More Goals for Children’s Ministry Programs
6. Teach your team to smile.
Few things are less inviting than a hurried, grumpy, distracted person meeting kids and parents at classrooms. (Especially as greeters!) Smiling makes everything better, easier, and more inviting!
7. Point people in the right direction.
After I navigate church parking lots, I’m amazed at how hard it is to find things inside. How can you not have appropriate neon signage for your ministry? Make the signs attractive. NO handwritten notes taped to the walls! Signage should point to every significant area from every possible direction.
8. Keep it clean!
Next up: Cleanliness may not be next to godliness. But it’s certainly next to attractiveness. Don’t let families walk into rooms with trash on the floor, overflowing trash cans, dirty tables or sink areas, smelly bathrooms, etc. Find a way to keep stuff clean.
9. Remember that “fun” is not a dirty word.
What’s the #1 question parents ask when they pick up their kids? “Did you have fun?” We can debate whether this should be the case or not. But the truth is that parents want their kids to have fun. And so do the kids! I say it all the time: “If kids in your ministry aren’t having fun, then chances are they aren’t learning much, either.” Find ways to make lessons fun. Then communicate that from the time families walk in the door.
10. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Finally, complicated systems and processes bog down ministries and turn off attendees. How many steps does it take for a new family to get to the classroom? How difficult is it to pick up their kids? What does it take to sign up for VBS or camp? Systems are critical but must be simple. In fact, everything about your ministry should be as simple as possible (yet still effective and safe).
