What are your greatest frustrations in ministry with kids? Perhaps it's balancing your family and ministry commitments. Maybe, it's volunteers or leaders who turn up late on Sunday mornings. Or does your frustration lie mainly with church leadership that sees your role mainly as keeping the kids and parents happy.
A lack of communication
The frustration often experienced by kidmin leaders is developing effective ways to communicate with parents. It's certainly encouraging when parents thank you for your effective ministry to their kids. It's even more so when they enthusiastically offer to regularly help out in your children's ministry areas. But what can you do to more effectively inform all parents, and the church family, about events, news, ministry challenges and updates about children's ministry? How can you communicate and share your vision of children's ministry with church leaders?
This week, I'll present some ideas and simple tools to help with communication to parents, church family and the community. Probably, one of the more simple tools though often overlooked- a weekly powerpoint slide.
First, make sure that you have a slide to remind parents that it's time for the kids to go out for their program (if that's how your church organises the kids' program.) Check with your pastor beforehand about the timing for the kids to leave. He may have planned something special in the service and would like the kids to remain until after or a time of prayer may be interrupted if the kids leave at a certain point. Remind those on multimedia about when the slide should go up.
Another helpful communication tool to highlight your children's ministry is a simple ministry update slide to include with the weekly announcement slides. Don't add too much detail but regular updates will add interest and awareness of your kidmin. Include information about a new series, training information, reminders for parents to collect home bulletins or to check your kidmin website. Change the information weekly with fresh updates and information so that your church family will own this effective ministry and recognize its impact on kids and families. It also highlights your ministry to those without family who may still encourage neighbours and friends to experience this vital work with kids. You can download a couple of these slides below.
|
|
|
|