Things Kids Ministry Can Learn from A Hospital

Galileo Galilei

I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t learn something from him.

I have this crazy habit no matter where I am I try and think how I can use what I see to make me a better kids pastor and make our kids ministry more effective. I love watching people and trying to understand what they do and why they do it.

The Kid Hospital has an environment specialist – This woman at St. Luke’s was “Melissa” her whole job was really to take the scary unknown and make it understandable to kids. She helped the kids and parents feel at easy in situations that were very different from what they are used to.

How great would this be if we did a better job at helping first time guests feel welcomed and make the scary unknowns of our kid’s programing understandable. We do have kid concierge at our church but Melissa helped me see we need to kick it up a notch.

Hospital Give the kids a gift sponsored by local companies – We had just arrived and we received a blanket made by the employees of Lockheed Martin. I am going to look into seeing if our kids church can give something to kids who come into the Peds unit. What a great time to build a bridge into the lives of families in need.

They Understand Parents are concerned with Security. – As soon as we got to our room not long after the hospital staff put a safety band on my sons ankle if someone tried to leave the hospital with him every door would lock. Parents want to know that their kids are safe. We can not be to safe. I don’t think we preach safety enough. Are you kids safe? If parents don’t feel your ministry is safe they won’t bring their kids, and if kids don’t feel safe they won’t stay.