As I reflect on my children’s ministry journey over the past 20 years, I can recall a laundry list of mistakes that I made. Being a people pleaser, going at it alone, avoiding authentic connections with others, over-relying on family, and the list goes on. But if I could pinpoint one of my biggest mistakes, it would be not sharing my wins.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see how my silence was hurting the very department entrusted to me. In those days, I may have been sitting at the table, but I certainly wasn’t a respected voice at it. This proves true for so many children’s ministry leaders. Too often, our voices are used more to express the needs of our department than the actual wins happening in the department.
Small wins amassed over time help to solidify your reputation and credibility as a leader. Sharing wins with the church staff and other senior leaders help build trust and confidence in your leadership. Conversely, if they have no victories or success stories connected to your credit, the task of convincing them to invest in your idea on an already constrained budget becomes that much harder.
So, if this is true, why are we so quiet about our wins? For some of us, it was our upbringing. Somewhere along the line in our ministry journey, we fed into the lie that sharing our wins was haughty behavior. Others of us are so focused on what isn’t going right in our children’s ministry department that we miss what is. Our anxiety and frustration create scales that blind us to the wins happening right before our eyes.
The little girl who finally came out of her shell and participated
The new worker who signed up to serve in the nursery
The mom who finally got to go into service alone
The first-time visitors who came back the following week
These are all wins that let senior leadership know that there is progress happening under your watch and that you can be trusted with future initiatives. Don’t let your silence prevent you from serving as an effective ambassador for the children and families in your children’s ministry. My point….START TALKING! Remaining silent about your wins in children’s ministry may be setting you up for failure in more ways than one.
What’s one win you can share with the senior leadership team at your church?
For more on this topic, check out my latest book, CHILDREN’S MINISTRY IN CRISIS
