In case you missed it, my family grew by one member this year. We welcomed our newest little guy into the Marzano crew.
Now that I’m a father of two, it changes the way I see the world (Those of you who have kids know this to be true)….
- It changes the choices I make.
- The way I sleep (and don’t sleep).
- How I do my grocery shopping.
And it changes the way I see church.
When I think about when to attend, where to plug in, and whether or not to serve, I don’t start by thinking about what’s best for me. Like most parents, my first concern is what’s best for my family.
That’s why it’s so important for your church to include information about children’s ministry on your website.
When it comes to church, parents aren’t looking out for themselves first. So while the things you have to offer for adults are incredible, you probably won’t reach outsider families unless you show them what you have available for their kids.
To help you better reach the families in your community through your website, here are six major things you need to include about your children’s ministry on your church site.
1. The Basics
Even if you’re not a parent right now (or your children were young A LONG time ago!), put yourself in the shoes of a parent with younger kids right now and ask yourself…
What are the basic pieces of children’s ministry information that you’d look for on a church website?
Start with those things! List all your regular programs and services. Includes times, locations, and ages. Write a few descriptive sentences about each program. I love this description I read recently on Cross Church’s website …
2. The Special Events
Beyond weekly activities, what are the big events on your children’s ministry calendar? Whether it’s a parent night out, Vacation Bible School, baptism days, family cook-outs, or a pool party, include it on your site. It will not only help families plan ahead of time, it will also tell potential visitors, “Wow, this church has a lot going on for families!”
Also, special events can often be an easier step for people into your church. A Sunday service may seem to intimidating. But a pool party? Who can resist that?
3. Curriculum
What lessons, verses, or life applications are you teaching kids in your ministry every week? Include a little information about your curriculum on your website. Parents love to know what their kids are learning each week, and many even want to reinforce those ideals at home.
Remember to keep it simple! There’s no need to overwhelm people with content. A simple list of verses or virtues you’re talking about that week (or even that month) is enough to keep parents informed!
4. Safety & Security
This one is huge! No matter the size of your church, it’s so important talk about what your church does to ensure that children are safe.
If you don’t have an airtight plan for child safety right now, move it to the top of your priority list! Then, share that plan on your site. Again, you don’t have to go into extensive coverage on every single issue—you can email those details to parents or give them handouts when they drop off their kids. Just let parents know the things you’d want to know if you were dropping off your kids.
Here’s one example paragraph that I saw recently on a church website…
5. Photos & Videos
Show people what your children’s ministry looks like by incorporating photos and videos on your website. Whether it’s video highlights of special events or photo slideshows of regular Sunday morning activities, it’s always good to let people see your ministry in action!
**The most important piece of this puzzle is to make sure you get signed parental consent before you use ANY photo or video of their kid on your site!
6. Contact Info
Finally, make sure to include a way for parents (both new and returning) to get in touch with your children’s ministry directly. If parents have questions, concerns, comments, or just want to chat about specific needs for their children, it’s so important to make it easy for them to get in touch with a representative of your ministry.
To summarize…
- Help parents feel informed.
- Help parents feel at easy.
- And help parents feel connected.
You got this!