A Few Important Keys To A Positive Lasting Impression In Your Church Nursery

I remember when we first attended the church we are members of now.  The day I had to take my little boy to the nursery was very uncomfortable for both of us.  When we arrived the ladies working did not greet us.  They did not act welcoming at all.  So, for a mom,  that did not make me want to leave my child there and as for my little one, well, let's just say he didn't want to stay. So, when I became the children's pastor I did my very best to impress upon our workers and volunteers how important it is to greet the kids and the parents.  How important it is to have an inviting attitude and an inviting area.  Some people have no problem at all dropping their infants off in a strange, unknown, germ-filled room….but just in case they do, it’s good to be prepared.  Here is a quick list of s few pointers they I have learned along the way. 

1^st impressions are lasting impressions.

Appearance: Whoever said appearances aren’t important wasn’t a first time mommy dropping off their precious child. When parents drop off their infants, they want to be able to see the environment they are going to be in for the next hour and a half. It’s important when you’ve got kids crawling around that the floor is vacuumed, the outlets are covered and it looks and sounds (music!!!!) like a fun place to crawl around.

Greeter:

This is a KEY position that someone who knows what they are doing and happy to be doing it, welcomes nursery parents at the door. If they don’t feel comfortable with the person they are leaving their child with, they will not continue to go to this church. I’m serious…their kids are choosing their church right now, not the parents. And if they aren’t greeted with a knowing, confident loving smile then they won’t continue to go to your church. It’s important too that this person can tell them what to expect, takes the time to answer questions (no matter how long the line behind them is) and makes them feel safe.

Information:

After their sweet child has spent most of the morning with strangers, it would be nice to know what they did. Here is a little ¼ sheet hand out that you may want to use.  When you fill it out stick it in the diaper bags:

• I played with:____________________________
• My favorite toy was:____________________________
• I really enjoyed:____________________________
• I got sad when:____________________________
• Diaper changes:____________________________

It takes very little time to fill out, yet means the world to a parent to actually know what went on with their child while they were in church. If you can’t do this, think of one thing about every child that you could say to the parents: “Jonny loved the music today…he was dancing the entire time” or Sara had a difficult time getting to sleep today, but our volunteer Nancy has the magic touch and rocked her to sleep by 9:30”. Parents appreciate that unique touch.

In the nursery, 1^st impressions make lasting impressions. I believe it can be a true expression of Jesus’ love for these precious little ones and their parents, by taking the time to make your nursery: a place filled with loving leaders, and not just a place where you put people who have no where else to serve; a place that feels and looks warm and welcoming and it looks like you have put time and thought into making it a safe place for the little ones…trust me….they are watching and noticing and you are making lasting impressions…good or bad.

We all know how important volunteers are to the ministry that God has put us over.  Volunteers are hard to find and harder to keep.  But the reality of it all is that we need volunteers. All ministries need volunteers.  The success of your ministry depends on your volunteers.  I just  happen to focus on children's ministry. The hard fact is: The success of your Children's Ministry depends on the strength of the volunteer team you build. Here are 10 people that can help make your team strong.

The Veteran

 

Profile:
a pillar of the Children's Ministry, many years of faithful service, has a heart to mentor new volunteers, someone you can ask for advice when making decisions, solid relationship with Christ
Positions:
large group teacher, oversee group of volunteers, advisory board, small group leader


The Young Gun

Profile: teenager or college student, passionate for Christ, brings new ideas to the table, kids think he is "cool", good role model
Positions: classroom helper, small group leader depending on maturity level, skits, games, greeter, tech, sound


The Encourager

Profile: positive attitude, smiles, sensitive to the needs of others, compliments and builds up others, kind, welcomes new volunteers to the team with open arms
Positions: teacher, volunteer coach, nursery


The Prayer Warrior

Profile: heart for prayer, ask others how he can pray for them, prays consistently for the ministry
Positions: prayer team leader, teacher, small group leader


The Party Person

 

Profile: fun, spontaneous, people person, brings humor and laughter, life of the party, great at hosting people in his or her home, loves to help plan parties and celebrations
Positions: event planning, event host, teacher, party planning, party host


The Rock Star

Profile: high energy in a large group setting, knows how to communicate with kids, gets kids excited about God's Word, does song motions with enthusiasm
Positions: large group leader, worship leader, large group teacher
   

The Grandmother
 
 Profile: loves kids, kids love her, parents know her and ask for their kids to be in her classroom, gives appropriate hugs to kids, expert with crafts, brings extra cookies or snacks for the kids
Positions: teacher, small group leader


The Talk Show Host

 

Profile: outgoing, friendly, knows how to make new people feel welcome and comfortable, takes a personal interest in people, good at conversation, never met a stranger
Positions: greeter, guest services


The Kid Magnet

 Profile: loves kids, kids love her, kids are drawn to her, makes kids laugh and have fun, connects well with kids, kids know her by name
Positions: teacher, small group leader, greeter


The Second Miler

  Profile: willing to give lots of volunteer hours, dependable, first one to arrive and last one to leave, servant's heart, goes above and beyond when given assignments
Positions: special events, teacher, preparation

Do you have any of these people on your team? They are in your congregation...just waiting for you to ask them to join your team. Get them on board and watch your Children's Ministry flourish.

Do you ever feel like you make excuses for not having a "WOW" Sunday for the kids?  Sometimes when we feel overly worked or stressed we go into the "excuse mode".  This is a great article of the five traps you don't want to get caught in as a Children's Pastor. 

As I stood there in front of a couple hundred elementary age kids, my mind was racing. I was in the middle of telling the story for large group time, but realized just as I started that several of the props required for the story weren’t on stage. These were pretty big – and necessary! – props, and I really had no idea where they were at.
But I did know why they weren’t there. I had gotten comfortable. We had a system for Sunday morning, and we had gotten so used to the system that we had gotten comfortable. As a result, we had started doing quick run-through’s instead of the step by step checks we were supposed to be doing.
And we [ I ] missed making sure all the necessary props were on stage and in place.
I learned a valuable lesson that day: not to get caught in the trap of being comfortable, the first of Five Traps That Can Catch The KidMin Leader.
1. The Comfort Trap. Systems, processes and standard operating procedures are important. Done correctly, they leave plenty of room for creativity, flexibility and even spontaneity. But they also open the door for getting a little too complacent. Essentially, we say “We do this so much we don’t need to prepare as much.” That’s when we get caught.

Is there something you’ve gotten too comfortable with in your ministry?

2. The Small Church Thinking Trap. We’re just a small church & know everyone…we don’t need to worry too much about security. If I had a few bucks for every time I’ve heard this as I’ve spoken & consulted with churches around the country, I’d be able to take a very nice vacation. Don’t buy it! This is foolish thinking, on this issue or any other! Just ask anyone from Penn State University.

What areas of your ministry do you need to shore up?

3. The Hoarding Trap. No one can do it as well as I do. When it comes to the individual tasks of ministry, you’re probably right. But when it comes to the collective job of ministry to children, you couldn’t be more wrong. When we think this, we tend to keep most things to do them ourselves, and that really is selfish and short-sighted. It limits the potential of you and your ministry. It disengages and diminishes the work of others. It’s small-minded.

What tasks do you need to equip others to do so that you can remain primarily focused on doing those things that only you can do?

4. The Blame It On The Big Guys Trap. Senior leadership doesn’t have a real vision for children’s ministry, so we really can’t pursue a great vision. I will agree that it’s not uncommon for senior leadership to lack a real understanding – and hence, a real vision – for children’s ministry. I can even agree that this often limits what can be accomplished in children’s ministry. But I can’t agree that you can’t have a great vision just because it’s not front & center with senior leadership of your church. You may have greater challenges, less resources, and need to take smaller steps in pursuing a great vision – but lets not succumb to feeling sorry for ourselves just because we don’t have the big guys going to bat for us every Sunday.

What attitudes might you need to adjust in order to pursue a great vision, regardless of the support you receive from senior leadership?

5. The It’s Easier To Make Excuses Than Be Creative Trap. We don’t have: [a big budget] [great facilities] [a lot of people] [insert your challenge here] like the church down the road – so we can’t really do a lot of great ministry like they do. A second cousin to #4 is this mindset. But it’s totally wrong. Can I tell you I just spent time in Africa a couple of months ago. Talk about a lack of resources! And yet I saw some incredible ministry happening. Why? Because great ministry doesn’t happen because you have a big budget, great facilities, a lot of people, or any of these types of resources. Great ministry happens as a result of a great vision. It happens because people are equipped and leaders are developed. It happens because there’s a culture of relationships. It happens because the Gospel is primary. Great ministry happens because your love God and you love people, and you act on it, plain and simple.

Dedicated to the teachers of God's Word...

We as teachers, ministry leaders, volunteers, work so hard to get the message across to our kiddos.  We spend hours upon hours on preparing our lessons hoping we will  present it in a way that they will understand.  Once they leave, we wonder...did they get it?  Take heart...you are planting the seed in their little hearts.  They may not show it at the moment.  They may not show it next Sunday.  But one day, they will say something or do something that will make you smile and say...they did get it!

This poem/article was written for all of you that work so hard and maybe never know what will come of some of the kids you cross paths with.  Remember, God chose you to tell His story...

God said, "I need a gardener,
Someone to sow my Word.
I need someone to plant the seed,
Till ev'ryone has heard."
Because you've said, "I'll sow the seed,"
Our God has made them grow.
Now we've become a garden here;
Each day God's love we show.
God prepared and He tilled each heart,
But you have sown the seeds.
You've taught God's truth and lived your lives
By all your words and deeds.
You've sown good seeds--replaced the weeds;
Ev'ry heart's now abloom.
The fragrance of our garden here
Is like a sweet perfume.
Look around you now. You will see
Beauty from seeds you've sown.
Look around you now. You will see
God's garden here He's grown.
Eternally we'll be grateful;
Your lives we do applaud,
For our hearts are now a garden
Since you said, "Yes to God."

(Copyrighted by Linda. J. Stevenson)

Now that the kiddos are out of school for the summer, what activities do you have planned?  Summer camps, vbs, family vacations...Summer seems to fly by so quickly so enjoy it all while you can. 

Blessings to you all
Ms. Pam