8 Ways to Prioritize Discipleship in Your Midweek Children’s Ministry
When did you first cast vision for midweek discipleship in your church? Do you remember setting goals for growth? Those early months of implementing a new resource are both exhausting and exciting! You begin to see your vision come to life as your ministry starts an exhilarating new season of growth. Fast forward a couple of years. What does this season feel like? Have you grown comfortable with the weekly rhythm? Are things running on autopilot?
Check back in. What did you find? Are your kids experiencing real, authentic relationships that point them to Jesus? Or have you been focused more on the implementation of the system than the relational opportunities for discipleship? Evaluate what is distracting you! Often getting through each week’s “to-dos” can interfere with achieving long-term goals. To help you make child discipleship the priority you want it to be, we have compiled eight things you can do—whether you’re running an in-person or virtual midweek ministry.
1. Assign individual spots for belongings, and keep everything in its place. Use containers for pencils, crayons, books, Bibles, and even weekly activity sheets.
2. Utilize an open surface in your room as a prayer center for the kids! Gather paper, pens/pencils, and a wooden box. Encourage kids to write down their fears, prayer requests, or praises and place them in the box. Give the requests to leaders to pray through that week. If you are meeting virtually, set aside some time for kids to write their requests and send them to you.
3. Develop a consistent way to begin and end your time together! Choose fun ways to say hello and goodbye, and come up with specific activities to be done during this time each week.
4. Kids are always showing up early. Why not use that time to listen to their memory verse? Assign a time each week for leaders to invite kids to recite their verses before club begins. It’s a great opportunity to connect deeper with the kids during small groups and keeps them from finding trouble while they wait.
5. Invite your pastoral team to get involved! Ask them to greet families as they arrive and connect with parents. If your group gathers virtually, ask parents to join for a few moments so you can touch base with them, or arrange for your pastoral team to chat briefly with them in a Zoom breakout room or at another time.
6. Be aware of the strengths of your volunteer team. While a leader may volunteer for a specific group, you may observe their passion and skills are better served in a different role! Utilizing leadership strengths increases volunteer engagement and commitment.
7. Learn the needs of the kids you serve! Reach out to the parents and set up a time to get to know them better. This will also allow the parent to advocate for what their child needs to make a successful discipleship experience!
8. Partner with parents in the discipleship of their child(ren)! Encourage and equip parents to spend time with their children during the week to walk through the most recent lesson.
By implementing these eight things, you can refocus your energy on the most important “to-dos”: prioritizing child discipleship, creating authentic relationships with the children in your care, and pointing your kids to Jesus.
Do you have a helpful tip to share? Please leave us a comment.
Melanie Hester is the Partner Communications Specialist at Awana. She grew up serving the church and finds it a privilege to continue doing that through both her career and as the 4’s and 5’s teacher at her local church. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and desires to always be in a learning mindset. She is a wife and mom, a lover of craft coffee, and an avid shopper at Trader Joe’s.
