Kids are growing up in a remarkable world. They enjoy unprecedented access to information and entertainment while exploring new frontiers of social justice. For better or for worse the Internet is changing the way children think, care, and connect with others. Kids also live in a world that is spiritually obtuse: tolerance is considered the ultimate virtue, but that tolerance doesn’t extend to Christian morality.

One of the biggest mistakes church leaders make in evaluating their ministry is being satisfied with the items that are the easiest to measure. To measure your ministry success, you must include more than how many show up, how often they show up, if the volunteers stayed at their posts, and if every child that was dropped off was returned to their parent.

If you’re in kids’ ministry, you’ve probably asked yourself what kind of lasting impact your ministry will have after the kids leave your care. Children’s ministry leaders have an incredible privilege, responsibility, and opportunity to influence lives for more years than any other ministry in the church. The ministry received as a child will impact the rest of their lives.