Hi everyone,
I spent last week speaking at a children's camp. I wasn't the worship leader this time, and that's alright because I rather enjoyed the chance to sit back and observe a little bit. The worship team that led the camp did a tremendous job...top-notch musicians, energetic worship leader, cutting edge songs. It was very well-done.
But as I looked around at the campers, it was quite obvious that there were some that weren't participating. Here's what I noticed, for the most part. The children that had leaders and counsellors that were engaged in worship tended to also engage. If their leader sang, clapped, did the actions, closed their eyes, etc., their kids modelled what they saw. Conversely, if their leader was disengaged, so were the kids in their care.
Leader worshipping = camper worshipping.
Leader not worshipping = Camper not worshipping.
Why am I telling you this? As you build a children's ministry that makes worship a priority, make sure to look for adult volunteers that are going to model what it means to be an enthusiastic follower and worshipper of Christ. The kids in your ministry will learn quickly what it means to love Jesus passionately if they are able to see someone that they admire and respect living it out.
I also recognize that not every church can afford to be too picky about their volunteers because quite often there just aren't enough leaders to go around. Fortunately I also believe that the same thing holds true for your leaders as for your kids. Along with some training and direction, you will also have to model to your leaders what it means to be a passionate follower and worshipper of Christ to the leaders that you do have. They will catch on as they watch you.
Now go and show 'em how it's done.
--Click here for other helpful articles from Discover Worship about building and growing an effective kids worship ministry.