Children’s Ministry Statistics 2022

Open Response Survey Questions

These factors all impact how children’s ministry leaders are teaching children. That’s why we included several open-ended questions about the joys & struggles people are facing. Building a healthy children’s ministry is difficult in the best of times, but many leaders are discouraged in the current church environment.

The Bible says a lot about making the best use of time. As kids ministry leaders, we know this more than others and must take every opportunity to share Jesus with the children.

What’s included below are the raw survey results with spelling errors in place. It may be easier to read from the spreadsheet of results listed at the top of this article.

What’s Your Biggest Joy in Children’s Ministry

Watching the little kids learn about Jesus! Spending time with the kids Teaching children how to share the Lord with others Small groups of children lend themselves to great conversations Watching Children grow in their faith KIDS SALVATIONS I always learn somthing!!! The kids! Hearing how the children anticipate the next lesson in our series on Moses. Ministering to children  When we get to be together IN PERSON How consistent the children are in showing up week after week even though they have to do remote learning Mon- Fri. Watching kids love studying the Bible and being excited to come Excited students  Seeing kids coming to class
That we once again have a Sunday School. staying positive; continually praying for families to come Children Reaching those people through technology  my coworkers seeing the joy on the kid’s faces Hearing the kids laugh. Seeing the kids connect with the lesson Getting to be with the kids Sundays and Sunday school  the children Stories of our children growing in their relationship with Jesus That we are still able to have classes through these difficult times Worshipping together/story telling. Being able to be IN-PERSON even if it’s in a limited capacity. The children’s amazing responses  Getting to see a few kids in person each week. Except most teachers..volunteers…and kids are out with Covid…exposed…very leary to come into church ⛪️   very discouraging. To see the children engaging in worship and the word Seeing the kids “get it.” keeping the kids happy The consistency of our families. It has grown during covid.  having class in person with available teachers Participation, attendance.  Some don’t come anymore The children Seeing families come into the church with children wanting them to be taught Gods word. meeting and learning new things Through our zoom platform, we’re able to reach more youth (that includes out of town youth as well). The kids that do come  Seeing the kids and being part of their interactions with one another Just been able to see the children grow spiritually.  Seeing the kids learn and remember everything they were taught Seeing the youth enjoy each other. Being able to foster relationships.  Having a presence with the young generation to share the gospel Connecting with the children. And sharing God loves them Waiting for God to send us more children. Seeing the children in person again! I have started giving Discipleland Bucks to motivate and they love it!
The kids genuinely love coming.  Helping start a new family focused worship service. Seeing the interest & eagerness of students participating in discussions The children To share the study of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to promote a clear understanding for the children and the youth Bible classes.  Coordinating people and ministry opportunities so that we are making the most of the time we have with the children God has given us and so that we can be more efficient in bringing them to Christ and discipling them. Seeing the kids faith and wisdom growth in God’s word The memory verses.  It’s cool to hear the littles reciting and realize it is building their foundation. ♥️  Reaching children with God’s word Knowing some parents have taken a bit more interest in Christian education at home Getting to see the kids smile!  seeing how happy the children are in spite of the covid The kids That I have children coming to Sunday school Grateful The children. They are so versatile to anything you give them.  When I see my students totally entranced and actively involved with the lesson I am trying to impart. Last Sunday we all learned something new including myself. It was such a great experience for all of us. I didn’t know, they didn’t know and there it was in the bible. So cool! The kids.  that we can continue as before covid but with CDC guidelines  Our children’s ministry is near non existent. Pastor in charge is using Covid as an excuse. Truthfully, we have been rapidly loosing children, volunteers and many church members for the last 5 years. Due to her leadership I have had the love sucked out of me for children’s ministry that I had for nearly 40 years. Why I stay you might ask, I am just too tired to start over at an other church.  Positive teaching time with the kids who show up; when they show up. Very irregular. Your 52 week bundle Still learning about Gods love even when we can’t be together in person Swing my class of 3-10 yes old eyes brighten when a lesson registers in their Child minds  are giving opportunities to voice their thoughts and listen really listen to explanation to their questions.  One in one activities with other children in class. FELT BOARDS with felt attachments for each lesson.  Each child is given an opportunity to go to the board and add their felt item relating to the lesson as the lesson goes along.  Joy Glee in their eyes and attitudes when they each have a short time to tell what they learned from the lesson.  We have a prayer bucket we’re the kids before SS write down an unspoken prayer (these are never opened they are special unspoken requests) as a class each touch the prayer bucket or someone who is touching if too many and we pray as a class group out loud to our God who knows all hears and sees all loves all have mercy and answer these requests for hurting people.  We also pray for any spoken prayers.  No one is allowed to laugh or make fun of another’s prayer ALL PRAYERS ARE SPECIAL as is ALL GODS LIL CHILDREN.   To have my class people run time after weekday church services smiling hug and say I Love You‼️ Can we go to SS on a wk night Bible Study ~ currently we do not  (class count on SS range 1-15). Sadly families aren’t showing their lil ones  to live and study The Bible Gods Holy Word  
Lastly is to have a parent  grandparent or a visitors family to tell me how much their child came home and told them about their SS LESSON.   Take home papers are given sadly a lot of children put them in the trash on their way out ~ when I asked why they didn’t want to share their great work with their family ~ caregiver ~ it’s trash mom says~ Grandpaw said we can’t put that in his truck ~ mom says throw it away if I do bring it home because we have too much stuff in our lil home.   🥺😩😢😭😤😥😱😰🤯😳😡🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🙏🙏🏻🙏🏻💔

LORD GOD h e l p   families~ children ~ souls  ⭐️😇💘👏🏻🙌🏻 Watching our kids grow in their love for Christ by reading their Bibles at home, praying, attending regularly and inviting their friends on a regular basis.  Being in class with the kids.  None, we can’t meet Reaching more children & families w/ the Gospel! connecting with student and discussing truth I love the spirit and faith of the children. The kids and their beautiful hearts. Preparing the hearts of children having our youth group re-organized after a lapse of several years Having a class that is searching for answers and trying to understand God and how to have a relationship with Him.  Puppets and making kids laugh Flexibility in lesson planning, focusing on salvation People praying for growth Having some children back after over a year of absence.   The joy the children display when they are enjoying learning about their Savior. Seeing the lightbulb turn on when teaching key concepts Anytime a child comes to know Christ or shows growth in the knowledge of Him Seeing the children grow spiritually! Through all of this God introduced you to me and the Sunday school staff.  Seeing the children grow in the Lord To get the Good News out to the kids. the desire of young hearts to truly know God. It feels different than before covid. seeing families return to church after being away for a year watching the younger kids advance in their biblical knowledge Seeing the kids that have been gone awhile come back. Being together Re-imaging our Children and Ministries programs When there are children in SS Bringing the Good News to Children – they are so lost right now, more than ever.   Seeing the children learn and grow in their understanding!  partnering with parents in discipling their children despite fluctuating numbers – kids are eager to learn! And they love to participate! God has been good despite the challenges! getting them to learn about the Bible Seeing a child understand the Gospel and receive Christ into their life. Teaching kids  The kids memorizing verses and sweet time of discussion  Seeing children happy to be fully involved because they are now vaccinated  Trusting in GOD through Covid Teaching children the stories about Jesus as told in the Bible and following up with a craft. I really enjoy the realtionships with children.  When they begin to understand God’s love for them. Seeing the children grow in Christ ! Reaching some that would not hear our message That families are still coming together Being able to meet in person.  After meeting only with video, it is a joy to meet together. One of my joys is reflecting on the wonderful children’s Christmas service on 12/19. I am the Children, Youth, and Family Director at a mid-size church. Started on 2/1/2021 when everything was virtual. I didn’t meet kids and parents until September, and it is challenging to get to know them in short snippets of time on a Sunday morning. (I lead music time but don’t teach a class). It was preparing for the children’s Christmas service that offered more time with the kids. Sunday School and Confirmation kids led the entire service (except for communion) and I let them choose how they wanted to participate. One other big joy is working at a church where I feel appreciated and where my gifts and input are valued (and where I am not the pastor’s wife). If any children actually do the lesson remotely or come to church  Being in person! Seeing kids grow in faith Seeing parents locking arms with us The happiness of the children during ministry time. The number of faithful volunteers the serve weekly on Sundays and/or Wednesdays. Just being able to see the kids again, even if it is behind a mask Seeing the children grow in their faith. Meeting in person! Being there for the students and catechists. It’s scary hard right now but God is good and I trust Him. Feedback that someone has seen my virtual Sunday School. That families still come as the church numbers are falling seeing kids get excited about Jesus I am new in Children’s Ministry and excited to be part of it LISTENING TO KIDS ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND MEMORIZING THE BIBLE VERSES the kids A sense of normalcy Seeing the kids learning to participate better. talking with the children Children learning about the Word of God  Teaching God’s word in a way that the children understand and remember the information about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit Giving the children a place to connect and hearing their big God thoughts moments The kids that do come seem uneffected by all that is going on in the world.  We have a small group but the kids all enjoy being in SS . watching the kids grow in their faith The kids introducing faith stories so children understand them and can live their lessons Seeing the children “get it”!
Seeing them excited about the Bible and comparing it to the things in their world Seeing the excitement in the children learning about Jesus Thankful for social media and able to access curriculum to be able to send out emails with information to the parents of children. When all the kids and volunteers have left for the day I am just getting started. I teach Sunday School to 5-9 year olds. Such a joy to help them learn about God! The children are interested in the Bible stories and participate willingly Seeing God at work even where we humans sometimes let the side down. I love teaching children about Jesus! Teaching toddler class Seeing kids grasp biblical concepts and how they can use them. that we can run holiday club for 5 days  I am tired, and so I am happy when I come to teach Sunday School with a good lesson prepared and I have someone to teach it to.  when the kids can answer question I ask about the lesson I have just taught Building stronger relationships with new and long term attending Kids teaching the little kids Seeing children open to Gods word Meeting in person with the kids knowing that I am bringing the children closer to God Teaching about Jesus Just watching the kiddos learn about Jesus and interact with one another.  Watching the children show the congregation what they have made during lesson time. Seeing the children develop a relationship with God Helping my students have a relationship with God That kids seem excited to come to church Seeing the kids in person To see how children respond to the lessons about Jesus Seeing my children grow in their knowledge of God ‘s love and care for them That it is slowly starting again My kids are very interactive and truly love learning about Jesus. They light up when they learn something new. It’s a true joy to watch.  teaching kids Sunday School and the young kids Bible study class ( ages 6 to 11 )  I love these children and feel so close to them. the children – we lost so many families to other congregations, I am pleased to have the children that we do have The hugs and care from the children. some of our adults are really growing into their ministry…to other adults Teaching children about the love of Jesus. We doubled our weekly attendance when we reopened our kids’ programs in person (have since been closed again, but I’m hopeful we’ll have similar numbers in the Spring)  We are meeting together weekly. The children we do have are all in! Seeing children grow in the Lord Seeing children come to know Christ and building they’re faith. Being able to do ministry right now in person When the children learn something they didn’t know before. leading a child to God Seeing kids faces in person Teaching the children about God’s word and love. Seeing the smiles on our children’s faces  Their smiling faces.  Having a chance to work with kids in person, even though it is a small group compared to before. Children learning the Gospel  sharing the message from the bible with children Seeing children apply God’s Word to their lives and commit to Him Working with the kids and knowing they “got it” on Sunday morning!
My JOY are the young people and their desire to learn about  Jesus and the Bible. Kids are excited about Jesus The kids are using the Bible to find and read memory verses.  Our joy is to serve Jesus and do God’s will The Children excitement in learning God is still the same and his love is towards his children. Children participation To see the kids digging deeper for themselves and asking good questions Just having children showing up. I love sharing your stories and application with the kids. They get it! Seeing the children learn the message Bringing the Word of God to the children Interacting with kids and Bible study Seeing the children get excited to learn and tell their parents about the lesson they learned that day! Small group The children learning the books of the bible and understanding what’s inside!! growth in the kids understanding  Hear from children enjoying to learn about God Growing up with these kids! Seeing the kids get excited about being in class, and participating ! The student engagement Connecting with kids in person again (we were “virtual” for almost a year 😑)  Having all of the children at church The children  are a joy to watch grow in the Lotd Seeing a child light up when they realize how GREAT our God is! the children Giving kids their first bible and giving Bible tabs so they can easy find books Spending time with the youth.  Seeing my children learn about the Bible not having to stress prepping a lesson Seeing the kids growing in their faith and friendships forming seeing the children excited about what they are learning from Bible and how it applies to their life… Being back in person Just knowing that I can help the Children to learn to trust our Lord Jesus with every aspect of their lives. Getting to teach again Seeing families gather and realize how important it is. When a child shows up either in person or online Teaching Bible verses Seeing growth in students Learning along with the children  We minister primarily to our on campuus childcare center since we do not have children in our congregation.  We love bringing the LOVE of Jesus to these little onces.  They have a great time singing, listening to stories and, of course, making some type of craft. Singing with the kids  Ministering the word of God to children Seeing children grow spiritually The children themselves Kids improvement finding verses See god do BIG things and revive hearts! Knowing that I am teaching children about Jesus and how He is always with them plus listening to them tell me how they can be a disciple of Christ o
in their daily lives through their actions. Seeing the kids get excited to learn about Jesus. to tell children about God Seeing kids grow spiritually  THE CHILDREN SHOWING UP IN LARGER GROUPS EVERY SUNDAY AND ACTIVITY DAYS being able to meet in person  seeing children and teens come to know Jesus Sharing the Gospel Praying, spending time with Him Sharing Gods love with the children  Parents continue to require spiritual growth for their children  The children. I love them time I spend with them. It is so rewarding when they grasp a Biblical truth, retell a story, recite a Bible verse Having kids willingly participate Developing relationships  With fewer kids, we do get to know them better. Reaching outside of our congregation on Zoom.  Our attendance is very small (2-5) and not regular so when we do have children, I feel very blessed. Seeing new families come!  Seeing the light of understanding come on in my children. When they remember the lesson next week or weeks later The excitement of kids attending Sunday School To hear kids who are praying the concepts about God they are learning. I use your weekly children’s sermon and love the materials provided! working with enthusiastic fellows Having the children present.  Seeing children retain what you teach them about God One on one with children. The children  Seeing them build community again Seeing kids grow in their faith, salvations and baptisms. Leading an incredible team of volunteers who are so faithful to His mission. The kids Our biggest joy is seeing a young person excited about being at church and learning about God. Kids asking genuine questions and showing a heart for God through their actions. Kids!  They bring so much joy, and they are so eager to be with the leaders. Teaching the great stories in the Bible and teaching the plan of salvation… Acts 2:38 Teaching the kids  stuff that will help them down the road. Relationship with the kids Seeing how thw children respond with such enthusiasm Deeper relationships with those kids we have right now. Children smiles & hugs, demonstrating enthusiasm  My faithful volunteers Seeing the look on the children  face as they learn and their joy Getting the kids excited about the Bible and how to apply it to their lives Planting seeds of the gospel hearing a child apply a biblical truth Being able to tach in person Sharing Jesus with the children The kids Love returned from the children Being able to share Jesus with this group of vulnerable young minds. Using your resources is a great tool for which I’m thankful.  Seeing the new kids returning on zoom Seeing the children memorize scripture and recite Watching the faith of the children, just being with them and seeing their joy The kids Seeing the children so happy to be back in church  When I know what I teach is sinking in.  Holy Spirit at work!!!!! My biggest joy is to see some children still remain faithful to the Lord Is to see a child come to Christ His kids! When the children come to class! They are so excited! When a child “gets it!” Seeing God’s Word unfold right before their eyes. It’s amazing! When kids get involved in talking about what we are learning Seeing children eager to learn about Jesus Seeing elementary children learning about Jesus To see the familys come to church The continued privilege to spend time discipling our little people When students remember key points from lessons each week. Walking the children through an overview of the Bible and seeing them ‘connect the dots’ to see how God’s love spans the whole of scripture. Watching God work through his children The smaller groups.  The kids Seeing children respond to the Word of God The sharing and friendship building by meeting once a week on Zoom Beginning to meet together again That the children are learning something. With covid, we had no kid’s programming and to see them reading the bible and studying God’s word is just the highlight of our Sunday morning. Small group in depth Bible studies Being able to serve in God’s harvest field.  Passing the torch to the next generation. Watching kids grow in the word.  Getting to see my students again the time spent with the children and their families  The children! BEing with the children Watching kids be kids again, seeing the dedication of the volunteers who have stuck around Thr remnant that shows up every week just having kids there  Seeing positions I’ve need help with filled, and kids bringing friends!  it’s wonderful to have kids back together again and leaders that facilitate great discussion with them Hearing kids ask big, important questions, which shows me they are truly listening and hungering to learn more and grow as Christians. Seeing leaders help kids get excited about opening up their Bibles and reading out loud from them during large group time on Wednesday nights! That I was given to tell the children everything they need to know about God When kids show up Connecting with the children who are present even if it is just a small number. Love having kids back. Feed them, gym time, individual and some group classes Providing ministry for children and families who want to come to the house of the Lord. We see their relief to come into the doors for lessons, worship, fellowship, and really a sense of church home. Not gonna lie it has been a very hard 2 years, but seeing one of my kids and getting a smile or hug is the best Home Sunday School and worship services at retirement center Hearing the children recite what they have learned. the continued connection with the remaining children Children’s responses The excitement in the faces of the kids and our teen staff members. To see them grow in their relationship with God 2-fold:  seeing kids as they return, tapping into God’s creativity & tech to reach those on the fringes The eagerness to be in class. That God is in this! Seeing children been focused on the word not on their problems Kids coming to know Christ Being able to serve. The Kids! Seeing the kids from our Sunday school program out in the community and having them say hi, give hugs, or tell me how things are going Having my students not lose faith  Sharing with the children Children giving their lives to the Lord that we still have parents willing to bring their children to Sunday School All the children coming to worship! Seeing the Kids grow in Jesus The children we do have are growing in thier knowledge of who God is and why it’s important they have a relationship with Him.  I love the conversations I am able to have with our kids. Our kids are all unaffiliated and choose to come Learning myself how to teach… and what I’m also teaching working with the kids
To see the joy the children have. The feedback from parents. Seeing a child’s face when they acturally “get it”.  Why we do what we do. The kids joy rubs off on Me Being there for the children encouraging them but everything’s gonna be fine with Jesus Teaching the children about the  The fact that the kids actually look forward to it. Staying the course even in these uncertain times Protection from God Seeing kids excited about being in church. seeing children’s faces Celebrating the sacraments that I am teaching SS again, and have students whose family’s love the Lord Giving kids a place to be kids  and allowing their patents time to worship  Teaching the kids.  The enthusiasm of the children [and their families] who DO attend. Knowing God is pleased The children’s desire to be anywhere but home…lol! The kids Seeing kids accept Christ as their Savior  Encouraged by commitment of volunteers & children to teach and learn about God in this time. My Kiddos: I love them. Kids making a profession of faith Sharing Christ with the kids who are there as well as getting to know them better because of the small numbers. We have the sweetest kiddos Helping the children learn about God. When a timid child, willingly goes into a classroom! The small church feel. Building relationships is huge with our consistent attenders.  In times of this pandemic, God let us continue to worship even online  When the children grasp what is taught and apply it having some normal activities with the kids  Being with the few kids who are coming, seeing the light in their eyes when they get what we are talking about is a great joy.  Another one is when I have good conversations with the parents about how they are doing to disciple their kids at home. The Time when I see a face change and they understand the concept. Meeting with the kids and sharing with them. Working with the kids Growth; discovering how much they are learning and growing spiritually and using their gifts Spiritual growth of kids as they  anticipating teaching the teens in South Sudan  Seeing kids come to Christ and see their growth That we are back for in person services seeing kids understand Biblical principals and teaching them to others Kids are so eager to be there the faithful volunteers that keep coming in spite of everything going on When we have church so we can have class Seeing the kids grow in faith and knowing we are providing some stability to their lives Getting to know the people (children and adults) who attend better. Just being able to spend some time catching up with the kids . Oh the stories Kids in church  Teaching the kids while having fun. I have been teaching for 27 years now and I love seeing the youth grow in Christ. God’s faithfulness online teaching also for children of other denominations Teaching kids and knowing that their actually learning Being able to teach those youth who are coming to youth worship. being able to meet in person at least some Being able to meet in person and love on our children Seeing kids smile and learn about Jesus The number of children involved grew because we have a couple of new families to our congregation and they are regular attendees. Another family that used to be sporadic attenders has become regular attenders. seeing students retain what they have been taught The children enjoy the lessons and activities  Teaching the words of God Watching the children grow in their knowledge and love for the Lord Two of my regulars are being baptized soon seeing children come to Christ Connecting with people Serving Jesus by training you His little children  The children and their energy when we are together. Salvations The creativity of the volunteer staff Joy in kids faces learning the lessons creativity of volunteer staff The influx of new families and kiddos!  ministering in what ever and to whom ever God sends my way; Children relying on Christ more than in the past keeping our tiny group going teaching the children and helping them to grow in faith Zoom Bible study and Zoom prayer meeting. Encouraging text messages.  Connecting with the children Having the kids back and being able to meet in person. The connection I have had all through covid with the children and their famlies.  Seeing children learn more about Christ Kids who don’t normally go to church are able to join us online and connect with their friends and learn about Jesus at the same time! One new young family volunteering How excited kids are to be together again Children and families pick up the materials and take them home To see the children embrace the love of Jesus. Having the children back in church ! ( with masks) When students volunteer to lead prayer.  PRESENCE OF THE CHILDREN  having face to face meetings with our kids and youth Serving Christ/our kids Being able to see the kids that come connecting with my class over ZOOM when we can’t meet in person (2 years!) Worshiping  Learning how to do zoom.sessiins with the kids. To see the children changed in their inner life, come to know more about the LORD Teaching Kids about Jesus.  We have so many who come from unchurched homes. I asked them to make get well cards for a sister who is unwell and the scriptures they wrote made me smile. It was a joy to see them look up bible verses and copy it down Face to face teaching The children and watching their eyes light up when they learn something new. That most of our children were baptised a couple weeks ago. The kids being there  Ministery How excited the kids are to be in class. Being able to teach Seeing the children that are reaching out for activities to do at home and them wanting to come back. The children is a blessing Building relationships with our youth Connecting with kids Meeting with God’s youth and teens The children! Seeing the Joy in the children’s eyes every Sunday when they learn something new  Others who  have a real heart for Jesus and the kids! Reaching children with messages that can be applied in their own lives. Seeing the kids grow (spiritually, physically, etc) Seeing the children Being with the children The children  Supper support team (Children’s Ministry Committee). When children are to recall what they learnt in the previous lessons.then l can tell that my objective has been achieved. To be able to reach kids hearts Worshipping God with Children That we can still share about the goodness of the Lord to the children we are ministering despite not being able to see face-to-face because of the new variant, omicron but with this this kind of activity they enjoy it while being at home.  My biggest joy has been getting the kids involved in planning an online game night designed to reach out to kids that do not regularly attend church.  The kids Families worshipping together  the enthusiastic way the children respiond to learning God’s Word Being able to teach God’s words to the kids. The kids Teaching primary learners To give what i have to the ministry Having Kid‘s Church Outside Every Sumday Help the Kids growing in the Love of God Coking up witjh fresh ways to present God’s love Yo see the children growing in the love of God When the children lead our prayer time. When the kiddos are “engaged” and learning during class, and when they are willing to perform and/or share what they are learning with our congregation. Reconnecting with the kids we have missed so dearly!  Ministering to the ones that come. Spending time with small groups of children and being reminded of the job God has called me to do. The kids! They are precious Despite Covid,new families are joining us every week.It is a joy to nurture new believers and their precious children. Seeing the children and rejoicing in God’s love Seeing kids gain understanding! Seeing the children grow in God.  That even though we are online only, but still the participation is really great. Much more than expected, that children are responding daily even 5 AM in the morning reciting bible verses, even though there is an issue of devices and internet in India but still these children manage and participate. Praise GOD! Halleluyah! Watching the growth in the volunteer teams and the kids. The faith and faithfulness that I am witnessing is amazing. The innocence of children and their longing for a positive and hopeful message Children Talk to the kids  Planting seeds that will lead them to Christ! People slowly returning to in person worship The children Being with the kids and watching them grow in faith.  Still working with kids That prayer and  getting support from our parents will see the need to get their children back soon. Any time a new child visits our class! Helping kids learn what the Bible says in a fun and creative way Seeing children interact and asking questions about God The biggest Joy would be seeing these children grow and share the word with their friends. Currently so  many of our  kids have shared the good news with their friends by sharing the short stories they hear at the Sunday school. It’s a blessing to see this. Fewer kids means stronger bonds with those attending Watching our children develop their own relationship with God.  THe fact that we have some kids coming to learn about Jesus and the Bible teachings. God’s faithful supply Just being there for my kids. How eager the students are to  learn. When you don’t think the children are listening and you ask questions and find out they really were listening. My children have come so far in their spirit and their willingness to share and pray.  It is truly a blessing to be their teacher See them growing in faith and good feedback from parents none Working with the children Returning to in-person working with children, including some that joined online during lockdown and now attend church Teaching the kids  The kids 🙂 time to build relationships with our families I feel that the group that does attend Sunday School together are very excited to attend each week and are forming stronger relationships with each other.  Seeing kids adapt and flourish despite the challenges of covid Sharing Christ love When the children learn from the craft or various activities that we do.  Watching the KIDZ participating and being excited about attending service.  These young people are learning about the Bible and our small congregation is providing excellent support! Tiny children (2-6 years old) learning the books of the Bible and the 10 commandments.  They are adorable. I love teaching children about Jesus I love their involvement and all the different ideas ,thoughts, answers, etc Children trust and love me. fellowship with all the members Seeing children come to church seeking knowledge of Jesus Planning to start Sunday School on Feb. 6.  working with the children Teaching the kids We have a section in our Church Service the children can recite Memory verses or ask the Pastor a word.  So many memorize the verses and recite them in service.  It’s wonderful!!  They also get to choose a prize from a basket for their efforts!!  If the word isn’t in the Bible…the Pastor has to find it…..they also get a prize.
Still being able to teach our young folk.  Seeing kids know Jesus  Being able to teach children about christ See how kids learn and give me feedback  Seeing our kiddos grow deep in knowledge and love for Jesus. They are rising up as some of our mightiest prayer warriors! Teaching  Seeing the Children grow spiritually  waiting to get back to in person lessons SEEING THAT IT IS NOT ALL IN VANE. Seeing our kids grow spiritually  See the kids participate and engage in the lesson. God is good and He blesses us with the knowledge to teach  What the children understand the love Jesus gives Watching the children learn about God and having a passion to help and pray. Watching them growing closer to God The kids joy Igniting children’s desire and passion to learn more about Jesus and see Him as part of their daily lives. The kids I love the conversations we have about the gospel, being saved, and baptism.  The kids all want to know more about Jesus and they are excited about learning to pray for others. Being able to connect the family of Christ in an intergenerational way! Children’s church is going well. Finding willing volunteers  Coming together in person The relationships I have made with the kids and seeing their relationship with Jesus grow. Enthusiasm  The kids! I’m glad that we are still able to have some sort of activities for the children.  Life change Seeing children being enthusiastic in what and how  I  teach them about following Jesus Telling the children about God’s love for them Teaching children about our amazing God. Watching them grow We have enough kids to actually have a ministry Those youngsters who have come back to meetings – being with them again Sharing the Good News and watching the children learn.  Being in person!  Such a blessing to see the students in person each week. Watching them understand the lesson. Teaching the kids The Gospel  When we have children in class kids asking good questions Hearing kids tell what they know about Jesus and what He’s done for them Being able to see the children The children learning the Bible. Watching the “ah-ha” moment when my kids grasp the concept. Also, hearing that my most challenging student throws a temper tantrum when she has to miss our class. I am a pastor of a small home church. Sharing the Gospel with this group is what gives me great Joy my students Seeing the “a-ha” moment in their eyes.  Seeing when the kids learn Spending time sharing Jesus with the kids in a smaller group setting Seeing the few kids I do have showing up smile and enjoy an activity Seeing the kids come back Seeing the kids excited to learn the Bible and hear the amazing stories about Jesus Seeing the kids together learning about religion. Christ Able to still do online lessons Watching the children grow in understanding of the word. Just meeting together Connecting with the children again  The fact that we can still meet we are back in person Teaching the children about the Love of God The response of the student Teaching through the book of Exodus. That we are still able to do online lessons, even though we do not reach that many children Seeing my students engaged w/the Word & desire to be discipled  Teaching my granddaughter.  Seeing the enthusiasm in the children wanting to learn more about Jesus and how the word of God applies to them Covid or not, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  To be able to still have Sunday School in these pandemic days.   Having a ministry Seeing young people happy to be learning about Jesus Seeing all the kids The children’s enthusiasm  When we successfully show a video during Zoom. My biggest joy in ministry is that we can be back to normal. Kids are very hungry for the Word of God.  I get to study the Word so when we return I can be ready. we only have from 1 to 4 when we are opened  We have a new pastor! The children and the sharing we complete during our lesson  Meeting in person.  To be able to teach small children  Ministering to the children and hearing their responses teaching Serving the community  Weekly online lessons Watching the children grow in knowledge of Christ. Seeing the children’s smiles when they really understand  the meaning of  God’s word The excited of the children to gather and pray. They love to pray.  Seeing my Sunday school class Seeing kids be saved Seeing the children excited during teaching and understanding the word being taught. Seeing the children learn about Jesus and how they express in their daily life The kids The faces of the children when they answer questions being hopeful, looking to share Jesus, with who is attending church . Seeing the kids growing, even in the midst of chaotic times. To see how happy the,children get with the lessons.  Seeing the kids tell their parent what they learned in class. Seeing the kids and their smiles. Seeing kids learn and realizing week to week what they are retaining.   The children’s excitement about learning and watching them grow. Seeing the kids get into the message and loving the discussions Seeing the children. Our youth God is Good. Hearing a child know the answer. Seeing the children every week  The faithfulness of the children and their willingness to be there and learn That another person has come along side me.  Smiles on kids faces Sharing the word of God with his children  new families Seeing God touch hearts Seeing the students faces light up over a lesson, craft or activity. Teaching prescoolers The enlightenment of the young people  Seeing children coming back to Sunday school Seeing kids understand that God really cares about them and answers their prayers. Seeing them apply the Bible to their life. When a light comes on inside the child The children’s interest to learn more Spending time with little ones getting to see the smiles learning more about them. Praying God is touching their hearts, & teaching them of His love for them & how He desires a relationship with them.  Believing He LOVES THEM!! Teaching them to hide His word in their heart so they can remember when they are afraid, lonely, sad, hurt He is there!! Teaching children  Being with the kids Worshipping and ministering to the children who show up and the ones who we keep in touch online.   I love it when the children ask sincere questions about God and about His Word! Watching the children grow in the knowledge of God. The fact that we are able to host Sunday School at all, and building relationships with the children and families who are part of the ministry, The Sunday School curriculum being provided in such an easy to use format. Watching the children worship and learn Being able to share the word of God with the kids.  Teaching Religious Instruction in State school. Seeing the children again  Don’t have to worry about budget Worship When the kids say I love you  When the grandparents that bring them tell us that the kids told them about something they learned in class  finally getting to meet with the kids in person. We area. small older congregation so at best we only have about 15 -20 kids, now we are at about 7 The kids We lost our children since we had shut down for COVID. They did not return.  The faithful volunteers that are sticking it out and adapting Hearing back from young families about their children’s reactions to what I have shared with them. working with kids and with family Teaching the children Gods Message  Seeing the children “getting it” when we explain different issues. Light bulbs going off, lol To see more people/ children getting saved and committing their lives to the Lord. Kids knowledge of the Bible & them coming to Christ Teaching the kids Seeing church members in person, even if we are masked and distanced Children loving Sunday School Kids lighting up as they understand a new topic. Having a New Pastor with in a year. seeing how the children grow spiritually coming to Sunday school with great expectations The children that crave for love Serving Jesus and loving children like He does. Preparing them to participate in a worship often  same s always  I love beibg around the kids Seeing the children grow and mature. Putting together a workbook and audio lessons  The kids are my biggest joy, seeing them grow spiritually and making a difference in their homes. Engaging kids and getting them excited to be at church and learn about Jesus Seeing young people respond to messages from the bible Hearing and seeing the faith of a child  To teach more kids about Jesus, who is our savior; who is the only link to Heaven and God.  The regular kids that turn up every week to our online meeting. They interact well and we have some good discussion times Seeing the children enthusiastic about us meeting again after a break due to Covid regulations. They are so excited to be back! Connecting with children.  Children excited to come to Sunday School Seeing a child excited to hear God’s Word Fellowship with our children ,the energy they share Growth Teaching and preparing souls to meet Christ when he returns sharing Christ with children Seeing the kids in person and most of their faces WITHOUT a mask! 😉 Connecting with kids Children Teaching and learning with our children We have a few children going back to church  Seeing kids except Christ as Savior and watching them grow! The excitement is returning in the children Church School classes with the children!   Watched children becoming engrossed in a Bible story! That children’s work has started in a church that was about to fold My Sunday School Class seeing the children smiling faces Seeing the children’s lives changing to have a heart for God Children’s growth in the things of God Seeing the children come to Christ and ask questions about their faith and how to live it the excitement the kids have in being back together The excitement the children have in learning Seeing my kids “get it” during a lesson the privilege of serving the Lord Seeing the children each week seeing the kids enjoy each other and interacting To meet with my class each Sunday to teach the few children we have. Praying with the kids  Seeing the excitement on the children’s face Being able to teach in-person seeing the children interact in worship Seeing the kids be normal Watching the children develop, answering their many questions and witnessing to them Having children in the classroom to teach. The kidos more children are beginning to come  being  able to be with the kids and teach Jesus My biggest joy in ministery is my kids are enjoying the teaching and they love spending time with me. See the spiritual growth of our kids Helping kids know more about Jesus & Bible Seeing the kids learning about Jesus in a fun age appropriate way.  So glad to be in person! Kids are excited to be here!!! We were able to secure funding from the covid community fund which meant we were able to start a youth club for 10 to 14 year olds and it has been an instant success the kids learning about Jesus Any small mention of kids being excited (sometimes desperate) to come to church. seeing people healed The excitement on their faces during the lessons being able to gather together, when it is safe, with Covid restrictions-face masks-social distancing That I am a part of molding them to serve Christ Excited kids and happy leaders We serve pizza at lunch to high school students once a week. It’s a happy ministry. The children   Seeing that the kids that continue to come are still excited   and want to come, some could not wait  to start 4 the new year.  seeing the children’s joy in learning Seeing the children happy all the time  Raising up new leaders called to Children’s Ministry! Seeing kids who want to know more about our Lord and living the way He wants us to!!! having stronger connections with children and their families Watching the kids grow in God’s word in their daily life.   Having a parent tell me their son is singing songs from chapel at home (he doesn’t usually sing in chapel)  :o) In person teaching Seeing the children grow closer to the Lord and each other. time with the kids Telling these wonderful Bible stories ❤️ Praising God for the opportunity to get to know others more deeply.  The kids still shows up every Sunday I spite of the pandemic and more souls are saved When i see our kids worshiping in church!!! The salvations that resulted from participation in our Children’s/Youth Christmas Program  Interacting with the kids When we see children coming to church  Planting the seed of God’s Word in the children’s hearts – memorizing scripture!  We review our scriptures each week – I just say the reference and the kids can say the verse from memory!  Also have learned the books of the New Testament – have used the Roman House to learn the books – the kids do so well! Seeing kids come to God  Seeing the Holy Spirit work in the lives of children as they make their professions of faith in Jesus. The children having ‘uh huh’ moments where they get the main concept of the lesson. The children in our church and the volunteers that help lead worship. Being able to meet virtually  Teaching children  I love the kids I teach,they bring joy to my life.. Seeing how much children love Kids church Watching the children change Being back together with the children and seeing them get closer to God Working for the Lord Children Watching others take a brave leap of faith by joining in  Sharing the wonder of God with children my families Saving our little souls! Closer relationship with kids All the new volunteers Hope that God will help us rebuild our Sunday School to beyond what it was pre-COVID19.   Sowing the word of God in the children’s hearts The opportunity to share the gospel with kids every week. Since our ministry is so small (15 kids) we have been able to really get to know each other and I have seen the kids more willing to be vulnerable and share or ask hard questions.  We are currently closed Evangelization  Just seeing the Baby’s faces Kids coming with Joy to know about God the willingness the volunteers have to try new things and provide feedback Meeting in person with the children People obeying the Spirit, stepping out of their comfort zone and finding that there are young disciples to be made even during pandemics. The children’s smiles when learning something new  Proclaiming His Word When the children get really interested in the lesson and participate in answering questions and asking them  We only have about 6-8 kids every Sunday (used to be 40 kids/Sunday), so it’s a joy to be able to build deeper relationships and connections with the few who are attending in person. It’s also a joy to connect with the 2 leaders who have committed to leading every Sunday.  having any child to be at church The kids are very happy to come to Childrens church-  Seeing children continue to come to Sunday school and listening to bible stories and hearing them seeing gospel songs. Children responding to the Lord. I am learning too as l teach the children That the children are learning about God early and some misconceptions are addressed quickly. Their faith is growing.  Guide our children through the right path, in God’s grace Getting to attend church. The kids  See kids come in on Sunday, even had a few new ones. working with the children Working with children in their spiritual growth kids growing Added two members to my youth group, and also that I have built a fun environment so kids are excited to come to Sunday School and church. Great connections with parents smiles for engaging in an activity More children attending! We have a new minister and family. They have 5 children and are great with kids, hence, more attendees. We enjoy doing crafts. Watching the kids come to know and trust Jesus for everything   teaching the kids seeing the kids so happy they are able to attend once again and learn about Jesus Imparting the Gospel Message to young ones, building a foundation for them, some plant, some water, but watching how God increases! Being back with the children and our church family Teaching about our Lord and Savior.  I do God’s Word for Gods Children on Facebook every Saturday morning and I do God’s Word also on Sunday mornings sharing my faith with little ears Seeing how exciting the kids are Sharing the love of God when we have in person classes children growing founded on the word of God God is providing all our needs, and continues to answer our prayers Teaching Being able to do a few in person activities  See children touching lives at home by Christain principles ,etc… When our children love church and love being involved.  Sharing the love of Jesus Christ and the hope He has for each one of us Kid’s engagement Seeing kids learn & grow & their joy in Christ Simply being able to meet in person and see my toddlers pray and desire to learn about Jesus. We have a dedicated Sunday School staff again.  Imparting the word into kids so that that dont fall away from the faith My biggest joy is that the children come to know Jesus as their personal Savior The children love learning and they get so excited about the activities! Having one-on-one time with the children.
I only use the materials to teach my daughter who was really challenged to live for Christ. She really likes the lessons and she recently followed through with water baptism. I have recently joined Sunday school as a volunteer and will share your resources with the leader.  Seeing the children growing and learning. The people who are trying to make the best out of this time of uncertainty Seeing kids accept Christ sharing the word of God with our future leaders and teachers (Kingdom building) Knowing Kids are learning about the Bible and building relationships in the church and with Jesus. Jesus Others Yourself…making sure living with the joy of the Trinity For the ONE to know Jesus Seeing how much these beautiful children love church!! Sharing and learning with the children.  Doing the curriculum 

What’s Your Biggest Challenge in Children’s Ministry

Volunteers!! Behind the scenes planning- stress over a lack of volunteers/assistance  Attendance  Very few children Volunteers to help COVID CALL OUTS I have 1 kid pretty consistent and maybe 3 or 4 others that attend rarely. My Mom is sick Planning events with unknown rules and reactions from those attending  Not being able to meet in person. Adults not making church a priority  Staying connected when we have to be remote. Getting others to join Competing with ball practices or dance practices that the kids have to go to on our class nights Zoom  no in person church school  Enough space To keep the kids coming. Have had no 3-6th graders for 6 weeks.  Families don’t seem committed to being back in person volunteers; more children to attend Getting families with kids back to church.  providing online lessons only Getting kids to attend Scheduling depending on what sports are in session. Staffing Keeping kids safe from Covid Getting our child back to church  Trying to continue a program in such (still) uncertain times Behavioral issues and shortage of volunteers  Getting teachers  Lack of music the children can perform in worship. As always, it’s the parents and their lack of disinterest…until you don’t give them what they want. Team being ill Commited and constitent volunteers  Finding volunteers  keeping the kids on task with so much going on in the world The changes our church leadership is going through.  whether or not children’s and parents will show for church  Attendance and active participation Covid Sticking to the rules imposed by government.  as a mixed vaxed/ unvaxed congregation we are only allowed 50 max people in one place  we have split up the church into small groups  and some families are feeling isolated Getting children (and volunteers) in church getting people to come to church Kids that don’t come  Dwindling numbers/no growth in the church  How to reach families who are less engaged Attracting children AND workers. Short attention spans of children Gathering safely. Connecting with those who have not returned to church or have fell out of touch in some way. Getting the students to have the technology necessary to advance the teachings Lack of volunteers  We don’t have enough children. Because our class has from K to 5th, I could use more help!
Inconsistent attendance  Volunteers getting sick and being out for extended periods. Engaging young parents. They seem so reluctant to venture out. Consistency in in-person attendance…all dependent on Covid situation Parents who bring children late or bring them intermittently because of outside activities
to fit the lesson for the a multi aged class room  Getting parents to return, thus bringing their children/grandchildren with them I have a desire and see the need (somewhat due to the vision of my leadership and being sensitive to what the Lord would have for our ministry) to streamline our curriculum and be sure we are not just checking off the time spent with our children but actually planting and cultivating seeds that God will use in their lives over time. The challenge is figuring out where we are with that and finding what works and knowing when we are on track with our goals. Not enough manpower Engaging, active curriculum that isn’t over wordy.  Attendance  The parents who have no desire to provide Christian education at home and expect the church to provide it at church. consistent volunteers  Parents coming back and bringing their children  Teaching on zoom That our attendance in Sunday school is low.  How to engage those children/youth that are not coming to Sunday school/church. Increase in attendance Not knowing how much to prepare for weekly. Never the same children attending for a series.  For me, it is dealing with governmental documentation that is required. My kids don’t come consistently. Some weeks it’s 1 some weeks it’s 4, etc. Maintaining leadership, drive, energy, the kids  Getting people to come o their children can attend Sunday school A lead Pastor who does not like confrontation. He does not see we have A deceptive children’s pastor.  Few volunteers. Few kids volunteers and getting new families to church Finding lesson plans that we can mail as not all of our children have internet Getting volunteers who truly have love  and calling for all ages  ~ not jus a means of babysitting their own ~ not just a means of not wanting to go to big church ~ TEACHERS  NOT  teaching Gods Word to their age of kids asking  to stay in with visiting ministers, singers  because they think that age group cld benefit from visiting minister ~ gets pastor to  okay and tell the kids Pastor wants us to stay inside  today.  Not teaching the Word of God  ~ eating ~ drinking ~ playing ~ telling a child that goes to church there who has a visitor (looking for a church to attend) their church Faith is  WRONG – that religion isn’t mentioned in the Bible ~ your going to hell if you continue to go there ~ only teachers religion is correct    😡🥵 yes this is true ….. Meeting with the students. Keeping kids interested when there are so many other “other” things to occupy their time and interest. Not having more kids in class.  Can’t meet Getting the Church Council to let Sunday School take place more often. Getting help.  Finding good tracts & lessons. only one family in church We have to cancel classes some weeks due to COVID. Volunteers Keeping kids engaged Covid restrictions Answering some of their questions. Lol Volunteers We need kids Having in class crafts and providing bags with lessons and crafts for families to pick up who prefer to not have their children attend in person.  Volunteers Recruiting volunteers Carrying on with few kids and fewer volunteers Getting volunteers to teach. Getting people interested in the kids. Consistency of regular attendance Getting back in person for connection purposes. getting families back on Sunday mornings in person. But also, trying to decide if its necessary as we have full attendance on Wednesday evenings. getting families and volunteers back Keeping everyone well and attending Having all my volunteers stay healthy. Not having food Getting families to return Getting enough children in SS Parents.  Parents got very comfortable during the lockdowns and during our year of virtual.  They want what they want when they want it and there’s not a spirit of “we’re in this together” as much any longer.   Wide age ranges  Volunteers when they are online Lack of commitment. Lack of funds and resources. Smaller church getting up to speed  on technology  Families being consistent. A lot sick and the weather is bad Finding teachers, everyone is burned out and overwhelmed Attendance  Not enough children to teach Parents lack of consistancy.  The sporadic attendance. Covid  Convenient time The government restrictions on public gatherings  Juggling multi-grade level lessons because of teacher outages with Covid quarantines. I need to form ministry teams so others can share this ministry of working with children and youth. There were no teams in place when I started, and COVID has slowed the process of getting to know people. getting parents to bring their children to Sunday School and giving them the lessons  Free children. Some families have left. Not Covid related. Consistent volunteers Sunday morning volunteers are a little  more difficult to keep scheduled than Wednesday night volunteers, especially during the worship service. Getting people to bring their kids back. COVID is running rampant where I live. Getting more children involved. attracting new children  catechism. In charge Families aren’t showing up and I want to  take it personally. Families are not coming back to church. Finding time to engage with the children more regularly growing a Jesus centered ministry Being new and not at all related to anything I have done makes it a steep climb VOLUNTEERS  getting volunteers Consistent attendance We are a small church so our number of kids ranges from 5 – 14.  getting more children Deciding whether to meet face-to-face, OR keep using virtual inconsistency in the children that attend each Sunday. Mostly it is the parents, that have gotten too comfortable in staying home on Sunday mornings or the choices that they make with attending sporting events on Sunday mornings. getting enough volunteers Getting/keeping volunteers Enough volunteers able to teach so that we can have age appropriate groups  Would like use of technology for video and music presentations not getting more kids
Too big of age difference in same class because we a re short handed.  I’ve never taught sunday school before the last 2 years.  Your resources are a God send.  Thank you. Little to No children! Expectations that are through the roof.  I do not really enjoy children. I know. Why I am here? God placed me here and I  obey. Parents not bringing their children to Sunday School consistently! We are kind of in a restart so we are small in numbers. We also are looking for a pastor.  We have an interim pastor serving our needs now. Not having at least 1 really enthusiastic youth leader in the church that us prepared to put in the time & effort to take children and youth work forward. Trying to get more children to sign in to Children’s Church If we had more kids coming it would help the current kids and be easier to teach. Remembering lots of songs How to create an engaging atmosphere with disengaged kids and leaders every child understand to accept Christ and grow I have a max of 7 kids that can come. I usually have one, who is a sixth grade girl. I want to meet her needs, but I have to prepare for 7 kids.  I almost need two lessons prepared each week. One if I have one student, and another if I have a bunch of them. I am just so physically worn out it’s hard.  The unknown of what I will have each Sunday.  a few unruly kids Consistent attendance. The majority of families with school age children attend church only 2, sometimes 3, Sundays a month. teaching the 10years and 12years old Being positive and trusting God will open doors  Following covid guidlines while meeting  budget Keeping the kids’ attention! Keeping bodies in the classroom and keeping everyone healthy with less volunteers than in the past.  Wednesday night kids service Not knowing how many children and if I have enough helpers. No internet We need more volunteers for Sunday School hour The ever changing regulations To reach their parents Teaching the new and young ones group participation So few children We are a small church, mainly older folks. I have 7 kids in my class. I’d love to have more, but with covid we aren’t getting many new visitors yet even though our city is booming with new growth this past year. Also, I only get 45 min with the kids and it’s hard to fit in much fun stuff like crafts, which they really like.  getting enough volunteers to support the ministry getting kids to come to classes, or parents to bring them My children love the crafts I deliver every week but not many tune in to Zoom on Sunday mornings.   consistency After losing so many families resulting in reduced giving, it’s hard to justify any expense. More kids people haven’t come back as we’ve resumed more normal ministry No being able to meet in person. Very limited volunteers & frequent closures State mandates: social distancing  & masks. It is hard to teach when everyone is masked up (hard to hear & understand kids) and we can’t  do the fun games & activities keeping 3-6 feet apart.  Finding volunteers Faithful parents getting they’re children to church.  Knowing who and how many will be there each week Time availability sometimes I have to split a lesson into two weeks.  getting children to SS Balancing  making sure we stay healthy while all together Getting parents to commit to every Sunday  We do not have a gym….anytime it’s rains or is too cold we have to stay inside.  Getting new children to listen  Attendance for all ages  Interacting with children in=person / Hands-on activities  parents fears about bringing the kids to church regarding covid Volunteer numbers Unpredictable attendance Getting all our children to come back. We previously had 27 on roll attending at different classes snow we have only two. Blended families – not having consistent attendance due to family issues.
How eager the children are to learn more about Jesus My age and my eye sight. Things are still in flux.  Difficult for planning purposes. Parents following up at home A lack of volunteers who want to engage with kids as they work on activities.  COVID  helpers Volunteers who fall sick or become close contacts Attendance and being engaged in Sunday school Never enough volunteers Finding teachers to volunteer. Attracting more children because our congregation is middle age.  Sporadic attendance of 2-3 children.  (That’s all I have.) Amount of volunteers Lack of people Finding resources to keep kids engaged outreach to bring in more children and families to our congregation Enough volunteers Enough teachers for all the children Enough teachers for all the children Difficulty maintaining consistent attendance and growth!  (kids are with a different parent / relative each week) recruiting volunteers Find ways to make the class more interesting for the children Lack of volunteers Age differences in class, your lessons have been a great help! parents bringing kids to kids ministry The order of our services has changed, and it has affected the kids attention spans/focus  The most children we have is 4 – 5 we are a small church. Being instant in and out of season Having volunteers to rotate to give breaks to workers Keeping as sprightly as my kids! curriculum Parent commitment to get kids to church Getting kids engaged  getting more people to show up Getting children to stay for Sunday School. The church service is before. Keeping okder elementary kids engaged lack of helpers-teachers who only want to read the lesson and not teach it from the heart-lack of preparation on leaders part Reaching/Getting more families back Parents commitment to bring children to Sunday School or in our case Jr church We are still carrying on in spite of obstacles, with God’s help. Our church building burnt in Caldor Fire. The kids (and families) have scattered into new or temp housing.   Getting Volunteers to teach, have plenty of helpers and we are growing so fast.D Getting parents to bring their child to church or even participate online Discipline, it seems that as the kids get away with more in public school the harder it is on Sundays. We run a bus ministry and bring in kids without their parents.  Inability to build a long-term teaching plan due to inconsistent attendence Discipline and time management  We primarily teach 3-5 year old children.  Sometime it is difficult to keep things on their cognitive level. Navigating the ever changing guidelines. Volunteers  enough teachers Finding Volunteers Volunteers and Volunteer training  Volunteers Volunteers to help me so that we can break our classes into smaller groups. poor community with lots of challenges Lack of enough teachers  GETTING THE PARENTS TO REALIZE THAT COVID CANNOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR EVERYTHING.  THEY ARENT’S AFRAID TO LET THE KIDS GO TO SCHOOL,  BUT ARE AFRAID TO LET THEM GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL.  sustaining our current levels   getting more of the younger generation to come and finding resources for free as churches in south africa are suffering from covid Small numbers Getting people to SS on time  Clear tech results for zoom participants  Honestly, dealing with difficult volunteers Class retention, interest and growth Few kids attending Longing for the faces I know longer see.  Keeping some congregants encouraged and consistent.  Getting more families with children to join the church and then attend Not enough volunteers. Biblical illiteracy among kids and adults.  Getting children in class consistently. Deacon and minister supporting children’s programs Parents who do not respect time boundaries,, Not on time, don’t show up with no communication Some kind of hidden conflict in the church. Tech person to do hybrid lessons. the biggest challenge  is getting the children back to Sunday School! They are missing so much and we need more teachers! communicating whilst mask wearing Reworking activities so that they are “Covid friendly”. For example, no holding hands or close contact for games.  Not enough children participating So few are coming during Covid. Adult volunteers  Shrinking team and low morale  Time and Resources Burn out The apathetic attitude of most people (adults and children) toward church and a Christian worldview. Many who attended church weekly are now only attending 1 or 2 times a month, and they do not see this as a problem.
Fighting the belief that we need to entertain kids so they will want to come to church – there needs to be a balance, never forgetting that our mission is to share Christ. Continuous change with restrictions.  Attendance.   Volunteers, children’s ministry not being viewed as important as other ministry areas We have only rented space. We would like a place of our own that we can decorate and organize the way we want. Trying to find and keep volunteers (before Covid they were mostly older retired people). Consistent attendance; how to teach a down -syndrome child that becomes disruptive to environment   We need more volunteers Attendance.  Parents often feel Church is optional Having a consistent attendance. We have 6 elementary kids. Lately, many families have had Covid. We appreciate your weekly messages. Someday we will commit to one of your lesson packages when are numbers are up but for now you have really helped us so THANK YOU! Consistent attendance  volunteers  Getting more children to attend Sunday svhool Covid affecting consistency  Steady rate of attendance Lack of interest  Finding the right resources every week after getting the scripture from the Pastor on Tuesday for next Sunday’s sermon.  Having to shift between online and in person every few months
behavioral issues when bringing varying age groups together (1st-6th) Lack of desire from adults to be involved Lack of volunteers  Volunteers  Keeping their attention.   The unavailability of volunteers to teach and also parents who do not encourage their children to attend Sunday School  There are no children Getting volunteers Getting families to come back and participate  Adding volunteers as the ministry grows. Up & down  We are still doing social distancing. It’s hard to teach to a group so spread out. We also mask so it’s harder to talk with expression We are a small country church.  I don’t even have children for a class every week. It is worse since COVID.  Our church attendance is way down and I am hearing this in many places. Consistency in children attending…most are from broken homes and attendance is sporadic and often because the grandparents are bringing them.  Getting familys to come  staffing Getting children to come consistently  Getting parents involved with what the students are learning each week. Consistency of families attending, but that is due to sickness and CoVid exposure Getting the parents to attend.   Volunteers Reconnecting with families who were regular attenders prior to COVID but have drifted Getting the friendship class of 4 students back to in person with only one other volunteer Lack of enthusiasm  Reliable volunteers.  Church is mostly middle aged or elderly with very little involvement in church planned activities. Lack of funds. the pandemic and lack of parental interest Getting teachers to teach the scheduled curriculum. Teachers calling in sick on Saturday night or Sunday morning.  getting families involved Unsaved parents. Undisciplined kids.  Navigating Covid cases and quarantines/staffing planning ahead, gaining volunteers, inconsistent attendance The remnant that shows up every week getting more children to attend on a regular basis having good leaders to help with children ministry  Having committed volunteers, and enough to ease the burden (we run the Sunday School model, with Extended Session (Children’s Church) for those in Kindergarten down to babies. getting volunteer teachers Recruiting and retaining volunteers teaching materials and outdoor space of fun activities getting people to come in person Reaching those that are not attending.  I don’t have time to make plans for church groups  and make deliveries to those not attending. Covid precautions lots of kids missing inconsistent #’s week to week Volunteers, many of the tried and trusted volunteers have not returned and become complacent to only abstain from church services due to covid. The B team and new teachers and youth have shown up and committed immensely and faithfully without complaint or burnout Im down to 5 volunteers in my ministry from 25 before covid.  We are all exhausted Covid Time COVID19 and lack of adult interest in children/youth formation Enabling the local church to accept that our children’s and young peoples group is an important part of the church Keeping the children motivated and encouraged. That they connect and be attentive there consistency (COVID seems to be driving that train) & MINISTRY PARTNERS (aka committed volunteers), personally:  to get back to the early COVID days of reaching out to families WHERE THEY ARE – digitally through social media engagements and personally by delivering “porch packs” of family resources to encourage parents to weave everyday time with God with their children. Feeling like I dont reach everyone properly.  I have ages6-13 in my class. So if I teach for the older ones it’s to hard for the littles. And vise versa. Families not making this a priority Discipline and what program, if any, to follow Providing effective spiritual formation online Recruiting Volunteers Being able to provide materials  Planning lessons Children’s short attention span and needing shorter-timed activities kids wearing masks and social distancing Fewer adults and smaller budget  Student numbers being down Keeping Subs for our classes Volunteers and growth in numbers  Keeping the kids interested in what is being taught, some have very short attention spans. Reaching parents of our kids Teaching out to the teens and young adults not enough time
Space Keeping the children’s attention.  They seem to have “brain fog”, they are missing social skills, what’s appropraite behavior and what’s not.  Getting younger famlies to attend our church that have kids. Doing it alone  Right now I don’t have a sunny school class so I’m just doing children’s church once every three or four months so that’s kind of tough not being able to have my kids once a week. Attendance Management Fear of passing Covid to others unintentionally  Social media Distractions that keep some families from consistent attendance and participation. children not having handson experience Making sure everyone is  safe co-ordinating with the other SS teacher ( We have very different approaches) Our numbers have to declined quite a bit and we were a small church to begin with, so we only have 5 regular children who attend. Unfortunately there have been several weeks where we’ve not had any children due to varying sicknesses et cetera.. It’s very disheartening and discouraging for the parents, children and teachers alike. I do not have one  low attendance and not yet satisfied in how we are following up with our children and families in general How to get families back Keeping various ages on task and paying attention Worldy views & beliefs recruting Sunday school teachers The world Most of our kids come from unchurched families. Finding a way to reach their families.  Commitment from parents to attend. They want to drop off students and avoid personal involvement. Being closed on campus due to Covid right now. We have been closed for two weeks and just voted to be closed to more weeks.  We meet outside and have limited resources/space for children’s ministry items and materials  Maintaining the health of our children and volunteers  Some families are staying home due to Covid. It’s tough having 1 or 2 students for a lesson that works best with bigger numbers. Not enough teachers to divide out our class Getting all the parents involved staffing It’s getting those kids back into the building after this Covid mess. Some parents aren’t even returning themselves. as Leader and teacher with younger ones is hard to concentratevon teaching at times Church limitations  keep the social space  We have lost so many staff members over this covid time: Lead Teaching pastor, Youth & Worship pastor, bookkeeper, Office Admin (who has been replaced).  It is so hard to do ministry with a skeleton crew and so many of our people sitting on the sidelines at home.  We are trying to pour into the faithful remnant who are still engaged but the empty seats are discouraging. Getting kids there every week. Getting all of the kids there at the same time. Retention, workers and kids Getting volunteers  Finding volunteers to teach Our student recall from last year virtual is almost non existent. Parental involvement. Most children come with grandparents  Many children come from impoverished situations (living in the cemetery with make-shift shelters). Our rented church property is limited, so our class is on a sidewalk, the same sidewalk used by the class for younger kids. Getting people to be willing to volunteer  Volunteers volunteers  Getting volunteers and families to commit  not able to receive pre school children because of lack of volunteers Getting ppl to attend Attendance Keeping children interested VOLUNTEERS Attendance Small numbers and poor communication from pastor to staff. We want to do more but our parents don’t make church a priority  Still not enough volunteers  Growing our numbers by reaching out to the community… Advertising events. Getting the parents of our youth to attend church. Not enough  staff keep in touch (for example, creative packages after children’s masses) Money lack of consistancy between rotating teachers Getting parents to bring their children to church.  lack of volunteers and the continuing adjustments to pandemic always room for more workers Making it work with vaccinated and unvaccinated as we cant be together so no one feels left out Youth Engagement (grades 7-12) students listening and able to focus on what is being taught Getting children to attend on a consistent basis  Volunteer  Growing the numbers in attendance regularly Help….. volunteers Having enough children  Getting volunteers – our church that meets in person is made up of mostly people over 65 years old.  Getting parents to come to church and bring their children  The constant uncertainty Volunteer committment Keeping a connections with the kids Not enough volunteers  connecting with kids and families Keeping them all interested.  Creating a forward moving culture ( people stuck in the “how it use to be”) Getting Kids back for other then services. We are meeting in a school as our new building has been delayed due to covid keeping our tiny group going keeping them all still and engaged Getting people to stay involved. we are not meeting!  When we meet, we have a lot of diversity in the small group (very small congregation) — ages range from 3 to 8 or 9; also, other volunteers don’t seem to be stepping up! Getting more kids regularly. We compete so much with sports it is hard to get any regularity in the class. Getting people to volunteer in person or do virtual ministy. Have reach out in many different ways to no avail. It just seems like everyone dissappeared. Weather, housing for families, job security  getting parents/older siblings to help the younger kids log onto our Kids Church each week Families with children are no longer attending our church Size of my classroom  Little support for this ministry Space Attendance varies because of illnesses in families  scheduling a regular curriculum and allowing the weeks for Advent and Lent and still completing the curriculum  Budget allotment and materials lack of volunteers and teachers being quarantined and having to cancel classes Lack of Volunteers & excitement! It’s like a chore…dread. One classroom for all kids, due to lack of volunteers  Getting kids back to church Teaching about God in a fun way. planning a craft or activity to go with the lesson Getting children excited  can’t do the same kinds up activities online; more difficult to hold their attention online (especially the little ones) Getting people back from Covid and getting new people to go to church  Traveling over an hour to get to the ministry office on public transportation. We pray that God will call for more Sunday school teachers We have lots of kids who come in our church bus and are inconsistent- hard to plan from week to week. attendance inconsistency. Not knowing who will show up (in terms of age group)  Getting help from volunteers  Volunteers Time constraints. Weather Not enough kids Volunteers.  But not only volunteers but commitment. Starting a new  Having teachers comnitting to the Christian Ed program Covid Behavior issues Loss of key volunteers under 40 yrs old Meeting each childs needs. Volunteers The world’s views Sickness that keeps workers and children away. Encouraging more children to our congregation Need more volunteers Drawing new families Paranoid parents Uncertainty  Recruiting volunteers for Children’s church AND increasing number of children in church. The challenge is that sometimes l don’t have bundle  to download Getting the parents and whole church to understand that children’s ministry is a very important part of church.  Reaching out more children midst of COVID and other situations in India we don’t have the actual curriculum online for the kids. We are a church plant that started right at the beginning of the pandemic. Our city is not currently renting indoor space for us so, we are still online.  Staffing Volunteers and commitment  I’m doing it alone and sometimes have to use my own money  competing with the sheduling of sports at the teenage level  The budget. Parents not having their children go to Mass When i have nothing, and to see those in need Many families are afraid of Covid and so they don‘t come volunteers # of kids (very small) To get more helpers Seeing the kids “get” the lesson and tell their parents/caregivers at pickup Discipline Keeping the kiddos’ attention during class time. Volunteers! I never know what age group is going to come. Figuring out how to reach those who are still connected to us but are not coming back in person even though they seem to be doing everything else in person. So few helpers It would be a blessing if younger people would join the children’s ministry.Despite the fact that I am the”biggest kid going” and bursting with energy and enthusiasm,I am no longer young.It would be so good if others would step up. Scared people Focus from children ages 4 years to 4th grade  Limited volunteers. Expertise.  Unable to meet in person.
Place to meet up.(as we have been told to move the place where we used to meet up.
Devices for children, as most families share a mobile device. Leading my team of volunteers well. I want to be pouring into them to build them up and the practical things of this job get in the way sometimes. Only a few kids, combining ages 4-11 Finding curriculum that is applicable for preschool (3 years old) through 6th grade Numbers participating Large gap in age consistent volunteers and last minute cancelations Big age range People fearful of returning to in person worship!   Trying to plan lessons and still maintain everyones safety Budge friendly curriculum that meets the needs of multi-ages and can be adapted to our church.  We do not have Christian Ed on Sunday.  Our “Sunday School” is our mid week ministry called Seeds of Worship (SEEDS) with sessions from 4-6 weeks with breaks in between.   We do not have a large budget, so we have to spend a lot of time “googling” to come up with ideas that we can put together in a way that makes sense, as well as work for kids ages 3-14.  less reverence for God in society causes harder to reach children. Also kids love the screens.  If i make a video of me giving the lesson and talk live thru part, they always pay more attention to the video Getting kids to come.  Gearing up for a VBS that we might not be able to have Getting the funds to fully furnish our classrooms Lack of parental support The biggest challenge would be the lack of resources and the unavailbilty of spiritual leaders. Attendance Having enough teachers each week for classes.  Getting more kids to come. inconsistent attendance Getting new kids and more volunteers I work with the mentally and physically challenged students of various levels. Not knowing if I will have any students or not or having extra students. keeping excited when no children show up Planning for returning to the actual classroom.  I will lose many of my children because they are friends of our kids and are located too far to attend in person. We will continue to zoom but will have to make it over an hour earlier than we are currently meeting, so that will pose a problem also.   Teachers commitment in the ministry Children’s need to be entertained versus just learning and listening.  change of attitude among families regarding the importance of gathering to worship.  Covid has prompted them to think it isn’t needed or necessary…for a multitude of reasons Getting children to show up Re-building the ministry team – returning team and new team members; some have not returned post-covid (for various reasons) Teaching through online  Finances getting volunteers Getting enough volunteers Engagement and attendance of older youth Numbers…we lost a lot of families and the energy is just not the same Small Volunteers and consistent student attendance to determine needs Volunteers  Communication with the young people and time to prepare. Keeping everyone there each week.  The children do not show up consistently. Volunteers.. No room for Sunday school because church construction is still going on though slowly. face-to-face activities Reaching the children at home. They do not watch our online service. Getting people to participate. volunteers and inconsistent attendance Growth Having enough time to cove the material and the cost of printer ink. Disparity in numbers attending each week.  Scheduling in Covid  Social limitations and guidelines  No material  Recruiting new volunteers. Our team is amazing and committed but we need more servants. Having enough kids Workers Getting kids to come. waiting for covid to be over FINDING WAYS TO HOLD INTEREST FOR PRE-TEENS Not enough teachers  Making the lesson come out fun and not a lecture We do not have enough volunteers to work with the children and curriculum. Low Attendance Getting older part of congregation to welcome the younger Maintaining interest by the children and getting volunteers to teach. Not being able to be indoors in our atrium and getting volunteers now. I need better lessons that engage the kids and get them excited about reading their Bibles.   Worksheets and coloring sheets are insufficient.  My kids want to KNOW the stories from the BIBLE, as well as the people who lived them.   Helping people to understand that the vision isn’t just about the kids but about the body of Christ as a whole. Lack of volunteers and kids growing up and leaving without more kids coming  People too afraid to come to church for co us reasons Covid  The kids! Hahaha! We have all the preschoolers which is 4 2-3 year olds and 3 baby babies. Currently, our biggest challenge in ministry seems to be split between maintaining a solid congregation and keeping up with the finances.  figuring out how to connect with people and get everything else done. overcoming the cultural shift away from volunteering and meeting in public.  Needing more volunteers but also  wanting more families to attend church on a regular basis  Reaching g more children& having more time to prepair Volunteers Volunteers Space Unifying our team Engaging students, keeping classes interactive with the Covid restrictions. attendance Growing the youth in the church Resources and Finances Children don’t come to church curriculum or activities for non believers Getting parents engaged Getting together Not knowing how many children to plan for. COVID restrictions and parents who are angry at God for various reasons  To grow this community, both here and those who meet with us on Zoom. we have a small group that meets via Zoom from a different state because they are unable to find a church close to them. We only have one child at this time who is 5, I send pages from your Christian coloring book each week and his grandmother shares the gospel with him through those pictures and scriptures, He looks forward to those pictures each week attendance regularity Getting back to teaching during Sunday school hours.   Getting parents to have the kids attend online The enjoyment and friendships built. Sheer joy Getting kids to show up Finding teachers Our attendance changes weekly Keeping everyone in masks and social distancing.  volunteers I don’t sure Not seeing the children How to keep everyone safe. Not enough leaders or helpers now  Meeting in person Those lightbulb moments when the kids make a connection with a Biblical truth. getting people there — keeping healthy Consitency of attendance Getting my grandchildren to come to church since their parents don’t come, and it is not a priority. Our granddaughter has sleepovers on Saturday nights sometimes. Our grandson doesn’t like to leave home and has separation issues. Not having in person meetings, resources and having no budget at all Only one child. Adapting monthly to the restrictions in place due to covid Being overwhelmed by the amount of things to do and all of the continual changes Covid brings. Hesitancy of some to come back to Sunday School. Trying to grow Consistency in attendance I dont have any at the moment Attendance  Keeping them engaged and being afraid that they will become accustomed to not attending in person and that attendance will fall off when we return to in-person only.  Through the interruptions that have taken place, getting the kids to focus. too few children Disruptive children and extremely late arrivals My biggest challenge is making the elders understand kids planning takes time. getting children to come Low attendance  Intermittent participation  Meeting in person.  Not having enough children in the class keep going getting volunteers and children Different student class needs in person lessons because of such small attendance ageing congregation – fewer children, fewer helpers The children are not always able to come on a consistent basis.
Growth No budget for pri ti g Inadequate number of teachers and teaching materials  Age range ..3yo-10yo in one class Volunteers  mixed age groups Not having a building for children’s church inconsistency of attendance. Low attendance, especially in the elementary age group. I am sure that the sheep are out there just need to know we are open and have a sunday school program up and running. It pains me to think there will not be a VBS.  Finding volunteers No curriculum, no budget, and no support. Each teacher plans their lessons, bring visuals or not, buy their own supplies and snacks. I’ve taught Sunday school for almost 25 years and in different countries, amd found the same situation. It’s labor of love for sure. Trying to find activities to keep them engaged for an hour. Covid getting the youth to come Having enough time myself to prepare activities.    Parent’s commitment to get children at Sunday School every Sunday. Volunteers  Social Distancing Covid Behavior Enough space Covid We only have one or two children attending sporadically  Volunteers volunteers Fluctuating numbers Volunteers we are over worked, Hiring volunteers To get the kids to be visible on line. Finding suitable inexpensive lessons Finding s suitable worksheet/craft activities for the children that come with Bible story video Because of Covid many kids aren’t coming. Our bus ministry is on hold. misbehavior….not too much tho.  New children or visiting Keeping the lessons fresh and interesting Consistency of attendance. For helping hands & children.  Getting more children to attend. Being the only volunteer and dealing with fallout from elections and covid Getting enough volunteers to keep our programs running and keeping the kids safe.  Also trying to keep the quality of our programs without the money we had before COVID. So many children are not attending due to COVID-19 concerns. Our Children & Family Ministries pastor provides at-home links and ideas, but it’s no where near the same. We tried Zoom Sunday school early in the pandemic, but it really didn’t work. Teachers Numbers, volunteers to help Differentiation for different age groups  Having enough Volunteers  Staff for Sunday Kids So many missing students  Finding a new Pastor Volunteers  No children to teach Attention span ( ADHD ) and leaving phones alone while it is class time  , going to start a phone basket next week to put phones in during class time . see above plus trying to engage the High School kids who have so much on their plates–sports, school work, jobs, etc. They have no time Volunteers and kids both No volunteers & no budget To bring our children back Lack of consistency with families Keeping up the interest in Sunday School activities when we are not meeting in person Finding appropriate curriculum for K thru 4th grade  Pulling in a few more children from the congregation committed volunteers discipline  Activities that aren’t boring Getting to like staying and working from home. Curriculum More kids coming to class Not very people at the church.   We only have 30 and total 37 with kids.   Our church is hurting in many areas.  COVID!!! not a lot of kids working on my own with children between 3 years and 16years all coming from a poor community Finding someone to partner with me For them to understand the basic gospel principles. Reward their effort wor helpers being sick To get the children to attend regularly or rather for the parents to bring them regularly. Not much children attending church  Lack of resources,  Volunteers Irregular attendance Teaching aids Figuring out how to best transition into in person meetups and to get used to the changes again in how things are run Resources, e.g. infrastructure; and volunteers Parents making time to log on to website. covid Competing with school activities and other activities.  ( gymnastics, cheer, baseball,  football,  basketball) it seems that church is the least priority.   prep for storytelling, volunteers to help Funds Resources The government restrictions on our meeting (we are in southeast Asia) Connecting with kids Weather preventing attendance Lack of funds, small numbers Trying to get people to come back to church  We could not add to our numbers. Parents of our youth not helping – the same seniors do everything and burnout has occurred and more seniors have stepped down due to covid. Keeping the children engaged.  Making curriculum relevant for all the children (K – 6) at the same time. Family, friends passing away. (Lots of older members) Enough committed believers to commit to the task of evangelism / children’s work / prayer etc etc Keeping the kids engaged I am only teacher and the age range is difficult to serve each one to their need. Getting families to return to church. not meeting face to face Parents bringing their children to church with consistency Resources, space, lack of volunteers  Getting people to volunteer and then following through parents getting kids to us funding consistent attendance not enough teachers Lack of appropriate teachnology and Wifi access Less participants Attendance and keeping myself motivated  Lack of participation Virtual teaching for the children.  not enough kids 🙁 keeping Jesus at the center and not the fear that the public schools are promoting having enough volunteers and need more opportunities for outreach Having children come to church every week. Keeping the kids engaged  Getting workers lesson plans My kids are not coming at the right time and some attend sometimes. I would be glad if they all attending every Sunday on time. None No staff volunteer Staffing enough volunteers to ensure all classrooms have at least two team members. Finding enough teachers as our ministry to children grows For me it’s the curriculum we’re using. Praying that our leadership will take the time to look into the Sunday School Store.   Attracting volunteers. Previously all of our volunteers were elderly so have decided not to come back. getting kids and their parents to come to Church Fluctuating restrictions and the transmission of virus causing confusion and concerns of gathering, since we are not online. getting people to come to church Attendance Getting volenteers Time of preparation low attendance/shrinking church because of COVID covid and volunteers Lack of involvement from both young people and adult helpers. Need for recruitment. Finding more children  Space, technology  time Not having enough learning materials  Finding new leaders who are called to Children’s Ministry. Too many unexpected things happening. encouraging those families that are out of the habit of church and now used to online Volunteers engaging kids in worship Probably our age groups Follow up with in home visits. Finding ways to keep church time fun, interactive and safe. There are so few. Adjusting to this Covid/Government mess Very few families sporadically and do not see the value of Sunday worship.   volunteers  Kids participating consistently  Attendance Recruiting and finding substitutes for lay volunteers; Getting parents to regularly attend an adult SS class…for their own growth and because our PK-6 kids can’t drive themselves. Finding dedicated volunteers and family commitment Breaking in small groups and having more volunteers  Keeping the Bible presentations fresh and exciting. Having no team to brainstorm with.  Outside activities, lack of enthusiasm while enduring the COVID seclusion and quarantining, illness in family, other struggles in our family’s lives Covid- Not meeting in person Covid Helpers & teachers Getting the children to show up. If parent don’t attend, then the children also will not be in attendance Behavior Volunteers – the ones we have are wonderful, we just need more  Not enough volunteers Getting our children there. Families are unchurched. numbers Inconsistent attendance from families.  Each days lesson need to be complete and stand alone, because they may not experience the others in any given series.  COVID taking people out (teachers and children) Need more volunteers  COVID not having enough children attending and not enough volunteers Getting back into the swing of things COVID19  Very few kids are coming to the church Lack of volunteers, lack of support from leadership and staff, unreasonable/unsustainable expectations, burnout. Bringing in and keeping families. Volunteers with the ability/skills/desire to teach/interact with the kids and not just “be there” Evangelization  Getting the parents to bring their kids to the ministry. getting all the kids…. consistently knowing how many children will show and staffing volunteers appropriately The parents  I need to be grounded in prayer and moving forward in trust.  In terms of ministry staffing, we need genuine prayer warriors who will also be able to serve in-person/virtual teaching classes. The cold weather Holding kids’ attention Trying to keep their attention  Figuring out ways to connect with the kids/families who are NOT attending on Sunday mornings. We are looking at other options, such as a Sunday evening gathering (parents WITH their kids) possibly every Sunday night with dinner or once a month. Are forming a planning team who will help discern how we move forward. helpers Wide age range  consistency We have a very very small number of children with language/translation barrier as well as age differences.  3 out of 7 can barely speak or understand English and sometimes it is hard to deliver the message because I see blank expressions. Reaching multi age groups. The children l am teaching have different age group Getting kids to read the Bible for themselves.  Try to incorporate more children to church Seeing children quit and parents not making the go to church. Finding crafts that are fun and interesting for teens (my students LOVE doing crafts!) volunteers and space Teach with mask on.  getting out to invite more children to attend. Attendance choosing the right curriculum better craft ideas needed,  involving children Learning how to work with a child who is very self-willed, which makes it difficult for the other children (and myself). Not enough time to teach the lesson and do a fun project. volunteers our current space doesn’t allow for growth so our numbers are dwindling fear of some parents and budget Meeting safely and consistently Getting volunteers and creating new programs to reach the children who do not attend in person anymore. I miss the kids and my co teachers time – Sunday school time is so short Reaching out to kids in my community  attendance when we go virtual facilities and materials Keeping myself and others focused and on fire for The Lord We are a small church, but we want every child to feel special with a class.  Our class is combined ages. Getting kids there on a consistent basis. Attendance is poor  Parents not bringing children to Sunday school Helping children to remain focus on Zoom Is to find mature and permanent Sunday School Volunteers Volunteers and money for resources  Holding kiddos attention and finding good lessons Low attendance Finding volunteers Our congregation is really hanging on by a thread. We only have 2 toddlers who come out every week (I use your materials for my toddlers but differentiate it to make it more compact for them) but their ages are 2 years old and 5 years old and a 3 year old here and there. The age gap definitely makes it difficult to keep all 2-3 toddlers on the same page. Consistency due to COVID concerns.  Obtaining new members and children. Being the change I want to see in the world Parents are lazy to get back to church and kids lose out Our biggest challenge is putting leaders in place and getting parents to volunteer lack of volunteers and fatigue There is one adult only working currently with children’s church.  It is a challenge when the ages of the children vary greatly.  For example, when in a total of three children present, two are in elementary school and one is only four. 



Sometimes not enough time for a longer message.
Getting children to worship and know God’s word. Need more volunteers to help with the children/although it is getting a little better Getting parents to bring their kids to church and our session allowing in-person events Size of our group – very small  volunteers Lack of volunteers and resources  Getting people from living in fear. Attendance  Attention span of Pre-schoolers.. and their being selfish to one another.. not wanting to share Not having resources to teach finding volunteers to help

If you could message yourself 2 years ago (before COVID) what encouragement or advice would you share?

Its gonna be rough but don’t give up! No clue.  Hang in there  Pray harder about the future YOU NEED TO ASTAY ON THE BALLS OF YOUR FEET, KEEP ADAPTING, THE STRATEGY WILL CHANGE< BUT THE MISSION IS CLEAR. Stay focus Don’t stop! Keep the Sunday school going  Don’t allow yourself to get disconnected even for one day— the Body of Christ depends on each other.  Trust God through the process always To remember that my job is to prepare and teach, it is in God’s control who comes. No matter how many, even if only one child…I still teach to the best of my God given best. Gods word can always be taught no matter what’s going on in the world  Just keep doing the good work To have kept things as normal as possible. Keep giving your ministry to the Lord and keep in touch with everyone, weekly stand in your faith, when you do that, keep standing in your faith! Reminder God is in control of all things.  And through Him all works together for His good  keep looking up and look for how to love others in whatever ways are permitted Flexibility is good, not a weakness. Be flexible and find ways to equip the parents in the home more Wear your mask – remember God is in control There’s a storm coming.  Brace your self  but be bold and steadfast in your faith.  Whatever debris comes your way-don’t worry about it. Just stay with the ship, because it’s moving forward!  Thank you God for being so good and faithful to me. Retire while you’re still happy. My advice would be to step outside the box and be more creative!  Comfortable isn’t always a good thing. Keep going God is in charge Don’t give up! God is Always there! Be as creative as you can with your families and kids. Times are changing, let’s get used to digital  you’re not alone-ask for help Stay as consistent as possible. Utilize social media and send texts to check on families frequently.  Pray there is no one right way to do things. You can be flexible and still share the message faithfully We should have used the virtual platform earlier. Be patient.  Hang in there and enjoy the opportunity to be creative and try new things.  If they don’t work, that’s OK! Get through it, life will eventually get back to normal Let your love show to all you meet. Stay the course.  Get up to speed on modern technology Nothing so do important that it can’t stop. God carries on even if everything else doesn’t.  Keep at it…don’t give up….our children need us teachers more than ever. God is in control!
God is  bigger than what is going on. His Word will not be silenced.  Yes, you do need to broken your virtual presence  Pray more for students to handle adversity/uncertainties in life Perseverance is key.  Be honest and stick to the scriptures, the Holy spirit will give understanding! Get contact information of the families with kids so that we could stay in contact with them I would encourage myself (and other Children’s Ministries Directors) pray more as I have come to realize this is God’s work. It does not depend on all the energy I can possibly muster up–we are dependent on God to do what only He can do in the hearts and lives of the children in our ministries. “Listen to your gut. Trust God and follow the guidelines.” which is pretty much what I did but constantly worried I was making the wrong decision.  Continue to encourage parents and support them as they attempt to take on parenting and education of their children from a Biblical perspective just keep going, work with the restrictions.  the hardest part was the restart.  We must trust the Lord in all things, fear not He will never leave you nor forsake you Take a deep breath and know it will work out. Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry Be prepared for anything. Don’t worry.  Continue to share God’s Word with your students in any way you can, even with the restrictions that might be place upon you! Just keep doing the next right thing and look for opportunities to share and hopefully draw in some more kids. We have lots of parents who have no home church with kids, so trying to think of ways to draw people in. Set boundaries, chase after God as you never have before. Don’t take anything for granted. Take joy in the little things. Find unique ways to connect with people. Don’t beat yourself up all the time.  to be more thoughtful on how to contact our little ones That I wish I spoke up two years before that.  Keep the faith we will get thru this Pray for direction and the best of your ability be applied to each lesson for each child One step at a time Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Plan to have lots of work saved to do one on one to help our kids catch up.  retire and run away – can’t take much more pain and loss God blesses your attempts no matter how small or big. God is in control!  His plans & ways are better than ours. Things will turn around. People will come back. It won’t look like this forever. God is working THROUGH this! Keep it simple I wasn’t a teacher 2 years ago, Nora did I see myself becoming a children’s teacher.  Keep strong and persevere. Have a verse to meditate on.  Trust your gut You will find ways to reach out to the absent children and keep them involved in God’s work.  Reset and take baby steps day by day Be prepared for the unexpected.  No matter what, God is in control.  Keep preparing to teach; learn as much as you can. Make better connections with those who are gifted in technology. be faithful in serving and God will remain faithful as well Keep your head held high and clean clean clean. You got this! DON’T GIVE UP!!!!! Hang in there. This too shall pass! Enjoy it now!  No, seriously, I’d have said, ‘buckle up – you’re in for a bumpy ride.’  If you would have told me in September of 2020 that 2021-22 year would be tougher, I’m not sure I would have stayed on board.   God is on the throne.  Nothing that happens is a surprise to him.  Rest in him. He is the only one who can give us peace through all situations.  He loves us so much! stay calm. Be flexible. Gods got this. He will lead and protect you  A closer realtionship with families that work both ways. Continue with your thoughts of a new way to teach. Stay focused. Slow and steady just stay consistent  Don’t give up remember Jesus has entrusted these children to your care. He knew this was coming and will see you through it.  Be flexible and creative. Think outside the box. Learn new skills to accomplish your goals. Don’t let discouragement overwhelm you. Keep praying! Get ready for big disappointment.   Keep praying! Attendance on a regular basis The Lord used this, hang in there Do not stress about making decisions as to whether to meet or cancel.  Make a decision and be okay with it.  Keep trusting the Lord and He will make straight your paths. Remember that all that you do and teach these kids about Jesus will make their future a better place. Church is always open in some form or another.  We are here to share the word of God.
This is unprecedented  Restructure to have families to worship together in the pews then have a family Sunday School afterwards/ middle hour. Reach out to as many peers as you can. They intimately know exactly what you are going through. Stay in touch with families!! It is way harder to bring them back after they have stepped away. Don’t give up Hang in there, GOD is still in control! Trust God, He has got this BE SURE THE KIDS REALLY UNDERSTAND THE STORIES AND TEACH THEM TO BE STRONG IN THEIR FAITH It will all be ok Never underestimate what God can do for us, through us and with us. God is always with us! Be Still, Know GOD will carry you through! keep doing what you have and also with the outreach to the kids Be patient – things will work out Trust the Lord.  Learn how to use technologies like Zoom and others Hey, it’s gonna get rough but hold on. Keep teaching. This world is going to need you. Don’t compromise.  Rom.28:8 Get out while you can  Take the job as the door greeter or you will get stuck with the kids! I’ve been in ministry for about 35 years so I’ve seen lots of ups-and-downs in ministry. I’ve learned to just be faithful to what He’s called me to do…no matter what is going on in the world. Enjoy life in whatever state you are in. Don’t allow yourself to feel stressed by taking all the responsibility on your shoulders. We are the family of God & as such are all responsible for teaching young people about our faith. You are smart enough to learn to use Zoom to do Children’s Church. Don’t freak out when you and one other person are the only ones who volunteer for children’s ministry.  There are tons of online helps & Dollar Tree will be a good friend! Always remember that God is still in control  Invest time in your leaders now because you never know when they will leave You are going to take on teaching Sunday School.  Declutter and simplify your life so you can put the time into teaching Sunday School that you are going to need to do a good job! Just keep on keeping on Don’t focus on numbers or who is not in Kids Church, pour your heart into ministering to those who are there. Be strong, be brave and Bold and trust Be ready to pivot at all times for the sake of staying connected with the kids stay safe follow what your doctor says  Hang in there. These kiddos need you more now than ever.  Keep going. Keep looking to Jesus! Keep the faith, God will take care of us Know that you are about to walk throgh the valley of death but God si with you Remember for WHOM we do this (for the kids and their families to come to know Jesus) You are adaptable.  To keep teaching the Bible lessons to the fullest.  Be patient with my children and understand each child grows and learn at their own pace. Learn to be innovative  God has a plan for us. Keep doing what you are doing and add more games. get people online immediately, so that they are used to it and don’t disappear during a shut down. that’s when we lost most people. Keep doing what you’re doing. You will find your bearings! And children’s ministry *is* really important and valued by the congregation – they just don’t know it yet!  keep on keeping on. Prepare children more in faith messages Don’t be afraid to try something new It’s going to be okay, just breathe God is in control, trust him and remain faithful Keep at it! Hang on, God’s is in control! Stay strong and be liquid, able to adapt  Be prepared, but not scared Take advantage of in-person  interaction with children, utilize  crafts and games as much as possible simple is best Find a way to meet in person at all times. Keep doing what you are doing. It matters – even if one kid receives Jesus as their Savior – it all matters!
Use your “down time” at the beginning of the pandemic to do the things you never have time to do.   Let the kids be more involved in the operation of the ministry. Allow worship leaders and group leaders to help motivate other kids to take part of worship and lessons. Let them be participants throughout the lessons, not just observers.  To put your faith and trust in Jesus pray Keep your eyes on Jesus – let the peace that passes understanding guard your heart and mind. Never give up! Every child deserves to hear the gospel, and God will put the right  child in the right place!! Stand strong in God and don’t get weary. Put out more flyers for the future generations to let them know we are still here and ready! Hang in there.  Don’t stress. God will get us through this Stay consistent that all the hard work you are doing now is going to pay off Jesus will come back one day and this will all be over and we will be with him, maybe before Covid ends God has put you here, be strong and confident that he is in control Just do it! Masks and vaccines are not new.  The rest of the world uses them as needed. Stay calm. to stay focused on God’s plan and not mine God is in control and His Will will be accomplished- keep the faith  Be flexible, the joy of the Lord will sustain you Give it all to God…He works miracles daily. Use the physical bible Make it adjustable and fun Try to get everyone locked in better  Trust God!!  teaching/loving Children is GOD’s gift…keep doing it whether there is 1 child or a room full for the glory of GOD alone Hang in there, and keep showing up Trust God and keep going.   Be determined to get the job done Our God is in heaven and He does what He pleases. (PS 115.3) Don’t stress He is fully in control.  Do not quit meeting in person. Be adaptable and don’t give up Go for it you can do this We did not have a elementary program at all!  Our congregation is aging and we do not have children who attend our church. Pray for the kids families. You can never pray too much! Hang in there and trust God through it all! All you can do is your best. It’s for His glory. Endure and don’t be afraid  Hang in there and remember, when the going gets  tough, the tough get going! live as if tomorrow never comes, love unconditionally and stay safe Stay strong in God’s Word  Keep going be consistent  Keep going God is with you Be faithful and touch base weekly with families Stay focused on your mission.  There is always a message available to me from God for my next teaching moment.  The message is awaiting my activation!  Go spread God’s messages. Don’t panic. Seek God for ways to stay engaged with families, children, youth but do so from a place of peace not panic.  Incorporate virtual elements earlier  Focus more on the unreached. Stay the course! Keep the faith and ask the Holy Spirit for help Christians in every generation have faced many different kinds of challenges. Stay in the Word for yourself; teach the Word faithfully; trust God utterly. Jesus is always building his church. Jesus will win in the end. To  keep on trying  and never give up! It gets frustrating at times but God will get us through this! carry on with a smile Kids are very adaptable, they will adjust, just stay positive!  Even if only one child comes, you are reaching and teaching that one child Live the ones you’re with!  Jesus is still right there! It is worth it. Relationship are key. God frist then other programs and filming are a side issue.what you do is enough because you do it from a place of Relationship. Persevere- went through not only Covid but church split and plant Take as many breaks as you can Be faithful and trust God. He is still in control even when things seem out of control. Prepare to connect in a different way.  Learn tech!  Don’t be afraid to change Hang in there. God is still in control, He knows what is going on and He will help you during this difficult time.
It’s  okay to be flexible and everything doesn’t have to be perfect! Don’t be afraid to reach out to your team Be flexible.  Covid has MADE us think outside the box which is very good. It will pass. Follow what God is leading you to do Keep better spiritual contact with leaders Please bring your child to Sunday School. We have a great time and share some wonderful lessons. No idea Learn about new technology and ways to communicate outside of the box. Pray Pray Pray! God always provides Pray harder. Never take life for granted. Do all you can with the resources to help people/children. No one can see tomorrow Keep my eyes on Jesus Be patient & be proactive! (I think we did a good job at that.) Better technology resources for on-line kids ministry.  God will make a way Although the same kids don’t attend every week, I can review and catch them up on what they missed.  Review is even good for the one that attended. So keep hanging in there. Faith not fear – GOD is in charge The faithfulness of God is big enough to face any challenge, discouragement or change that may come our way. Isaiah 54:10 Just keep studying and preparing Don’t be discouraged. Hang in there Remain faithful gather as many resources as you can -it will be a long haul Advice would be to start teaching my own children like I was their Sunday School teacher.

Encouragement – it won’t be like this for long, enjoy your time as a family. Don’t forsake self care as time is spent developing a body of believers to be more than consumers. Model a healthy balance of giving to others while also receiving for oneself. Yes, being a giver is important, but communicating the needs and the great benefits that come from sharing the work is just as important to the health of the body and it’s ministry.  “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you faint not.” Keep going. It’s all going to work out according to God’s good plan.  pray-pray-pray  God is in control Just keep being faithful. Pray more! Stay the course, trust in His plan and provision Trust in God, stay strong, He will provide everything you need There is purpose on the upcoming changes. Just be patient. Dont give up. Do not be afraid of what happens next God will take care of it. I was a worship leader in GA when Covid started, we moved summer of 2020 to my hometown in Louisiana where I became a Children’s Ministry Director that Thanksgiving. I would tell myself: be flexible, be ready for anything, stop demanding perfection from yourself and making excuses for others dropping the ball, and don’t feel bad when you tell someone you can’t do something. be patient! Be intentional about building relationships with kids and families- they want to know you care about them and that they are valued. Even little things mean a lot! Don’t give up Focus more on relationship building with parents & students Stay strong – God is bigger than COVID!  Take one day at a time and do the best you can. Children are our Mission Field. Never unestimate  the ministry Prepare the hearts of the congregation for essential ministry and not the production and tv ministry. I would teach how to be resilient in faith when things around you are changing psalm 91. In other words do not bend to trends and teach what looks good on a graphic or can be said as a slogan but teach the hard texts the real gospel the reality that if we desire to live godly we will suffer persecution. I would say be the church even the more. Lastly, I would encourage mentorship in the body so no one feels alone. Dont stress about the perfect anything, see the moments that are heart changers and keep that the focus.  Im trying to do that now! Stop doing it! As you don’t get the support from the church elders that you need Be Creative!!! setup for and learn to use tech to reach families (still trying to save up to purchase a few items to keep up); get your contact list, outreach plan and follow-up plan in order and up-to-date Hang in there and wait on God to show you the way to go. Don’t quit.  Hang in there. Keep you eyes on Jesus and be deaf to the noise around you.  Don’t give up keep sharing the faith God will provide You got this. Just remain focused on what you’re called to do and God will work everything else out.1. Stay the course, trust God Set up electronic giving NOW Be flexible  Just try your best to be there for the kids. It’s going to get rough for a short period. God didn’t promise us a life free of problems here on earth. Stay faithful to God and continue to trust Him and His plan and stay on your knees in prayer! Our God faithful! And promises not to leave us but to help us and grow us.  Choose people, put more effort into connection and less in preparation. Volunteer  I would have said continue to do what you are doing to reach those kids.   Trust God with all your heart Do not grow weary, you are not alone. Keep up the good fight and keep practicing balance  Everything in the world changes but God is the same just keep doing what God wants you to do at this moment do it for him! No matter what happens,  God is in control and he will make all things possible  One is important  Children were good. Now fallen on sin  Steadfast prayer, stay positive and don’t relinquish any ground to the enemy. This is not ending as quickly as you might hope for.  however you deliver your lesson, children’s pique and interest level is all that matters Never take for granted how easy this is sometimes Joshua 1:9,  Remember all the ways that God has worked in my and others’ lives. Don’t count on growth in the ministry.  It’s okay to only have one child.  Keep your eyes on the Lord and be less dependent on what others think. Be firmer about dealing with attitude problems in myself and in the leadership ranks. IDK Stay with the teenagers Keep going & don’t back down.  God is needed so much with all the loss of hope people have!  Teach more strongly that His word is the truth in this world of many untruths Stay the course. Trust in the Lord and not lean on my own understanding.  Always remember Matthew 18:20…and get a haircut right now Do it!  You are reaching the children and will help to build a foundation for new families Get care structure in place and stay on it! Keep it small and personal. Which is how I work anyway. I’m born and raised in the small church. Just need consistent volunteers with the same passion. God entrusted me small things and he will entrust me with bigger things Keep the faith  enjoy more times with the kids  Use this time to do all of the projects you normally don’t have time to do. Organize and update your spaces.  Clean up your digital files. Keep learning new things, this is a new culture we are living in.  The Lord is doing something new!  Lean into it. Hang in there! Do not give up God can do anything. I will not take anything as granted.  In the end, you will not just be fine; you will be better. 
My personal motto is:  When God closes a door, He opens a window BUT it is still hell in the hallway.  You are stuck in the hallway so get up, buttercup, and move to the window that God just opened for you.   Keep pressing forward. God provides sufficient grace with his assignments.  Teach children as if this is your last opportunity for them to know the Gospel! Relax and just love and enjoy teaching. These children are longing for love and God’s Word Ministry is versatile. Stretching and growth is possible stay the course and do not grow weary Trust that everything is going to be ok Find millenials to join the team who love being creative with online platforms! Hang in there. We will get thru this together Have Faith Change is coming. But change changes constantly. Be flexible  Remember even if one child finds their path that that’s enough. Every little thing you do for them is appreciated  Get phone numbers, addresses and friend all children and their parents on Facebook. Stay connected to the youth during the times of government church closure. The loss of this connection will result in the “easiness” of not returning to class, especially in our Jr – Sr classes. The parents will become complacent during this time and returning their children to class will not be a priority. Children’s ministry is alive and well. Kids are on fire for Jesus make the most of the pandemic Keep going dont get bullied into teaching again 25 years is enough Be not weary in well doing. prepare yourself for a marathon not a sprint, find faith resources for families to use at home Be strong and courageous. The Lord is in charge=I don’t have to be. Always remind myself that children are a gift from God and that he wants us to be like them. Trust in the Holy Spirit to be with the children and families that the resources you provide are really used and valued. Keep doing what the Lord wants you to do, and leave the results to Him. Continue being faithful in what you are called to do  None  There is a season for everything.  Study what they means and what that might look like. Make your lessons interesting and show children being a Christian is fun. I would tell myself to keep going – don’t give up.  Have faith and give it to God. Think out of the box for connecting with kids– make lessons relevant to what’s going on in their lives. think out of the box Be ready and equip electronically and creative!  keep updated contact information and records, really I don’t thank there was anything to prepare us for COVID’s isolation Keep on trusting the Lord and ensure that all the children are fully aware that Christ is always there for them just go with it, the Holy Spirit will take over and handle it Remember to get your exercise and pray without ceasing. Dont sweat the small stuff , connection is connection we have been online 2 + years really had a hard time not being in person with children. They bring an energy to the whole church.  Don’t assume it is just going to be a month or so, start reaching out as soon as in-person programming is cancelled. Keep it up. The kids need you & encouragement to get through this! Have faith be patient Sunday school,is always going to be important. To our church.  make the best you can with God’s guidance…when a door seemed closed He shows another
that’s open! TRUST GOD all will be well Keep going Get creative with your ministry.  Start thinking outside of the box.  How can you continue meeting the needs of your kids without being face to face Joshua 1:9…don’t lose hope! God is with us!  Trust in God and make connections however you can Wash hands more Even if you have just 1 child to teach , their little soul is well worth the effort!  patience…this too shall pass; the kids need to keep see loving, positive people/adults Don’t spend the money we did at that point,
Make sure the congregation knows and believes that God is good and to trust in Him Learn how to use multi media software and cameras Just take it from week to week…….it’s going to be ok!  God has you covered!!! The harvest is ready, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  last 2 years has been a land of opportunity to offer the hope of Jesus to a lost world.  Enjoy it  It will all be alright, Have faith!
Be even more patient. Keep moving forward  Trust God and Listen to his guidance through the Holy Spirit Teaching our children how to accept Christ and understand His love is most important. Let’s keep this momentum going and educating our children Living by faith, not by fear Keep your eyes on the Lord and you won’t be tossed to and fro on every wave in the storm.  Stand faithfully and keep pouring into God’s youth.  Hang in there! Trust God.  You and your ministry will flourish  Jesus said, “I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her!” God starts with us today.  Yesterday has been used by Him and He also uses our past experiences to build onto but not necessarily stay with. Need to adapt to present circumstances    Be flexible Good question, probably be ready to learn to be flexible Get ready! Hang in there and enjoy every day and be grateful  Be prepared to step out in faith. Let’s continue hoping in God He will see us through That no matter how many people left due to COVID, our God never left us.  God will provide everything you need. Also, I’d say take this time to learn to hear His voice more clearly.  One day at a time Prepare yourself -families are going to find it hard and will need your support Embrace change Look unto Jesus the perfecter of our faith Heb. 12:2 Stay close to Jesus, pray, listen to Him and do what is necessary now Never give up< the Lord is in control Just keep going and be flexible.  Think outside the box. Never give up, God is in control YOU make a difference. Keep going Trust God to bring the children. Stay in the Word and teach the children by  reading together. Always apply the Bible lesson to their everyday life experiences.  Be still and brave. You will have a long season pivoting and creativity ahead of you and will be called upon to rethink your approach to every single element in your ministry. But take heart, God will almost immediately begin to blow your mind with silver linings and unexpected blessings throughout all the craziness and it will keep your heart encouraged along the way. You will come out the other side humbly realizing that you were a part of the start to a new era in your church’s children’s ministry.  Continue preparing and never give up. Keeping allowing God to working in all situations.
,  Be flexible! Keep serving God and His people no matter what! keep going God is growing his church from the bottom up again.Prepare for the influx of families he will send. Hmmm you are loved If God leads you to it He will provide  Do what  you can now. Life can change suddenly. Work while it’s day. No matter what happens don’t give up! GOD is always with you.

Don’t rely on your own strength for ministry, believe in GOD for he can make a way. He is a waymaker. Press into the teachings of our Rabbi Jesus  Faith over Fear Keep on working with children and their parents  Stay close to the Lord no matter what comes! There is a committed fellowship of people willing to help Hang in there, the children still to need to learn how much God loves them and how He will always be there for them. Be flexible and don’t worry about having to do things in a different way.  More support of our parents. Be strong and courageous – this too shall pass Stay flexible and be willing to try anything that might work to get the gospel to kids. Stay faithful and strong because it’s about to get crazy. Time to press in and rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit more than ever.  God is still on the throne and in control. Do not fear or be dismayed for God is with us.  Start thinking outside the box Time is short; be faithful and persevere in spreading the gospel Keep on keeping one. Always have more copies than you think you will need for extra students and plenty of material to last 45 minutes. Be willing to be totally CREATIVE Not to be on spiritual complacency despite of what’s going on…remain steadfast in serving the Lord. Online will work and the ministry will even grow, even though it will be hard during lockdown with a much smaller ministry team and different ways of connecting with children and families. Always be prepared and resourceful  Don’t stress over all the stuff you need for teaching and how you can afford it, but rather focus on the impact you have on the kids and how you are teaching them about Jesus and His amazing power and love for them. Also don’t forget to love on them, some of them need it more then you will ever know God will make a way for you and you got this. Never give up. Never be discouraged.  You got this dude Have multiple resources for connecting with the children and there families. Keep good records so you will be able to contact families and continue to support them through good and hard times.  One of the Christian virtues is perseverance and this challenge is requiring perseverance from us! Remember you never know what is going on in someone else’s life.  Be patient, be kind, depend on the Lord to give you the grace you need to deal with not only the children but their parents, too. Be patient, don’t be surprised by a lack of not having enough help.. starting over is ok…  repeating  previous lessons… is perfectly fine  We should learn to develop a personal relationship with God You should have done more for the children. Find a way for evey child to have an electronic tablet and internet. Tha Have faith in God This too will pass, With God, All things are possible!!. Trust God   He’s in charge.  Keep going  To be diligent and steadfast to grow and encourage the people Speak children honestly give examples be patient with them, understand that everyone comes from different upbringing  Go with the flow! No one thing has to be forever, don’t be afraid to change things up. And don’t be afraid to ask for help when you are stuck.  Just trust in god Despite the few numbers keep going. keep moving and praying Keep pressing on towards the Heavenly throne.
!  KEEP ONKEEPING ON Keep your focus on what matters most . Don’t give up it will be worth it We learn to teach with what we have and it doesn’t take a whole lot. One thing at a time…do the next thing well Get ready ahead of time Read your BIBLE and pray every day.  Do not judge others; love and pray for them. Find ways to equip families and individuals for at home discipleship. It’s only a short hiccup. Keep going. We are going on with online services   Keep up with everyone and be persistent with your youth and youth leaders to continue with classes even on zoom Build more classes for Sunday school  The Lord is faithful! Give thanks! Relax about the loss of events, concentrate on connecting with people and your family Wait for God to come through he will bring more kids  I ll  only give you the number that you can  handle.  Keep God always before you, pray always and keep going, God will give you the strength. With God all things are possible. Continue to pray Get in reg contact with families now Keep going   -God will be with you! Continue to teach. God is on your side!
Stand strong like Daniel did Keep strong, nothing last forever.
You can make it. Keep building relaltionships!
Hang in there and continue being strong. God has us! Hang in there,. God is in control. Start thinking creatively, you will need it! Hang in there and teach directly from the Bible because these students haven’t been taught the basics. (I took over from the last teacher a month before quarantine.) I know you think you can’t do this, but all things are possible through christ, just trust in Him. we began meeting in my home at the on set of Covid because so many churches closed their doors. we have been meeting ever since. I would just tell myself what I told myself, we as believers should never close our doors. We are called to worship and meet together every week if not everyday. this is a different adventure, but God is still in charge and leading us Stay focused on what God wants.  He’ll have everything fall into place in His perfect timing.   Be patient and continue to teach. It is not in the numbers but the message of Christ is being received by the ones that attend. Keep going. , keep praying, believe in an amazing God, and good relationships  breathe and pray you are doing all that you can. To have more fun things to do so I can build relationships  Pray about everything and worry about nothing  Appreciate what you have because it can easily be taken away. Be more positivo and encourage  Keep praying and remember that God is always in control Keep trusting in Jesus our Lord and GOD Keep going and prayer Gid is in control and with you every step of the way  Stay strong.  God will provide a way. Be ready for anything. prayers are so needed Faithfulness Keep up the good work! God has been kind to all of us, let’s keep up the good work  Get as many technology training as possible.  Keep sharing the Word! Remember all things work together for God …( that includes in every circumstance including Covid) In and through and because of Jesus, you can do difficult things!  It’s always been God at work, and not you, so don’t worry about it. Be strong and courageous in the coming days! Keep the faith It’ll be ok I would probably say pray more  I would say, you are going to be surprised at how resourceful you’ll become … and you
are going to become well  acquainted with something called Zoom .  This too will pass, God is still on his throne and He can make all things work together for his good. Buy lots of canning jars and lids. Keep teaching even if 1 shows up Stronger relationships Keep going! Lord will provide for you in every way! Keep moving God’s message always bears fruit Be strong and love harder Nothing can stop the work of God. Depend on the Holy Spirit, believe the word of God and  all will be well. With God all things are possible Things will get better Expect the unexpected! Remember God is in control. do your best with a servants heart of God.   Keep pushing forward. Don’t get discouraged.  Keep going Hang in there! Do what you can to stay connected to your kids.  Be patient and flexible and give yourself grace.   Deepen your relationship with God. Keep going Don’t give up! Keep the Faith Just keep on keeping on Stay focus on God and teach every child the same message of Salvation  Discouragement is not in your vocabulary Presenting Jesus to our children is the most important way we can serve him in these times.  Don’t stop praying, God will orovide it won’t be as serious as they say it is Just be faithful, asking God for creative ways to share the gospel, as the harvest is STILL WHITE! Make everything simple. Be more versatile.  Hang tough… you are helping young people know God.  Keep in contact with the families with a weekly video message Pour into the kids the Word of God, teach them to pray and know that God is always with them. Children still need to hear about Jesus no matter what!! God is in control!! Trust Him. Not feeling very encouraging to be honest Even is one child is worth the all you can give. Keep following Jesus and obey his leading no matter what it looks like.  I’m really not sure…. it’s pretty rough. Just a heads up that it’s going to be rough going for much longer than we ever imagined, and it’s going to take a bigger toll than I ever expected. Just keep praying for the kids, whatever. Stay the course I think I handled it well, stayed in touch, planned ahead, and got back 100% as soon as possible Learn how to reach kids using zoom Their behavior, Attention span has gotten worse since they went a long time without school structure, I would tell myself to get used to have lots of patience  Rejoice in the small successes. Continue praying and know that even one mind/heart that hears the word is a blessing Kids alway come back! Hang in there Oh my…hold on for the ride…I don’t think there’s anything I could say that could prepare me for the crazy, turbulent, road ahead Do more activities that are personalized and contact the children directly (e.g. mailing them Valentine’s Cards) Keep looking UP for guidance from Him. He’s got it in control. Do not fear, but support each other.   God is in control each day and tomorrow is in God’s hand. This is the Lord’s work and it will flourish Stay connected in whatever way you can. Our future mat be uncertain, but God’s love never changes. Just reaching one child each Sunday with this message is a success. Remember the story about helping a starfish on the beach. God was making me a better person.   I told God I needed him and only him.   I also saw how my marriage was falling apart.  I asked that he change my heart to love my husband more and to be a better mom.  I saw God move the huge  boulders out of my life.   Miracles do happen!   Never give up; stay focused and remember that God is always in control and it is going to be all right Try to work with the parent a little more closer. God loves the kids more than you do but still He has has given them  to you to talk about  His  loved son   Pray ,pray ,pray  To keep updated records  There is a bigger picture and a plan in this all. You will connect more relationally with parents and engage more with families Keep your eyes on Jesus Children are very important to God. Make it a point you do your best This too shall end! Keep faith! with the help of the copies that I download, teaching is much better and understandable. Invest in training more volunteers and prepare for a large group of members to join Sunday school It would be to plan lessons early.  Let helpers in the class.  They will learn how to teach by watching you and maybe volunteer sometime. Be open to change, be creative!  How we are growing in faith Great harvest of souls and fast church growth Keep teaching, don’t give up on God because he has not given up on us Keep it up – these kids are continuing to GROW! Stay the Course Love, Love , Love the children and let them know you’re there for them.  Keep going To fight to keep churches open  Remember God is in control! Seek and do everything in faith in all that you do. The children adapt well and continue to be insightful and thoughtful.  You will gain new students!! Hang In there. God will pull you through.  Patience and more prayer. Don’t say yes to everything you are asked to help with keep doing what you are doing No matter what it looks like, stay focused to the mission of making disciples . Two years, ago, I was not in minsitry. (LONG STORY) advice: Be open to what the Lord leads you to do. No matter age, background or previous job. just keep reaching out to the kids  Keep doing what you’re doing don’t worry, God is in control Hang in there, God has this Don’t give up Don’t be worried about learning new technology  Don’t get discouraged! Keep reaching out to the families and keep using your puppet K.J. God remains sovereign  People are scared to attend church since from COVID.  Be patient & loving with the kids…they grow up fast and leave children church Continue to provide a inviting atmosphere, develop good relationships with adults who care and loving kids where they are…just don’t leave them there! 🙂 Don’t let fear stop the body of Christ from meeting together.  Keep going. God is good and all will be well. You’ll have some challenges, but simply rise to them; you’ll never be the same. And never forget, God is with you, always. Don’t get discouraged. God knows everything and He has each and every one of us.  Don’t give up!! Don’t get discouraged, keep creating new ways to worship Just focus to your goal you can do this You can adapt and try new things you never imagined, and God will be with you no matter what circumstances you face. Keep it up     Fear not, God is still with you. It’s of great joy to be with kids  Get ready to go all in on digital and persevere! Keep on doing what you are doing. Pointing kids to Christ! stay strong…God has your back Trust God! Be the leader God created you to be. You aren’t in your position by accident. Stay faithful no matter what. His return is ever nearer.  Do only what God calls you to do and don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. Be PATIENT  To always stay hopeful. Stay strong!! keep planting seeds – God’s word will not fail. Keep praying Don’t be afraid to try something different (i.e., online SS and VBS) and to step WAY out of your comfort zone.  Build a small team to help brainstorm, facilitate, and execute. Trust it will be ok it will pass Pray always Let go of what’s always be done and think outside the box.  Be strong Be strong in the Lord. Don’t give up because God is in control. Keep going; it’s worth it for even one! Keep trusting God Trust in God. Yes, this world sucks, but God has a plan and that plan will not fail you. Attendance has always been an issues, but Covid has highlighted the need to reach our congregation outside of our building. Increased mailings and contact have become a necessity to stay connected. We want the kids to know that we care about them and that they are missed when they’re away. Hang in there!  God has a plan!  Keep up the good work! It always works out.  Keep going Use the “break” wisely
Teach the Bible and have fun and God will help us draw the children! God is good! Do more spiritual and fun activities with children.  Ask this church their definition of “successful children’s ministry” before they hire you. Discuss this and be clear about that. Be ready to heavily rely on God. Go with the flow! You cannot control what will happen tomorrow so live today and enjoy the blessings that will come out of the challenges. Be still and be watchful so you will not be caught not being able to know how to carry on the ministry remotely so I could stay strong to help and to up lift doing this time.  the Lord is still in control Bring your children to learning about Jesus love for them When God says it is time to change, everyone will have to change! Make sure that you are not planning in fear, but in confidence that some parts of God’s plan never change. Focus on those things and keep moving forward. Meditate on Psalm 33:11 and Psalm 20. Keep trusting God and praying for thes “Covid Kids” Pray daily and seek God for guidance  Think of all of the ways that you can reach people beyond Sunday mornings — phone calls, snail mail, thinking of you cards, texts, and value the opportunity to get to know a few people better. Start small — Jesus did! He reached out to 12 disciples and invited them to follow him. You can do the same  🙂 children first Be bold and Courageous! God is with you! Pray more and dedicate yourself completely when preparing for  Sunday school.  Pray for the Lord’s guidance. Keep at it! You may not see the fruit of what you are doing now, but the seed is growing.  To stay faithful to the Lord and to my church family. Do not stop meeting in person Love of God is not just in church. We can worship Him anywhere, but the fellowship at church is in God’s plan also. The Lord is in control and God is always good.  Continue to stay focused; continue evangelism  Just keep doing what you have been doing. It will go away. Keep faith in God, He will see you through, keep the faith so kids can see life can continue and keep church the center and constant in their lives for them so they feel safe and loved. Your volunteers are people not just filling holes. Be brave and make the changes!  There is always a light at the end of the tunnel! ALL things work together for good for those who love God..  God is in control.  Do what you can, let Him do the rest. keep going and keep looking up ! Don’t let fear control you and do the work of the Lord as safe as you can. But the work of the Lord has to go on  Continue to be steadfast in prayer, this is still a transition If only one child attends your program or programs they are so worth it.   Keep planting the seeds. N/A – I wasn’t teaching then Practice breathing through a mask. Do not believe everything on media Plan better the vision to teach the children the word in a more practical way Continue to keep your faith in God, and wait on Him. Things are going to get rough, but continue to trust God and learn to think outside the box Things are about to change, get ready! Stay connected intentionally through shut down Be sure to provide more hands on activities  I see Sunday school is the foundation of bringup ones Christain faith . To know the Christain believes and have trust in the Lord. Sunday is a very key school that taughts how one should grow with and live like Jesus. So that when she or he grows up , they grow with the basic Christain faith and apply these to their works of lives etc… Be Faithful  Continue going. If you only reach or make the difference to one… Just keep going  To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world Train the kids well so that when they exit Children’s church they can transition spiritually nicely to youth group  Stay the course, stay committed and don’t give up. It’s about kingdom building. I would remind myself how important personal contact is to the children.  With the school experiencing face to face shutdowns last year, the children are still hungry for personal contact   Keep on doing what you are doing and/or improvise if needed.
Not sure. One day at a time & what you are doing is good enough! God has it all in control, just trust Him This too shall pass… Be thankful for ONE Do NOT be discouraged.. Feel the JOY even in bad times. See ourselves as GOD sees us.. Listen more and be kinder Trust in God always