I began this whole process with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. I wrote down every word that came to mind about what I value in our ministry at Ada Bible Church. No editing. Pure brainstorming. After about five or ten minutes I had roughly 30 words.

I needed one word, and none these were that word.

They were good words, a few of which authors chose as their word. But they weren’t my word.

At the same time I was reading Drucker’s The Effective Executive with my mentor. After reading several chapters, I soon realized that what I was trying to communicate was found in the word Effective.

I love amazing kidmin environments, am a fan of fun and engaging curriculum, and find value in putting on a good show as long as those elements work together and unleash relationships to God and others.

I saw effectiveness as the glue that tied my thoughts together.

I realize that I have to measure some tangible results in ministry. Some aspects demand that widgets be counted: did the tech operator hit his cues on time, were the lyrics spelled correctly on the screen, did the small group leader have enough supplies for all her girls? I know that having those items in place is a sign of being effective in ministry. After all, a good structure unleashes great relationships.

Yet, I keep coming back to this: What really matters in ministry isn’t what’s measurable in numbers; what matters is when kids (and volunteers and families) begin living like Jesus. When THAT happens we’re effective at what we do.

I guess I want to make sure we (including myself!) always remember what being effective looks like in our ministries.

Tune in tomorrow… Some ideas on how we do that.

And if you haven’t yet: download What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry?

~ by danscott77 on 18 May, 2010.

Posted in kidmin, ministry
Tags: amy dolan, children, children’s ministry, children’s ministry blogs, church blogs, church life, church ministry, dan scott, family ministries, henry zonio, kidmin, kidmin blogs, kids, making vision stick, Matthew Guevara, Orange Family Ministries, vision in children’s ministry, what matters now, what matters now in children’s ministry