Children’s ministry can often be treated like the “kid’s table” of the congregation, rather than as a central component of the discipleship of a whole church. Even with over half of children’s ministry leaders (56%) agreeing that children’s ministry is forgotten in the church, these leaders still faithfully show up and serve.

Sometimes Tired, Often Forgotten

Leading a ministry with a moving target is not for the faint of heart. From volunteer turnout to potential burnout, children’s ministry leaders have many (and oft-forgotten) needs. In October 2021, Barna found that two in five pastors (38%) admitted they have thought about walking away from full-time ministry within the past 12 months. Though these worrying numbers are specific to senior pastors---as explored by our Resilient Pastor series—the strain of ministry is not exclusive to leaders at the top.

Barna’s report, Children’s Ministry in a New Reality—created in partnership with Awana—shows indications of burnout risk among children’s ministry leaders with spiritual health and work-life balance being areas of particular concern. The fact that 16 percent of children’s ministry leaders express dissatisfaction with their work-life balance and the majority falls into middling levels of satisfaction at best should be taken seriously.