By Jonathan DuHamel, Originally published by Jon on June 17, 2023

I was not pastoring, we lived far away from any major cities, and we desperately were looking for a community of believers to join. We spent over a year looking, and with no luck, gave up and gave in to a 2-hour drive to a city church. But during that time, we tried out many well-meaning churches and just never stayed… These are the three things they didn’t do that you can do.

1. Take Care of your Nursery

In our experience, in every church we walked into, we were nervous about our children sticking something in their mouths. Even if people offered to watch our children, we would think, “Not in that space.” These four things show you care about the space.

Clean it. It may sound simple, but a good vacuum, dust, and organizing of a space can really put a young family at ease. Additionally, get rid of toys and furniture with stains. You may know it’s clean, but a newcomer doesn’t.
No Battery Toys. If you currently have no kids, it could be months before anyone uses the space. Battery Toys that go unchecked have battery acid build-up, and nothing will scare away parents faster.
Get New. Have people donate money for a young mother in your church (or one related to someone in your church) to shop. Ikea has cheap kid’s tables (20$) and furniture if there is one close by, or you can even have a handyman in your church make some homemade furniture. That couch that was sitting in Sally’s basement for the last 20 years… there’s a reason she has gotten rid of it.
Fresh Paint. A colour that is calming, like light grey or even white. If you have an artist in the church, pick just one wall and have them do a mural. Something fun with lots of animals usually goes over well with the little ones and their parents.

2. Have Volunteers Ready

Each time we visited a new church, even after visiting for weeks, even months, a good-meaning person would offer to watch our children. Although this was kind, we did not know them, and with my background in ministry, I questioned how vetted their volunteers were. Do these two things.

Make a Schedule. Even if you have 0 kids attending your church. Get people to volunteer in the nursery each week, and if no one shows up, have them pray for the children that God is going to send. To help with #1, maybe leave a feather duster or multipurpose cleaner too. When a child does come, how excited will your volunteers be to see them, and how much prayer has been done on behalf of those children?
Post on the nursery door that each volunteer has provided a vulnerable sector check, and gone through an interview process, and been trained. (Note: you actually have to do these things)

3. Lively Worship

You may be thinking, “I don’t have the worship team for that.” I didn’t say “contemporary” or “good musicianship.” Do just three things.

Have fun! Teach your worship teams to smile to move a little bit (dancing is in the Bible, you know).
Clap. Training your church to clap can be difficult. The best way to do this is to just clap yourself. If your worship leader doesn’t have an instrument in their hand, get them to clap too!
Do a kid’s song EVERY Sunday. Songs like “This Little Light of Mine” or “The Name of the Lord Is” are great ways to get energy into your service, but also tell a visiting family that you’re excited they are there. They don’t have to be the newest and coolest songs out there.

Jonathan DuHamel is the Children & Young Families Pastor of Lacombe Pentecostal Church. He is married to his wife Heather and has 3 kids. For fun, he likes to binge-watch shows with Heather, play video games, and coach football. He is not a Stampeders or Elks fan but is a true Toronto Argonauts fan (you can blame his upbringing in Ontario for that).
Jon has been doing ministry with kids since he was one, but most recently has spent time working as a Camp Director, Educator, and Pastor. His passion is for young people to experience the life-altering presence of God.