Children's Pastor
Wow...Pastor Chris is out of town this week. It's about time. A person can only push themselves so far before they need to get away and take it easy. As the Children's Pastor at LifeQuest, I get the opportunity to influence and disciple kids every week (which is probably why Chris and Linda asked me to stay with their sons for three days :) I love working with the kids because it gives me opportunities to learn. Sometimes I'm shocked at how much there is to learn from kids. Some of them are quite smart.
There are three big things that I've learned in order to have the most successful ministry with kids.
#1: It's Cool To Be Dumb!
Kids like to be entertained (much like adults). When they have a leader that they can laugh with, and laugh at, they respond more. It's easy to build a relationship with a kid when they feel comfortable being themselves around you. Then they will be more open to listening to you when the "serious stuff" comes out. Several weeks ago I gave the kids a challenge to invite friends. Whoever brought a NEW friend could give me a pie in the face. I took several and they laughed and laughed!
#2 Don't Expect More Than Is To Be Expected!
Children's ministries come in all shapes and sizes. Inside your group is a bunch of kids who come from different backgrounds and families. Now it's important to have the same rules across the board for everyone, but your toleration of each kid may vary depending on the kid. For instance, I have a young man in my group who I could "strike out" every week. He is one of the older kids in the group and is ALWAYS causing trouble. One week I did some extra homework and set up a meeting with his grandma to discuss the issue. I was shocked to find out that this young man's dad was in prison and his mom was on the way. This boy was dealing with an awful lot for a kid his age. I began to realize I can't expect the same behavior from every kid, but we can STRIVE to ACHIEVE the same behavior.
#3 Discover Wins!
This is for leaders! I have several leaders that serve in KidzQuest who don't think they are capable of "making a difference." This is absurd! What could I do to get leaders to a point where they felt confident in their leadership? During our staff meetings, Pastor Chris started something called "sharing the wins." This was the time where we reflected back on the week and talked about the good things God did for us and through us. It's great to hear what God is doing in the whole group. Well I took Chris's idea and put my own motivating spin on it. I began to meet with my leaders in person and on the phone and tell them the wins I've seen in their leadership at KidzQuest. It has been a great inspiration. The guy who leads our games is a relatively new Christ follower. This man went from an insecure baby Christian to a growing disciple who is pumped to serve God in KidzQuest. Once you begin to get your leaders over the hump of "I can't" they'll begin to see the big WIN in saying, "He CAN!"
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