The Biggest Dangers to Your Children's Ministry - Danger #1

Yesterday I wrote about what I consider to be the second biggest danger to our Children's Ministry: the trap of "gossip". I said; "Falling into the trap of, "gossip" will stop your Children's Ministry from being effective . . . it is a big danger; so be on guard, call it out, and pray, because there is no room in any Children's Ministry for gossip as it stifles and/or stunts our ministry and causes real harm to others."

Today I'm writing about what I consider to be the #1 Danger to our Children's Ministries . . . church politics. I believe the danger of church politics has the potential to destroy our Children's Ministries, and like Danger #2 - gossip, has the potential to also wound people. So, how can we know if church politics is destroying our ministry and wounding people? Consider the following . . . 

• Is there a family or two who, "rules" in your church? Do these people pretty much decide what you do and who does it?
• Do these "ruling" families set an atmosphere of  hierarchy or "caste" where some people/families are "in" and others are not?
• Are there people/families who even the pastors will not, "go against"?

These are just a few ways church politics might show up in our ministries and when it does, it is a big danger to our Children's Ministry. Why is church politics such a big danger? Consider the following ways church politics damages your ministry . . . and people at your church . . . 

• When a church is "ruled" by a family or two, it not only "closes" doors to others, it often "slams" the doors in their faces.
• Church politics can make your church a place where people are not able to use the gifts God has given them and which God intended they use in your church.
• Church politics causes pain to those who are not part of the "in-crowd".
• Jesus told us not to give preference to one group of people over another - He absolutely is not in favor of "ruling" families or church politics.
• Church politics can keep your church from being effective if the "ruling" families want things to stay the way they were when they were children.

These are just a few of the ways church politics damages our ministries, and actual people. So, what do we do about the danger of church politics? I believe there are three main things we can do . . . 

• Pray! Pray and ask God to protect your ministry from gossip. Pray and ask God to show you whenever and wherever it shows up. Pray!
• Call it out! Identify it and call out those who want to be a "ruling" family - call out church politics wherever you see it. Absolutely have a zero-tolerance for church politics.
• Be on guard for it! Watch and watch and watch for it and act quickly whenever it shows up!

Being a church were you tolerate "ruling" families and church politics will stop your Children's Ministry from being effective . . . it is a big danger; so be on guard, call it out and pray, because there is no room in any Children's Ministry for church politics. 

In my experience over the years, the churches where I've served and the ministry has been effective, exciting, and it has been a joy to serve did not allow church politics to get a foot-hold. The churches were serving was difficult and even painful and ministry was not effective were churches where there were "ruling families" and church politics "ruled the day". Do NOT allow church politics to damage and destroy your ministry.