1 of 5

When David Staal shows up for work at the weekend services at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, it's "game on." Between one Saturday night service and two Sunday morning services, he will oversee 1,000 children's volunteers and 3,000 kids in Promiseland, the megachurch's children's ministry.

"Our mission is to make Promiseland the best hour of every child's week," says Staal. "To do this, our ministry has to be safe first and foremost. Safety is one area you can't ever compromise on or the whole ministry is at risk. You need to bat a thousand every time."

The center of an expansive, open-air foyer for Willow Creek's main auditorium features an indoor waterfall. A staircase leads down to the base of the waterfall, which is the entry point to Promiseland. It's here you'll find Staal warming up for the game.

"Before every service I stand in the same place and pray, 'God, keep our kids safe today.' Hundreds of parents have entrusted us with the most important thing in their life. I think they deserve that we give everything we have to keeping their kids safe."

Parents with kids in tow stream down the stairs like the water gently cascading alongside them. Two to three dozen families will head to the infant to two-year-old area where they'll scan their plastic IDs. They'll be issued matching numbered tags with a colored circle sticker indicating their child's small group that day.

At one end of the hallway, a plastic fence has been set up to give crawling infants plenty of space to move around and yet still be secure. At the other end, where 12- to 23-month-olds are stationed, another fenced-in area gives them plenty of space to roam around.

Staal, the author of three books, including his new release, Words Kids Need to Hear (Zondervan) says, "We give a lot of thought to the logistics of securing each area. If you can give a child a secure space to explore and play, you eliminate the need to continually say, 'no, no.' We set boundaries that we know are secure, and they are free to move about within that area."

Speaking of setting boundaries, don't even think about trying to get past the check-in desk without a nametag. If it's not perfectly obvious that you've got a child in Promiseland, you will be redirected to the proper area faster than an airplane caught traveling in a no-fly zone.

"Every week, I upload a list of names onto my Palm Pilot of adults who are not allowed to enter Promiseland," says Staal. "Often it's because there's a restraining order against a parent. One time a father insisted on seeing his child in Promiseland. I knew he was on my restricted list, so I had to walk over to him with two security team members and ask him to leave. He challenged me for a second, but then thought better of making a scene in front of his daughter. As the ministry director, I'll do whatever it takes to keep these kids safe."

While the infant zone is subdued and calm, the three-year-old area is a hive of activity. Three veteran children's workers "own" their check-in area. When parents scan their plastic ID cards, these men can immediately see when their child last attended Promiseland, or if they have any special needs. With enthusiasm and efficiency, they type in pertinent information on the parents' whereabouts in case they need to be summoned.

next page... |  1 of 5

share this page