1.From just reading the introduction, what topics do you think are most important for your children’s ministry right now?

2.What questions are you bringing to the reading of this book?

3.After reading the Introduction, do you have any concerns that this might not be the book you thought it would be? If so, what are those concerns?

1.How would you describe the current health of your children’s ministry?

2.If you could build a ministry from scratch, what would you do differently from what you are doing now?

3.Which of the symptoms of system deficiency are most prevalent in your ministry?

4.Think about your volunteers. How do they express their concern about the symptoms you identified in question 3?

1.Have you ever felt a twinge of resentment about the workload you carry in the children’s ministry?

2.Review the symptoms of the Workhorse Syndrome. Which of those resonate most with you?

3.If you were to focus on doing the things that only you can do, what three things would you stop doing?

4.What have you sacrificed to finish a project or meet a deadline that you wish you hadn’t sacrificed?

1.Are there things you have done in your ministry that felt like they were just “icing,” sweet and pretty, but lacking substance?

2.How did you feel reading about the dance floor? Which parts of the story, if any, particularly resonated with you?

3.What systems did you hear in Catie’s story that you are already using? Which ones would be most helpful to put in place?

4.What from your ministry do you hope will remain after you have moved out of your leadership role?

1.How did you feel reading about setting a target number for growth in your ministry?

2.What would it look like to grow by 10 percent? By 50 percent? How would you staff for that size ministry? What would have to change about what you are doing now to support that kind of growth?

3.How does your ministry compare to the norms listed in this chapter:

• ⚪ Budget?

• ⚪ Staff?

• ⚪ Volunteers?

• ⚪ Percent of worshiping congregation?

4.What can you do to champion the importance of the children’s ministry to the rest of your church?

1.Have you experienced any of the symptoms of a stuck ministry listed at the beginning of the chapter? Were you able to get unstuck? If so, how?

2.Which of the simple machines do you already have in place?

3.What is keeping you from implementing the systems you are lacking?

4.Which system, if you had it up and running, would eliminate the most stress from your ministry?

1.What are some of the pearls in your children’s ministry?

2.What is the process for updating and adding information to your church’s website?

3.Which pieces of essential information listed in this chapter are already on your website, and which ones have yet to be added?

4.How many formats for communication are you currently using? Can you think of a few new ones to add?

5.What is the current state of your database, and what will it take to update the information on children and families?

6.How often do volunteers receive training on your safety policies?

1.Does your children’s ministry have a mission statement? If so, how do you communicate it to parents, volunteers, and church members?

2.How would you describe the spirit of your ministry? How do you think your parents and volunteers would describe it?

3.How would your ministry change if your programming revolved around a set of specific competencies? Would your events change at all? What about your weekly programming? Why?

4.What milestone events does your church currently celebrate for children? Are there some you would like to add?

1.As you read the descriptions of the architect, general contractor, and skilled laborers, which role do you most identify with and why?

2.Think about some of the tasks that don’t give you joy. Which of those could you ask a volunteer to take off of your plate?

3.If you already have a children’s ministry team, what ideas do you have from this chapter about how to more effectively utilize them?

4.If you don’t have a children’s ministry team, which of the coordinators listed in the chapter would be most helpful to your ministry?

1.What kind of response would you expect from your current volunteers if you asked them in February whether they planned to return in September?

2.Who are the people in your church who know people you don’t know? Think of three or four people you could ask for referrals for your prospect list.

3.Can you think of a current volunteer who surprised you by saying yes? Who is it?

4.What will you have to change in your weekly routine to add focused, protected time for recruiting?

5.Is your volunteer rotation model working? If so, why is it working well? If not, what would you like to try after reading this chapter?

6.How can you make your next training event more attractive and meaningful for your volunteers?

1.Think of two or three people in your church you would like to call friends. How could you begin to cultivate those relationships?

2.What are some ways you can bring value to another ministry in the church?

3.What are some things you can do to elevate the profile of the children’s ministry?

4.Who else serving in the children’s ministry can you celebrate in a public way so others know what is happening in the ministry?

5.Name some of the people who need to know the vision and successes of the children’s ministry.

1.What are some events you could invite families in your community to in the coming year?

2.Who are some parents in your ministry that need to hear something good about their kids? What can you share with them?

3.Think of a successful event you’re already doing that focuses on kids. How could you incorporate a parent component with that event?

4.Name two or three families you want to reach out to in the next week.

1.What do you look forward to planning in your first balcony-time session?

2.What will you need to change so you can take that balcony time?

3.How do you handle Sunday morning monkey management? What is one thing you’d like to change about that process?

4.Choose three things from this chapter to add to your own organizational system in the next month.

1.Do you have life-giving relationships outside of your church? If not, think of some friends that you need to reconnect with.

2.What do your friends and family think about the time you spend at church?

3.If you don’t have a fun hobby, what is something you have always wanted to try?

4.When you feel yourself slipping into a negative state, what are some things that can bring you back?

5.Who has been a great coach for you in your ministry? If you don’t have someone now, who would you like to have as a coach?

1.Think of a time when you planned something that felt like a failure. How did you respond? What can you learn from that experience?

2.Who in your life gives you a great example of living with resilience?

3.How can you expand your constellation of coaches? Who would you like to add to your constellation and why?

4.What one thing can you change that will help you move from a ministry leader to a leader of leaders?