When beginning a new cm leadership position – how to evaluate the wise use of the cm facility

Your Question:

“I am directing a CM that hasn’t had a CM director before me.  How do I make sure that we use the current CM facility wisely?”

The Issues:

A CM facility is generally a multi-use facility which can lead to various levels of “political” friction.  If your CM facility isn’t used by anyone else during the week, or on Sundays, you are blessed. If your CM facility is shared with a school, daycare, weekly Bible studies, or even another church, you must ask God to help you navigate through these challenging waters!

Scripture Foundation:

“After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days, I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding. So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through; so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers. Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. ‘Let us start rebuilding,’ they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.”  Nehemiah 2: 11-18

Short Answer:

The best way to make sure that you are using the current CM facility wisely is to walk around during a service and open EVERY door! On your “walkabout,” you will see some rooms full of children, some rooms with only a very few children, and some rooms not being used at all. You may also discover large storage closets or rooms. The goal of this “walkabout” is to let God open your eyes to how the facility is being used during a service.

 

Some CM facilities have large, messy storage rooms with things that haven’t been used for a long time.  Some CM facilities don’t have any storage areas, so the classrooms have piles of unused things cluttering up the cabinets or counters.  You may discover adult or youth ministry classes being held in the CM area. Maybe you’ll discover that there isn’t really a CM “area”!  Much like Nehemiah, when he explored the broken walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 2: 11-18, you need to prayerfully consider what you find in your “walkabout.” Did you see a facility that is being used well? Did you discover rooms not being used at all? Did you find some rooms with only a couple of children in them?  What is the “clutter factor” of the CM facilities?  Could you turn some storage rooms into useful CM rooms? 

 

If you discover that other groups or ministries use the CM facility during the service or during the week, what do you think about that?  Sharing a facility with other ministries is the “norm” for most CM leaders, but don’t permit the CM’s needs to be discounted in light of other ministries.

 

A healthy CM will usually minister to more people than any other ministry in the church, so the CM should justifiably occupy more facility space than any other ministry.  Is this what you discovered in your “walkabout,” or did you discover the CM being “squeezed” into a few rooms, while other ministries occupied larger rooms with fewer people? 

 

Your question regarding whether the CM facility is being used “wisely,” is a complicated one to answer.  Wisdom would dictate a facility that welcomes growth in the CM. Wise use of a CM facility would be indicated by a very low level of “clutter” or wasted space.

 

A CM facility that is being used “wisely,” would be professional-looking and attractive to parents.  It would smell nice!  It wouldn’t look “run-down” or dirty.  It would be brightly lit and filled with smiling faces. 

 

Using the CM facility “wisely,” doesn’t mean that the facility is huge!  It is possible to be a good steward of a small CM facility.  It is possible to make a very small facility shine with professionalism and a welcome feel! 

 

If you are new to this position, take advantage of your first few months by making significant changes to how the CM facility is used.  Adjust the use of the rooms to reflect the age groups in those rooms. Adjust the “flow” of the parents as they check-in and check-out their children.  Clean up unused rooms and let them be used!  Get rid of unnecessary storage. If you don’t have a supply room to support your CM team, open one in an unused area!  For more help, click on the links below.

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