Communicating clearly is one of the most important things we can do as children’s ministry leaders. From communicating vision, to lessons, to sharing upcoming events, and more—communication keeps your ministry rolling.
Communication is key in your relationships with your volunteers, kids, parents, the congregation, and with your leadership.
Here are some ideas to help you think through what really matters!
Ideas for Communicating Well
Stick to What’s Most Important
So, as we look at communication and the standards that we are setting or have set, what is most important? It’s key that we start with the most important and move out from there.
We’re in the 2020’s. People are bombarded with messages every single day. We don’t want to be part of the noise, rather, we want to be part of what really matters. Make sure what you are communicating is important and worthwhile!
Communication is key in your relationships with your volunteers, kids, parents, the congregation, and with your leadership.
Also decide what type of communication needs to go where. For example, we share information:
- On Signs and Screen Displays
- Via Social Media
- Through Email and Text Messages
- In Bulletins
- Verbally
What you might share on a Sunday morning screen display might be different than an email or text message. Either way, we want to make sure they are worded well and contain what’s important.
Avoid Mass Communicating and Over Communicating
If we find ourselves consumed with communicating minor things and communicating repetitively, we could look a bit disorganized, and parents might begin to tune out what we are communicating.
For example, have you ever received so many texts, emails, and posts on the same topic that you begin ignoring them and inadvertently miss important information.
And if there are hard things that apply only to a few people, it’s really important that we communicate directly with those specific people instead of sending a mass message.
In our ministries, we must be careful not to communicate intentionally and strategically!
How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership
How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership
How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership
Visuals Matter
As we share information, we need to be aware of how it looks visually. Are your signs handwritten? Could they be designed on a computer instead? The uniformity and clarity of signs is important when thinking through visuals as well.
So, what do your messages look like? Do they go with the rest of the environment you’ve created? Are they as professional as possible?
What minor things am I protecting in ministry that are costing me in the big picture?
Although not every message needs to be fully designed, it’s important to think about the visual impact and whether or not your communication is engaging those you are trying to communicate with.
Remember These Things
- When you don’t stay focused on the good and right things that are fulfilling your vision, you risk losing the attention of those you are trying to communicate with.
- When you don’t look through the eyes of your ministry, you might be lowering your standards for the sake of protecting the minor things at the expense of the valuable. It’s important that we ask ourselves: What minor things am I protecting in ministry that are costing me in the big picture?
- When we don’t evaluate regularly in light of the highest standards of our defined vision, we tend to make mistakes. What mistakes might we be making due to lack of evaluation?
Communication is so important within ministry. It’s how we encourage volunteers, get people excited about children’s ministry, share the good news of Jesus, and more. Because of this, we need to make sure to communicate well.
