Thirty years ago when I led Children's Ministries, most of the children were brought to church by their parents. There were few children who came because their grandparents brought them. However; times have changed. It is more likely than not you have children in your ministry who are there because their grandparents bring them. Where I used to be able to focus upon keeping parents updated on what we were doing with their children in the Children's Ministry and planning resources to equip parents, so they were able to continue the teaching at home, today it is very possible you have to expand your vision to include grandparents. You also have to stop and realize what it is like for grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church. If they are able to bring their grandchildren to church, it is likely they are only able to do so as long as their grandchildren want to go to church. If you do not engage children in the Children's Ministry, pay attention and help these children connect, you very well may end up losing these children. So how are you able to do these things in your Children's Ministry? Consider the following ideas . . .
There are many things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. Things such as how many children are in your ministry, how often the children are attending, how many volunteers you have and how many you need. What curriculum you are using and training your volunteers to use it effectively. These are just a few of the things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. But there is something else which is very important for you to know, learn about and keep track of which you very likely have not even thought about. What is this? It is how many grandparents are the ones who bring their grandchildren to your Children's Ministry. Do you know this? Do you know which children would not be part of your Children's Ministry if their grandparents did not bring them to church?
I am approaching the big birthday of 60, yes 60 in two years. This amazes me, as it seems impossible to be nearly 60! As I thought about this, I remembered back to when I began serving in Children's Ministry. My senior year in High School I was the Sunday School bus captain on one of our Sunday School buses. This meant each Saturday I went to every home of the children who rode our bus to see who we needed to pick up on Sunday morning. Many Saturdays we also visited new neighborhoods to invite new children to ride our bus. Then on Sundays I was at church early, so we were able to go pick up the children - typically we had about 30 children ride our bus each Sunday. On the way to church we sang songs on our bus, and I always shared a Bible adventure on the bus as well. The same on the way home - more songs and another Bible adventure told on the bus. We had children put their trust in Jesus on those bumpy buses!
I'm happy to say Answers in Genesis' 2019 VBS arrived at my house the other day, so today I'm sharing it with you. The Incredible Race is the setting/theme with a focus upon one family, one race, one Savior - take a close look at to see if it is a good "fit" for your ministry.
Thirty years ago when I led Children's Ministries, most of the children were brought to church by their parents. There were few children who came because their grandparents brought them. However; times have changed. It is more likely than not you have children in your ministry who are there because their grandparents bring them. Where I used to be able to focus upon keeping parents updated on what we were doing with their children in the Children's Ministry and planning resources to equip parents, so they were able to continue the teaching at home, today it is very possible you have to expand your vision to include grandparents.
