“Recruit the most qualified and educated staff to work with young people and pay them accordingly…Kids are the engine of growth for reaching your community.” – Orange Founder and CEO Reggie Joiner
Recently, I was speaking with a church staff member who relayed the following story:
A young couple had been visiting their church for a couple of months. They wanted to join very badly. He was a leader in the business community. Extremely talented. High-capacity. Charismatic. Had a natural affinity with the pastor. Loved his preaching. You know, the type of of leader every pastor prays for.
His wife had high-capacity as well. Highly intelligent. A problem-solver. The type of person who does not wait to be asked to serve. She jumps right in and serves in whatever area has the greatest need. This is often in the children’s area.
The couple had already built relationships with the staff, identified their place of service, loved the pastor, and had already began developing relationships with other couples in the church. The church did everything churches are told to do to grow.
There was only one problem. Their oldest child was quite unhappy. The individual who taught the class was not friendly. Very task-oriented. Did not make the class fun. Worse yet, did not make the children feel loved or important.
Reluctantly, the couple had to look for another church where all their children would feel loved and valued.
As pastors, staff and church leaders, you can do everything right in terms of serving your community, preaching compelling messages, putting on high-quality services, helping the poor and under-resourced, and building a welcoming culture. But if you do not have a great children’s ministry, you have no hope for growth.
Parents will attend boring services if their children love the church. But parents will not attend a church with great services if their children do not enjoy it.
Smart churches invest their best talent and best resources in children’s ministry. You cannot reach your community and grow your church without it.
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