Children's Ministry Leadership The You Can Do It Guide

Leadership, in ministry it can be one of the most important thing a leader has, yet exactly what they are lacking. It is a skill many people build up and few one simply possesses. I myself had to develop my own sense of leadership in high school and even still that isn't the same kind of leadership I will need in children's ministry. Some things Wideman was able to point out I needed work on. His book is a great guide for those with prior leadership roles or those starting out for the first time. Just because you are a leader does not mean you know everything there is to know about God. Sometimes when you get caught up in your work it becomes harder to focus on the time you yourself spend with God. As you expect your ministry to grow you also need to be growing. Part of that process is digging further and deeper into the Word. Your relationship with God has to grow long before you can expect your followers to grow closer to Him. When one thinks of a leader, they don't expect him to also be a follower. However as children's pastors that is part of what we are expected to do, even as Christians were are called to follow our Father. Some leaders however have a hard time with this. As a leader we have strived to do things our own way, however we can't do everything we may want. We are called to be align with the main body of the church we work for. That may mean changing our "perfect" mission statement, or canceling the "best" kids event because it doesn't fall in line with what our lead pastor's vision is. An associate pastor told me recently he wished he was still taking classes, he shared with me that a continued pursuit of knowledge is important. Especially as the world continues to change. Learning however is not limited to classes, as a children's pastor we need to learn about the culture, because culture is ever shifting. What was once popular to kids is no longer popular. Tomorrow the next greatest thing could come out, we need to be in the know about what kids are buying. Conflict is not my forte, it makes me really nervous and usually does not get solved right away. However I know it's a part of my future job and can come in many different areas. It can come from your volunteers, parents, or even the children in your ministry. No matter the cause you need to be prepared to handle things peacefully, quickly, and respectfully. It's only a matter of time before I will have to handle my first conflict in ministry, I need to be prepared to handle it. Limits are not something I easily place on myself, even worse is if someone asks me to do something I will happily take it on. The worst part is that others will not take that into consideration. They have no idea what my work load is, and if I do not say no they will think I will always take on their work. To add to my problem I have a never ending desire to please others. Part of my leadership development is to learn "the art of no" in life. After all, no one can say no for me, only I will know when I've had enough. "Temptations don't go away because you move into leadership." Sadly, I thought for a long time that it did. However I should not think that, after all, even Jesus was tempted. So there is no reason that I should not be. Leader or not, I will be tempted and must remember that I have my strength in the Body of Christ and in God. It is a daily battle that I will have to face, but one I can daily overcome if I take the right steps. I do many parts of ministry myself, even though I am just a volunteer I do a lot of physical labor myself. At times I also do check in, or teach, even help set up for the adult ministries. I can't always doll this, even though I enjoy working for others there will come a day that I can't anymore. Soon I will be delegating these responsibilities to others. Leadership, some are born with it, some develop it. It comes into play in many different areas of your ministry. The skills are invaluable to you and your team. As you continue on you should be someone your team is willing to follow. You should be a leader they are proud to follow. Wideman's book can definitely help, but in the end the task is up to you. You can become a leader if you devote yourself to it.