Who’s Counting?

When I was a kid I had a glass jar full of pennies. Some were shiny and new. Others were tarnished and old. I loved pouring them out on my bed, looking at each one to figure out its year and where it was minted. I’m surprised how many Saturday afternoons I spent counting (and re-counting) my coins. Individually they weren’t worth much, but together they added up to a lot in my eyes. Some part of my heart was invested in carefully counting my treasure.

Remember the three parables in Luke 15? This is a remarkable passage. Jesus highlights the importance of paying attention to what matters most. Whether we have sheep, coins, or children, we need to care so much that we will go on an all out search if even one goes missing. And when the lost is found, it warrants our wholehearted celebration before God and with others.

It doesn’t matter if we’re keeping tabs on pennies, farm animals, or people. Who’s counting and why is what makes the difference.

Counting Carefully

In today’s children’s ministry, some of us shy away from counting kids, keeping score, or tracking progress because we don’t want to reduce disciple making to a numbers game. On the other end of the spectrum, there are kidmin leaders that take counting anything and everything so seriously that a competitive spirit overcomes God-honoring community.

Numerical growth can be an indicator of spiritual growth, but that’s not always the case. It’s no wonder the Lord was angry with King David for taking a census in 1 Chronicles 21. God wanted His appointed leader to pay closer attention to the spiritual heart condition of Israel not its size as a nation.

However, there’s a time for counting carefully – a time to keep track of what matters most so we can gauge wellbeing. Healthy children’s ministries increase in depth and breadth in relationship with God and others. This sometimes results in numerical growth, but it always reflects spiritual growth.

In light of this, it’s important to do a heart-check first before getting your clicker or calculator:

• Why do we want to keep track of __________? (Fill-in the blank.)
• How will this deepen and broaden our relationship with God and people?
• What do we hope to learn and do differently as a result?
• Do we have a green light from the Lord to count?

Once you’ve laid your motives before God, you can proceed as He leads. Like the parables in Luke 15, we need to be people who care deeply and count wisely. It’s because we love kids, families, and leaders so much that we are willing to pay close attention to the spiritually lost and found.

Three Significant Stats

Your children’s ministry is complex. Like a car or an airplane, it requires an entire dashboard of measurements to figure out how well it’s running. Let’s keep things simple for right now and just focus on three significant stats that will help you serve kids, families, and leaders well.

1. Who’s attending?

Teachers know who’s assigned to their classroom. Coaches have a roster of players. It makes sense that children’s ministry leaders notice who’s showing up for weekend and midweek experiences. This is really helpful for child-safety purposes. It also assists with planning before people arrive. But even more than that, it demonstrates that everyone who walks through the doors of the church matters.

Do you keep a record of attendance in your children’s ministry or Awana club? Beyond the numbers, do you evaluate the geographies represented by who participates? Are more kids and families from near the church or far away? Is your ministry reaching multiple ethnicities and economic levels? What schools districts are feeding into your family of faith? How many kids come from single parent homes?

There are endless types of questions based on attendance that you can ask to help you minister more effectively for Christ. If your Awana club doesn’t already have a system in place, consider checking out Mozo, Awana’s record-keeping software.

2. Who’s missing?

Children’s ministries tend to track a lot of things – everything from craft supplies and coloring sheets to snacks and serving schedules. It’s hard sometimes to pay attention to anything but who shows up and if everyone is cared for adequately. But what about the people who go missing?

It’s difficult to invest in someone’s life if the interactions are infrequent. A couple years ago, longtime children’s ministry leader and author Larry Fowler wrote a great little book entitled: The Question Nobody Asks About Our Children. He started asking churches about attendance frequency not just attendance numbers. You see, an effective every week discipleship strategy doesn’t thrive when kids only show up once or twice per month. Regardless of why attendance is inconsistent, if we don’t know attendance patterns we can’t come up with viable solutions for serving kids, families, and leaders.

Click here to get a free copy of Larry’s book, The Question Nobody Asks About Our Children, and a downloadable presentation for an upcoming leader’s meeting. It’s guaranteed to get you and your ministry leaders thinking constructively for the sake of kids.

3. Who’s growing?

When it comes to walking with Christ, it’s hard to track genuine growth. We get into trouble as soon as we start making judgments about who’s on or off the right track spiritually speaking. Yet, we do know that Jesus had some powerful things to say about the nature of our relationship with God and true growth.

“The tree is known by its fruit,” Jesus said in Matthew 12:33b. In John 15 He spoke at length about the value and result of abiding in relationship with God the Father. Specifically John 15:8 says: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” We are created to be fruit-bearers in the likeness of Christ. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” – as we walk with the Lord, the fruit of the Spirit shows up in greater measure (Galatians 5:22-23a). This happens in the lives of children of all ages.

When you start to see Christ-like love permeating the lives of kids, families, and leaders, you can call this out in them and celebrate it. You don’t need to keep a “Who’s Growing? Record Book” but you could start a spiral bound journal of stories. Imagine getting to the end of your ministry season, reading through a notebook of names and stories of life change, and sharing this with your pastor, leadership team, volunteers, and parents (with permission, of course). Being able to point to one, two, or ten real-life examples will change your perspective. What would this kind of celebration do in you and the heart of your church and ministry?

So…who’s counting and why?

Hopefully you can take some time to reflect on what you’ve been counting this year in your children’s ministry or Awana club. This can set you up for next season as you consider the value of asking: 1. Who’s attending? 2. Who’s missing? and 3. Who’s growing? It’s not really about the numbers; it’s about the heart behind what you’re paying close careful attention to for the sake of Christ.