Building and Leading your Kids Ministry Team
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Jul 23
- 8 min read
I remember when I became the leader of a Kids Ministry at the young age of 24. I suddenly felt like I had no idea what I was doing, even though I already had years of experience and a degree in Youth Work. I still felt out of my depth at times. Nobody teaches you how to actually build and lead a team of volunteers for Sunday school...
Now, years later, I'm writing this post to help others who are in that same position I was in. It doesn't have to be that difficult! When it comes to building a Kids ministry team, there is a lot I wish I knew before I started.
Kids ministry is a beautiful calling one that happens best when we walk it alongside others. The volunteers you gather aren’t just helpers; they’re part of a family, sharing the joy and responsibility of pointing children to Jesus. Your team is co-laboring with you in building something based on blueprints from God.
This post is one of many free tools on Vine to help Kids Ministry leaders succeed:
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
1 - Where to begin building a kids ministry team: Blueprints
You might feel like you are building this children's church and a team to serve from the ground up, but that is often not really the case:
Start with why:
Meet with your pastor / community leader and ask them 'why' they see a need for a kids programme. This is an important conversation to have for a few reasons: While your individual passion is meaningful, it will not go far without the blessing and approval of your leadership. You need to ask them for the blueprints or building plans, before you go rogue and do your own thing. I've done my best to give you sound advice on how to build a team of committed helpers in the post that follows, but it won't work if it's not submitted to leadership. If you already know leadership's vision for the area of kids ministry, keep reading - but if you are unsure, set up a meeting right now where you can pray together, share your dreams, and get on the same page about what God wants to do in this ministry.
What came before? I was involved with establishing a kids ministry for a new church plant, but even then there was something in place already. When Moses was at the burning bush, protesting to God's sending action, God asked him: "What is in your hand?" Moses was holding his shepherd's staff and God used to show Moses something amazing. God is asking you the same thing today. What is already there? Even 5 kids and 1 helper meeting outside under a tree is something... Even the desire or people saying 'We should do something for the kids' is something... So, before you move on to the next point, pause and answer this question: What do you already have?
Set aside a time of prayer: If you have an existing ministry but you're just facing a lack of help, your approach will look a little bit different. Jesus spoke about the harvest being plentiful but the workers being few - we love to quote this and feel sorry for ourselves and our lack of volunteers. But do you know what the next verse says? Jesus tells us to PRAY and ASK GOD TO SEND HELPERS into the field. Read Matthew 9:35-38. Before I walk you through some practical tips for building a great kids ministry team, we need to stand still here... Get out your diary or phone calendar and set a reminder right now of a weekly or daily time slot when you will pray, asking God to provide people to serve in the kids ministry you're leading.
Every stride you make in leading your team will be based on these blueprints - the 'why'. That is why it is so important to cover these bases first. It might seem a little bit basic, but I witnessed a whole ministry change from chaotic to focused after getting these foundations straight.
Reflection questions:
Is my vision for this ministry the same as my leader's?
Am I aware of what's already in place?
Do I have an established prayer rhythm for the ministry?
2 - Finding the Right People
When you begin building your kids ministry team, start by inviting people who have a heart for kids and a desire to serve - not necessarily experts, but those willing to grow and learn. Sometimes the best team members are those who simply say, “I want to help.”
Be open to parents, young adults, and anyone who feels called. They might surprise you.
If you don't know who to ask (parents are busy, other adults don't want to miss the service - everyone has their excuse...) consider inviting young adults to serve. I studied the church commitment of young adults in my Master's Thesis and found that they will gladly spend between 7-14 hours a week on church activities.
The rest of this article will be more focused on building and leading an existing team.
If you don't even have a volunteer team to begin with, you might want to start here instead:
Reflection question:
Who might want to join the volunteer team?
3 - Training and Encouragement: First, believe yourself. Then, share with them.
Training your Sunday School volunteers doesn’t have to be complicated. Think of it as an ongoing conversation: a place to encourage, equip, and remind volunteers why this ministry matters so much.
Believe in what you're doing:
You are the ministry leader. God placed you in that position.
Especially when you yourself are young, it can be intimidating to train people who are older than you or the parents of kids, but I've found that partnering with parents is a surprising tool.
To be more confident, you can focus on skills that are relevant in the church setting. What I mean by that is that you can step into the authority your role gives you without coming across as pushy.
Train them on...
how to make a craft meaningful,
and even something as practical as how the flow of a Sunday should go in the children's ministry.
Share simple tools for safety, leading a lesson, or handling a challenging moment, but also listen to their questions and celebrate their gifts. When you believe in what you're doing, you allow more space for them to also grow in confidence and bring their full gifts to the ministry.
Believe in the curriculum you're sharing:
Your volunteers will have a hard time following you if it appears like you have no direction in mind.
Start a spreadsheet or calendar and discern a theme for the year
Choose specific curricula and lesson plans that fit with your group's unique needs
Share the big picture often ("Our next stop on the Identity Journey is...")
The way you speak about the ministry matters
Sunday school volunteers can pick up whether or not you really back the content being taught
Are you truly excited about it?
It's worth it to invest in good materials that are Biblically based, creative, and fun.
Serving in kids ministry doesn't have to be an uphill battle!
If you believe in what you're doing and the curriculum you're sharing, the right people will find you.
Reflection question:
Do I feel confident in my role as the leader of this ministry?
Use one word to summarize how you feel about the current curriculum: ________
4 - Building a team culture for your Sunday school volunteers
Your ministry team has a culture. That is seen in the way you treat each other, how you spend time together, what is acceptable and what is not. A team culture is also seen in daily behaviors, choices, how problems get solved, and how new members fit into the group.
Have a brainstorming / prayer session with everybody who's helping in the ministry or who has interest (the pastor, parents, other ministry leaders, etc) where you go over:
Why kids ministry?
What kind of team do you want to build?
What values define your ministry?
There has to be a standard. Often, ministries prioritize child-protection protocols and the correct procedures for taking a kid to the bathroom before anyone ever addresses how the team will treat each other.
Let's use the example of a family - Children will treat their siblings the way that the parents treat each other. We know all too well that "kids don't do what you say; they do what you do".
Applying this logic to your Sunday school team's building process might look like:
Getting a team mission statement
Spending quality time together
Getting to know the other volunteers
Praying together, often
Brainstorming how to share the burden and what to delegate
Luckily, we don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are many leadership principles in the Bible that are a well of wisdom that you can draw from.
Reflection question:
What is our team culture like?
5 - Partnering with Church Leadership and Setting Clear Expectations
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, your relationship with church leadership matters too. Keep those lines open; talk about what you’re dreaming for kids ministry and how it fits into the bigger church family. When everyone pulls together, kids ministry thrives.
Return to the blueprint often (with them). Revisit the vision from the Lord for the ministry and compare if what you're building resembles what He had in mind. Ask for accountability from your church leaders by asking for their feedback and input at major pivot points, like choosing a curriculum or changing up the program structure.
If they know they have your permission to speak into the ministry, there's fewer space for resentment to grow. In the same way, clear roles and gentle boundaries also help volunteers serve confidently.
Clarity serves volunteers:
Everyone feels safer and freer when expectations are lovingly laid out because ministry is a place where grace and order walk hand in hand. Your role as Kids Ministry leader is not just to get the job done but also to disciple and effectively lead this team God has entrusted to you.
For some strange reason, volunteers seem to ditch Sunday school pretty quickly. (Phew, it's not you - this is a common trend that I'm still wrestling to understand)
People don't mind spending years on the worship team, but they leave the children's ministry after about a year, often saying that their 'season' is over. Clarity and communication is key to preventing this. To read more about how to retain volunteers in your ministry, click through to my article on the seven archetypes of Sunday school teachers - why they leave and how to get them to stay.
7 little things that make a big difference:
Use a volunteer rota. Plan a month or term in advance so people can commit confidently.
Give people regular Sundays off. No one should serve every week (even if they genuinely want to).
Communicate early. Send the lesson plan, schedule, and any special announcements before the weekend.
Write clear role descriptions. A greeter, teacher, craft helper, and check-in volunteer all have different responsibilities.
Write clear setup and tear down plans with images.
Say thank you often. A handwritten note or a cup of coffee goes a long way.
Do a quick debrief after every Sunday. Ask, "How are we feeling? What went well? What can we improve?"
Setting clear expectations and partnering with the other ministries serving in your church helps you and your volunteers.
Reflection question:
Am I still aligned with the blueprint?
Would my volunteers say they have clarity?
Recap & conclusion
This article gave some real-life, hands-on insights for leading and building your Sunday school volunteer team well. Which of the 5 points can you take a step towards this week? Would you add anything to the list?
Build on God's blueprints.
Recruit prayerfully.
Train with confidence.
Shape a healthy team culture.
Accountability & clarity.
Leading a kids ministry team isn’t always easy (trust me, I get it) but it is ALWAYS worth it. With prayer, patience, and a heart for kids, you’re building a space where little ones can meet Jesus and that is a beautiful thing.
Do not be discouraged if your team is not currently big and supportive. Thank God for this mustard-seed beginning and just be faithful with the next step in front of you. He will do the rest!
Want to start now? Consider printing out my very special Bible verse Watercolor artworks or cards and write a note for each volunteer on the back, thanking them for their commitment and love for the kids.
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