Essentials of

Children’s Ministry:
Helpful tips for those involved in children’s
ministry

By: Michael Gomulka

Get Volunteers!
What’s the big deal?
 This is not just a children’s ministry but a
calling, it is a task with eternal
consequences where you either have a
choice to advance God’s kingdom or not.
 Calling
 Before you roll up your sleeves and start
to climb the mountain, make sure that you
are called into it otherwise you will fail and
the people you serve will be disappointed
and discouraged
 How do I know I’m called?
 Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, And before you were born I
consecrated you; I have appointed you a
prophet to the nations Jer 1:5 (NASB)
Here are some tips to recognize
the call by Boe Parrish
 Faithfully serve your employer and your
lay ministry
 Involve your spouse in the decision
process early on
 Listen to God’s voice and receive His
peace and direction
Cont.
 Spend plenty of time in prayer and seeking
God before going forward
 Hold on to the Word that says, “For God’s
gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans
11:29 (NIV)
 Recruitment
 Rule of thumb: Do not get people into a
position just because you need to fill in an
empty space!
 PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN
PROGRAMS
 Next few slides will be a summary of
recruiting and “volunteers that stick” by
Jim Wideman
Creating a “volunteers welcome”
culture
 Have fun
 Get their needs met
 Hang out with them
What do you believe about
volunteers? 4 truths
 God has promised to meet all your needs
 Every Christian is called to do ministry
 Every Christian has at least one gift to
share
 Every Christian has a particular function in
the body of Christ
Volunteer Careers
 We bring right volunteers on board
 We let people do what God’s wired them
to do
 We notice volunteers and keep noticing
them
 We provide growth opportunities
Right people, right places, right
time, right reasons
 Don’t get wrong people because:
 a. they take forever to train
 b. They often don’t do a very good job
 c. they keep the right people from
participating
Recruiting like Jesus Recruited
 Jesus demonstrated enthusiasm
 Jesus recruited by vision
 Jesus made everything a matter of prayer-
including recruitment
 Jesus took his time to fill the roster
 Jesus instituted a draft
 Jesus seized opportunities
Cont.
 Jesus talked about rewards
 Jesus reacquired commitment, not just
sacrifice
 Jesus went after good people
 Jesus let his volunteers do recruiting
 Jesus demonstrated how to do ministry
Cont.
 Jesus coached and corrected volunteers
 Jesus expected results
 Jesus entered into a relationship with his
volunteers
Job description; code of conduct
 Every volunteer must be in agreement with
our church’s tenets of faith
 People must be members of our church
and have attended for at least six months
before volunteering
 Volunteers must be willing to make a
minimum of six months commitment
Cont.
 Volunteers must be loyal to the pastor and
leaders of the church
 Volunteers must be faithful to their assigned
positions
 Volunteers must live a separated Christian life
 Volunteers must attend all worker’s meetings
and work-shops
Cont.
 Volunteers must be faithful in attending
regular services
 Volunteers must give at least 3 days
notice if they know they’ll be absent
 Volunteers must be at their designated
post thirty minutes before services start
Cont.
 Volunteers must be neat in their appearance
 Volunteers must complete appropriate training
courses required in their area of ministry
 Volunteers’ home lives must be in order
 Volunteers must give thirty days’ notice when
resigning a position
Interview and placement
 Interviews let you nudge volunteers in the
right direction
 Interviews let you minister to potential
volunteers
 Interviews give you permission to do
background screening
Cont.
 Interviews let you understand volunteers’
motives
 Interviews help you refer volunteers
 Interviews get the right people into the
right jobs
Get your interview ready
 Decide where you’ll refer problems
 Determine where you’ll keep information
 Identify a place to do interviews
 Create a standard interview form
Placement process
 Children’s ministry volunteer application
 The In-Person interview
 Offer…or not
 Follow up after interview
 Following up again in two months
 Following up one month before the end of
the term service
Cont.
 Celebrate longevity in service
Orientation, training and evaluation
Things to cover at formal
orientation:
 Your ministry’s vision statement and
mission statement
 History of your church and children’s
ministry
 Basic logistics
 The organizational chart
Cont.
 Safety information
 Communication
 Performance expectations
 Handling of money
 Distribution and review of orientation
handbooks
The secret of volunteers who stick

 Keep doing what you been doing. Execute

the fundamentals you’ve just put into
practice
Essentials by: Craig Jutila
 PATH
 Passion
 Attitude
 Team work
 Honor
 Kids remember us by what we do not by what
we say
 It is important to smile and have a passionate
attitude
 We should treat children’s ministry as a goal and
not a stepping stone
 We need volunteers, we cannot do it by
ourselves
 It is important to take a rest if we feel as if we
are burning out
 It is better to run out of breath than lose your
mind
 We must prepare for ministering to hurting kids
 Children’s ministry involves not only kids but
also their parents as well
 We might be the only Jesus that these
kids might ever see
 It is a privilege to minister to children
 Children’s ministry is a stewardship
 As soon as we fall we must get up and
keep on going, obstacles are only stairs to
the main goal
 We must be transparent with people
 We must keep our promises
 Honor is to be protected at all cost
 We need a vision and goals
Keys to remember by Boe Parrish

 We must recognize our calling

 People are more important than programs
 We must recruit volunteers
 Set up a children’s council
 Greet the children
 Children’s ministry is not a means but a
goal
 Reward your volunteers
 Be submissive to your pastor
 Think of ways to multiply the ministry
 Come up with fund raising strategies
 Let the volunteers lead, let them do their
job
 Equip the volunteers
 Keep your spouse up to date with your
goals and vision
Enlistment tools for effective
ministry
Be creative with themes like:
 Who Will Teach the Children?
 Make a Difference in the Next Generation
 Serving in Preschool/Children’s Ministry
Can Change a Life Forever
 Will You Be the Light of His Love to a
Child?
Publicity options include:
 Bulletin boards, signs and special interest
displays
 Announcements in bulletins, brochures and
church newsletters
 Events: Children's Day or a Children’s
Emphasis Week/Month
 Media: video and slide presentations
 Testimonies of parents and teachers
 Drama, skits and dialogues
Additional ideas include:
 Conduct prospective leader training classes.
 Review the church directory and church
membership rolls.
 Encourage current leaders to brainstorm names.
 Observe participants in adult ministry activities.
Helping Preschoolers Get Ready
for "Big Church"
 1. Use the Bible Often
2. Demonstrate Worship Activities
3. Plan a "Show and Tell" Activity
4. Take Children to a Portion of the
Worship Service
5. Encourage Parents
6. Be a Child Advocate
Job Descriptions for Childhood
Ministry
 Growing Christian
 Called by God to teach
 Church member
 Loves children
 Willing to plan
 Teachable
 Flexible
 Team player
 Understands child development
 Committed to the Sunday School Strategy
 Cooperative
 Sense of humor
 Likes being with children
Screening Procedures for
Childhood Ministry
 Involve all ministerial staff, church leaders and appropriate
committees in researching and educating themselves regarding this
matter.
 Consult your church's attorney for help in all aspects of the
screening process, including the questions you ask, the forms you
use and the confidential records you maintain.
 Consult with your insurance company.
 Build church awareness and support through presentations, printed
information and discussion groups.
 Document official church action regarding policies and procedures.
 Encourage all ministers and staff members to undergo the screening
process to set a positive example for others.
The Screening Process
 You will need release forms signed by all teachers permitting you to
conduct reference, background, and criminal checks.
 Contact all references and complete the background checks prior to
the personal interview. You will need written documentation of
contacts you make with references and information you discuss in
the personal interview.
 During the personal interview, document the person's responses
regarding his Christian testimony, special interests in working with
children, past teaching and volunteer experience, interest in
receiving training and other related information.
 All of this information is confidential and must be kept filed in a
secure area.
Helpful Websites
 http://www.cmbookmarks.com/
 http://mintools.com/children-resources.htm
 http://www.luthersem.edu/cyf/children/
 http://www.livingstreams.org.sg/childrenpastor/li
nks.html
 http://www.childrensministry.com/
 http://www.childrensministry.org/
 http://www.childrensministry.net/
 http://www.wdbydana.com/childministry.html
 http://www.kidology.org/
 http://www.childrensermons.com/sermons.htm
 http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/
 http://www.moodychurch.org/ministries/children/l
inks.html
 http://www.childrensministry.org/content/lessonh
elps.htm
 http://www.pray.org/children/kidresources.asp
Conclusion
 …my son, be warned: the writing of many
books is endless, and excessive devotion
to books is wearying to the body. Eccl
12:12 (NASB)
 The above are just essentials, there are
many other things that could have been
mentioned…
THE END