A Christ-follower.
I would expect your first reaction to be: “DUH!!”
It should be! But in my years of working with churches, too often I have come across Kidmin “leaders” that show no outward evidence of following Christ.
They never attend the Worship Service.
They exhibit no real reliance on prayer.
They rarely crack open the Bible for answers to ministry questions.
Their is no evidence of the “fruit of the Spirit” in their attitude.
Work habits are worldly, not Christ-like.
Relationships (parents, volunteers, other staff, etc.) are built around the ability to benefit Kidmin, not reflective of a real care for the person they are relating to.
In short, their actions, words and behaviors are no different than the manager of the store down the street.
When I see this it saddens me because I don’t believe for a second that they don’t love Jesus! No, more than likely they are overwhelmed in their role. Perhaps they’ve been “dumped on” in Children’s Ministry. Perhaps they’ve been hurt by leadership or volunteers. Perhaps they are tired. Or perhaps they simply don’t know what they are doing. All of these things can lead to a reliance on ourselves, draining us from the vibrant, vital relationship with Christ that we must have in order to lead effectively.
So, first and foremost, a Kidmin leader must make following Christ a priority. Above all else, the things we do on a daily basis to cultivate that relationship must be done. It is my belief that true ministry effectiveness flows from my growing relationship with Christ. If this is true, then tending my relationship with Him is my number one priority as a Kidmin leader.
You are so right. Too often a leader gets swamped or overwhelmed or whatever and they lose their connection to Christ. And then things really get difficult.