A Journey in Children's Ministry

By Karla Schettenhelm, Director of Children's Ministry

A little more than a decade ago I was working part time as the preschool teacher at COS.  In 2007 there was a crossroads in my life and at COS.  The current children’s ministry director was stepping down in her part time position, and I was in need of a full time work position.  When these things first collided I did not see that they were related, but as I prayed about what I would do, it started to be apparent to me that maybe God had a plan (of course He did, but sometimes it’s hard to see the forest through the trees!)  

Even though children’s ministry in the church was not something I ever considered, I was educated at Concordia Ann Arbor, and had my Lutheran Teacher’s Diploma.  I had worked with children most of my life, and in my professional career had always worked in a Lutheran church.  Children’s ministry director was something that I seemed to be qualified for, but was it where I wanted to be?  

I prayed, I thought, I talked to people, I prayed some more, talked some more, thought some more, and prayed even more!  This seemed to be the perfect solution for me.  Putting together my part time teaching position and the part time children’s ministry position would give me the full time position I needed.  I could fill that position, and it would be what the church needed and what I needed.  Look how God works!  At the exact time I was wondering what I was going to do, there was a solution right where I was.

This new position would cause me to stretch a bit – much of the children’s ministry position is not teaching which is what I was used to doing.  I have had to strengthen skills that I had but had not been using so much, I have had to develop some ways of thinking about things I hadn’t thought about before, I have had to work with ages of children I didn’t necessarily think I liked (I love them all now 5020202020allRecent