Conductors Not Composers

What is a realistic expectation of the role of the person overseeing the children's ministry in a local church—many of whom are part-time?

Consider the scope of the role—to recruit, resource and equip an army of volunteers to disciple children in a safe environment. Add to that the importance of encouraging and resourcing the primary disciple makers—our parents—to shepherd their children well.

Christopher Ash’s book, Zeal Without Burnout, includes many cautionary stories. One is about a woman overseeing the children's ministry in her church. She was a gifted woman, who loved writing material for her leaders to use. But in the end, the load of leading and writing was too great. She burnt out.

Consider the time required to produce one lesson each week—study the passage, clarify the truth, write the story that communicates that truth, plan games, crafts, role plays…, write small group prayer and application activities. Creating a quality lesson for each age group can easily take a full day per week.

As my husband says, there is a complexity in writing a lesson for children that he does not experience when writing a sermon. His sermon is for one age group—adults. It is in one medium—a monologue. He liaises with one person prior to Sunday—the person putting together his slides. In contrast, each Sunday multiple lessons need to be written—one lesson for each age group. Each lesson needs to package truth using multiple interactive activities. And many people need access to the lesson and the resources required prior to Sunday.

The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the availability and quality of Biblical curriculums available online from across the world. There is more to choose from than at any other time in history.

Sourcing curriculum can cost as little as $10 AUD for a lesson for ages 5-11—some are available for free. Ministry leaders review the purchased material for Biblical accuracy and clarity, adapt it for their context and help teams prepare well. In a single day, a series of lessons for multiple age groups can be reviewed and adapted for an entire term.

The task then shifts from producing resources, to discerning what is Biblically faithful and appropriate, and adapting it wisely for your church context.

The guarding of Biblical truth is critical. I‘m so thankful to God for the many Bible colleges that prepare their students for children’s ministry with this priority in mind. This is the Biblical mandate for all church leaders.

However, many who lead ministry to children in the local church have not had the opportunity to attend Bible college. Every person overseeing a children’s ministry benefits greatly from regularly meeting with a member of the church’s senior leadership team—a pastor who can encourage, support and mentor them. A key part of the mentoring is helping ensure theological clarity and faithfulness.

In some parts of the world, people stepping into vocational ministry assume that the primary part of their role is to produce resources.

If we are to grow an effective ministry, we need to shift our expectation from discipling children to equipping others to disciple children. Using a musical analogy, we need to shift from being a good musician to being a good conductor. Conductors select quality music, arrange the music and train musicians to play it well together. Composers devote their energy to writing the music.

We need to learn to be good conductors, not composers.

There will, however, be some who have been encouraged by others to write. People have used the material you’ve written and seen its impact. You have the time to write, either because you are full-time in your role or you choose to write in your spare time.

If you choose to write from scratch and train people in your teams to write, it is good to consider the following:

How do you guard Biblical truth and clarity? Do volunteers submit their lessons in time to assess that what they’ve produced is faithful and age-appropriate?
How do you ensure all teams receive lessons with enough time to prepare effectively?
How do you ensure you, or your teams, have enough time after the writing process to purchase, prepare and source the crafts and equipment needed?
Who assumes responsibility for reducing risk of harm to children—the church or the person who wrote it? Have all games and activities been checked to see that they are age appropriate and that warnings have been included to reduce risk of harm?

Growing an effective children’s ministry means stepping away from the computer and investing in people. It means encouraging parents as they shepherd their children, equipping volunteers as they teach and pastor young people, and developing leaders of teams who can multiply ministry.

The reality is that most children’s ministry leaders cannot produce a constant stream of high-quality resources and effectively equip others. Something will inevitably give.

Learning to conduct rather than compose will have a greater long-term impact for the gospel. So steward your time wisely —for the good of your church and your longevity. Pour your energy into equipping others to disciple children faithfully and confidently. That investment will outlast any curriculum you could create yourself.

For those who want to learn and grow as a ministry multiplier (a good conductor), the Kidswise Masterclass might be your next step. Masterclass seeks to equip the person overseeing the children’s ministry in the local church to grow the ministry in reach and depth, while thriving in their role. Join the wait list to begin a conversation to see if Masterclass is the right next step for you.