The Doors To Your Church- Part 1

 I’ve  lived in the trenches of children’s ministry for what feels like the majority of my life. My parents were children’s ministry directors and volunteers for a decade at one of the largest churches in St.Louis. Church was our weekends and even some evenings. Since I was 12 I’ve had either a volunteer or staff position in ministry. I’ve been what I always thought of as “around the block” when it comes to planning, organizing, creating, strategizing. But for the last few years, I have been on the outside of the circle. I’ll be honest with you. There’s been many of times that I have kicked and screamed at God for allowing me to just be ” left” outside of the circle. Why was I seeing things about the church that I had never seen before? Why was it causing me to feel  like I was behind a plexi-glass one way viewing window?

The difference between now and then is simple. I’m a parent. Anyone in leadership and/or ministry that is not a parent I can confidently say you won’t get it fully until you become a parent. I use to take offense to that when I would hear a leader say that. But its truth.

I have learned more about the church, leadership and being a parent far more in the last 4 years of my life than when I was deep in the trenches of ministry.

Hear me out on this. For those of you in ministry, Sundays come fast every week, don’t they?! It’s what I like to think of as the “head down and keep moving” syndrome, the “plug and chug”  or the “just keep your head above water one more week” syndrome.  I rarely was encouraged to take a step back to see the full picture. I rarely was given the opportunity to see things through the eyes of those actually experiencing the environments or processes. I often thought I was doing those things, but I wasn’t. I rarely was led in a way that put everyone in leadership on the same page, but rather drew the unspoken hard lines and siloed them even more.

On day one of entering my kids into a new church nursery, I was struck with so many negative thoughts about the church that i had never had before. And from the look of some other parents faces, I don’t think I was alone.

You see, for the first time since I was 12, I realized that the church and the staff of churches often don’t realize that their church has many doors. Doors are multi-functional if you think about it. They are for entering and exiting. Just as easy as you can enter into one, the same is true for exiting. It’s not hard in a church. Some are even revolving doors.

That day 4 years ago, I realized that the church doesn’t always step back and realize that some of the most important doors to their church are neglected. Uninviting. Unmanned. Manned improperly without any review or strategy. Existing for the purpose of existing because it simply always has. Nobody really knows why, but its there. Existing for childcare to keep parents happy and attendance and giving up in the main service. And the saddest one to me is looking great on the outside, but no strategy at all once you enter.

Pastors, Children’s Ministry is a door to your church!  Preschool Ministry is a door to your church!

I don’t care how great your main service is, as a church, you will never grow to the fullest and reach the families of your community effectively if you are not paying attention to the Doors! Doors need strategies.The environments behind those doors need strategy.

In Part 2 and Part 3 of The Door To Your Church, I’ll discuss ways that churches may not recognize doors within their church through their Preschool Ministry and how they are often ineffectively used. Things like,the Parking lot. Your greeters and signage. Your child/family registration process and drop off experiences. Your volunteers and the procedures for new volunteers. Your strategy on what you want the kids in your church to walk away with weekly. Your follow-up  and your Main Service. All things that are Doors to your church through Preschool Ministry.

I have 3 children under the age of 5. Life came at me fast. I had 2 kids in 11 months, and I was so ready to get plugged into a church and community with others in the same phase and experience what it would be like to have my kids growing up in a church that we loved. I never knew that the journey of parenthood would bring me to wondering if the church has placed silencing plexi-glass boxes over families and hope and pray that they fit through their doors.

What Doors are there in your church that you might not be seeing? What Doors within your ministry need work? What Doors have you as a parent experienced both good and bad?