Three Attitudes Which Kill Your Children's Ministry . . . We Tried That Before

Yesterday I looked at the attitude of, "we've never done that before" which can mean the

"death" of our children's ministries and said; "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." Today I want to look at another attitude which can kill our children's ministries; the attitude of, "we tried that before".

This attitude is not often phrased differently - it usually shows up clearly, and what it boils down to once again is basically, "We do not want to do it."

Now, don't get me wrong, if something has not worked before, it may be wise not to try it again, but we need to consider a few things before we just "cop out" and just dismiss things we do not want to do by saying we tried it before, because it is possible God does want us to try it again.

So what do we need to do to be on guard for this attitude and what should we think about before saying we tried something before? Consider the following . . .

• Pray. Yes, I know, once again 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 why something did not work before and how and why 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 we should not try something we tried before, but there may also be solid reasons for us to give it a try again. Don't "kill" your children's ministry by making, "we tried it before" an easy way to dismiss something God may want you to try once again.