Communicating Your Kids Ministry

This post is from Natalie, who serves as a strategist for LifeWay Kids and CentriKid Camps. She offers some great wisdom on how her work can help you and your ministry!

What comes to mind when you think about communicating your ministry? Who do you communicate it to? How do you do it? And do they get the message? When you have a great ministry you want others to know about it and experience it. It’s not a science, but an art.

Relationships are key. When building relationships with friends, family members, and colleagues, you call them, go to lunch together, drop by for a chat, shoot them an email, or friend them on Facebook. You meet them where they are. You work to build a relationship of respect, trust, and transparency.

It’s more important now than ever to build relationships as you connect with your audience. People want to connect with churches that are authentic. Adults and kids feel connected if they feel known. When they experience for themselves that what you are communicating and providing is authentic, you gain respect and trust. Over time, you gain loyalty.

Use these FOUR TIPS to better communicate what your ministry is all about:

• Know who you want to connect with, and meet them where they are. At CentriKid, we strive to meet our customers where they are through direct mail, Facebook, our blog and best of all—at camp!  If you’ve experienced for yourself that what we communicate about camp is true, then hopefully you’ll want to return to camp. The same is true for families in your church.
• Learn the best vehicle for communicating to kids and parents. Look for ways to spread the word to those who have not yet experienced it themselves.  When communicating CentriKid we stress what you can always expect at our camps: solid biblical content, kid-friendly programming, and ministry through relationships. However, the best advertisement we have is our church leaders who have experienced camp themselves. Many leave camp talking about it, and more people want to experience it as a result. Give your kids and families an experience they can’t help but share with others!
• Spend time listening to your audience. They provide feedback, and you make changes when needed. We discover what kids need and what kids ministers need at CentriKid by asking the source—our church leaders. We build relationships. Then we apply what we learn, and we communicate it to our audience.
• Build relationships. Respect and trust will grow as a result. As you communicate your ministry, your kids and parents are spreading the word too!

Remember, it’s an art! Please share your thoughts on communicating your ministry. Any ideas that work well for you?