. God has a purpose for cindy I have been in almost the same situation 2xs. it is not fun but 1cor. 10:13 tells us there is nothing that we are going thru that some one else hasnt already been through but He is faithful to not put on us more than we can take without a way of escape. the escape isnt cut and run away. it is run to God The Father. with the confusion going on in your church right now Who would watch out for the children? God Has placed Cindy there for this time. Everything will work out and either God will eventually move the others or move you. But just wait. When God reveals His plan and purpose you will be amazed. Dont think gOD IS GOING TO BLESS A PASTOR WHO CAUSES DISCENTION AND CONFUSION. jUST WAIT, PRAY, AND TEACH THE KIDS
My biggest problems is keeping the kids focused. You have some kids that just refuse to participate. Maybe if I can come up with something more fun and interactive that would motivate the older kids a little bit more I wouldnt have such a hard time.
sally you didnt say how old the older kids are. you know when kids get to a certain age its just cool to not participate. you might just tell them if they dont want to contribute to just please be quiet and let the others listen or give them some kind of drawing assignment let them draw the lesson. just be sure and put them behind the other kids or it will distract
or just pull 1 or 2 aside and ask them to draw the lesson for you they will like having a job
My biggest challenge right now is parents. I have been Director of Preschool/Children’s Ministry for the last three years. I had to start all over with everything and the program has been doing great. Our church is going through a lot right now. We have lost at least 50% of our membership in the last two years because of disagreements with the pastor and other issues. We have also had the church up for sale and been waiting on that to go through and it continues to fail. I have worked so hard to keep the children’s programs going. I am now battling some issues with a parent that has actually gotten other parents to be against me also. I have not done anything to them, they have just decided that the programs are not good enough and the one parent that has started everything seems to think that everything should be about fun only. I have some great Bible based programs going on, which is what I thought we were suppose to be doing. I just don’t know what to do….. I am terribly discouraged right now and the pastor is supporting the parents because it is his little clique that he is involved in. I had a day of fun planned in August and had it on the calendar for two months, had also purchased everything for the day. On the Wednesday before the waterday, I found out by accident that the parents had decided to go to the lake with the pastor and his wife instead of coming to the waterday I had planned. I am really praying about this situation. The parents are terribly hateful to me and constantly complain. Our church isn’t doing very well financially either, so I am very limited with my budget right now. Anyway, I could go on and on……. I need some suggestions please!
cindy
i wanted to knowif things are better i would like to visit off this site
please contact me directly pinqlady57@hotmail.com
Wow. That is a painful situation and you are not alone. Keep trusting God and serve the kids God brings your way.
Tony,
Thanks so much for your encouraging words and prayers. I do feel better than I did. I have really prayed about the situation and I know that this is where God wants me to be right now. I have decided to press forward and continue to serve the Lord and the children of my church. I just feel so blessed to have you guys praying for me and so many of my friends at my church. I love working with children and parents. I know that when it’s time for me to resign then it will be in God’s time.
hang in there! it’s especially hard when you feel like it’s the church leadership that is not on board…but God is up to something GOOD through it! :)
How do you get consistant Volunteers? I think I’m tired of looking for volnteers. Instead of looking for volunteers i want to find servants b/c volunteers quit. So what are effective ways of recruiting servants.
Great point. Some churches refuse to use the word “volunteers” and only call them servants.
Hi,
Thanks for your encouragments and ideas i would like to know the methods and activities for special needy children? how to do a VBS for them if you can give some ideas it will be great.
Thank you,
Eami
Linda,
I agree! It has been encouraging for me as well to see that we are not the only church that has a problem recruiting volunteers. One of the great things about this site is that it fosters a sense of community, where we can realize that we are not alone in our ministry struggles. I love the honesty of the comments here.
Thanks for sharing!
This may sound strange, but it was very encouraging reading everyones comments. I am our Children’s Director for our church (volunteer position), but work full time at another very large church in the daycare during the week. When you see all the wonderful things at “work”, the things they do for “church kids”, and the money, room, and volunteers they have, you feel like you are on your own island. We too have a small church (I call it retired-most everyone is older and doesn’t want to volunteer), I don’t have any kind of budget. The youth pastor lets me work the concession stands with the teens-for the University-so we can have some money for the kids (the church has no say on how I spend this money on the kids-but I keep receipts anyway) this is a blessing but very tiring as this is a Saturday and someitmes Friday night/Satuday job-depends on the season of sports). But God has given me a wonderful supportive husband who helps me a lot. So my area of discouragemnt is the same as most everyone elses-space, VOLUNTEERS (especailly them taking their postions as seriously as they do their jobs), money, ideas, and support for smaller churches. I too think the articles in “Childrens’s Ministries” magazines are wonderful, but they are so clueless about how the smaller churches are run and the problems we encounter. Even our Nazarene headquarters doesn’t seem to get it and the cirriculum from them is behind the times, but God bless them, they are trying and are getting better. I try to keep my volunteers encouraged with notes of praise and small tokens of love and appreciation, but I can tell some are still ready to jump ship as they have been doing their job for so long and are tired. But they love the Lord and our kids. I hope you are able to get your article or book done on this subject. This support group is wonderful!
My biggest challenge would have to be getting the kids to come consistenly. Most of our kids are “bus kids”, meaning their parents do not come to church. We are a small church, and because of lack of teachers, I have K-6th in Sunday School and Children’s Church. However, some Sundays all may show up, and at other times only 2 -3. It is very frustrating. Parents used to send their kids just to “get them out of their hair for a few hours”. Now they can’t be bothered to do that. It’s easier letting everyone stay in bed.
We have a very small church with just a few children. My goal is to get more kids but then I have the problem with willing teachers who have no idea how to teach. They are willing but in Sunday School they are boring the children to the point that they do not want to come back. I teach Jr. Church and can usually keep the ball rolling when I am with a varity of ages. How can I help teachers put some spark in their lessons? Thank you.
Our church is small and we are connected to a network of other small churches who have the same problem. The problem is multi-age children in one classroom. We can separate a bed baby or two from the rest but then we have a 2 year old, a couple of 4 year olds, and a 5 year old. In the children’s area we have 2 first graders, a 3rd grader, and sometimes some 5th graders. Most seminars our teachers attend are lead by large church leaders who don’t have a clue (sorry, but they don’t get the situation). Both of our lead teachers are constantly creating lessons that fit and have to adjust what they are teaching based on the age of the student asking the question or needing help. Creative work has to fit and be adjusted to the ability of the student. Any help out there for these teachers?
ya know, Gospel Light’s 13-week courses (they’re “big books”–Journey with Jesus, Rock-Solid Followers, etc. ) are designed just for this. they have art/craft/game adaptations for younger and older kids…basically it’s set up so you can use the same materials for both a younger kid and an older kid option. lots of puzzles and coloring pages,, too…and all on a CD-ROM so you can print out what you want! it’s what i’d use!
Our number one problem, for years on end, has been getting adults to volunteer, to both teach and assist, in any area of children’s ministries. We are a large church (around 700), so warm bodies are not an issue…willingness seems to be.
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