Interview Questions for a Kids Ministry Director

The hunt for a great children’s ministry director can be a long process, as naturally, you want to find the person who is the best fit. After posting your job description online, you’ll have to sift through numerous resumes to find your top candidates, and we recommend inviting them in for an interview before you make the final decision.

Grant Glas
March 24, 2022
Kids Ministry Leadership

Meeting a potential children’s ministry coordinator face-to-face will give you a much clearer idea of their personality than can be conveyed on paper. But, it is crucial that you have a detailed and well-thought-out selection of interview questions for ministry leaders, so you can be sure you have thought of everything.

For your benefit, we’ve compiled a list of the most important questions to ensure that your final candidate meets all of the criteria for the role. Read on to learn how to efficiently separate the applicants with potential from the ones who are less ideal. Make that final decision a breeze.

Their Relationship with Jesus

Ministry director reading the bible


One of the most valuable things to ascertain is how deeply a relationship with Jesus runs through this candidate's veins. To run your kids' ministry, a person would surely have to have a solid religious background themselves, and a close relationship with God, that they can share with the children of your community. These are some of our favorite questions to ask: 

  • When did your relationship with Jesus begin?
  • How do you practice your faith regularly?
  • What do you do to deepen your relationship with God?

Why They Applied

Strong and smart woman


Some more revealing interview questions for church children’s directors, or even for any role you can think of, are related to why they want this job. Plus, as it is such a commonly seen interview question, those who don’t have a decent answer probably aren’t serious about the job — it really is step one when preparing for an interview. Try some of these questions:

  • What prompted you to apply for this position?
  • Why do you want to be a children’s ministry coordinator?
  • Why are you passionate about kids' ministry?

Favorite Curriculum

Woman studying curriculum


Asking the question, “what’s your favorite children’s ministry curriculum?” will urge the applicants to dig deep into their relationship with kids ministry. Maybe their answer will be based on their own experiences of Sunday school lessons, or perhaps they won’t have an answer just yet. If they can tell you their preferred methods of teaching, and the curricula they like best, you will be able to see if they would blend in easily with your ministry.

  • What’s your favorite children’s ministry curriculum?
  • Which kids' ministry curriculum did you experience when you were younger?
  • What is your preferred method of teaching for kids’ church lessons?

Vision for the Ministry

Dream, plan, act


To verify whether or not their long-term goals would align with the vision you hold for your ministry, asking exactly what they would wish to accomplish will give you some clarity. While this could be a challenging question to answer before they truly know the ministry, you will be able to determine whether or not their core values are a match for your church. These are some useful questions to find out:

  • What are three goals you would hope to accomplish in your first year?
  • What are the three most important things in a kids' ministry?
  • What will you do to ensure that the ministry is successful? 

Connectedness

Ministry director with holding kid


Every church is different, and some operate their children’s ministry very separately from the rest of the church. We believe that the vision between the church, and the messages shared during ministry, should be the same to encourage a more coherent understanding for the children. Plus, it is important to have family involvement, to boost kids’ relationships with God. Finding out whether or not your next director shares the same values is crucial.

  • What do you think the relationship between the kids' ministry and the church should be like?
  • Do you think parents are a help or a hindrance when deepening a child’s faith?
  • How much involvement do you think parents should have when making decisions within the ministry?

Volunteers

Team of volunteers


As kids ministry is often centered around the volunteers who make it happen, finding out how this new recruit would plan to manage these volunteers is essential. Try asking some of these questions, to see if they would be suited to overseeing the running of your ministry, and your volunteers too.

  • Do you have any experience leading a group of adults?
  • What are three qualities that you look for in a volunteer?
  • How would you build up a team of volunteers?
  • Which tools would you use to manage them?

After meeting your applicants, you will probably have a good idea of whether or not you are going to get along. Find someone who matches the energy of your church, and shares your passion for ministry, and your community could be transformed. A person who motivates, appreciates, and leads with strength, will make the perfect leader for your kids' ministry. 

One thing not to forget throughout your questioning is that you also want to make the job seem appealing to the interviewee. If you approach it in too serious a manner, then you might just scare a potential candidate away. Instead, why not finish the interview by asking them how they feel the interview went, and asking if they have any questions for you. After all, their opinion truly matters and can tell you a lot about how you interviewed them.

Get Weekly Ministry Insights In Your Inbox

* indicates required

Don't forget to share this post!