Ten Tips to Grow Your Children's Church

Up until just two years ago, my ministry was Children's Church! I served in that capacity for over 6 years and up until the day I was hurried into the cafeteria/ children's church, I had NO experience working with children. Yet, I found it easy to work with the children and fell in love with children's ministry despite my lack of experience. Serving first as children's pastor and then joining a ministry team in establishing a Children's Church in the desolate projects of Prichard Alabama. We took that Children's Church from four children to over two hundred in just about six months. I know it sounds astonishing but it really happened right in the middle of Alabama Village! What a great summer we had ministering to children and parents of the inner city.

I know, I know. We children's pastors are not supposed to worry about the numbers, but let's face it. One sure fire way to measure whether your ministry is alive and breathing or not is by measuring its growth. After all, didn't God name a book Numbers? Your Children's Church can be growing and thriving. (Allowing of course for some seasons of pruning.)

I managed to learn a thing or two mostly by trial and error, but I discovered ten things that work in Children's Church! Here they are!

1. Building relationships with your children is most crucial to growth. They have to know you as more than a voice with a microphone. Someone once said "Kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This is the truth! Do you know about them? What is her nickname? What's his favorite class? Have lunch at their school one day with them. (Parent's permission first of course) Drop off their favorite snack to their house on days they are sick. If they don't show up for Sunday's Children's Church, call them! Get to know them and let them get to know you.

2.Keep the basic agenda the same. Some kids will do better with a regular schedule, example would be my son with Autism. Have a lesson, but surround it by object lessons and games. But make it the same!