Growing your kids church is like being on a diet–it takes discipline and you will reach plateaus. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, pray or minister, things seem to be at a standstill. Of course, we know that often God moves behind the scenes long before anything manifests but that’s still discouraging at times. However, as good stewards, we must press forward and be purposeful with our evangelism efforts. You can’t avoid hard work in ministry (and who’d want to) but you should work as smartly as possible. With a few simple systems and events, you can make your ministry grow.
Make a list. Yep! A list! I started with a list of all the “faithful” kids, then those that were infrequent visitors. Even if I couldn’t remember everyone’s name (I admit that), I wrote down a description or a nickname. Next, I added kids to my list that I knew, but hadn’t attended yet. Keep this list handy and add to it as often as you can. It’s your map to revival!
Set up an absentee system. I assigned one volunteer the task of silently checking off names on our weekly roster. Kids that missed even one service got a card, postcard, phone call or a Facebook message, even if I knew they’d be out-of-town. Every kid felt special and missed!
I planned several mini outreach to meet new kids. Some ideas you could use? Hosting a skating party, bouncy-house bash, dinner with the pastor and craft nights really excite the community. Spread them out, if you need to but not so far out that they aren’t effective. Once a month events creates momentum and excitement.
Follow up after every event. You have to — you must collect contact information. Hoping to catch up later won’t work.
Always meet and greet parents at the door of your children’s church. Okay, well as often as you can. I know working with kids is pretty demanding but try to make connections with your parents. They are keys to your soul winning success!
Ask kids for referrals. We host an annual Best Friends Month. The whole month, we teach on soul winning, bringing our friends to Jesus. I start by prompting kids to think of their three best friends. I give them invitations and we practice inviting our friends.
Teach the value of soul winning. It’s the best way to get kids excited about winning souls. Scriptures like Proverbs 11:30 and 2 Corinthians 4:13 are a good basis for teaching.
Pray over your efforts and watch the ministry grow!
Smart Ways to Grow Your Kids Church
