3 important areas of relationship building in ministry

Earlier this week, we were flooded in. The aftermath of ex-cyclone Oswald caused wide-spread flooding to a large part of south-east Queensland and although our home was high and dry, we were certainly affected. Roads were impassable, electricity was cut, phone and internet coverage was down. I had no way of contacting my family and no way of determining their safety, circumstances or needs. I was totally isolated.

If you work in children's ministry you can not function in isolation.You need to connect with others- your church families and the community, your team and a wider ministry network. You need to develop 'Relationships', the second element of our F.R.E.S.H. approach to children's ministry. Building relationships is an integral part of a thriving ministry. So.. how do you go about it? Check out these 3 areas and click through to the practical suggestions and ideas.

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Community. 

• Communicate often through church announcements, bulletins and flyers. 
• Update the church family following a special event. (We produce a short clip of photo highlights using SmileBox or Animoto.)
• Provide information about your ministry prayer needs.
• Upload photos of lessons & crafts to your ministry Pinterest boards and Facebook page.
• Send news releases about events to the local/community newspaper.
• Provide regular newsletters to families ..see here

Team.   Don't do it alone.

• Develop teams in your ministry to share the load, to encourage and support each other. 
• Take time to discover your leaders/volunteers' strengths and skills. 
  
• Have fun! If you and your leaders are enjoying ministry, so will the kids.. and parents will notice.
• Develop a circle of key leaders for each department or group.
• Encourage key leaders to connect with those in their group.
• Encourage leaders to connect & encourage parents. 
• Equip your team. Schedule training and resourcing. Try email training.. see here
• Make training fun! include inspirational content with practical hands-on skills- teach face-painting, balloon sculpture, puppetry, photography...
• Involve in other ways those who cannot be actively participating: sending birthday cards to kids, prayer, website updates, buying supplies, emailing roster reminders, painting backdrops.
• Share inspiring stories. 

Network. 

• Join a children's ministry network in your area. It's a great way to encourage other leaders and share skills, information & ideas
• Start one, if none exists.
• If all else fails, look at an online group.
• Connect with your senior pastor and/or church leadership. Meet once a month to share what's happening with families and ensure your ministry is in line with the direction your church is heading.
• Develop a link with other church ministries. Develop a link with youth ministry and leadership programs. Ask the seniors' group to share their skills with midweek programs. Highlight Grandparents' Day with kids and the church family.

Also see FRESH approach to children's ministry --Part 1