From Us vs. Them to We: Fostering Collaboration in Shared Church Spaces

Hey Reader!

So many of us work in churches where our classrooms are shared with Sunday School, Wednesday night and other church programming. It can be a challenge to share spaces when you feel like you’re in that room so many more hours than “they” are.

Would you allow me to give you a gentle reminder today? “They” (church ministry leaders, church volunteers, even paid childcare workers) are actually on the same team as “us”. We are all called to minister to young families by caring for their children. We spend many hours in our classrooms teaching young children the skills of “taking turns” and “sharing”. It’s probably appropriate for us to step back this summer and think about how that same concept applies to US and THEM. Here are a couple of really practical ideas that might help:

STOP thinking of each other as US and THEM. Work toward a unified early childhood ministry. This mindset shift is critical if we’re going to become a team. What could your part of building that unity look like?

• Leave a note when you leave letting the volunteer on Sunday know that you are praying for their time in the classroom and for the children and families that will hear about Jesus that weekend.
• Meet with all the adults who will use the classroom and pray over the ministry that will happen there. Have a discussion about why you prefer things “your” way and listen to why they prefer things “their” way. You may find that you are not that far apart afterall.
• Share your prayer requests and your victories with each other.

Focus on what’s best for children. We’re often so focused on “our stuff”, “our bulletin boards”, “our arrangement” that we forget to think about what’s best for children every day. Also, keep in mind that most church volunteers have no early childhood training or background. Share what you’ve learned with a humble spirit – invite them to participate in some of your in-service training, share a newsletter (like this one) or a blog post.

Ultimately, we must learn to share for the benefit of the children, and the advancement of the Kingdom. Consider how you help children practice the skill of sharing and turn-taking and apply it to how you “share” your classroom. Sometimes, you will need to stand your ground for the benefit of the children. But many times, we will need to be filled with grace and humility as we practice what it means to share – sometimes we get what we want and other times, we don’t.
I had a great conversation about this same topic with Children’s Minister, Julie Hammer. She had several other practical ideas for making “sharing” a little easier on adults! Listen in HERE. We also have a printable ministry resource available on our website HERE.​

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

​

Listen to this podcast episode with host Julie Hammer now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ​

​

​

​

​

​​

Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”