What do I do with this 3 digit code?

FTDeliverySvcs — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:05:00 GMT

As a father of two, I still remember the first time that I dropped off my children in a Children’s Ministry when I was searching for a church home and a relationship with God. I didn’t have a clue of how secure my children were in those back rooms. During the worship service I was unsettled. My mind was in those back rooms worrying about my kiddos. Of course, I knew that they’re in a church, but I just needed a little reassurance.

As a Delivery Manager, I get to see some great best practices at the churches I work with. At one of my recent churches, the Children’s Pastor came up with a very cool idea. She made a First Time Family Card that served several purposes.

First, the card would explain the purpose of the security tag and how it’s used. It explains both main purposes of the security receipt:

1) The security code is compared to the security code on the child’s nametag during the pickup process.

2) The security code can also be used to page the parents in case they are needed for the care of their child during the service.

Second, the card is yellow so it’s easily identifiable by escorts or greeters when mom or dad returns to the Children’s Ministry to pick up their children. An escort can greet or seek out the family to reconnect or answer any questions that the parents might have.

Lastly, the yellow card is an obvious reminder to classroom teachers that during pick up that this is a new family. The classroom teacher can then take some extra effort to let the family know how their child did during the service. They can then thank them for coming and send them off warmly and let them know that we’d hope to see them back soon!

Not only will classroom teachers and greeters know that this is a new family, but others would see this yellow card as well. Everyone from ushers, the welcome center, bookstore and pastors can give an extra warm greeting to new families.

A great suggestion from my fellow Delivery Managers is to provide a map of the building on the back of the card. This will help the parents locate the Children’s Ministry and their children after the service.

I think this card does a great job of providing a sense of comfort to the parents and will provide a way to identify the new families to the greeters and classroom teachers.

Mark Lindsley

Delivery Manager

P.S. Click here to download the original document so that you can edit it and use it at your church.

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What do I do with this 3 digit code?