As a parent, I teach my children that no matter what they do, they need to do it well. Whether they are making their bed, writing a story for school or raking leaves in the yard, I encourage them to do their best work. I tell them it’s partly because they are representing our family, but even bigger than that, they are representing Christ. Even when we’re doing things that seem trivial, we are to work as if we’re working for the Lord, not for man (Colossians 3:23). Since we are followers of Jesus, we should do our work and ministry with excellence. I find it interesting that even Solomon who wrote that everything is meaningless still didn’t endorse laziness because he said, “Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength…” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

What is excellence, though? In my own personal theological thesaurus, excellence would be listed as an antonym of mediocrity, average or stagnant. But let’s be clear. Excellence is not perfection. Edwin Bliss said, “The pursuit of excellence is gratifying and healthy. The pursuit of perfection is frustrating, neurotic, and a terrible waste of time.” We’re never going to achieve perfection on planet earth, but it is biblical to desire and strive toward excellence. Excellence in ministry is also not being superior to everyone else and being the best. Excellence is being or doing your best and getting better each day. There will always be ways to improve and see growth.

Many people are capable of leading a sufficient ministry. There are plenty of great kid’s ministry leaders. A lot of pastors have decent student ministries. I don’t believe we should settle for just what is needed to get by in ministry. We should raise the bar and challenge the status quo as we strive for excellence. Excellence can be achieved no matter what your budget is, no matter how large your facilities are or how many volunteers you have serving with you.

But WHY? Why should we strive for excellence? What is our motivation?
1 Corinthians 10:31 says “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

Doing ministry with excellence shouldn’t be for the approval of others or to impress anyone. It should be so that God receives all the glory. Excellence is not even really our ultimate goal. Excellence should actually be how we want to get to our goal. It has been said that excellence is not a destination, it is a continual process of transformation into who God wants you to be. I have found myself saying over and over the last few years that everything we do in kid’s ministry should be so that we can see hearts and lives change. As we do all the little things with intentionality and do them well, we will hopefully see the end result being a ministry that is impacting kid’s for eternity.

The pursuit of excellence is going to look a little different for each person and each ministry. Striving for excellence in kid’s ministry will mean that we create a safe place for kids, a place where they know they are loved and accepted and a place where they hear truth and hope every time they walk in our doors. We strive for excellence in ministry so that as we point kids to Jesus every week, the truth of the gospel will sink deep in their hearts and minds and it will begin to change to their lives.

If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. As Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” If we’re representing God, we should do things well for His glory. When we do the little things with excellence, it will add up to being a whole ministry of excellence.

God is a God of excellence. I recently read through the book of Exodus. I was fascinated with the intricate details that God required during the building of the tabernacle. It was not sufficient to put four poles on the ground, throw a sheet over it and call it a tent of meeting. There were very specific measurements, specific materials to be used and it required skilled laborers that God equipped to build this thing. It was awesome. It was beautiful. It was excellent. The how and the why are important to God. Details matter.

What does excellence look like practically? It looks like hard work, because it is. It will mean seeking out training for yourself and offering training for others, reading, researching, planning meetings and hours in prayer.

It may mean that you reduce the number of things you are trying to do. Even eliminating good things that stand in the way of better things. I have had to evaluate my own life multiple times to see if I need to let some things go. It is better to do a few things well than to try to do many things and do them mediocre.

Doing ministry with excellence means looking at every aspect of your ministry and making sure everything is done well. For example in kid’s ministry it means each week you are making sure your safety and security is top notch, your signage and check-in process is clear and efficient, rooms are clean and uncluttered, teachers are there early and prepared for kids to arrive, your snacks are allergy free, you maintain open and clear communication with parents throughout the week and that your curriculum is gospel-centered. It is a lot to think about. But if we focus on just one of those areas, the other areas will lack. Excellence will require a big picture vision and zoomed in focus on individual parts. It requires commitment and sacrifice. It requires time.

It is freeing to remember that we can’t achieve excellence in our own strength. As we rely on Him, God gives us the passion and the endurance. It should be all for His glory.