All of us make decisions every day. We make little ones, big ones, and some in between. And sometimes the ministry decisions we make are life-changing decisions.
Here are 3 decisions you won’t regret as a children’s ministry leader.
First and foremost, take the time each day to spend time with Jesus. Without Him, we can’t grow in the ways that we need to.
Supporting Your Senior Leadership
If you can begin your ministry with a strong mentor, we highly recommend it. And if this person is part of your senior leadership, that’s even better! It’s such a gift to have the support of your senior leadership, and it’s equally a gift for you to fully support your senior leadership.
Supporting one another doesn’t mean that you will always agree, but it does mean you stand together in mutual respect publicly and privately.
It means we get on board with the vision, we stand with one another, and we work together to bring the vision and mission to life. We don’t talk badly about our leadership behind their backs, instead we are direct with one another and address issues head on.
We are in it together. Be a team player—you’ll all be better for it!
(If your leadership is unhealthy, we would recommend addressing it in the correct way. It’s important that, even in an unhealthy situation, we handle it with care.)
Building Relationships
Many of us are introverts. We are great at working alone, being with people we already know, or even speaking to surprisingly large groups. Any of these options seems easier than engaging someone we don’t know.
We know you love people. You wouldn’t be in ministry if you didn’t! But it can definitely be hard to engage in relationship with those we don’t know very well. So, building relationships has to be an intentional part of what we do, or it won’t happen.
And, sometimes, ministry is already messy, so adding relationships on top is just hard. Hard doesn’t mean bad though. We have to remember that relationships are what ministry is all about. It’s how discipleship takes place in the Body of Christ. And relationships lead to deep and lasting ministry.
Commitment to Daily Growth
First and foremost, take time each day to spend time with Jesus. Without Him, we can’t grow in the ways that we need to. It’s Scriptural. We need Him to lead us as we lead our ministries and do the work set before us.
Spend time with God in prayer, worship, community, and in His Word. You won’t regret it.
And after you spend time with Jesus first, then take time to grow your skills too! Here are some ideas for you!
- Pick a book and read one chapter a day. It’ll get you to about 25 books a year if you take up this practice.
- Go to at least one children’s ministry or leadership conference this year. And if you can, take your team with you!
- Submit to your mentor(s). There are a lot of people who have a lot of experience and have walked in places so that you won’t have to. Learn from them and lean into their experience.
Ultimately, it’s so important to first follow Jesus, to support your church and the team you’re on, and to build relationships with those around you. This is ministry! And these are choices you will not regret.
