9 Children’s Ministry Lessons I’ve Learned in 9 Years of Deeper KidMin

Nine years ago, I stepped out of a full-time children’s pastor role at our church, and I knew that if I could no longer be a children’s pastor, I wanted to support children’s pastors. Thus Deeper KidMin was born, and while I had a vision for what I wanted it to be, I couldn’t have imagined how God would grow and use it.

So 9 years in, I want to pause and celebrate all that God has done in and through Deeper KidMin over the last 9 years, the ministries we’ve had the opportunity to be part of, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

(P.S. One of the ways we’re celebrating is with a sale! Get 29% off the entire site this week only – October 19-23, 2026!)

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people took time to pause and remember and celebrate what God has done. I want to follow that example and celebrate the “altar moments” from the last 9 years of leading Deeper KidMin.

So here are 9 children’s ministry lessons I’ve learned in 9 years of Deeper KidMin that God has used to shape who I am, how I lead, and how He uses DKM to encourage others: 

1. Kids ministry leaders can’t afford to ignore digital anymore. This generation has never known life without a screen, and the digital world isn’t going anywhere, so ministry leaders have to embrace technology if we want to stay relevant to the next generation. Read the full post here.
2. Training your volunteer team is one of the most important jobs you have as a ministry leader. Nobody signs up to attend another boring meeting, and your volunteers aren’t any different. The way you train them either makes them want to come back or makes them start looking for the door. Read the full post here.
3. Teaching kids well goes beyond your curriculum. The best lesson plan in the world falls flat if you don’t actually know the kids sitting in front of you. Read the full post here.
4. Doing ministry alone is like trying to ride a seesaw by yourself. It might work for a minute, but eventually you’re just burning energy and going nowhere. Read the full post here.
5. Children’s ministry is just as much about the parents as it is the kids. Parents spend far more hours with these kids than you ever will, so if you’re only investing on Sunday mornings, you’re missing where most of the discipleship actually happens. Read the full post here.
6. Stay in your lane. Trying to do everyone else’s job doesn’t make you more valuable. It just slows everybody down and keeps someone else from using the gifts God gave them. Read the full post here.
7. You won’t get anywhere without goals. Run every idea through your ministry vision like a colander, and only keep what actually makes it through. Then set actionable goals to help you bring those ideas to life. Read the full post here.
8. Sometimes you just need a good brain dump. Getting the whirlwind out of your head and onto paper is often the fastest way back to clarity. Grab the free brain dump activity here.
9. Intentional and consistent rest is the only way to make it long-term in ministry. It’s easy to get so busy doing things for Jesus that you forget to spend time with Jesus. Read the full post here.

Whether you’ve been around for all 9 years or just discovered us in the last 9 minutes, thank you for inviting us into your ministry. It’s an honor to serve you while you serve kids.

And don’t forget, everything in the DKM Marketplace is 29% off from October 19 through October 23, 2026 to celebrate! Grab whatever you’ve been eyeing, stock up for Christmas, or even look ahead to Easter.