3 Must-Have Children’s Ministry Characteristics

While ministry looks different in every context and every church, there are still a few key characteristics that all children’s ministries should strive to achieve. I’m excited to share this article from Courtney Weaver at the Wonder Ink team as she dives into 3 of the most important aspects your kidmin should prioritize:

Many churches face a similar challenge: engaging and spiritually nurturing the congregation’s youngest members. In a world full of distractions and competing influences, our children’s ministry programs must provide a constant source of encouragement and discipleship to help kids grow in their faith. 

How can we be sure our ministries meet this need? There are a few key characteristics our programs should prioritize, including:

• Biblically Sound Curriculum
• Safe and Welcoming Environment
• Strong Volunteer and Leadership Relationships

By incorporating these elements, we can lay a solid foundation for kids as they begin their spiritual journeys. Let’s review these characteristics in detail and how your ministry can create a spiritually enriching environment for its children…

1. Biblically Sound Curriculum

Imagine you’re cooking one of your mom’s famous dishes using her recipe. You wouldn’t ask your friends to lead you through the recipe or search for tips on the Internet—you’d use the recipe card directly from your mom! Scripture is the same way. It’s the “recipe card,” or the main source of truth, for our faith. 

This means that all the resources in your children’s ministry should be considered supplementary to Scripture. A curriculum rooted in the Bible is a valuable teaching resource because it helps you engage kids in personal relationships with God while pointing them directly to His Word. After all, what better way is there for kids to uncover a deep and meaningful understanding of their faith than through relationships and the Gospel?

According to Wonder Ink, we can identify a Bible-based curriculum by looking for the following qualities:

• Core values rooted in Biblical truth. A curriculum rooted in Scripture follows biblically-sound principles and continually points kids back to God’s Word. This will be evident in the curriculum’s scope, where its core values should be made clear. For example, does the curriculum place emphasis on creating a fun and exciting learning environment, or inviting kids to discover their place in God’s Big Story?
• Gospel-centric priorities. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to engage the kids in your children’s ministry program, but that engagement should include sharing Biblical truth. Your curriculum can use games, music, and other supporting materials to reinforce Scripture, not replace it. 
• Solid theological guideposts. Make sure that the curriculum you use is theologically aligned with Scripture. For example, are Bible verses properly interpreted and contextualized? Is Biblical language fully explained? Be sure your curriculum aligns with your church’s core values as well. 

For a Bible-based curriculum to be effective, it also has to be age-appropriate. Depending on the age range of your children’s ministry, some kids may be led to read Scripture while others aren’t old enough to read yet. Your curriculum should balance this by supplementing Bible reading for those who can read and introducing Biblical truths to those who can’t.

2. Safe and Welcoming Environment

Children are more likely to engage and participate in an environment where they feel loved and valued. Relationships matter! That’s why it’s so important to support families as they create habits of incorporating Scripture into their daily lives—kids’ spiritual growth thrives most in a safe and stable environment.

Your children’s ministry program can also offer this sense of security by creating a space where kids feel accepted, helping them enthusiastically explore their faith. This can happen in three phases:

1. Provide a welcoming atmosphere. From the moment they enter your space, kids should feel like you’re excited to have them there. Plan exciting icebreakers and activities that encourage kids to start interacting with one another. 
2. Ensure emotional and social safety. As the teaching and activities unfold, foster a culture of inclusivity to ensure every child in your group feels accepted and actively involved. This could include encouraging kind interactions between kids or having volunteers spend time with those less connected to the group. 
3. Encourage continuing participation. Once you’ve established a pattern of consistency, you can maintain engagement by encouraging kids to regularly attend and actively participate in your activities. Your curriculum will likely offer tools to help keep kids engaged in your group, but you can also use your own resources to encourage their continued involvement. For example, post consistently on social media to keep parents updated on any exciting upcoming activities or events. 

It’s so important that we continually assess the culture of our children’s ministries in order to evaluate whether our programs hit these marks. For example, do you notice any kids who don’t sing along with the praise and worship music or who sit alone in group settings? This is a great opportunity to have members of your volunteer team engage with these kids and facilitate opportunities for them to connect with their peers. 

3. Strong Volunteer and Leadership Relationships

Volunteers keep our ministries going. They play a crucial role in mentoring and guiding the children in your program. With a contagious passion for God’s Word and outmatched enthusiasm, volunteers are the key to helping kids explore and grow in their faith.

Building a strong team of leaders for your children’s ministry requires not just effective recruitment strategies. While relationships are central in support, properly training and equipping volunteers can’t be forgotten. This should involve:

• Highlighting the ministry’s mission. Because volunteers give their time and effort generously, they’re often willing to do whatever needs to be done without asking why. However, highlighting your ministry’s mission can show how volunteers’ roles contribute to your program’s essential work. Regularly remind volunteers of your ministry’s mission and give direct shoutouts when they do something to support it. 
• Offering the right tools. Volunteers should be familiar with curriculum and the tools available to make their roles easier. For example, choose a children’s church curriculum with user-friendly resources to train volunteers and help them plan for upcoming lessons. This way, they’ll have a clear understanding of what’s expected and how they can best lead the kids in their group.
• Provide mentorship and peer support. Just as the kids in our ministries need to feel accepted and valued, volunteers need to feel supported in their roles. This can make them feel more excited to serve your ministry and invested in their tasks as they lead the program. Consider pairing new volunteers with more experienced ones and creating opportunities for teamwork to foster a sense of community among volunteers. 

While it’s important to make sure the kids receive the support they need, your volunteers need to feel supported, as well! Throughout their involvement with your program, it’s crucial to lay a spiritual foundation for taking on this role of leadership and show your genuine appreciation for the people in your ministry. 

This could include hosting a Bible study specifically for volunteers or meeting on a regular basis to pray as a team. If you’re looking for ways to thank volunteers, a heartfelt letter expressing your gratitude can go a long way. Check out Ministry Spark’s thank-you cards, explore some of these volunteer appreciation resources, or download this infographic to give your volunteers the high-five they deserve. 

Your children’s ministry is unique to the kids you serve and God’s calling for your program. While these characteristics are great benchmarks to strive for, the best way you can improve your program and increase its impact is to pray about the direction in which God is taking it. He’ll ultimately shape your ministry to best serve His kingdom. 

Author Bio: Courtney Weaver is the Content Marketing Manager for David C Cook’s curriculum resources Wonder Ink and Ministry Spark. Her experience in content creation and deep passion for sharing the beautiful grace of Jesus with others brings a unique blend of expertise to her role. As the worship leader at her church, Courtney understands the importance of engaging believers, not just once a week, but every day. She’s passionate about engaging kids in relationship with God on a daily basis.