How to Start a Puppet Ministry

Quick Tips and Valuable Resources

Apr 12, 2007 Denise Oliveri

Do you want to hop aboard one of the hottest waves in children's ministry? Puppets are the craze these days! Get some tips for starting a puppet ministry here.

So, you have heard all the commotion about having a Puppet Ministry. Neighboring churches are just ranting and raving about how successful their ministry is with children of all ages. Why, even adults get excited when they watch a puppet performance.

Now, you want to catch the Puppet action at your church, but where do you start? Here are some quick tips and valuable resources that you will want to know about to get your Puppet Ministry off and running. Please bear in mind that these are the nuts and bolts to get your juice flowing. There are many great books about the subject as well.

Preparing for the ministry:

• You will need a director. This will be a "take charge" person who can pull the whole ministry together and act as the point of contact for the ministry.
• You will need a financial plan. Depending on your vision, your ministry can be as small or as large as you like. It is a good idea to have your church board on-board with you in the financial process. Consider fundraisers, too.
• Bring in the puppets. You need a variety of different puppets. It is a good idea to have some generic puppets, so that you can change costumes and use them for different skits. You can purchase puppets ready to go, or you can buy puppet patterns and have someone make them for you. Either way puppets can be costly. Find some great deals on-line, if you can.
• Staging. Plan a stage that you can grow as your ministry grows.
• Finding your team of puppeteers. Teenagers and adults with lots of enthusiasm should work well.

Organization is the key to success:

• Rehearsals. This is a good time for devotions. Never leave God out of the picture! Remember you are doing this to glorify Him. Start with easy skits to get used to the puppets. Then work your up to longer skits as your team feels comfortable.
• Plan your year. Marking performance dates will keep your puppeteers focused. Try limiting performances around certain months (like September to May), and avoid doing all-year performances. This will lessen the worry for burnout of the puppeteers, and the kids will be looking forward to you starting up again with anticipation.
• Purpose for puppets. It is easy to lose sight of why you started a Puppet Ministry. Make the ministry more than just rehearsals. Take advantage of the friendships you will make, stay earnestly in prayer for each other as you work together, and make sure the kids who are watching the performance can see the spiritual message you are trying to deliver.

Technical People:

You will need workers during performances who are comfortable with:

• Sound
• Light
• Puppet care and storage
• Stage set up and props

Although it seems like a lot of work, once you get used to puppets and learn to work together as a team, it will just be fun! And, as your ministry grows, you will be amazed at what you can do with puppets!

Here are some resources that will help a whole lot:

One Way Street - Lots of basics on starting a Puppet Ministry, songs, skits, necessary forms, and much more!

Puppet Revelation - Same as above, lots of great resources and products.

The copyright of the article How to Start a Puppet Ministry in Musical Theatre is owned by Denise Oliveri. Permission to republish How to Start a Puppet Ministry in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.