Parenting, it's been said, is the only profession where the goal is to work yourself out of a job.

As children's ministry leaders, whether volunteer or paid, our goal is to partner with parents, and help them work themselves out of a job. That is, to support their efforts to bring their children to maturity. We are helping parents to raise their children, to train them in the ways of the Lord. We focus on the spiritual, but really, just as parents, our goals ought to be to develop the whole person. After all, what good is it if we can get a child to recite from memory, "Love your neighbor as yourself," but then he goes home and bullies the other children in his neighborhood, or is disrespectful to his teacher at school?

Our goal is not to police kids, since we can't. The hour on Sunday you spend with the kids you minister to is miniscule compared to the time they spend with parents, peers or in school in any given week. So how can you impact kids, how can you help them grow? In fact, how can you get them to "outgrow" you? Because isn't that the goal—to have them move forward, to mature, to move from dependence on you to independence?

There is a synergy between the growth of the children we lead, and our growth, and even their parents' growth. Or at least, there can be, if we live life intentional and aware. Here are three ways we can grow as we guide others toward spiritual maturity.

Trust God: As kids' leaders (or as parents), we can grow in our faith by challenging kids to grow—and then actually letting them do it. Allowing kids to take risks to follow hard after God requires us to trust God to take care of them, it forces us to let go of control. Surrendering the kids in our charge to God, trusting that all will be well and things will work for good in the long run—that's a faith builder right there. If you've been in children's ministry a while, you know that there are kids who wander from their faith, despite the efforts of their parents and the church to guide them in righteousness. But there is nothing better to build your ability to trust God than praying for a prodigal.

Pray: This leads us to the second way to nurture your soul as you nurture children: pray for them and for their parents. Even when you are praying for someone else, you build spiritual muscles that will serve you well as you journey with Christ.

Pray that your students' parents will use the time wisely, that they will support and build on the things you are teaching their kids. Pray that God would be in charge of that child's development in every way.

Let parents know that you pray for their kids, and for them. As a parent, knowing someone else is praying for my child is huge. It communicates God's love to me in a way few other things can.

Model: Third, live what you teach. When the kids and parents from church see you in the grocery store, on the Little League sidelines, with your own family—are you living the values you seek to instill in them? Are you kind, patient, loving? (That is, do you act as Jesus would?) How about when no one's looking? That, it's been said, is the definition of character.

When you teach kids, be willing to share (at an age appropriate level) your own struggles as well as your own successes. Tell stories about your own life, and how you are living your faith. Just knowing you'll be doing this on Sunday may change your behavior during the week (yet another sign of your own spiritual growth). Modeling provides a sort of accountability.

This Sunday, and every Sunday, affirm the parents of the kids you lead. Remind them that you want to partner with them and help their children to grow into full maturity in Christ. As a ministry volunteer and a parent myself, I think knowing I'm not alone in influencing kids for Christ would be the best Mother's Day gift I could ever get.

Keri Wyatt Kent is an author, speaker and Promiseland volunteer. Learn more about her ministry at www.keriwyattkent.com

Copyright © 2007 Promiseland.

Read more from 'For Your Soul'

Words Kids Need to Hear To Help Them Be Who God Made Them to Be by David Staal If you could choose just seven statements to share with children, what would they be? Each chapter in this compelling book focuses on a single statement elementary-age kids need to hear from parents, children's workers, and other close adults. These seven statements are simple to share, yet guaranteed to profoundly impact children. They are: I believe in you. You can count on me. I treasure you. I'm sorry, please forgive me. Because. No. I love you. will educate, equip, and motivate parents and children's ministry teams to carefully choose words that building up kids' hearts, to say them frequently, and to do so in creative ways. What children hear from trusted adults significantly influences their self-image, their current relationships, and future relationships—including that all-important relationship with God.