Communication is key when it comes to volunteers and leadership in children’s ministry.  Typically, many of these conversations happen at church on a Sunday morning and more often than not are completely spontaneous.  However, trying to have a conversation before service, between services, or after service can be a challenge, and trying to effectively communicate your thoughts in those times can be darn near impossible.   From welcoming new families to passing out takehome papers, there are so many activities that can disrupt conversations during these times. Here are a few things you can do to help these spontaneous Sunday morning conversations be more effective:

• Have a wing man – have someone available to take over what you are doing at the time to free you up for talks right away.
• Carry a notepad – no matter how good your memory, you won’t remember everything someone tells you on a hectic Sunday morning.  Right it down for future reference.
• Make a date – let the person know that you would like to continue talking at a later time either by phone or in person.
• Keep it short – even those conversations you do have on Sunday morning should be kept short.  Tell the person that you only have three minutes, and stick to it.  If it’s going to take longer, see the prior suggestion.

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