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In children’s ministry, big isn’t always better. Check out these 5 advantages of small church kidmin and learn to maximize your strengths!
Basking In The Benefits Of Small Churches, Especially In 2020
Being a small church in the midst of a pandemic has many benefits! Who would’ve thought?! At this time, when the only thing certain is that things will change, having a smaller flock to shepherd has many advantages.
Even before COVID-19 entered our world, small kids’ ministries had many benefits. (Don’t get me wrong. Large ministries have their pros as well. Like having enough kids to create two even teams for a game!) But there are many reasons why I have such a heart for the small ministries.
Before the coronavirus and more so now, in the midst of this “unprecedented” time (There, I was able to fit this word in here somewhere –– it is now my least favorite word!), I love small kids’ ministries!
- I love knowing everyone’s name and their family’s names.
- I love that I know what sport they all play and what each one of their hobbies are.
- I love that I can have lunch with them at their schools.
- I love that I can be friends with their parents on social media and see what they’ve done all week.
- I love that I can attend some of their extracurricular activities over the weekend.
- I love that I can spend the time before and after church listening to what’s important to them, learning their dog has a hurt paw, or what they’re looking forward to this week. I mean, really listen … to each and every one.
- And mostly, I love that I can pray for each one of them by name and lift their needs to the Father without spending hours or breaking up the list among volunteers.
The Beauty Of A Small Children’s Ministry Magnified During A Global Crisis
Yes, small kidmin is beautiful.
We tend to measure success on the numbers; however, numbers are just that: numbers. We need to remember that success in God’s kingdom is largely measured by what the human eye cannot see.
I believe God places as many kids as in our ministries as we can properly shepherd and shape into spiritual warriors.
But during COVID, I quickly came to realize the amazing advantages a small kidmin has over larger ministries.
We need to recognize every positive aspect we can grasp at this point! We need to be Pollyannas and see the positive side of everything so we don’t get down, frustrated, burned out, or be left feeling useless, unsuccessful, and non-essential. Let’s not let our spark for ministry be snuffed out. But, let’s reignite our passion!
5 Reasons Why A Small Kidmin Is A Blessing (Even During COVID-19)
1. It’s Easier To Make Personal Connections
One thing I’ve noticed is that old school is new school to kids.
“Snail mail” is making a comeback! When your kidmin list is short, say, 15-20 kids or less (Maybe you even have less than that, and that’s even better!), it’s easy to find the time to make personal connections. And personal connections (ie., relationships) are what will sustain your kidmin while we’re unable to meet face to face.
Whether you place a phone call to each of your families simply to check in and hear their voices or send a short handwritten note to your kids, it goes a long way during this time!
I’ve heard such wonderful feedback from kids receiving mail from our leaders! They love it!
When our Sunday night kids’ program was cut short and we transitioned to Zoom, each week I sent a follow-up note with some fun stickers and our BLAST bucks (reward money for a “store”). Parents shared with me how much their kids looked forward to getting the mail each day!
It doesn’t take long to put these things together when you have a small group of kids. Reaching out to them and chatting for a few minutes on the phone or sending them some fun mail each week goes a long way in relationship building!
Looking for a step-by-step guide to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?
Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!
2. Everyone Fits On A Zoom Screen!
This one is almost tongue-in-cheek, but hey, we’ll take it!
Having participated in too many Zoom calls to count in the last four months, I will say that I am so thankful that all of my kids in my kidmin will fit on one screen! They love that too!
They love being able to see one another and say “Hi!” It makes Zoom meetings manageable.
- Small Zoom calls allow for everyone to give their answer to a question and be heard.
- Small Zoom calls allow for each child to have time to respond to one another.
- Small Zoom calls allow for scripture memorization to happen without feeling rushed.
Yes, Zoom can get chaotic with kids, but praise God for the “mute all” button, right?! Zoom is much more personal with a smaller group.
It’s hard to be personal with any online platform, but having a small group of kids from a few families makes it manageable and meaningful. Small Zoom groups for the win!
3. It’s Easy To Assess Families’ Needs
Individualized care is one of the best ways I’ve found to serve with purpose during COVID-19. Continually checking in with parents to see what their current needs are will help you focus your ministry strategy.
We all know that we’ve never had to change directions so many times as we’ve had to in these last four months! Say it with me, “Pivot!”
It’s so important to connect with our families in a way that is helpful and valuable to them. To find out what they need most, we can survey them either by phone or an electronic survey rather quickly. Then we can move forward and spend our time wisely and constructively doing something that we can be confident families will appreciate, rather than just sending home things we think will help.
When your kidmin is small, these surveys can be done and tallied in half a day whether you’re calling each family or emailing surveys.
Don’t simply do what you’ve seen other churches doing or what you think will be helpful. Ask them!
4. Drive-Bys Are Totally Doable & SO Fun!
If you haven’t done some drive-bys or driveway visits, I urge you to plan a day for that!
For extra fun, use a MEGAPHONE!
What we did:
- We left right after church one Sunday and made it to all of our families by the afternoon!
- We kept it a secret from the kids, so they had no idea we were coming!
- We put together small goodie bags and pulled into their driveways.
- We placed the bag on the hood of the car, then stuck our heads out of the top of the car (yay for sunroofs!) and had a megaphone.
- We called for the kids to come out. In some cases, we quickly rang the doorbell and got back in the car.
I will never forget their faces when they came running out to greet us! I knew they’d want to hug (it was so hard not to do that!) but being in the car’s sunroof gave us good distance and diffused any of those urges.
We stayed at each house for a few minutes, and many parents came out to say “Hi!” and visit. It was so appreciated by the families! And we even caught some still in their pajamas in the afternoon –– no judgment here!
The kids were happy to get their goodie bags and see some of their leaders in person!
- You could do these for birthdays or just as a surprise one day!
- You could pack “sunshine bags” where everything in the bag is yellow (treats, candy, etc.).
- You could do some fun back-to-school stuff, erasers, smelly pens, etc.
Having a small kidmin makes this outreach totally doable in an afternoon and budget-friendly! (Imagine trying to do this for over a hundred kids!) Get creative and grab a volunteer; you won’t regret it!
5. Regathering Can Happen Sooner
As we all try our best to figure out how we will regather our flock when it is safe to do so, being a small kidmin is especially advantageous!
Again, the surveying of families comes in handy here as we can discuss with each family their level of comfort and what would make them feel safest sending their kids back to our ministries. Once we find that out, it’s not as overwhelming when we have a small group.
Our kids’ church only has about 12 kids in it.
- We can regather outside on “magic carpets” (large beach towels) or inside using hula hoops as a designated space.
- We can break classes up into even smaller groups. We can easily put together kids’ own bags of supplies (crayons, scissors, pencils, etc.).
- We can easily monitor restrooms and hand washing when we have a small group of kids.
- We can easily regather while staying socially distanced as we have less little bodies to worry about keeping apart!
Being able to regather as a small kidmin is such a win right now as kids and families are desperate for face-to-face interaction for their kids from someone other than themselves!
What a blessing we have to be able to do that with our small kidmins much more easier than a church with hundreds of kids on a Sunday!
The Big Blessing Of A Small Tribe
Those of us who serve in small kidmins are so very blessed, my friend!
We were blessed before COVID-19 with our small tribe of families and children and even more so now! We have so many reasons to praise God for placing us where He has and for giving us the kids He’s entrusted to us in our ministries.
Take a deep breath and confidently and joyfully carry on knowing your ministry is easily adaptable despite what COVID-19 throws our way! Take heart (and a deep breath) and carry on knowing with God all things are possible!
Looking for a step-by-step guide to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?
Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!
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