Some Questions to Consider . . . Why Do I Have a Written Vision for My Children's Ministry?

As we look forward to the start of our Fall Children's Ministries, there are a few questions for us to consider and while this first question may seem like an obvious question, in all the many years I worked with churches, over and over again I had people tell me they didn't have a specific, written vision for their children's ministry. So let's think about a few reasons why we should have a specific, written vision for our children's ministries -

• First of all, it is impossible to "hit" the "target" of effective children's ministry if we do not know what it is we are "aiming" for.  A specific, written vision gives us the "target". It helps us know what it is we are doing and why we are doing it. We tend to "throw everything at the wall" and hope something "sticks" by doing things we always do, but far too often we do not see any real results. Without a vision we have no way to measure what we are doing.
• Which brings me to my second point . . . a specific, written vision gives us a basis to measure all we do. If something we are doing really doesn't match up with our vision, then it gives us the opportunity to either "tweak" it so it does match our vision, or replace it with something which is a better fit, or if necessary, to simply eliminate it.
• Finally, a specific, written vision allows us to share our vision with others so they are able to "get on board" and join us in accomplishing our vision! It also gives us the ability to stay "on point" when it comes to our children's ministry. Too often people want to do things the way they remember things being when they were a child or a new person may want to do something the way they did it at another church. While it may be valuable to consider ideas others have, if they do not match with your vision, it is easier to stay "on point" and move forward because the vision is the thing which determines what you do.

So . . . why do you have a specific, written vision for your children's ministry?


Tomorrow I'll look at how to determine a vision if you do not have a specific, written vision.