Grandparents Strengthen Your Children's Ministry - Celebrate Grandparent's Day

Grandparents are a key to the success of your Children's Ministry for several reasons . . . 

1. They love their grandchildren with a strong and powerful love.
2. They care very much if their grandchildren choose to know, love and follow God.
3. They are the second most influential people in the lives of the children in your ministry - second only to parents.
4. They care if your Children's Ministry is effective.

So, with these things in mind, if you are not already planning to celebrate Grandparent's Day, reconsider and plan to do something - it is September 10th, so you have time to do something! Consider the following idea from the Legacy Coalition . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Use Negative Labels & Show Favoritism

It is easy, far too easy, to label others. We label some kids as "good" kids and others as . . . "not so good". We label some volunteers as "amazing" and others as . . . "not so amazing". We label some parents as "great" and others as . . . "not so great". We label some church leaders as ones who "get it" and others as . . . "ones who don't". Any way we use labels we are "blowing" our Children's Ministry. Consider the following . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Manipulate People

Of course we all are quick to agree manipulating others is wrong, but how often do we actually do this? Far more often than we might want to admit, but whenever we manipulate others we are absolutely "blowing" our Children's Ministry. So, how and when might we manipulate others? Consider the following . . .

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Stop Having Fun

I completely believe if our Children's Ministries are going to accurately reflect Jesus, they have to be places which are fun . . . fun places to be, fun things to do and filled with "fun" people. 

I believe this because I absolutely believe Jesus was a "fun" person. He certainly wasn't boring, stuffy or cranky. How do I know this? Because children wanted to be with Him and children do not tend to want to be around boring, stuffy or cranky adults. 

Boring, stuffy and cranky adults tried to send children away from Jesus, but He would have none of that! Jesus stopped what He was doing with adults to make time for children! They are precious to Him! If we are accurately reflecting Jesus to children, then our ministries need to attract children and should be fun! If our ministries are not "fun", then we are "blowing" our Children's Ministry. Consider the following ways we are able to reflect "fun" in our ministries . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Stop Showing Love

If we are in Children's Ministry, we love others; right? After all, we wouldn't be in ministry if we didn't, right? Well . . . while we likely do actually love others, and may be quite proficient at "saying" we love others, do we actually show our "love" for others? There is a significant and very real difference between "saying" we love others and actually "showing" we love them. If you are actually only talking about love, you are "blowing" your Children's Ministry. Consider the following . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Encourage Each Other to Skip the Hard Things

Okay, you may not out-and-out "encourage" each other to "skip" the hard things, but you also may not encourage each other to do the hard things either. If you do either of these two things, you will be "blowing" your Children's Ministry. So, what does it look like for you to "encourage" each other to "skip" the hard things? Consider the following . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Argue . . . or at Least Have Lack of Unity

Arguing. It is easy to do . . . sometimes we often argue without even realizing it. How often do you argue in your Children's Ministry?  Arguing with anyone in your Children's Ministry is a way you can be sure of "blowing" your Children's Ministry. Think about the following . . . 

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Be "Stingy"

It is so, so very easy to say one thing and do another. We tell children to share, be kind, if they do not have something nice to say, don't say anything and on and on we tell them what to do. But, as adults we do not necessarily share, we are not always the nicest people, we do not do the things we say we will do, we disappoint others without even a thought about how it will make them feel and gossip among church adults runs at epic proportions. Basically it all boils down to being "stingy" . . . stingy not just with our money, but with our time, our kind words and our love. When we are "stingy" we absolutely will "blow" our Children's Ministry. Consider the following . . .