3 Phrases That Will Change the Culture of Your Kids Ministry

We all have those phrases we remember from childhood and adolescence. Maybe it was your parent, coach, or youth leader that repeated the same phrase over and over again and now, years later, you find yourself repeating that same phrase to your kids. That phrase impacted the culture of your family, team, and friend group.

If you were to spend an evening at our home, these are 2 phrases that you would probably hear.

“listen & obey”
(remember, we are knee deep in preschool world)
"Do your best and let God do the rest”
(my daughter learned this from school and it stuck around)

These phrases speak to what we value. Your ministry should function in a similar way. What is being said in the classrooms, in the halls, and in meetings? What do your volunteers hear the most? How are you speaking your mission, vision, and values to life on Sunday morning and throughout the week?

Here are 3 phrases that will change your culture of your ministry for the better

1. Let’s Pray
   It sounds silly, but how often do you really say this? Is prayer at the core of your ministry? Do you turn to prayer when the check-in printer stops working, when a volunteer doesn’t show up, or before an event or meeting? There is no other way to lead than with true dependency on God. When you lead with prayer, you set the tone and help everyone turn their eyes back to God.

   This phrase will help you set a culture of reliance on God.

2. My Idea May Not Be The Best Idea

   It’s true, your idea may not be the best idea. You are called to be the gatekeeper of your ministry and final decision maker, but that does not mean that your idea always wins. How are you giving a voice to your volunteers? Are you actually listening to their suggestions and feedback?

   When your idea always win, that leaves no space for anyone else and it tells people that you can do it all on your own. Leading with humility will help you train up new leaders and give people confidence to speak up, share and take ownership over the kids ministry.

   This phrase will help you set a team-oriented culture of humility.

3. Thank You for Being Here

   You would think this is just another obvious phrase, but it is one that is forgotten. One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday is walk classroom to classroom and look volunteers in the eyes and say, “thank you for being here”. It catches volunteers off guard and it always makes people smile. Taking the time to thank volunteers turns serving into a thankful job instead of a thankless job. A simple “thank you” will remind your team that they are seen and that their work on Sunday matters.

   This phrase will help you set a culture of gratitude.

   So, what do you say in your ministry? What is being communicated unintentionally? How are your words shaping the culture of your teams, hallways, & classrooms?