We’ve reached the last post in this series, and before we sign off, I want to get really practical. For some of you, the obvious question that you might be asking is…What about the music? Having a kids worship ministry might sound good, but not every church is blessed with musical resources and talent.
As you start your kids worship ministry, you will need to take a step back and take an honest look at your resources. You might just find that with a little creativity, you might have more tools at your disposal than you thought. Here are a few thoughts...
- Should you go with live music?
Having a worship leader or a band not only provides the kids with real live role models, but it also opens opportunities for people in your church to develop and use their giftings. Does your church have a youth ministry? If so, there’s a good chance that there are teen boys that know enough guitar chords to help you out, or a youth band that would love to “rock out” with the kids. Is there a leader on your team that can carry a tune in a bucket? It might take some prodding but with some guidance and encouragement, they will no doubt find it rewarding.
While your worship leader should be proficient enough that they are not a distraction, it is not essential that they are fabulously polished right away. Kids ministry is a great way to help young and new worship leaders develop and grow.
- Should you use worship videos?
Maybe… if you don’t have anyone that can lead the music, there are plenty of great worship resources out there that not only provide great music, but also have engaging visuals. Videos for my songs are available through this website, or at www.danbursey.com.
And, in my experience, teen girls love to help out with leading actions along with the videos. In our ministry, I found three middle school girls that had some enthusiasm, and called them our “Action Heros”. they came up with actions for the videos and lead the kids every week. Not only were they helping us out, but it introduced them to serving within our church.
- Why not use both?
If you have a worship leader that is developing, one strategy would be for you to use videos for, say, three high-energy songs, and then have your worship leader lead one slow one. This way a new worship leader is getting their feet wet without being thrown overboard and told to sink or swim.
Whatever you choose, make sure that it works for your setting and that it is sustainable. Your goal is always to get kids into God’s presence,and however you do that is up to you. My prayer is that God will bless your ministry and that He will use it to grow the kids in your church into fully devoted followers of Christ.
--Click here for other helpful articles from Discover Worship about building and growing a kids worship ministry.