Changing a Tradition

I love traditions. Since, I am a learner and also love the beauty of an experience, when my boys were very young I wanted to make sure that we had the best Christmas traditions. The year the boys were 3, 2 and an infant, I spent that fall asking my friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers how they celebrated Christmas. Many of our family Christmas traditions are a result of those conversations. There are many, but things like making sure the “cool” gifts come from the parents and the boring gifts like underwear come from Santa. That way the “cool” parents get the credit (love this one.) Choosing a picture book for each child that reminds us of their year, writing in it what we saw in them, and reading it to them first thing on Christmas.

This Fall I sat down and had conversations with some volunteers and families. One of the questions was, “Is there anything you would like to see changed?” Over and over, one of their replies was to change something that was actually a tradition in the church. During the Christmas Eve main service the children would perform. Volunteers and families found this very stressful on an already full day. They very much wanted the kids to have the chance to sing for the congregation, but not on Christmas Eve. One lesson I learned long ago is to listen well to volunteers and families. The call for a change in tradition I heard loud and clear, but I was not as confident how my Senior Pastor and programming team would like to hear about the change in tradition.

Traditions should enhance our experiences. Are there traditions that you have in your ministry that need to be evaluated and asked, “Why do we do it that way?” “Is this the best thing for our kids, families & ministry?” I encourage you to ask the hard questions, evaluate and make the changes if necessary.

As for our Senior Pastor, his heart is to serve, shepherd, and teach our congregation. When he heard the thoughts of the volunteers and families he was quick to create a new tradition. This year the kids are singing the Sunday before Christmas and EVERYONE is thrilled and looking forward to the experience.

Volunteers Make or Break a Ministry

This week marked one month that I have been on the new job as Children’s Ministry Director. It has been a fast and furious month with most of my time spent trying to get my feet under me. My church is the second site of a multisite church with about 45 kids a weekend in attendance. And although it is small, it is stocked with some awesome volunteers. Volunteers make or break a ministry and are a wealth of knowledge. I spent a good bit of time this month leaning into this wealth of knowledge. As a new director in a church any size one of the best things you can do is listen and hear what the volunteers, parents and kids are saying. Understanding where the church has been, the culture of the church, and the hopes of these key people will help you make right choices moving forward. You will discover a ton about the kids in the rooms, curriculum, ministry traditions, families, and goofy things. Here are some key questions I have been asking.
1. Tell me how you started in Kidsland?
2. How do things work in your room?
3. How was the curriculum chosen and are you happy with it?
4. Tell me about the kids in your room (steer the conversation to understand discipline challenges, kids with family challenges, are the kids engaged in the room)
5. What are the needs of your classroom (this can be from activity station games needed, new crayons, a helper, please fix the sound, etc…)
6. What are some changes you would like to see happen in Kidsland?

Meeting with key volunteers, provided a platform for them to share their knowledge and for me to hear their challenges. It also allowed me a great opportunity to respond to the easy-to-meet needs of the kids and the volunteer and created an atmosphere of feeling valued. It is amazing how much can be communicated in a new bin of scissors, some table games, or a new CD.