The Power of Networking

No man is an island unto himself – John Donne

While this statement is true of humanity in general regardless of vocation, it is yet more true of those involved in children’s ministry. It is so easy to get in a rut, to do the same things over and over and to stop improving when you have no outside influences.

It is the rare person that can see their own missteps and correct them without the help of someone else helping to identify areas requiring attention. We can all be guilty of this tunnel vision, of mindlessly doing the same thing over and over and should we cease to actively seek out others, we would not only fail to get better but would likely devolve into mediocrity. No matter how good you feel you are in a particular area, there are others in which you are weak and which can greatly benefit from the input of others. No one can create greatness on their own… especially in children’s ministry.

As a leader this is even more true. Sadly, there are some that are insecure enough to surround themselves only with those weaker than themselves, that are not likely to challenge their position or question their decisions. A true leader wants the best help possible, preferring those MORE capable than themselves; those that will accomplish the task the best and most efficiently. Great leaders make those around them excel, shoulder the blame for failure and give credit to others.

Networking is absolutely essential for improvement in any area of life. It is a given that you must first of all, “network” with God. This article is not downplaying that most important aspect of ministry but will however focus rather on person to person interaction.

Seeing what others have done and are doing shouldn’t be demoralizing or make you feel like a failure but rather should be inspiring, drive you, and make you aware of possibilities for improvement. Due to the advent of technology, networking can be as local or as broad as you would like, starting with a group within your own church that brainstorms and shares ideas to nationwide conference calls between peers and even internationally shared visions via social media.

Social media has been heralded, and rightfully so, for its many failings which range from time wasting to giving a stage for ignorance and everything in between BUT it does have positives as well. When I look on Instagram and see the successes of other like-minded churches such as kids getting the Holy Ghost, excitement in classrooms and full buses, it makes me want to make our church’s children’s ministry SO much better than it is. It makes me want to work harder, do more and better outreaches, spend more time in prayer and fasting and many other changes.

For the past two years I have had the incredibly good fortune to be tied in with a group of people that are in love with children’s ministry, are full of great ideas, very creative and who continually inspire me with their desire to always do more for the kingdom of God. We have a monthly video conference call using Google Hangouts in which we give each other updates of things we have done, share inspiring stories, resources and ideas and make ourselves accountable to one another with goals to accomplish before the next call.

Time has a way of making one complacent and comfortable but each time I feel myself settling in the “routine” of children’s ministry, one of my contemporaries will inadvertently kick me with an exciting story of something they just did or that just happened and I am galvanized into activity.

We are now starting sub-groups of this core group of conference callers and inviting other people that want to create more of an impact in their cities to join us. The more the better! Imagine the power of thousands of intertwined, apostolic, excited Sunday School teachers, bus workers and helpers all across the nation, working to make one another better! Email me at info@apostolicsundayschool.com to get involved!

Start your networking on a local level. Get a group in your church and sit down periodically to brainstorm. What have we done well? What can we do better? What should we do more of? What should we do less of? What should we start doing? What should we stop doing? You will find that a simple idea shared by one person can be compounded by the thinking of a group and soon a basic concept will have turned into something so much more.

Whatever you do, DO SOMETHING! Network with as many people as you can and shortly you will see a marked difference in your ministry.

There is a saying that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If this is the case, I want to hang out with people that are MUCH better than I am! I want to find the very best and learn from them. I want to find out how they think, how they organize, how they lead and more importantly how they live for God.

I will end this article by condensing it into a couple of bullet points:

• Always try to get better
• Don’t try to do it on your own
• Surround yourself with the best people you can find
• Get linked up with others in your local church and in other excited, Apostolic churches
• Use the advantages of technology to your benefit
• Be inspired by and inspire others

Let’s see a shared revival in children’s ministry!