Are you feeling the pressure of lower-than-expected attendance this fall? Typically back-to-school time is when families settle back into routines. Regular weekly schedules start back up and with it, church attendance increases. Fall of 2020, however is anything but typical.
Is your ministry currently growing? (If you answered YES to that question I am guessing you are doing one or even all of the things I will outline today. Keep GOING!) From what I have seen, churches are experiencing attendance anywhere from 20%-100% of what they were pre-Spring of 2020. There are churches that are GROWING and reaching even more people in this season than they were in the Spring.
While every community, every church and every team will look different, there is hope that even with present day challenges, we can still reach people who are desperately searching for the love and freedom that comes from knowing Jesus!
If you lead a kids ministry or a student ministry team there are some effective things you can do RIGHT NOW whether you are meeting in-person or families are worshipping at-home.
Today I am sharing 3 things to do NOW to promote a healthy, growing culture.
Years ago, I heard someone say that ‘children’s ministry is a growth engine for the local church.’ This has indeed been my experience.
What I have learned is that an unhealthy preschool ministry can actually ‘stunt‘ the growth of a church. For parents of preschoolers, safety and cleanliness are top priorities. Families are not likely to return to your building if the environments are under-staffed, over-crowded or appear to be unsanitary or clean.
On the other hand, a healthy (engaging, FUN, equipped) elementary ministry can ‘accelerate‘ the growth of a church. Elementary students can actually MOTIVATE their parents to return to church. (Motivate was my word choice, but in my mind, I was thinking beg, nag, wear-down. If you have been around elementary kids for very long, you know they can have relentless persistence when they want something!) Likewise, not many parents will continue to drag their kids to church for very long if their kids are refusing to go.
If there are things you can do to increase the safety procedures or cleanliness of your preschool ministry, go do those things first! (And make sure to educate families on your website and via email, about all the measures you are taking!) Second, think about anything you can tweak online or in-person that will make your experience for elementary students even more age-appropriate, engaging and relevant.
Once those are covered, let’s talk about 3 things to do now to promote a healthy, growing culture for the fall of 2020.
1. Support Volunteers
Volunteers are the starting point to this conversation. If you have served or led in kids ministry for longer than a week then I don’t not need to offer any sort of explanation for that statement. Kids ministry, student ministry, CHURCH does not happen to its full capacity without teams of people coming together to use their gifts as the body of Christ.
How is your volunteer team attendance going since you reopened your building doors? (If you are serving your community online only right now, how often are you connecting with your volunteer team? How many of them have plugged in to opportunities too served or plug in virtually during this season?)
We have to make taking care of our volunteers and investing in relational equity a priority, more now than ever before.
Here are a couple things to consider:
- The volunteers that served on your team, prior to your church shifting to online services are experiencing some of the same challenges as everyone else in your community.
- How well we have cared-for our volunteers in the off-season communicates to them how much we value them as PEOPLE. Have we valued them well, even when they have not been filling a role on our team? (If your answer is no…it is not too late! Personal phone calls go a long way to building relational equity.)
IF you find yourself in a situation where you have reopened your building and your volunteers have not returned the way you anticipated, I challenge you to spend some time reflecting on the above question.
From what I can see, there are three main reasons for volunteers not returning. And, there are three different responses we can have as leaders.
First, some are taking a break due to health concerns. This is completely understandable. What an amazing opportunity to come alongside them to help meet any tangible needs and be a source of encouragement and connection.
Second, there are volunteers who have just gotten comfortable watching service from home (or have checked out completely…YIKES!) Speaking vision and reminding them of their part in the mission goes along way in spurring them on. This is always most effective in the context of relationship. (So make sure to start there!)
Relational equity allows for accountability.
Finally, in the absence of connection and feeling valued, some volunteers have just fallen away. They are physically able to return. In some cases, they may have returned to attend service, but not returned to serve. This might fall back on leadership.
YIKES.
Sorry if that stings a little. The amazing thing about a sting, is that it alerts us to whatever offender needs our immediate attention! Let’s get to it. Is your vision clearly articulated? Do volunteers feel equipped? Have you personally invested in them as people? Are they inspired by knowing HOW THEIR LIFE is making a DIFFERENCE? Is it obvious that there is a spot for them, right now, in this season?
Your effectiveness with kids & families is in direct relationship to your effectiveness with volunteers.
A healthy, growing culture will always go hand-in-hand with a healthy, growing volunteer team.
2. Trauma Competent Leaders & Volunteers
One in three kids will experience trauma before the age of 18. This stat is pre-2020. We don’t yet know what the impact of this year will have on kids and teenagers. Anxiety, stress and child abuse are on the rise.
Kids who enter the doors of our buildings WILL carry with them the emotional burden of all that is going on in our world. The way we support kids and families needs to shift. If our goal is to promote a healthy, growing culture for Fall 2020 and beyond, then our volunteer teams need to be equipped to lead and serve in ways that are ‘trauma-safe.’
This may look like the following:
- understanding about less-than-favorable behaviors that may arise from stress, anxiety or underlying trauma
- action steps to support kids/teenagers in small groups
- resources to share with parents
- training on appropriate language & responses that are age-appropriate
I dove pretty deep into this topic in the article ‘Leading a Trauma Safe Ministry for Kids & Teens.’ In fact, everyone who ‘subscribes for updates and free resources’ will be sent a FREE, downloadable, small group leader guide that will help train and equip your team.
Kids need to feel safe (no matter how their levels of stress may manifest), connected, heard and valued. We have to change our training and approach to make sure our environments are equipped for all kids and teens. (I would urge staff to be a part of this training as well, since ministering to parents and caregivers will also look differently.)
3. Partner with Parents
There has perhaps never been a season where the families in your community are longing for support, more than now. What that means is that there has never been a greater opportunity that NOW, for your team and your church to link arms with parents.
I shared some specific details on what that can look like in the article What Now?
We get to listen, learn and link arms with parents in this season. The way that the church shows up for families right now may be the very thing that points families back to the church in the future.
Kids and teenagers certainly are watching.
The next generation prioritizes authenticity. We have to believe that it matters to them how the church shows up for their families. This is true whether they show up in-person or join us at-home.
Barna recently shared an article about the importance of relational connections can encourage the next generation in their spiritual walk. Some of the data is staggering. Check it out when you have time. The connection between church and families is critical.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galations 6:9
A healthy, growing team (ministry) culture matters more now than ever. More people (families, kids, teenagers) need what Jesus has to offer and your team and your church may just be the vehicle used to make that introduction.
You will never look back and regret building a culture NOW that can sustain your ministry in the future. In case you are one of the many, who are feeling weary and worn out from this season, I hope you will take a minute and read ‘Bend and Stretch, But Please don’t Break.‘ Be encouraged. “He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it!” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).