5 unpopular opinions in hiring kids pastors

We say kids are the future of the church, but our hiring decisions don’t always reflect that.

We say families matter, but our org charts quietly tell a different story.

We say discipleship starts early, but we still treat Kids Ministry like an entry-level department instead of a strategic leadership seat.

And I’ve grown to realize something while partnering with Executive teams in hiring Kids Pastors.

Most churches don’t actually know what they’re looking for or what the role truly requires.

So here are five unpopular opinions on hiring Kids Pastors. No particular order, no theme, just patterns I’ve seen and lessons I wish more lead teams would consider before filling this instrumental seat in the life of your church.

1. Kids Pastors do not always need to be creative visionaries.

I once worked at a large, well-known multi-site church in Louisville, KY. I loved it. Still do.

But there was a point in my career where I plateaued creatively.

Not because I ran out of ideas.

But because in their specific multi-site model, the vision comes from the central team. Campuses execute. The template is handed down. The job is to run the play.

Every time I wanted to tweak curriculum to better fit our unique culture, adjust large group flow, or host something specific to our families, I hit a wall.

And here’s the thing: The system wasn’t broken. I just wasn’t in the right seat.

I realized I needed to be somewhere where I could build, dream, and create. I needed autonomy.

So no — not every Kids Pastor needs to be a visionary creative. In fact, if you hire wrong in this area, it will lead to burn out and higher turnover.

You must determine whether your role is vision casting or vision executing. And you need to have these conversations transparently and upfront with candidates.

Some leaders are builders.
Some leaders are implementers.
Neither makes you a better pastor. They’re just different giftings.

2. Theology matters just as much for your Kids Pastor as it does for your Lead Pastor

When I left that church and stepped into my next chapter in Las Vegas, I will never forget something an executive pastor said to me.

He told me,
“Your theology might matter more to me than almost anyone else on staff. Because you are going to have some of the most complicated conversations in this church.”

Not the Senior Pastor.
Not the Groups Pastor.

The Kids Pastor.

And yet… many lead teams still treat Kids Pastors like playdough professionals and Goldfish® distributors.

You might think Kids Pastors are made of flannel boards and building blocks.

But in reality?

They are shepherding a massive percentage of your church.

Let’s do simple math.

Imagine a church of 100 people:

• 20 are kids (a healthy 20%).
  
  

• Let’s say 20 kids represent 30 parents when accounting for siblings
  
  

• Let’s say there’s 1 volunteer for every 10 kids — that’s 2 more adults.
  
  

That’s 52 people directly connected to kids ministry.

52%.

A senior leader should understand that a Kids Pastor is often shepherding well over half the congregation when you factor in kids, parents, and volunteers.

You better trust their theology.
You better trust their maturity.
You better trust their wisdom.

This is not entry-level ministry.

3. Hiring a teacher is not automatically the slam dunk you think it is.

Let me be clear: teachers are some of the most incredible, underpaid, undervalued humans on planet earth. But whether a teacher makes an incredible Kids Pastor depends entirely on how your role is structured.

In many churches, the Kids Pastor isn’t primarily teaching kids all week. They are:

• Leading large volunteer teams

• Casting vision

• Shepherding parents

• Navigating conflict
  Recruiting and training leaders
  Managing safety, curriculum, systems, and staff
  
  

In those environments, the job is less “classroom” and more leadership + organizational health + pastoral care.

Some teachers thrive in that shift. They want this shift!

Some deeply miss hands-on time with kids.

And when the role becomes mostly volunteer leadership and strategic oversight, it can feel like a bait and switch.

So before you hire the best 3rd grade teacher in your city, ask:

Is this role primarily about teaching kids?
Or is it about leading adults who teach kids?

Those are very different skill sets. Again, you will want to have these conversations transparently and upfront as you are interviewing candidates. 

4. Kids Pastors should absolutely be considered for Family Pastor roles.

Can we please retire the unspoken rule that Student Pastors are the “natural next step” into Family Pastor roles?

Kids Pastors:

• Often lead larger volunteer teams.

• Regularly oversee more total humans.

• Navigate parents during the most formative years of a child’s life.

• Build systems from nursery through elementary.

• Shape theology at the earliest stages.
  
  

And yet, somehow, the Student Pastor is still often seen as the more “serious” pastor.

Why?

If you can faithfully shepherd families in the 0–11 window — where identity, worldview, and spiritual language are being formed — you absolutely should be in consideration for family leadership roles.

This isn’t anti-student pastor.

It’s simply honoring the weight of kids ministry.

5. Kids Pastors should be among the highest paid roles in your church.

Yes, I said it.

If they are directly shepherding 50–60% of your congregation, then we need to take a look at why they are consistently being paid less than:

• Worship Pastors

• Student Pastors

• First Impression Directors
  
  

We say children are the future of the church.

We say families matter.

We say discipleship starts at home.

And then we compensate the leader overseeing that entire ecosystem like it’s a stepping-stone role.

Budgets preach.

If you believe early discipleship shapes lifelong faith, your compensation philosophy should reflect that belief.

Listen, friends … Kids Pastors are not babysitters with Bible stories.

They are culture-shapers.
Doctrine-formers.
Volunteer-equippers.
Parent-shepherds.
Future-building leaders.

The leader you put in that seat isn’t just shaping Sunday morning.

They’re shaping generations.
They’re shaping the first impression of your church.
They’re shaping whether families lean in or quietly drift away.

And if we’re really honest?

They’re shaping the first impression of your leadership.

Which means hiring this role isn’t strategic.

It should be personal.