Children’s ministry is hard work. If you’re considering children’s ministry as a career option, it would be worth considering first if you’re called to the following: random and unannounced rugby tackles; being asked every week whether or not the children know the books of the Bible from memory yet; glitter; being called ‘bouncy’; having seven actual bricks in your office ‘just in case’; herding cats.
If after some serious prayer, you feel that God is indeed calling you to deal with these things, then you will want to equip yourself with some tools for the job. After all, if something is worth doing it’s worth doing right.
Tools for children’s ministry include: a puppet (sheep or mouse is preferable); some sticky tape; glitter; crayons; a pencil sharpener for the crayons; more crayons to replace the ones the children have lost/eaten; assorted coloured paper; paint (if you’re brave). Oh, and the Bible.
Upon becoming a children’s worker, this simple motto is then downloaded into your brain; always be prepared. In my experience, this can mean a variety of things – ‘always have enough games up your sleeve’, ‘always bring the biscuits’ or ‘always know the answers’. Coupled with the desire to be the best children’s worker ever, we can often find ourselves searching for that illusive perfect session. You know, the one where all the kids get it and all the objectives on the lesson plan are achieved for once!
However, the most significant sessions I have led or have been a part of were the ones that didn’t achieve what was on the lesson plan. The best sessions I ever led were the ones that failed.
They failed because a leader unexpectedly called in sick so I had to ditch my plans and ‘wing it’. I had to rely on God actually being there for the kids to engage with, and guess what… he was. Sadly, this surprised me.
They failed because the children engaged with the passage or with one another in a way I didn’t plan for; the honest responses of the kids in my group developed the session more deeply than I expected. Suddenly the plans I had lined up seemed a bit clichéd in comparison to what they were doing.
They failed because I wasn’t good enough. No matter how cool I am, Jesus is cooler. No matter how true I am, Jesus is truer. No matter how much I like soup, Jesus is super. Ask yourself this, if the children aren’t encountering God today, with whom are they meeting?
So here is it… how to fail:
Be open – hold your session with an open hand and allow the Holy Spirit to reshape. You do this by listening to how the children are responding and giving them room to wonder.
Let go – failing is not easy! It goes against the grain and is in contrast to our plans. Be on the lookout for opportunities to let go of your plans and focus on God. You can do this by allowing space for number three…
Be spontaneous – not by doing something bizarre and random but try to stay in the moment and worry less about what’s coming next.
Trust God – he who has called you into this work is faithful. Ask, seek, knock.
Written by Pete Sheath, an experienced children’s worker, who lives in Surrey.