You Must Read To Succeed

I once had a Bible college professor, who said “You must read to succeed”. Now I don’t know about you but I am not a reader. As a kid, I read the Bible and that was about it. In college reading was a necessary evil. I did not like it but I did it so I could pass my classes. At the time I thought his saying was just for the classes my professor taught, because we had reading quizzes all the time. But I have since realized that this saying applied to far more than just his class but ministry in general.

I now find myself reading to help my ministry. So rather than being a necessary evil, reading has become a tool. It is a way for me to continue to keep up with trends in Children’s Ministry, whether I use them or not. Reading helps my mind brain storm different ways that our ministry could reach kids. Through reading I continually develop my own views on the process of Children’s Ministry, how I need to react to volunteer workers, as a leader. The list could go on and on with different ways reading is effective and profitable for ministers. But I think you get it, reading is important. Especially to those ministers, who don’t always get to conferences and workshop seminars.

So if you aren’t currently I would like to encourage you to find a book, pick it up and start reading. Maybe it’s a book about children’s ministry, disciplining in church, teaching kids to pray, training volunteers or leadership. There are a ton of books out there. Two books I would suggest are WHOLLY KIDS and Children’s Ministry That Works, which I’ve read recently. Next on my list of books to read are Kid Ministry 101, and The Kidology Way. But these aren’t the only books that could prove helpful to your ministry. I’d love to hear some suggestions on books you’ve read, which helped you in ministry? Just leave them in the comments below.