Fall is hands-down my favourite season.
I love everything about fall – pulling out my sweaters, the pumpkin-spice everything (I realize this is a polarizing topic), and lighting candles in every spare moment (there’s one burning in my house right now).
I also love fall in ministry – it’s the start of a fresh ministry season!
I’m especially excited about fall this year — we are restarting in-person kids’ ministry for the first time in over 18 months, and it feels like a brand new, fresh start.
Depending on where you are in the world, kids’ ministry might be looking a little different.
Some places are practically back to “normal” – whatever that means.
Some places (like us!) are still requiring social distancing & masking in their ministries.
And some of you are still in some form of lockdown and extremely limited.
No matter where you are in the world today, I want to share with you some ideas on how you can start fresh this fall – that are simple, straightforward and surefire.
Get your volunteers excited!
No matter what your fall is looking like, get your volunteers excited and onboard with it! Spend intentional time investing in your volunteers & reminding them of how essential they are to running your ministries this fall. To get things started, here are some ideas:
- Host an amazing volunteer training night! We just used this “Calling All Superheroes” Training from Deeper Kidmin, and it was awesome!
- Get fresh ideas for inspiring, loving and training your volunteers. Consider getting a ticket (it’s free, and also has an amazing paid option!) to this Small Church Ministry Conference (completely online!) coming up in a few weeks. I’ll be taking it in – and I’d encourage you to sign up as well!
- Show your volunteers love. Get them free coffee, yummy snacks, and write them cards to show them how much they matter to you! It will set the tone for your fall – and remind them that the work they’re coming back to (or starting for the first time) is important and matters.
Start things off with a bang!
A great, safe event is an amazing way to start fresh this fall! Getting families back to your ministry with something fun, exciting and abiding by regulations in your area will make them see that this is a place their kids can come this fall and have a great time and feel safe! Here are some ideas:
- Host a Fall Family Night! This is the best event that we host! It is well-attended and gets everyone excited for fall – plus it is so simple. Families have a great time, enjoy each other’s company, and get a chance to sign up for fall programming! We are doing the “In-Person” edition of this event this year, but staggering families in time slots so we can abide by social distancing procedures. We’ve hosted the “Drive-Thru” edition in the past, and it was a blast!
- Make sure your events are organized! Check out this post we wrote last year to make sure you have your events in order and organized. I’m a firm believer that organization shows families that you really care about them and the experience they have at your church.
- Whatever type of event you choose to host, make sure families receive great food, warm reception and an opportunity to spend time together. Taking care in these three elements shows families how valuable they are!
Keep things simple – but powerful!
As you move into the fall months, plan for a fall ministry that is simple but powerful. Make it straightforward for parents, volunteers & kids – that will keep them engaged and coming back. Here are some of our best ideas:
- Think about changing things up by hosting a “Family Night” weekly. This is a great way to get families engaged and have parents involved in their kids’ discipleship! We did this last fall with this Adventures in Babylon series – and it went so well. It also alleviated some of the pressure on volunteers with new COVID guidelines, as parents were responsible for their own kids. I would definitely consider doing this again as a special monthly event.
- Think about community outreach options that get families engaged! Service is such a powerful part of faith. We are already planning for a Glow Night on Halloween (and we’ll be hsaring more details about it in a few weeks!). Make sure that community outreach is an important part of your ministry.
- Don’t forget about your parents. Use a simple take-home strategy that parents will actually use! Whether its through texting a simple question each week, giving parents email reminders or an app, or an easy-to-use devotional, empower parents to win this fall! Here are a couple options from right here at Equip Family:
This fall is a great opportunity to “start fresh” – to keep doing the things your ministry already does well, shift focus to what really matters and engage families! You can do this friends – we are cheering you on!
Later this week, we’ll be sharing some fun, simple ideas on how you can get families engaged and start with a bang – watch our social media and the blog for more!