a desk calendar with handwritten events. The essential kidmin events calendar title card

Whether you’re just starting out in kidmin, or you’ve been in it for a while, you know there are events and a lot of them. But which ones should you be doing? Is there something you’re missing? What can you do that’s fun and impactful for your ministry?

Every church is unique and has its own set of events that works well for their community. That said, there are patterns we can follow. I love planning. I’ve said before it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Over years, I’ve recognized those patterns and used many of them in my own ministry.

When planning out my calendar, I put my events into four specific categories. These categories make sure that I accomplish the mission/vision of my ministry. Also, they help my kids reach their milestones before they move to youth. Throughout this post, I will list several events that I’ve done throughout the years. I’m not saying you have to or even should do them. These are just patterns I’ve noticed when planning my yearly calendar.

1. The Big 3

Egg Hunt, VBS and Fall Festivals. Almost every church does one if not all of these events. Around Easter, Summer, and Fall, Facebook groups are full of people looking for ideas and asking questions.

Every church in which I’ve served has done these three. I call them the big three because they need the most money, volunteers, resources, and time to pull them off. However, it’s worth it because each one is an outreach and major growth driver for the church. The other events I’ll list in this post are important, but frequently I’m making them fit around these three events.

I’ve written a lot about planning these 3. You can read more about them below.

Egg Hunt

VBS

Fall Festival

2. Small Discipleship events

Not every event you do in your ministry can be outreach driven. You need to care for and teach the kids you have. This is why I have small discipleship events throughout the year. They support my milestones and challenge my kids to engage with deeper ideas than the Gospel.

Three of the biggest events I do that fit into this category are Silly String Sunday, Ice Cream Challenge and Baptism Classes.

Silly String teaches my kids the importance of spreading the good news of Jesus through missions, giving, and presenting the Gospel. It’s mostly a fundraiser for missionaries, but I also challenge my kids to invite their friends. The guests get to take part for free. The service is missions focused with a strong Gospel message at the end. You can read more about the event here.

The Ice Cream Challenge challenges kids to memorize a large chunk of Scripture. Passages like the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, and the 10 Commandments. While I teach my kids a memory verse every week, these are usually just one verse. Kids can learn way more. So, I challenge them to hide God’s word in their heart, then eat a lot of ice cream. You can read more about this event here.

My Baptism class is directly linked to my milestones. It makes sure my kids know and understand the decision they’ve made to follow Jesus. It prepares them for standing in front of everyone to proclaim their faith. It helps me partner with my parents and gives them the tools they need to talk about Jesus with their kids. You can read more about that event here.

As you plan out your calendar, think of fun and interesting things you can do to challenge your kids in their discipleship. You can do things like I’ve listed above or make up your own.

3. Social Events

A church is a community of believers. The early church was marked by meeting and breaking bread together. I’ll admit that for many years, I thought providing social meetings was counterproductive to the mission of the church. I didn’t want my church to be social club. However, what people desire most today is community. They may hide at first, but they’re also looking for people like them and a place to connect.

You can provide places in your kidmin for them to do so. One such event is a small group meet and greet at the park. I invite families to meet for a picnic at the park along with my small group leaders. I want the parents to get to know the other adult in their kids’ lives as well as my SGL’s getting to know their kids’ parents.

Similarly, I hold an annual parent meeting and volunteer appreciation event. Both of these events allow me to cast vision and help my parents and volunteers connect with each other. When life gets tough it’s easy to think you’re all alone. Providing social events like these helps your people know they’re not.

4. Training

Andy Stanley has said, "Your ministry is perfectly aligned to get the results you’re currently getting." If you’re happy with those results, great! If you’re not, however, then you need to make some changes. One of the best ways to start is to expand your thinking.

It’s so easy to keep working in the trenches that you forget the big picture. By investing in training, you are exposing yourself to new, different, and bigger ideas. At many churches I served, I was allowed to go to one conference a year on the church’s dime. I always took them up on their offer.

Similarly, vision leaks. You need to have a regular rhythm of training for your volunteers that reminds them of your vision and expectations. Around the beginning of the school year, I like to get all my volunteers together for a big training meeting. We focus on one aspect of their ministry and give them tools they need to get better.

All these events may seem like a lot. You’re not wrong. If you do everything I’ve listed, you’ll be doing one or two every month. This keeps your ministry and your momentum growing. It takes careful planning and focus to get it all done. To help you out, I’ve created a calendar planning workshop. This course will walk you through all the steps you need to have your best year yet. You’ll plan out your calendar and stay on top of everything without burning out. Find out more below.