Lets keep this simple. Here’s a list of the things I wish I would have known when I started in ministry. No particular order, just what comes to mind. Oh, and yes, most of these I learned the hard way. Hopefully this helps you, wherever you find yourself on the kidmin journey.

  • Ask for feedback from your families – are you programming things that help them or are you programming things you want to do?
  • Pray and READ. Praying will keep you grounded, reminded of your calling, and prepared to receive God’s best. Reading will keep you learning.  These two things will help you become a better leader.
  • Start with the “why.” Don’t just do something to do something. Know why you’re doing it. If you can’t explain your “why” in 15 seconds or less, go back to the drawing board.
  • Cast vision and leak mission. If you are getting tired of saying the same thing over and over, you’re just starting to say them often enough. Vision and mission saturation takes far more effort than you know.
  • Ask for help. Get in to the habit early of asking for help.  Practice on the little things so that you have muscle to ask for help with the big stuff.
  • Honor your leadership. Always and everywhere.
  • Put your family first.
  • Be quick with the “no” and slow with the “yes”.
  • Be ruthless when taking things off your ministry calendar. It should be abundantly clear if you need to add something.
  • Be overly diligent when maintaining your budget.
  • Everyone on your team is a pastor. Treat them that way.
  • Don’t expect everyone to run at your pace.
  • Thank everyone as much as you can and as often as you can.
  • Put others first. Think of them first.  Remember, your team’s needs – make them a priority.
  • Don’t expect the changes you want to see happen overnight.
  • Act slow and think slow. Your best decisions aren’t made in a rush. Your best work isn’t completed in a hurry.
  • Keep great records of EVERYTHING! Incomplete and messy data is useless.
  • Don’t compare your ministry to others.  You are called to serve where you are serving.
  • The church down the road is on the same team as you.
  • Someone has done what you are doing. Someone is doing what you want to do. They can do it better, faster, bigger, and more effectively. Find them. Learn from them.
  • Be ever mindful of fonts (i.e. remove Comic Sans from your computer).
  • Make sure your graphics are inclusive. God’s family is unique and diverse-make sure your images reflect God’s family.
  • Echo the voices of your families. The kids in your ministry are their kids. We partner with families-even if we disagree with their methods or values.