When you hear the words “kidmin environment” what comes to mind?
Decor? Lighting? Check in stations? 3D wall art? Stage design?
If you answered any of those, you’re on the right track. All of those are definitely part of a children’s ministry environment, but they are only a part of environment.
Your environment also includes the games you play, the songs you sing, and the kids who will do all that you have planned — not to mention the people who will lead those games and songs. When it comes to children’s ministry environments, we need to look at more than bricks and mortar, paint and lighting. An environment is really defined as the sum total of a person’s experience in your space.
Everything that a person experiences in your environments defines how they perceive what you think is important.
You can have an amazing space full of hip lighting and bounce houses for kids to enjoy, but if your content doesn’t engage the kids, none of that will matter won’t matter. You can deliver dynamic content in a kid-friendly environment, but if you don’t have strong relationships to reinforce what the kids are learning, kids will grow tired of the bling and start to check out. Everything matters.
Think about a Disney theme park. From the moment you step foot in the parking lot you know the story they are trying to tell, you know the story will be told magically, and you know that the people will treat you like rock stars while they tell you the story.
As you go about creating an engaging kidmin environment, three things need to be headed in the same direction:
Content: what you say.
Delivery: how you say it.
Relationships: who is saying it.
When those three aspects of environment are working together to tell the same story, you will be creating an unforgettable environment for your families. You don’t need tons of money or multitudes of volunteers. You need a strategy everyone in your ministry can make happen. This week is all about discovering that strategy for your children’s ministry. Each day we’ll take a closer look at each of those aspects.
But before we get too far into this discussion, I’d love to hear from you! What do you want to know about creating kidmin environments? I’ll try my best to answer your questions throughout the week.
Comment below!
