Important Truths About Leading - Pay Attention

You may wonder what I mean about, "paying attention" when I say it is an important truth about leading. It is easy for leaders to become so focused on the things they are doing already, they may not notice important things they need to notice. If we are going to be leaders who lead well, we need to pay attention to the following people and things . . . 

• Our volunteers. It is essential for leaders to know what is happening with their volunteers. They need to know if a volunteer is experiencing a difficult time, so they are able to support and encourage them. For this to happen, you likely need to have coordinators who work with small groups of volunteers and are able to pass on to you the information you need. Do what it takes to stay on top of what is happening with your volunteers - pay attention!
• The children. Again, it is essential for leaders in a Children's Ministry to know what is happening with the children. Be sure the teachers/shepherds know to pass on to you prayer requests and/or concerns they may have from/with the children in their classes. When you train your volunteers, be sure they focus on being sure no children in their classes are excluded, sit by themselves and/or have no friends in the class. The teachers/shepherds need to pay attention, too, and be quick to pass on the information you need to be able to serve the children in your ministry.
• The families. You need to be sure the families in your ministry know they can turn to you when they need help. Make it a point to know the families in your ministry and if your church is a very large church, have coordinators in place who get to know smaller groups of families and be sure the teachers are encouraged to take the time to get to know the parents, too.
• The curriculum. It is very important for leaders to pay attention to the curriculum they use in the Children's Ministry. If you do not, you will not know if the curriculum is an effective tool for your ministry, or not. Pay attention. Know if the children are truly learning to love, know and walk with God, or not. If they are not, you may need to train your volunteers to use the curriculum more effectively. You may need to find a new curriculum which is a better fit. Pay attention!

These are just a few areas where a leader in Children's Ministry needs to pay attention. The point is, be sure you pay attention!