Author: Dr. Val Davidson

Dr. Valerie Davidson has served in Christian education and Children's Ministry for over 25 years. As a writer, conference leader, and co-host of the KidMin with Dr. Val and Dr. Virginia Podcast, she has a heart to equip leaders to engage deeply with the Word of God, teach, and lead with clarity and purpose. Val is a fan of theme parks, Star Wars, the em dash, and the oxford comma and can usually be found with a London Fog writing in a coffee shop.
Administration, KidMin, Preschool Ministry

Help! I’m the New Preschool Minister!

Dr. Val Davidson

Where do I begin…

No matter how much experience or training you may have…that first day in your new office as the director of a preschool ministry will be overwhelming…and it is hard to know where to start. Here are a few tips to get you started whether you have already been doing this for a while or it’s your first week.

Take a deep breath and don’t panic. There is a lot to do but you are only one person and you cannot do everything at once. We usually recommend that you do not make any major changes in the first six months to a year. It is important for you to take a good look at the ministry, evaluate how it works, and get to know your volunteers. Even if you know the schedule may work better a new way or you really don’t like the material and want to change publishers, it will be better for everyone if you move a little more slowly than you would like. Take the time to build relationships and create a team. It will give people a chance to get to know you and see your heart for the ministry. The only exceptions to this rule would be safety and security issues.

Safety and security should be your first evaluation, make sure the preschool hall is as safe as possible. Walk through the classrooms, make sure they are designed for safety. Review emergency policies, check-in systems, and ratios. Confirm that the volunteer schedule provides for at least two adult leaders in each classroom. Take time to research policies for safety and security. Find materials from your denomination leadership, your church’s insurance company, and your state’s guidelines.

Remember that every child – at every age – can learn. Encourage your volunteers to use the material you provide each week. Tape the weekly verses on the walls in the nursery. Schedule training opportunities for your leaders so they can learn how to use the material more effectively. As Preschool Ministry leaders, we are partnering with parents to help lay a biblical foundation for kids to develop a relationship with God. The church must provide age-suitable, Bible based activities but remember that your community is unique. The programs provided do not look the same everywhere. Get to know your families and find how you can best partner with them.

Finally, make your personal spiritual growth and prayer time a priority. You are leading from the overflow of your relationship with Jesus – so it is vitally important for you to make the time to spend in the Word and in prayer that is not connected with preparation for teaching. We believe that when you make the time to spend with God – He provides supernatural productivity to get everything else done.  

The first year of ministry can be a challenge and you may face some resistance when you begin to make the changes your feel are necessary. Never stop learning or listening. Understand you will never make everyone happy…know God called you to this position and trust Him.

Also, you can check out our podcast episode and listen in as Virginia and I talk about where to start when you first begin serving as a preschool minister HERE.

Children's Ministry, KidMinDoctors, Preschool Ministry

We’re Back!

Dr. Val Davidson

When Dr. Virginia and I decided to take a break on posting for a couple of months this summer, we did not realize how much we were going to need it. One of the most surprising things about serving in children’s ministry is just how there is never really time to take a break. We move so quickly from one event to the next. I have heard pastor’s comment on how quiet the church office will be during the summer with so many families on vacation…but that is not the case for KidMin! The events that happen during the summer take more time and planning than any others throughout the year.

Know that even though we have not been posting episodes through the month of June or July, you have been in our thoughts and prayers during this busy time of year. And we are so excited to be back sharing with you. We kicked off our second season with a quick welcome back episode, discussing the events of our summer and doing a little review of lessons learned during VBS. We hope you enjoy our return!!

Administration, Children's Ministry, KidMin, Preschool Ministry, VBS

VBS Follow-Up

Dr. Val Davidson

All of the decorations have been cleaned up, the senior adult classroom is back in order, and the resource room has been declared a disaster area…Vacation Bible School is officially over. Now it is time to move on to the next event and there are many new ones to plan for before promotion Sunday. For children’s ministry, the summer is such a busy time…not only do you have so many immediate activities to plan for, you also are getting ready for a busy fall kickoff. But, before you jump ahead too quickly, make sure you have taken a few moments to follow up on the wonderful relationships you made during your VBS. You put so much time and hard work into making the event successful, don’t miss out on the opportunity to pour into the people that made VBS so much fun!

Hopefully you set some exciting goals for VBS and now is the time to review your strategy for follow-up. Don’t feel like you have to do this all on your own. Put together a team of leaders to help you make the personal connections. Find a few people that were not able to help with VBS. Maybe they were on vacation or had other commitments. Now is the time they can step up and help you thank all of the people that worked so hard during the big event. Work together to create a plan for how your team can make intentional contact with the kids and families that attended VBS.

  • New Visitors: Plan for a personal visit with a gift (be sure to call ahead to set up a convenient time) or make a phone call. Thank the child for coming to VBS and invite the family to come to church on Sunday. Provide information, with dates and times, for your fall/winter events. (Kickoff Sunday, Fall Festival, Christmas Family Event, etc.)
  • Returning Families: Maybe there were families attending VBS that you have not seen on Sunday in a while, make a personal contact. Let them know how much you enjoyed seeing them and invite them personally to small group/Sunday School.
  • Church Families: Make sure you contact each child that is regularly a part of your ministry and thank them for coming to VBS, those who are usually at church every single week. Kids love getting mail, send a card to let them know how much you appreciate them!

Another important contact for you to make after Vacation Bible School is with your VBS leaders and volunteers. Make sure each one receives a thank you, so they know how much you appreciate them. If you have volunteers that do not usually serve in the kid’s ministry throughout the year, consider meeting them for coffee and let them know about opportunities you have for service that you think they would be perfect to fill. You may be surprised by how much they will appreciate being noticed and given an opportunity to be a part of your amazing ministry!!

We put so much work into having a successful VBS and part of what makes it successful is to grow the relationships that were planted during this important time in our church. Don’t allow yourself get so busy that you miss out on the opportunity God has given you to make a genuine connection with your families!

KidMinDoctors

Jumping In!

Dr. Val Davidson

Welcome friends, we are so glad you are here! Dr. Val (that’s me!) and Dr. Virginia met during our doctoral program over ten years ago (Yikes! Time flies!) and combined we have over 40 years (seriously, that many??) of experience in children’s ministry. After graduation we kept in touch, encouraging and giving advice to one another over the years. One day while talking we had the crazy idea to find a way to share some of the lessons we have learned…the hard way…so our friends serving in children’s ministry don’t have to go through the same painful process!

Well, we were not sure what to do so we just decided to jump in! We started by recording some conversations and put them up on YouTube each week. We hoped to get one hundred subscribers so we could have an official channel and were so excited when we reached that first goal. Then we started working hard to learn how to set up podcasts and figure out images and editing and now a website with a blog. We are still learning but our prayer is that our content will be helpful to your ministry.

We are not professional content creators, but we are professional educators that have a passion for teaching children the Bible and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We love helping families make their home a place focused on God and His Word and find ways to share Jesus with their kids.

If you serve in Children’s Ministry in any way, vocationally or as a volunteer, we want to invite you to jump in along with us and join in the conversation each week on You Tube, Spotify, Podbean, or Apple Podcasts and then check in here for some additional information, ministry stories, and advice! We would love to minister to you, where you are!

Here is our first episode where we introduce ourselves (and really had no club about what we were doing) if you would like to check it out!!