The first thing you need starting off in kids ministry is calling. The next thing which is just as important is Vision. You can’t lead without it because no one will follow.
One of my college professors used to say that if you are leading and no one is following you are just going for a walk.
You need personal vision to help you know that you are doing what God has called you to do. When I started I had no idea what I was doing. I asked God to give me a vision for what he wanted me to do. He spoke some very specific things. Once I had accomplished those things I used that as a vision check. I wanted to know if God was calling me out of kids ministry of deeper into it. I believe that he was calling me to do more in the area of Children’s Ministry. To last in kids ministry you need to lead with clear goals and a compelling picture of what the future looks like. You need to give people a good reason to invest their precious time and partner with you to see God do amazing things.
Things I have learned and am still trying to master when it comes to vision:
1. Your vision needs to be headed in the same direction as your senior pastor – If not large problems loom.
2. Your vision needs to be about building the local church and not YOU.
3. Your vision needs to be clear and compelling – Where vision is unclear you will lack volunteers. In kids ministry we need so many volunteers to do what we do volunteer recruitment is such a hot button issue yet we so often treat the symptom without dealing with the root. Right now I am lacking pre-school help I start thinking of how to build the vision of reaching kids. Clear compelling vision combined with a personal ask will 90% of the time take care of your volunteer needs.
Get out there find out the vision God has called you to and fight for it, make it clear and give God and your team the credit.
Good Stuff Sam. Our church has just enter a series on vision and leaving a legacy. In our small group this weekend we talked about vision. I think it is also good to remember that when God gives your a vision of the future it will be larger than yourself. It will only come to pass because of His hands in your life. So don’t be afraid to GO BIG!
Great! I love what you said about calling and vision… 🙂
In particular, I think it is very important what you said about having the same vision as your senior pastor. I was part of a church years ago where each ministry had a different vision, there was no unity, and sometimes leaders of different ministries would fight. The church never went anywhere… there is power in unity.
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