One of the greatest challenges in children’s ministry, and in all ministry, is to balance time for family and time for the ministry. God makes it clear our family should be our priority. If we get other children saved yet lose our own family, our ministry is worthless. Here’s a few tips to help you do that.
Do ministry as a family. Involve your spouse and children while your doing ministry. This way, you spend time with your family doing something important instead of spending so much time away from them. It has the added benefit of training and mentoring your children in ministry.
Block out family nights. In this busy world we live in, families rarely spend time together, let alone eat together. One of the best ways to counteract this is to declare family nights where every member of the family is required to be there. Plan a special dinner, a fun devotion, and a great activity everyone enjoys. Even when my kids were teenagers, they looked forward to family night.
Plan date nights. Plan one evening a week to have a date with your spouse. Respect your spouse by making this time a priority that you don’t break except in emergencies.
Take family vacations together. Big vacations are great, but if you can’t afford them, take a few days to go camping or go to an amusement park near you. Mini vacations can be as much fun as the larger ones.
Always take your wife and children’s calls. No matter who you are with or what you are doing, make them your priority.
When you’re swamped, tell your family what to expect and make up the time later. We all have certain times through the year that are our busy seasons, and we all have crunch weeks during those times, times when family night or date night are impossible. When that happens, communicate with your family and tell them how long it will last. Then plan a special family time afterwards.
What suggestions do you have to make sure you balance ministry and family life?