An Inside Look at the Children's Ministry of Champion Forest Church

This past weekend, I had the joy of going to the Houston area to speak at a church called Champion Forest.

I have admired this church from a distance for years. I was so excited to see their ministry in action.

Champion Forest has a large children's ministry. But they are not content. They continue to seek the lost and reach families in their community.

Here are a few of the cool things they are doing that I observed in action while I was there.

Staff team.

Let me start here. Remember...everything rises and falls on leadership. If the volunteers are excited about the ministry, it is because the staff is excited about children's ministry. You produce who you are.

It was a blessing to be able to see their staff team in action. They are very passionate about reaching kids and families and it shows.  Stephanie Chase is the Lead Kid's Minister.  Her excitement to reach and disciple kids and families is contagious and it shows in her volunteers.  She has built trust with them.  I could see it as she interacted with them.

Remember, as the leader, we must be a thermostat and not just a thermometer.  A thermometer simply measures the temperature, while a thermostat sets the temperature. Our leadership should help raise the bar in the lives of volunteers while they are serving and during the week as well. 

When Stephanie was taking me to see the church auditorium, a little old lady came walking out of the service. You could tell she was struggling.  She was coughing and walking very slowly.  Stephanie could have passed her by since that was not "officially" part of children's ministry. But no...she took time to help the lady find a seat in the lobby and brought her Kleenex and water.  That's second mile leadership and it's the kind of leadership that builds a great volunteer team.

Another big thing I observed. They are heavily involved in ministry to kids and others with special needs.  They have staff and a great team of volunteers that invest in the lives of kids and students and adults who have special needs.  They shared with me that over 90% of families who have kids with special needs do not attend church. Most often, it is because we have not been there for them.  Most churches are simply not prepared to minister to people with special needs.  We must change this.  

They do a podcast for their volunteers.   They use this podcast as an equipping tool and it is working.  I overheard a volunteer talking about how the podcast has helped them grow as a children's ministry leader.  I believe digital, online, on the go training is where things are trending toward.

Here are some pictures that I took while I was there.

Check-in system - they use the Rock program

resource room for volunteers

Indoor playground - this is a great outreach opportunity. Encourage the families in your church to invite their friends, neighbors, etc., to come play with their kids during the hot days of summer.  This gets them inside the church building and opens the door to invite them to a weekend service.

Great turn out for their volunteer training.  I watched as staff encouraged volunteers to be at the training.  They had a great turnout because their staff personally invited volunteers to attend. These amazing volunteers are the people who make ministry happen.

kids' worship area

small group area

hallways

I love how they have the kid's ministry logo on the outside of the building. It made it very easy for me to know which door to enter.  This is a great touch for first-time guests for way finding.

a sign of a growing church - stroller parking

If you are ever in the Houston area, be sure to go by and check out this amazing ministry.