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Congratulations! You have just grabbed the baton from the previous children’s ministry leader and you’re ready to run! It’s your leg of the race now, and you are going to gain some ground. However, watch your stride; with just a few common missteps you could be tumbling in your tracks!

Easy Steps To A Smooth Transition

1. Be Humble

You are a gift from God, but make sure you don’t act like you’re God’s gift to this congregation. Yes, you may have been called. Yes, you may have a wonderful experience, vision, anointing, or ambition. But if you come in with a swagger, I guarantee you’ll go out with critical wounds.

2. No Sudden Movements

It’s very likely that one of the reasons you are in this new position is because you saw something that needed to be changed. It’s a temptation for all of us to come in with a big strategy and clear the whole board. Don’t do it. You do not need to repaint the kid’s area in the first week of being hired. Even if it has a creepy mural from a quarter of a century ago. Actually, especially if it has a mural that old. 

All churches, but small churches in particular, often have lots of feelings about spaces and supplies. You do not need to throw away all the used curriculum and supplies on your first day. 

That’s not to say that you never get to freshen up, declutter, or put your own signature on the space, but starting slowly is going to buy you time, understanding, and respect. (The only caveat I have is when something is dangerous or out of control. Sometimes sudden changes to rules or structure DO have to start immediately.)

Looking for a step-by-step to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?

Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!

3. Honor Your Church’s History

Do you know the old adage, “You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been?” Well, it’s famous for a reason, and it’s definitely true in ministry. Find out WHAT was already done, and find out WHY. 

Maybe you have a great outreach idea for Easter, but do you know if your church hosted an Easter event successfully for 20 years and only stopped hosting it 5 years ago? Do you know why they discontinued? What midweek programs and structures have already been done? Why doesn’t the church go to overnight camps anymore? What is the reason for VBS being so important? Why are there no costumes? Why is there a whole cupboard of prizes? 

Taking time to get an understanding of your predecessors and their programs will open your mind to understanding the life of the church that existed before you. 

4. Make Strong Team Connections

Personal connections are more important than program implementation. It’s the heart of the person, not the heart of the program, that matters the most to God. Whatever good intentions you may have, without first building some relationships, your ideas could easily fall flat. 

Talk to parents at check-in and pick-up. Be quick to introduce yourself, or if you’re already known in your small church, set aside a little coffee fellowship to gather all your parents. Ask about their families. Know them beyond the superficial. Make it a priority to get involved in other areas of the church (women’s or men’s ministry, outreach, Bible studies, etc.) so that you can know people in a different setting. If you’re at a loss for how to make connections, try these questions that take you beyond “How are you?” and “Hello.”

Most importantly, know your kids. Spend time talking with them about home and school, activities, and interests. Joke. Laugh. Listen. Love. Really knowing them will change the whole way you minister on a Sunday or Wednesday.

Build a powerhouse children’s ministry team. You might be the only one in kids ministry in your small church, but guess what? Now you’ve made friends outside of children’s ministry, and you’ve made connections with parents. That makes it so much easier to say, “Hey, what would you think about teaching once a month so that I could get in the worship service?” Or, “We really need a person to just greet and check kids in on Sunday mornings. Would you help me with that?” 

Because you’ve already gone out of your way to build relationships, you have now expanded your reach, all without begging from a bulletin or pleading from the platform.

For similar content, check out: 7 Ways To Build Community On Your Worship Team

5. Assess The State Of The Kid’s Church

Remember that mural that you’re not going to paint over right away? During the waiting time, take a really deep look at everything you already have. This is for you, practical person! 

Dig into the closets. You may have years worth of glitter and foam crafts, but do you have any scotch tape, pencils, or construction paper? Are there bibles for the kids? What curriculum is already on the shelf? Is it something you would or should use in the future? Does the church have a supply of puppets, and will you use those? Do they still have VHS tapes taking up closet space, but no longer any VCR? Where are the sports and game equipment? Are there any costumes and props? How about object lesson supplies? 

When the time comes (which is not this minute) what will you get rid of? What will you need to purchase?

4 Steps To Strengthen Your Children’s Ministry

6. Prioritize

You now know what was used and why. You know what is in your possession and what is yet needed. Create a dream list including everything you would like to do, see, and implement. 

Now prioritize it. So many people step into a small church ministry and think the world is theirs, which might be true, but not all the money is! The quickest way to get into trouble is to spend, spend, spend. So what comes first? VBS or Wednesday curriculum? Glitter or Gaga Ball? Painting over that mural or mounting the TV? New bibles or new basketballs? 

What is really the most important to the children in your spiritual care right now? 

Check out: 5 Ways Your Small Church Can Save Time And Money On VBS

7. No Trash Talk

I cannot emphasize this enough: Never, never, never talk badly about your predecessor. 

  • First of all, it’s not full of grace, kindness, or love. It isn’t good or lovely or pure. 
  • Second, if you’ve done your research, then you might have an indication of why something was done the way it was. Account for personality differences, teaching styles, and vocational calling. 
  • Finally, it’s most likely that someone in the church loved that person, still keeps in contact with his or her family, and will be deeply wounded and potentially lost to you and the kid’s ministry if you utter words of antipathy or scorn. It’s not worth it. 

Not only watch your words about previous kids’ pastors, but also be careful how you talk about your pastor, the elders and leaders, parents, and kids. 

8. Cover It In prayer

Why did I put this last? It’s the most pervasive. This should be your very first step before you even accept a position of leadership. 

  • What is God saying to you? 
  • Then pray for the church and the children’s ministry. 
  • Pray for your children and families. 
  • Pray for God’s wisdom in what you actually need so that you are a good steward with both the money and the time allowed to you. 
  • Pray for your predecessor. 
  • Pray blessing. Speak life. Ask God to direct your steps. 

With just a little fancy footwork at the beginning, you can soar past all kinds of hurdles and win the race before you!

Looking for a step-by-step to starting or restarting your children’s ministry?

Check out the Children’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!

Read More:

Youth & Children’s Ministry In Small Churches

Increase Commitment, Longevity, And Passion In Service: For Leaders And Volunteers

Easy Ways To Incorporate Sensory Activities In Your Children’s Ministry

Turn Summer Camp Into 6 Weeks Of Sunday School

Jackie Swanson is honored to have been serving in kids’ ministry for over 30 years. She has a passion to see small churches thrive and value the beauty in their uniqueness. After several years of teaching first graders, she became a stay-at-home mom to her 3 beautiful children. She and her husband are still excited to work together in the trenches of kids’ ministry each Sunday, where her dry humor is generally underappreciated.