The Top Fourteen Tips for Effective Children's Ministry - Tip #14 - Make Prayer the Foundation

I have been serving in Children's Ministry for 43 years. In these 43 years I've learned a lot and experienced a lot. While I do not consider myself an, "expert" ( "x", an "unknown quantity", "spurt", under a lot of "pressure") I do believe it is important for us to share what we have learned and experienced as we serve in Children's Ministry with those who are serving - perhaps new to the ministry.

So, today - and for the next two weeks, I'm sharing some of the things I've learned in and about Children's Ministry, beginning today with; pray!

I know, this seems like a, "no-brainer", but I can not stress strongly enough how absolutely essential it is for us to be people who are serious about prayer. We all have six months - maybe some of us a year - of "stuff" which we can do in Children's Ministry, but after this time, we will find ourselves wondering what we can possibly do next. Rather than trying to do it on our own, make prayer a foundation of your ministry.

How do we do this you may wonder? Consider the following -

• Recruit a team of people who will pray faithfully for you and for the Children's Ministry
• Start every meeting with prayer - not just the token, "Dear God, please bless this meeting" type of prayer, but seriously seek the mind of God and pray for unity.
• End every meeting with prayer - again, not a "token" prayer, but a serious prayer to ask God to help you implement whatever you are doing with His strength and for His glory.

These are just three ways to make prayer a foundation for your ministry; there certainly are more. Remember, whatever we do in our strength will be fleeting at best. Turn to God and seek His will and His strength to do whatever you do in your Children's Ministry because it really is not, "your" Children's Ministry . . . it is His.

How do you make prayer the foundation of your Children's Ministry?