Developing Kids Ministry Teams -pros and cons Prepared by Teachable Heart Ministries

The Pros… Children aren’t the church of tomorrow, they’re the church of today God gives each child specific gifts and talents to be used for his glory The children in your kids church will one day be in the youth and adult ministries of your church. Train them NOW for ministry! Children enjoy serving others

The Cons… It’s easier to recruit children and teens, you can fall into the habit of recruiting more children than adults. This can be come a serious safety concern. If teens are in children’s church all the time when are they receiving teaching relevant to their lives and needs? Don’t fall into the habit of scheduling the same teens over and over. This can be come a serious spiritual concern.

How to avoid pitfalls Write your ministry plan down- get it on paper List all the possible opportunities where kids (children and teens) can serve, and determine which will be reserved for adults only Clearly write out the purpose of your ministry team List all the benefits of being involved in ministry Vision cast philosophy- it is a true honor to serve here Equip your workers- make time for training Be sure to communicate to parents as well as to kids

Expectations for service Brainstorm with your current team and address these questions… What will the minimum age in order to serve be? What are the general guidelines and expectations? What happens if some one fails to meet the set guidelines? Draft up job and job descriptions including scheduling policies Address training procedures- how will you equip your team?

Tips for Training your Team Introductory training to the ministry team – provide a 1 day training session for all workers, cover general guidelines, expectations, jobs and descriptions, tools and resources and brain storming sessions Keep things simple to start with Meet regularly and keep communication open ( s and phone calls work) Be consistently flexible! Be consistent in execution and flexible with other’s ideas and input.