Guest post provided by our partners at Worlds of WOW!
Corporate giants Disney, Universal Studios, and Hershey understand that themed destinations for children draw families and leave positive, lasting impressions. These environments also invite kids to do what they do best – learn through play. Churches know that one of the best ways to reach adults for Christ is through their children. When churches invest in intentional, visually appealing children’s spaces, they send a tangible message: They care about kids and families.
3 Reasons to Consider a Children’s Ministry Space
Professionally designed children’s ministry spaces have increased dramatically over the past several years as churches begin to share the impact of such spaces on membership and outreach. There are multiple benefits of having engaging, well-designed children’s areas, including:
A strong visual statement shows an over-the-top commitment to kids
• Appealing signage designates the kids’ zone and welcomes families.
• Secure check-in gives credibility and assures parents that safety comes first.
• Themes and play spaces do far more than decorate; they are tools for reaching hearts and minds ¬and nurturing trust between children and leaders.
• Even shared spaces in churches can show consideration for parents and children, emphasizing a commitment to family.
Kids’ spaces help make church a destination place
• They attract weekday traffic, providing more opportunities to teach and serve both children and adults.
• They foster identity, reinforcing a church’s personality and priorities.
• They can be used for many kinds of ministries, including preschools, daycare, Bible studies, and any ministry with childcare needs.
Multi-use kids’ spaces create community gathering places
• An alternative to parks, rec centers, and even McDonald’s, churches can become meeting places for families.
• Add open seating, refreshments, and secured Wi-fi for even greater community draw.
• The average Chuck E. Cheese hosts over a hundred birthday parties per week. A birthday party ministry will:
• Bring friends and family of the birthday child into the church, serving as an outreach opportunity, while paying for itself.
• Minister to single-parent or low-income families with a blessing their children don’t often receive. With a well-designed space, theme, and play attractions, a children’s ministry area can become a churchʼs most effective vehicle for growth. Our surveys and church feedback report what these spaces can do:
• Increase church attendance
• Increase and energize volunteers in children’s ministry
• Provide better tools for teaching, drama, worship leading, and more.
Competition for attention is high in the outside world; kids are bombarded with worldly advertising messages all day long. With engaging kids’ spaces, the church can set the bar for creating positive experiences with Christ-centered messages that lead to transformed hearts.
We asked our customers to complete a survey about the effect their new children’s ministry spaces had on attendance. They reported dramatic results, including double and triple-digit growth:
• 10-35% – Children’s attendance increase
• 14-99% – Children’s ministry volunteers increased participation
• 11-39% – Overall church attendance increase
Some churches even reported doubling their kids’ attendance in a single year!
