What are You Doing? How Do You Need to Change?

As you read this post, picture the families in your church's Children's Ministry. Think about the children who come to church with their parents - likely most of the children in your church are in this group. Think about children from the neighborhood around your church who come to church on their own - or possibly in your church bus if you have a Bus Ministry. Think about the children who come to church with their grandparents. Most, if not all, of the children in your ministry will fall into one of these three groups.

The children from the first group are likely children who have friends at church. Their parents likely know the parents of their friends - and very possibly are friends as well. These children feel "at home" at church and have relationships with other children - and possibly teachers - outside of church.

But, the children in the other two groups very possibly do not have these types of strong relationships. Since they come to church on their own or with their grandparents, it is likely their parents do not go to church. It is also very possible their parents do not know the parents of the other children at church, the church leaders, or the teachers, so opportunities for relationships outside of church are slim.

What do you do to help these children build strong relationships with other children and with the leaders and volunteers at church? They need these relationships - what are you doing to help? If you are doing nothing, then not only are you not helping, but you are not serving the children and are making it harder for the grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church.

What do you do to make your Children's Ministry a place where children want to come? If children are coming on their own or with their grandparents, it is likely up to the children IF they will go to church, or not. If your Children's Ministry is boring, these children will, at some point, choose to stay home. If you are not engaging children with science projects and activities which get them involved, you are not serving the children and are making it harder for the grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church.

What do you do if one of these children are absent on a Sunday and/or Wednesday? Do you send them a card? Do you reach out? Do you do anything to let them know they were missed and you would love to have them come back? If you are doing none of these things, then you are not serving the children and are making it harder for the grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church.

Ask yourself these questions. Think them over carefully. Are you serving the children - all the children - in your Children's Ministry? Are you engaging the children - all the children - in your Children's Ministry? Are you making it harder for the grandparents? If you are doing these things, then what will you do today to stop and make changes?