We all track numbers. We all want children to bring friends. Hopefully it is not so we can share with leadership about the numbers, but because we want to reach more children to come to know, love, and serve, the Lord Jesus.
The question becomes if we are prepared for that growth?
I had youth leaders who wanted to hold a grand event and invite a lot of youth in hopes that they would begin to attend youth group. I simply posed the question, what if a quarter of the people, or even a tenth, of who they hoped would attend the event would begin to attend the youth group, could we handle that growth? At the time the answer would have been a resounding no. We simply did not have the leadership, nor the space to accommodate the growth (they were currently meeting in the small lobby).
Jim Wideman has a book entitled “Stretch” which encourages ministry leaders to always be planning for growth. It resonated with me as I read it as I always did my best to plan for growth.
As I write this post, I am the AMD of a small club. The first night we had 10 children from Cubbies through T&T (6th grade). The second night we had 17 children. That is 70% growth!!! We expect more next week! As I shared the numbers with the pastor, his response surprised me. He inquired, “what would be the max in the area we were meeting?” I had to think about it, then I gave him a response. We would have to change things logistically but we could handle more than double the children that we had on that second night… and as I type this, I can envision how we could handle more than three times the number of clubbers that we had that second night by making a few small changes.
How about you? What is the maximum number of children you can reach in the space you currently use? Yes, some clubs are already “max’d out”. The question remains the same for both, what do you need to do to prepare for growth? Can you handle growth?
Depending on your facility, the number of children you currently reach, and other factors, there are a few ways that you can accommodate growth, even if you are currently “max’d out”.
For some it is restructuring the club night, for others it might be considering adding a second night to reach more children. Either way, there are options available to you if you are willing to make the commitment.
Always be planning and preparing for growth.
Great article! What are your feelings on limiting registration when the club gets too big? My gut is to find a way, ANY way, to make room for children to learn God’s Word. Just curious.
I am not a fan of limiting registrations, but at times clubs need to because of fire regulations and available resources (volunteers and space). That is why in the post I suggest a second night if a church is able to do it.