The Church Nursery

Many years ago I heard the pastor of a large church in Dallas, Texas, speak at our graduate school when I was a seminary student. This well-known pastor told us the first thing he did when he became the new pastor of his church was remodel the church nursery.

As seminary students we were expecting to glean some profound insights into pastoral ministry. I would have never thought the church nursery would be the top priority when leading a new church. But our guest speaker said he wanted to reach more young families and realized these parents would be attracted by what facilities and programs were available for their young children.

Recently our church remodeled our nursery in Diamond Bar. Our pastor and staff worked with church leaders to remodel and reopen the nursery after it had been closed during the Covid19 pandemic.

One Sunday morning I walked by the nursery and spoke to the two women staffing the ministry. They only had a few children but the nursery looked nice with new paint, new decorations and new flooring.

The women were wearing disposable “booties” over their shoes to keep the floor clean for little ones who were crawling and playing on the new surface.

I took time to thank these volunteers for their faithful service. I shared my belief that their ministry was one of the most important in our church. I explained that when the children are happy then their parents are too. They were not just caring for children but they were impacting a whole family. When the parents know their young children are bring well cared for they feel comfortable and confident leaving their kids in the nursery.

In addition, I believe the parents and the young children are happier when the little ones are in the nursery. If parents bring their children into the church service their little ones often get restless and the parents get distracted. Other worshippers can be distracted too.

One verse in the Bible says, “Use your gifts and abilities to serve one another” (First Peter 4:10). Let me encourage you to volunteer for the most important ministry in your church by serving in the nursery. You will not only been ministering to the little ones but also impact a whole family. The parents and children will be glad you did and you will too.

You can read more stories by Mark Hopper in his third book, Let Me Encourage You Again which was published in 2023. There is an encouraging story for every day of the year. The book is available for $25 per copy or two books for $40 postage included. Order your books today at markh@efreedb.org.