Resources, Tips and Content for Children's Ministry and Family Life Leaders

Keeping Kids Safe

August 9, 2013 by

As a Children’s Ministry Leader, safekeeping is always the one thing expected of you at all times—whether spoken or unspoken—and it requires much more than common sense on your part and the part of others.

Keeping kids safe requires planning, policies, training and continual re-assessment. It demands an intentionality so well done, that hopefully, it will go unnoticed.

If you are going to be ferocious about one area of ministry over all others, this is it. It only takes one child or one parent one incidence for uncertainty to set in and put the reputation of your church at risk. If kids don’t feel safe, they will make it difficult for their parents to leave them; and if parents don’t feel safe, they will choose alternatives. Either way, you will limit your opportunities to share the gospel and impact families for eternity.

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Think Before You ASK

July 19, 2013 by

When inviting someone in to play a role in ministry there are a few key elements you should think through first.

1. Know what you’re inviting people into.

If it’s all foggy and undefined, tell them. If it requires a lot of time and is complicated, be straightforward. If it’s mapped out, but has limitations, restrictions and deadlines, let them know upfront. Honesty is always the best policy and it helps others make good decisions. When possible, offer a clearly defined job description as well.

2. Cast vision. Explain the eternal impact of each job.

Whether it’s a core team member or one of the many others who will hold a specific position or serve on the front line, state the kingdom impact clearly and repeat it often.

Volunteers who care for little ones in the nursery subliminally teach children that God cares for their needs, loves them and is trustworthy. They also grant each child one of the best gifts possible—designated weekly time for their parents to focus on their own relationship with God. Remind volunteers that the best thing you can give a child is a parent who is learning to fully depend upon God for wisdom, direction and strength.

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Don’t Travel Alone — Build A Team

July 12, 2013 by

The task of leading children of all ages to Christ is enormous and requires a large group of people with a variety of gifts and strengths. But where are you going to find those people and how are you going to get them to make the journey with you?

Bill Hybels from Willow Creek in Chicago once said, “The first rule of building a team is affinity.” I was new to ministry, sitting in an audience of thousands when I wrote this down in my notes and I wasn’t even sure what it meant. But over the years, I’ve come to bank on this statement. When building a core team, always think affinity first!

AFFINITY FIRST!

 Affinity is defined as having a feeling of identification with; a likeness based upon connection; a kinship; a similarity.

Imagine ministry as a 3,342.4 mile car ride from California to Maine in a Honda Fit. You know where you’re going and you know your mode of transportation is trustworthy although a bit lacking in comfort. You’re inviting companions to join the adventure and travel with you; companions to keep you awake, take turns driving, and help decide where to eat, where to sleep and when to stop for gas. Hopefully you won’t encounter car trouble, but if you do, your companions will help with decision-making and extend the boundaries of your personal resources. You’re pretty sure that along the way you’ll encounter the expected, the extraordinary, the bizarre and the mundane. It’s the shared experience inside that car that will give you camaraderie, create memories, provide entertainment and keep you moving forward in the right direction. From time-to-time constraints of space, finances or other needs may cause frustration, but they will push you toward collective creativity, teamwork and opportunities to extend grace.

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The Big Picture

July 5, 2013 by

Children’s Ministry—you think it’s about children, but it’s not!

Most people say, “Yes” to working in children’s ministry because they love children, have children, think working with children will be fun, or believe it may be the least stressful volunteer option that has been placed before them. As the leader, however, you know children are just the beginning. The job is much more.

Children’s Ministry is unlike any other educational ministry in the church in that it requires a large team of volunteers to make it happen. A Pastor can teach a room of a thousand adults standing alone on the front stage. Youth Pastors, Women’s Ministry Leaders and even Worship Pastors can do the same. But the moment you have that second infant handed to you, you’ve reached capacity, safekeeping becomes an issue and you find yourself outnumbered.

Leading Children’s Ministry is more about developing a team of volunteers than interacting with children. You might hold the vision, write the lesson plans, organize the supplies, lead the worship and greet families at the door, but if there aren’t other adults and helpers in the room who know each child by name and are prepared to assist, your desire to run an excellent program is at risk.

In fact, the reality is You serve 4 populations!

[Read more…]

When You Find Yourself Leading Alone…

June 17, 2013 by

Leadership can be one of the most exciting adventures of life if you are gifted to lead. However, it doesn’t take long to understand that there are times when you find yourself standing alone.

I can remember my very first staff meeting. I had been hired to be the Children’s Ministry Director and I came to the table with a long list of questions. The meeting began with a time of prayer and then immediately turned to the business at hand. An agenda had been presented and the items on it were huge! Some would determine the direction of the church; others were problems needing resolution that had the potential for heartache; and some required budget adjustments demanding give and take on the part of every ministry team.

There was no time to focus on my unknowns or ease my insecurities. In fact, within just a few days I came to realize that the staff had hired me to be the resident expert. They had no plans or ideas for kids, and although they were extremely supportive and great listeners, they were looking to me for their next course of action!

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The Volunteer Engine

June 4, 2013 by

Church ministries run on volunteer fuel, and yet rarely does it seem that their tanks are full. Even when momentum is good, energy is abundant and it feels like a well-oiled machine, leaders know that without proper maintenance and a scheduled refueling the engine will soon sputter and die.

The best recruiting campaigns can always tap into new energy sources, but it’s not a quick refueling that we need. Getting new volunteers should not be a quick stop at the gas pump every time we need help, but rather a careful look at the specific design, construction and special features of the person we are inviting onto the track.

The focus of recruiting should be designing the pathway each volunteer will experience and training the technicians who will point the way on the journey.

[Read more…]

One Key Point

May 24, 2013 by

Making stories stick requires intentionality on the part of the storyteller. When prepping to tell a children’s Bible story, you must be willing to think through comprehension and life application acquisition skills. In other words, consider what helps students grasp knowledge and be able to readily use it. My primary default plan is always to use one key point.

This means I must begin with the end in mind. I must decide on the one thing I want children or students to walk away knowing and be able to apply.

A great key point is memorable, simple and clear.

[Read more…]

How To Share The Gospel

May 22, 2013 by

Have you ever finished telling a Bible story and in that moment wished you knew how to tie it in to the Gospel Message? In my early days I would feel the Holy Spirit nudging me, but I just didn’t know how to make a smooth transition. I would feel so unprepared and even if I decided to muddle my way through, when I was finished I would cringe for days afterward realizing my presentation had been incomplete or lacking clarity.

Below is a simple outline that’s easy to remember and great to follow in such moments. It gives you a starting point that can easily be transitioned from any Bible story and includes all the key elements needed to share the Gospel message.

1. Talk about Heaven.

Transition your story toward eternity. Describe Heaven as a wonderful place where God lives—a place where we want to go when this life is over—a place without sin, pain and suffering. But, explain that there’s a problem… [Read more…]

Bible Story Prep

May 21, 2013 by

When preparing to tell a Bible story, use this simple worksheet to ensure that you know the story accurately, are ready to include details to make it interesting and are working toward comprehension and application by narrowing the focus to one key point.  For more detailed instruction, read How To Tell A Bible Story (part 1)  and (part 2).

BibleStoryPrep

 

Family Life Assessment Form

May 21, 2013 by

Need to evaluate your program? Here’s a great assessment tool. It allows you to capture feedback from staff, family life team members, youth pastors, children’s ministry leaders, volunteers, parents, newbies and guests. You can score your entire program altogether or better yet, break groups down into areas of participation and get a detailed look at each ministry. Once you’ve discovered your strengths and weaknesses, write SMART Goals and work your way toward becoming Better Before Bigger.

Family Life Assessment

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