Four Highest Priorities of a Children’s Minister

If you are like me, children’s ministry keeps you very busy. So many times, I have found myself in the tyranny of the urgent, putting out fires and moving from one fire to the next. You must have your priorities in order to see success. Here are four priorities that will help you keep a clear focus:

1. Christ: Remember Martha? She was so busy serving the Lord that she forgot what was most important—sitting at the feet of Jesus. “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:40-42, NASB). Jim Wideman shares, “It will really help your ministry if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” Remember what your ministry is all about—Jesus. Make it a priority to spend time at the feet of the Master daily.
2. Your Spouse: Andy Stanley told the story of a ministry change he made at North Point Community Church. He became convicted about his family and wanted to support his wife at home. He went home one day and asked his wife, “What is one thing that I can do to help you here at home?” She said, “Be home by 4 p.m.” During his next church staff meeting, he told his staff that he was going home at 4 p.m. during the work week. God truly blessed his choice and his ministry at North Point. Instead of putting in the extra hours, he went home and invested time in his wife and children. Paul tells us, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her…and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:25, 33b, NASB). Next to Jesus, your wife or husband must be your highest priority.
3. Your Children: Make your children and family a top priority. Ministry is addictive because we often see immediate outcomes. However, there are too many stories of PKs (pastor’s kids) going astray. We must be conscious not to forget our children, but to spend quantity and quality time with them. It is also a biblical requirement of the spiritual leadership of the church to have our households in order (Titus 1:6, 1 Timothy 3:4).
4. Your Ministry: This may seem backwards, but if you truly want your ministry to be blessed, you must have the proper priorities in place to do so. Jesus gives us vision for our ministry. By spending time at His feet, we receive vision and power for ministry. There is an old saying, “If momma ain’t happy, there ain’t nobody happy.” When you put your spouse first and minister to them and meet their needs, it gives you a spiritual freedom to minister to others. If your children are out of control and do not respect you, it will be hard to gain the respect from the people in your church. Take time as a parent to make them and their spiritual life priority.

Finally, when you have your priorities straight, you will see God bless your ministry in powerful ways. With Jesus at the center of the target, it is not hard to love your spouse and family and be successful in all that you do. After 26 years of children’s ministry, I can testify firsthand that this truly works. Dr. Clint May, President L.I.T. Ministries