What do I do if...

     There are all kinds of things a seasoned Children's Minister does without thinking. After years of trial and error, you learn what works and what doesn't work. You learn how to conduct yourself in even the most awkward of situations. Still at times, we all need to be refreshed on proper procedures. Below are a few questions with answers that we provide our new volunteers in the Children's Department. New volunteers are typically our assistants so they are not the main ones leading a class or event at that time. So you might have to interpret the question a little differently if you are the main teacher/leader, but the main information is still correct. 

     Most often, I think we rely on trial by fire or "on the job training" when it comes to our new recruits. We must seek to arm our staff with solutions long before the problems arise. Knowledge provides our children's ministry team with power and confidence. To some, these might seem so basic or even unimportant to cover, but we live in a world where we must be very cautious how we conduct ourselves and lead our departments. This might not be the most inspiring post ever, but I pray the information helps you develop a safe and orderly Kids Department. So here goes!  

What do I do if...

1. A child needs to use the restroom? Take them quietly without disturbing the teacher, lesson or activity. NEVER be in the restroom (or any room) with a child completely alone. Stand outside until they are done (of course you can open the door and check on them every minute or two.) Romans 14:16 tells us to not let our good be evil spoken of. 

2. A child talks out during a lesson? If you are the one teaching, position an assistant to sit next to them. If you are assisting, immediately sit down next to them to help them keep quiet.  Anytime they talk when they aren't suppose to, lightly touch them on the arm or lightly tap on the table in front of them and tell them (nicely) that this is not the time to talk. Be consistent and do this EVERY time they talk out. We want to avoid the teacher having to openly correct the student during the lesson/activity. This gives the student causing the problem the attention they were seeking and disturbs the flow of the class. Any momentum that was being built is lost.

3. A child is sick? We don't want to spread a sickness to other children. Speak with the Kids Ministry leader and let them determine if the student should be taken down to their parents. If the child must be dismissed, make sure the child and parents know that they did nothing wrong and how concerned you are about their health. Tell them you will have the class pray for them and look forward to seeing them next service.

4. A child is crying for their parents? Do whatever you can to distract them from being sad. Get them involved in the games, play with them, talk with them. If after 10-20 minutes they are still crying consistently, bring them to a leader and they will take them down. 

5. A child is violent, or cursing? For most problems that a child cause, I lean on the side of mercy. After all, we want the student to enjoy Sunday School and be present so they can receive what God has for them. Also, we want parents to be able to engage fully in the worship service. When there is violence, profanity or something extreme, we must protect the rest of the students and staff. For violence and profanity, get them out of the class right away and find a main leader.

6. An adult, child (or anyone that's not staff) comes to the children's ministry area? Ask them very nicely and politely, “HI! Who are you looking for? I can help you find them!” Then ask them to wait in the “Lobby” while you find their child. For the safety of all children and staff, we cannot have people wandering the halls.

7. A parent comes to the children's ministry area angry or frustrated? Calmly ask them to wait a moment and find the leader. They will handle it. Please don't ever argue or get in a debate with parents, or the children for that matter. Imagine in every situation where someone is upset or angry that it's a fire. You carry a blue bucket filled with water and a red bucket filled with gasoline. You can either help put this "fire" out or you can make it much worse. Choose to be understanding, calm and apologetic if there has been a problem.

 These are just a few of the countless questions I'm sure that we have each had to answer at some point. I would love your feedback! Care to elaborate on an above mentioned question? Are there any other questions you think I should cover in the next post?