#1 - It’s clean! No nasty carpet! No smells that make you want to projectile vomit. No dirty floors!!! I know that our kid’s area is clean…and that matters to every parent.
#2 - It’s safe! Background checks have been ran on every staff member (in our church) and every volunteer that has any contact with children (or students!) There is a volunteer security team that makes sure random people do not just walk through our kid’s area…and there is a solid check-in system where not just anyone can come pick the child up from their class, whoever checked them in must check them out.
#3 - It’s fun! My four year old daughter LOVES CHURCH, LOVES IT!!! I love the fact that “fun” is a value in our kid’s ministry!!! Where in the world did we ever get the idea that kid’s must suffer through church? Heaven is NOT boring, it’s going to be a massive party/celebration, church should be as well (especially for kids!)
#4 - Our Staff & Volunteers Are Awesome - Our children’s staff LOVE children! Our volunteers love children! They do not do what they do out of duty but rather delight!!! If a staff member or volunteer the children’s area does not absolutely love children then they need to be moved to another area. Kid’s can read right through an adult…and a ministry that isn’t based out of love for children will be unfruitful and ineffective.
#5 - Our Kid’s Know God’s Word - Every week on the way home from church I ask Charisse two questions (by the way, these are the two questions I’ve shared with our children’s ministry for over a decade in regards to what their vision should be for children’s ministry. I have said that parents are going to ask their kids two questions every Sunday…which are…
- Did you have fun? (This one is first 90% of the time!)
- What did you learn?
It always fills my heart with joy every time Charisse tells me what she learned in her class about the Scriptures. AND…there has NEVER been a week since she’s been active in a classroom that she hasn’t learned something. Seriously, when a church commits to teaching children about Jesus in an environment that they love and in a manner that is on their level then they are making an investment in the next generation!
#6 - They Are Resourced! NewSpring Church invests heavily in our youth and children’s ministry! I don’t believe they are “the church of tomorrow,” I believe they are the church of TODAY! I believe they matter TODAY! I believe that if we invest in them TODAY and teach them about Jesus TODAY and help them grow up with a favorable view of church TODAY then their tomorrow will look a lot different!!! A church that refuses to spend money on reaching the next generation has basically told them they can go to hell! Disney spends money on them! The Cartoon Network spends money on them! The church should spend money on them!
#7 - They have AN EXCELLENT LEADER! Cherie Duffey, our children’s director is the absolute best on the planet! She LOVES kids (and has four boys of her own!) Seriously, she has more passion for children and their families than anyone I’ve ever seen! (By the way, a passionate and wise leader makes a HUGE difference!) I am so honored that Charisse (my daughter) is going to have the privilege of being in an environment every week that is directly impacted by Cherie’s vision and passion for seeing children learn about Jesus on their level!
A dynamic children’s ministry cannot be underrated! If we want to reach them we have to start as early as we can!!