Have you ever felt so busy in ministry that you didn’t think you had time to read your Bible, attend church, or pray?  Serving the kids and families in your church is a good thing, but it cannot replace personal time with God.

If you want to be successful in family ministry you must invest in your spiritual growth.

Don’t fall into the trap of only reading your Bible or praying when you are preparing to lead kids in their spiritual growth.

Below are 5 tips to help you maintain your walk with God and guarantee you continue to grow spiritually.

1.  Interact with the Bible daily

For me, it’s not about how much of the Bible I read every day. It’s about making sure I read and hear from God every day.

• Set a daily goal: I read at least 1 chapter every day.  The average person can read one chapter of the Bible in five minutes.  (It will take you three and a half years to read the entire Bible if you read 1 chapter a day.) 

• Write in your Bible: Mark up your Bible, underline, identify what stands out to you.

• Pick a verse of the day: Identify one verse and meditate on it throughout the day.

• Journal: Write at least one paragraph each day in a journal about what God spoke to you.

• Share: Look for opportunities and divine appointments, to share your verse of the day with someone else.

2.  Make Prayer a Priority

Invest time every day in prayer. For me that means I need to wake up earlier and be intentional about my prayer time. Many things happen in personal times of prayer. Prayer leads to:

• Greater obedience
• Repentance
• Humility
• Dependence on God
• Victory over temptation
• Learning God’s will for your life
• Our hearts align with God’s
• Hearing God’s voice
• New vision for ministry

Communication is necessary for a relationship to mature and grow. If you want to grow spiritually you need to spend time in prayer.

3.  Attend the Adult Worship Service

Most kids pastors rarely attend the adult service.  Sadly, we miss out on growing in faith with the corporate body.  I learned years ago, if I don’t make going to church a priority, no one will.

Check out my post, “Why I Stopped Attending Church Services.” to see why I stopped going to church and what I did about it. 

Today, it is rare that I am not able to attend one adult service per week.  I recognized that church attendance needed to be a priority. I was intentional, built teams, invested in volunteers and made room in the organization for others to step in, step up, and lead.

4.  Lead or Attend a Discipleship Group

I love leading christian book or Bible studies. Each week I have an opportunity to share what God is doing in my life. When I am working through a book or Bible passage, it’s another opportunity for God to stretch and grow me.

By leading or attending a discipleship group, I’m creating positive peer pressure.  I can’t lead a book study if I haven’t read the book.

I know I can’t take anyone where I haven’t been.  When leading kids or adults we must model a growing relationship with God.

5.  Spend Time With Others That are Growing

I always look for people that have a vibrant growing relationship with God. I take them to lunch, invite them to my home, build and invest in my relationship with them. I want what they have. This creates even more accountability and will also stretch me to stay consistent and grow.

I’ve heard many times;

You are most like the five people you spend the most time with.

I choose to spend my time with the people I want to be most like, that includes people who are investing and growing in their faith.

Question: What can you do today to take your spiritual growth to a new level?  Leave a comment below.  

Book Recommendation: The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior