Three Attitudes Which Kill Your Children's Ministry . . . We've Never Done It Before

While there may be, and likely are, a whole list of things which can mean the "death" of your children's ministry, there are three which are sure to kill it or at least greatly reduce its effectiveness; so today I want to look at one of these . . . the attitude of, "We've never done it before".

This attitude can show up in a few different variations: "We've never done it that way before" or "That may work somewhere else, but it won't work at our church" or even, "That's not how we do things at our church." While it may be phrased in different ways, what it boils down to is basically, "We do not want to do it."

Now, don't get me wrong, just because you have not tried something or done something a certain way, it does not mean you should, but it also does not mean you should easily dismiss different and/or new possibilities either. It can become a very easy "cop out" for us to just dismiss things we do not want to do by saying we have never done it before, because it is possible God does want you to do something or change the way you do things.

So what can we do to be on guard for this attitude? Consider the following . . .

• Pray. Yes, I know, this seems like a, "no-brainer", but how often do we make decisions without really praying to see what it is God wants you to do . . . or not do?
• Research. Really, seriously look at new possibilities as well as why and how they worked at other churches.
• Pray; yes, I know, I already said we can and should pray, but we need to continue to pray - not just "token" pray. Seriously search to see what God wants you to do.
• Seek input. Ask others who truly care about and are invested in your children's ministry what they think.
• Pray - when it all boils down, the "opinion" which matters the most is, God's. Seriously seek God's direction until you know what it is He wants you to do.

There may be solid reasons you have not, "done something a particular way before", but there may also be solid reasons for you to change how you do things or to try something new. Don't "kill" your children's ministry by making, "we've never done it before" your "go-to" answer to anything new or different for your children's ministry.