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At the end of the day, kid’s ministry is the No. 1 catalyst for church growth.
Kids ministry can easily feel like a place to send second-string tech people. Because let's face it, this area of ministry tends to have less toys or bells and whistles than the main sanctuary. In most churches large and small, kids ministries are in desperate need of people who are knowledgeable and passionate about serving in this area.
So the question becomes, how do we make sure this area of ministry is covered properly with tech people, while also creating an avenue to train and develop people for the whole church?
How do you staff Kids Ministry?
One unique potential of tech teams in kids ministry is that it creates a place to develop people that have potential to serve, but that need a place to get a little experience. This doesn’t mean you put people who aren’t good enough to serve in the sanctuary in kids ministry. There is a difference between someone who has potential, but is not ready yet and someone who will probably never be able to handle the attention to detail or pace a tech booth can create.
So if you can identify those who have potential and then place them in the children's worship area with someone who can coach them, this can benefit the whole church in the long run.
Kids ministry can be an excellent training ground for the sanctuary when you have the right people in place to mentor volunteers in the way of production.
Kids ministry can be an excellent training ground for the sanctuary when you have the right people in place to mentor volunteers in the way of production. Taking one to two of your best people and getting them to coach does two things: First, it makes the kids ministry better, and second, it encourages some of the best people by asking them to pass on their gift. While this approach may seem like it's leaving the main sanctuary "less taken care of," it is actually ensuring that the entire church will have more techs and better techs.
How do I inspire people to serve in Kids Ministry?
It is easy to see the benefit of a strong children's ministry tech team. Yet the question is still there: how do I get people to want to help in kids ministry as tech people? The answer is both simple and slightly complex. You have to inspire them.
No one feels compelled to a tech booth when they are asked, “Can you man the kids tech booth? I can’t talk anyone else into being down there.”
Giving an inspiring invitation to kids ministry is probably much simpler than you think. No one feels compelled to a tech booth when they are asked, “Can you man the kids tech booth? I can’t talk anyone else into being down there.” But many would be more open to serve when the question is asked a little differently: “Hey, you know how great our kids ministry here is, one of the things that makes it such a great part of our church is the tech area. I think you would be a huge asset there. You would make a difference and learn a lot at the same time.”
This makes the person being asked feel the job is important and it also lets them know there is a desire to help them grow as a tech. The key to recruiting is all in how it is sold.
So, what do kids ministry techs need to know?
Training: The importance of smooth transitions
One of the easiest things techs can do to raise the bar is to create smooth transitions within a service. The best part about this is that it costs nothing. Transitions are the links that put a nice bow on the service. When transitions are clean and well thought through, it actually helps keep kids engaged in the service--they need steady transitions because it tells them something else is coming.
It is very important to train techs to know that making each part of a service begin and end smoothly can be as important as each part of the service.
Most ministry leaders understand how to make the components of a service happen, but they may struggle with transitions. Tech operators can help take a well-planned service and make it shine. It is very important to train techs to know that making each part of a service begin and end smoothly can be as important as each part of the service.
Training: How to deliver distraction-free audio
Most know the feeling of wishing their audio system was better than it currently is. While we may not have the best rig, we can do everything in our power to make it distraction-free.
The first way to make a service's audio distraction-free is to make the system pop- and fuzz-free. Clean audio is the goal. This may be as simple as teaching the kids ministry tech to recognize when a cable may be going bad or to remember to make sure there are fresh batteries in the microphones before services. Clean audio makes the service better and less stressful on a tech.
One of the greatest distractions for kids within a service is waiting. Waiting for a video to play, waiting for the video’s audio to come on, or waiting for the microphone to be un-muted.
The next area of distraction-free audio is timing. One of the greatest distractions for kids within a service is waiting. Waiting for a video to play, waiting for the video’s audio to come on, or waiting for the microphone to be un-muted. This is especially important because both kids and students [can oftentimes] become distracted and lose focus. Once kids lose focus there may be potential to get it back, but it can become difficult for the teacher. So the tech is ultimately making the job of teaching or worship leading easier on those serving.
Inspiring future growth
Staffing, inspiring and training techs in kids ministry not only makes children's ministry excellent, but it also can have a significant impact on the church. At the end of the day, kid’s ministry is the No. 1 catalyst for church growth. When we commit to making both the adult and kids service high quality, we are not only making our church as a whole stronger--we are helping grow our church.
