“It might not be new, but it can be clean!” are words that I remember hearing from my pastor. We had been talking about our Kids Ministry space and I was sharing how I desperately hoped our church would soon decide to build a new Kids Ministry building. He asked me to take him on a tour of our current space and as I did I would talk about how “nasty” the current space was. Following the tour his pointed comment cut deep.
I love clean space but I don’t always love the work and effort it takes to get it clean. For me, if it’s not fun I’m less apt to get the work done. So, here are some fun ways to “clean up” your ministry area:
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Share the joy. Don’t do it alone! Everything’s more fun with a friend so don’t think cleaning has to be your job, accomplished alone.
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Plan ahead. Schedule (well in advance) a time when your team (everyone who uses the space) comes to help out. The most used excuse will always be “I have a calendar conflict.” Do your part to make sure everyone has this important date on their agenda.
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Join a larger effort. Many churches have success with “church-wide” clean-up days. Join the larger effort and reap the benefit of a church-wide push.
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Give options. You’ll never be able to get all your volunteers together at the same time so why not offer some options. Schedule a Spring Cleaning Week where the church is open and supplies are available several times during the week.
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If you feed them they might come. Plan your clean-up time around a meal (or two). Have a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning followed by a couple hours of intense cleaning. Serve sandwiches at lunch and offer a break during the middle. Don’t let hunger drive them back home.
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Consider child care. If your leaders are primarily parents of young children you might need to consider offering child care. Parents can’t concentrate on cleaning if they’re running behind their kids who are messing up.
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Provide the resources necessary. Make sure your volunteers have what they need in order to complete the task. Buckets, cleaning chemicals, rags, trash bags and receptacles, vacuum cleaners, brooms and mops … need to be readily available. There’s nothing more frustrating than coming to work and not having the tools you need to complete your goal.
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Make it fun! Nobody wants to clean (at least most of us don’t). Create ways to make it fun. Play active, fun, and LOUD music in the area where volunteers are cleaning. Offer rewards for the oldest piece of curriculum found or to the person who finds the most dried-up markers. Play a scavenger hunt for specific items to be discarded.
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Eat the elephant one bite at a time. If the goal is too big folks can get overwhelmed. Consider breaking down large tasks into multiple smaller tasks. You might need to start with one room instead of the whole division.
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Motivate them with rewards! Often times we hold on to our trash because it’s all we have. Help volunteers know that if they trash items that are no longer any good you will replace them with new.
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Appreciate your volunteers. The truth is few are motivated by a candy bar with a cute saying attached, but we all very much want to be appreciated. Find a way of appreciating your volunteers for helping. Give those who help a small gift, a written note, or public recognition for their hard work and extra time.
I’ve learned to appreciate my pastor’s assessment. Most of us will never know what it’s like to walk into brand new Kids Ministry space but, we can all walk into clean space — every week!
What ways have you found to involve folks in cleaning and providing your kids with the best space possible?
Since 2003 Bill Emeott has served as a Kids Ministry Specialist for Lifeway. His passions include childhood ministry leadership training and development, leading children’s Bible Study, and being an Uncle! Bill has been teaching children at First Baptist Nashville for ten years.
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