Tuesday, December 13, 2016

There will be rain...but God is bigger than the rain.

"Into each life some rain must fall."  That is from a song sung by the Inkspots in 1944, but my Mom used to say it to me when I was growing up.  It generally would be said when things were not going my way and I was being a bit of a brat about it.  But, it's a true statement.  In life, there will be times of rain.  Times when things just don't go the way you planned.  When something happens that throws you for a loop.  Leading during those times can be difficult because our focus can easily be on ourselves...and in some ways it needs to be. 

Rain can come in many forms.  It can be an unexpected big expense that you have to find a way to afford (like a car or home repair).  It can be a family crisis like an extreme illness or death.  It could even be a job change or some other life transistion.  Sometimes the rain is annoying but not overwhelming.  Sometimes it comes in huge torrents that you're not sure how you will ever get through.  The only thing we can be sure of is that in life, there will be rain.  And we still have to lead even in the midst of that rain. 

So what do we do when the rain hits?  Here are a few things I've learned from my own rainstorms:

1)  Don't forget your time with God
When the rain comes, it can be easy to get so focused on whatever the problem is that we neglect our time with the Lord.  And when the rain feels torrential, sometimes it seems like it's all we can do to get through the day...But keep your focus on the One who is bigger than the rain.  Depending on what is going on in your life, you may not be able to form the words you want to say, but that's ok.  Sometimes just being in His presence is enough.  Lean on Him.  Let His strength be your strength.  He won't let you down. 

2) Don't try to go it alone
Sometimes, in ministry, we feel like we are islands.  But we are not.  Share your burden with your spouse, or if like me, you're not married, share with a friend or family member.  Sometimes just hashing out an issue with someone you trust can change your whole perspective. You don't have to publicly share your pain on Facebook, but you should share it with a trusted confidant. 

3) It's ok for your congregation to know you are hurting
In the past 7 months, I lost both my Grandfather and Grandmother.  And it has been a process to deal with the grief of their passing.  In fact, I'm still grieving, but my church family was amazing. My Grandfather's passing was unexpected and quick and my church family hugged me and prayed for me during those shocking days.  Then five weeks later, my Grandmother's death came after watching her weaken for 10 days in the hospital.  On the day she passed, several people from my church showed up to the hospital, gathered around me and prayed.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me.  In the days and weeks that followed, they were a constant source of strength during a very trying time.  We pastors don't always share all the things going on in our lives with those in our ministry, but there are times when it is appropriate to let the congregation know our hearts are hurting.  Let them be the hands and feet of Jesus during those difficult times in your life.

4) Don't be afraid to get professional help when it's needed.
Sometimes, it takes more than advice from a friend or spouse when the rain is falling particularly hard.  In those times, don't be afraid to reach out to a Christian counselor or therapist.  As Pastors, it is not uncommon for us to refer people to get counselling during particularly difficult times in their lives and sometimes we need to take our own advice.  It is much better to reach out for help than to continually struggle without improvement. 

Rain will come, but Praise the Lord that He is with us in the midst of the rain.  And in the words of that great Gaither song, and He will sustain us "till the storm passes by."   


Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Making Memorable Moments...

Every time we put together a service, we want to make what we are doing memorable for those in our congregation.  Whether it is a child, a teen, or an adult, the goal is the same.  We want the lesson we are teaching to stick with those who are hearing it.  And more than likely it won't be the whole lesson they remember, but it's very possible that one moment will stick.  So we have to make as many memorable moments in our lessons as we can.  Now, there is no sure fire way of doing that.  After all, we have all prepared lessons that we thought were going to be awesome only to see them fall flat, or taken a lesson that we were not sure would work and see people really respond to it.  So, there isn't a foolproof way to make memorable moments, but there are a few things that when incorporated generally help.  And though, we usually deal primarily with children, they can be helpful for any age group.

1) Don't just read...make the lesson fun.
I know, this seems like a no brainer, but how many times have you seen someone stand up in front of a group and then just simply read a lesson.  Or perhaps the teacher doesn't have much inflection in their voice.  These are things we have to work hard not to do.  Now, I'm not saying you can never read something.  Sometimes there might be a brief passage that you want to quote properly and so reading it is appropriate, but just standing and reading for an entire lesson simply isn't memorable.  Move, smile, change your voice, change your inflection.  The lesson should feel like you are chatting with a friend, not performing and essay. If what your teaching is fun, there is a great chance that it is also memorable.

2) Incorporate more than one of the senses. 
The more senses involved in a lesson, the better someone will remember what is being taught.  Is your Scripture focused on the woman with a jar of oil?  Perhaps you can bring in some oil and let the kids touch it.  Will you be learning about John the Baptist?  Bringing in some wild honey for the kids to taste will bring the lesson to life.  Will you be talking about faith the size of mustard seed?  You can buy small containers of mustard seeds at nearly any grocery store.  The kids will love seeing how small they really are.  Don't be afraid to use multiple senses in your lesson.  The more you use, the better they will remember what they are being taught.

3) Teach the point through many avenues
Let's say that your lesson focuses on caring for each other as Christ cares for us.  Your game could be a cooperation game where the team has to work together in order to win.  There could be an activity where the kids all have to complete a task (such as throwing a ball into a basket), but give each group a problem they have to overcome in order to complete the task (like making one of them pretend to have two broken arms, or blindfolding one).  They will have to figure out a way to help the person who has the challenge so that they all can finish the task.  You could even choose songs for the day that focus on how God cares for us such as Jonathan Shelton's "Counting on God" or Group Music's "His Great Love."  All these things together add to and build up the teaching time where you will bring out the Scripture of the day and help continually focus the listeners attention on what the lesson is...which will lead to more opportunities for memorable moments.

It takes a lot of planning an preparation to bring about memorable moments, but it's worth it.  Why?  Because God often brings those memorable moments back to our minds just when we need them most and they help us draw ever closer to Him. 

Until next week... 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A New Vision...

As you may have noticed, I have not been as regular in posting to this blog as of late.  I apologize for that, but God has been doing some incredible things in my life and I want to share with you what's been going on.

I started my 12th year as a Children's Pastor this summer. Prior to that, I was actively involved in Children's Ministry as a volunteer for about 5 years.  So for about the last 17 years I have lived and breathed ministry to children and families.  But this year God started talking to me about a different sort of ministry path and yet in some ways...it's not different at all.

He has called me to plant a church, but not just any church.  This church would be geared to reach people who have never really ever been to church before.  It would strive to remove the common barriers that tend to keep people from attending church if they have never been a part of a congregation or once they are have gotten out of the habit of attending. It would be basic in it's teaching so that the entire family could learn together and no one feels "talked down to" or out of the loop.  The environment will be fast paced, active and totally family friendly.  Everyone learns together.  The family unit is taught as a whole in one place in ways that everyone understands.  We will sit at tables and chairs and the tables will be covered with butcher paper and manipulatives, allowing for activity even during times of listening.  The service would be multi-sensory so no one type of learning is excluded or, for that matter, exclusively used. It's a whole new way of doing ministry and I am beyond excited about it.

God called and I listened, but I will admit that I was terrified at first.  I mean, I never expected to be a senior pastor...ever.  But when God speaks we have to listen so I started out on this journey.  I started praying...I started talking about what God was impressing on me with friends who immediately jumped on board and started encouraging me.  Then, I started talking to my District Superintendent about this a few months back and he also could see the vision I was sharing and encouraged me.  Every door that I expected to close in my face has opened wide as I have continued to walk down this path.  Last week, our District Advisory Board approved the plans for this church plant.  Yesterday, I got an email from my General Church telling me that the plant was officially registered with the denomination.

So, I am excited to share with you all that I am now the Pastor of the New Vision Church of the Nazarene in LaGrange, IN.  We will have our Open House/Launch Party on December 17th and then on January 8th, 2017 we will hold our first service.  If you'd like to check out New Vision, please see our Facebook page.

This journey has been more amazing than I could ever put into words.  I have never in my life had such an experience.  I know the days ahead will be challenging, but I also know that God is going to do some incredible things and I'm thrilled to have even a small part of His plans.

Next week, I'll go back to my regular "Tuesday's Tips", but this week, I just had to share what God has been doing.

Until next time...

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Transitions and Saying Goodbye...

Change happens in ministry...and sometimes the change is you.  Part of being a pastor means changing churches when the Lord leads you to do so.  However, leaving the children and families that you have gotten so close to can be very difficult.  Personally, I am in the midst of such a change as I leave my current congregation to become a church plant pastor. (More about that another time)  But this is not the first time I've changed churches and though each time the situation is somewhat different, there are a few things you can do to make the move as easy as possible for all those involved.

First, plan for the day when you will resign to your children.  For me, because I am teaching children's church during the adult worship service, the senior pastor will generally read my resignation to the adults, but I tell the children myself.  I feel it is important that they hear the news from me.  So, I prepare a lesson all about following the Lord's lead in our lives wherever that path might go.  When the children understand how important it is to follow the Lord's leading, it makes it easier for them to understand why you are leaving.  That is not to say that it makes them miss you any less (or you them), but they do understand.  It's important that they realize that you are not just "leaving them", because some children will feel like they did something that made you leave or that you didn't like them enough to stay.  But when they realize that you are simply going where the Lord is sending you, that is a very different thing.

Second, sometimes when we leave, there are reasons that we can not discuss with the church body.  There will always be people who will wonder why you are leaving and if something or someone influenced your decision.  And at times, that might be the case but, and this is really important, even if you have a reason to make waves about why you are leaving...don't.  This is not easy if you feel like you have been wronged in some way.   In fact it might be the hardest thing you ever have to do in ministry, but it is the better path.  Making someone else look bad is only going to make you look worse...even if you are in the right.   Leave a legacy of love and understanding.  Not one of hurt feelings and pain.  Our job is to always leave the church better than when we arrived.

Thirdly, prepare for your successor.  Are there quirks about your area that a new person should know? Are there some helpful hints or lists of workers you can leave for the next person who has your position?  If so, it might be a good idea to leave them a note.  At one church where I served, the children's area had 4 thermostats of which only two worked and a huge set of closets full of supplies that I didn't realize had been there when I first arrived at the position.  So I made sure I left that information in my note.  Printing off lists of volunteers and any schedules you have available can also be a huge blessing to the next leader.  Leaving behind a list of events is helpful as well.  When I was the newbie at one of the churches I served, there was a huge event that I didn't realize I was supposed to have a children's program during until about two weeks before the event.  Because it was an event that had happened for so many years, people didn't realize that I wasn't in the loop for the details.  So, when I left, I made sure I left behind a list of all the main church events and what the children's department was responsible for at each of those events for the person who followed me.

Lastly...once someone else has your position, don't visit much for a while.  I'm not saying don't visit at all, but if it is in your means to wait until the new person has been there about 6 months or so, that will help the children attach to that new leader much easier.  If you keep showing up, the children will automatically look to you and not to the new leader and that is not fair to the children or your successor.  If you do decide to pop in for a visit, don't go back to the children's area until after church.  If you go there before service starts, it can be difficult for the leader to get the children's attention again and can disrupt the service flow.  After service, is a much better time to connect with everyone.

These are a few things that I've learned over the years.  Transitioning can be a challenge, but when God calls us to a new position, He will also lead us through the transition. 

Until next week!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Following His Path...

Some days ministry is awesome.  You know what I'm talking about.  When you lead a service where God moves in and takes over, where lives are changed, where people really connect with the Savior.  Those are the days that we live for and strive to repeat because leading others to the throne of grace is why we are in ministry to begin with.  We want to help others come to know the King of Kings and strive to teach them what having a relationship with Him looks like.

Then there are the harder days.  The days where nothing seems to go as planned.  Where your teachers show up late or not at all, where the coffee maker busted, where the copier is out of toner and you just need two more copies, or when someone is upset with you because of something they heard from someone else about something you didn't have anything to do with. Yeah, those are fun days. (She said sarcastically.) 

But I think the hardest part of ministry, and the Christian life in general, is when God comes in and asks you to move out of your comfort zone.  When He gives you a vision that includes things you never thought you would see yourself doing in ways you never dreamed. No one likes to be blindly led, but in Scripture, God often asks His leaders to be willing to do just that.  Abraham was asked to go without knowing where he was going to end up (Genesis 12:1), so he left and God provided for him.  Gideon was asked to fight a battle with so few men he could not see how victory could be possible (Judges 7), but he obeyed and God provided the victory that was needed. When Jesus called His disciples, they really didn't have any idea how their lives would change, but they followed him and they were witness to amazing things and had the opportunity to learn at the feet of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have multiple accounts of them).  All of these people in Scripture, and many more as well, were asked to just follow where God was leading them without knowing what exactly that road would look like.  And when they obeyed, God used them in mighty ways.

When God asks us to step out in faith and do something we never thought we could do, those times are scary and can be overwhelming.  But then you remember that, He wouldn't ask you to step out in faith if He had any doubt you could do it.  He wouldn't choose you if you were not the right person for the job.  And though, you may not be able to see the road, the way is clearly marked from God's point of view.  The hard part is trusting Him to lead us.  Then again...if we really trust Him like we say we do, maybe it isn't all that hard after all.

In your ministry, you will have times where God calls you out of your comfort zone to places you never expected.  Keep following.  Though, it might seem like a wilderness to you, the road is clearly marked to God and He won't let you get lost so long as you follow His lead. 

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Vacation Bible School Alternatives

Vacation Bible School is, for most churches, a big part of their planning for the year.  If you are planning a Vacation Bible School and you want it to be successful, you have to work on it months in advance.  It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to buy the curriculum, get the volunteers, prepare the decorations, find the crafts, get the proper snacks and so much more.  However, if VBS is traditionally well attended in your area and it opens doors for outreach for your church, then it is time, money and effort well spent. If it is working at your church, keep it up.  It can be an amazing tool to reach children and shouldn't be set aside if it is still connecting with the families in your area.

But what if it no longer seems to work at your church?  What if it is like pulling teeth to get the volunteers, your budget is stretched thin, and the kids just don't seem interested?  Don't beat yourself up.  You are not alone.  In fact, I have Children's Pastor friends all over the country and lots of us are beginning to face this issue.  The numbers of attendees are down.  The folks in the church simply can't help like they did in the past.  And now, with so many schools going to a balanced calendar, the window of opportunity is very small to even hold a Bible School in the summer.

So, what can be done?  In my opinion, we have to get out of the traditional five day VBS mindset and start focusing on what might work for our area.  There are lots of alternatives if you are willing to make a few changes.

Use an existing service time
If you want to do a program in the summer, but you don't have a full week available, perhaps you could hold your VBS on Sunday Mornings, Sunday Nights, or Wednesday Nights.  This doesn't work everywhere, but in some places, simply replacing an existing children's service with special Vacation Bible School Services is a fun way to change things up in the summer.  
Pick a different time of year
In my area, because of the balanced school calendar, summer is about 8 weeks long.  Four of those weeks are taken up with our District Family Camp, two Teen Camps, and three Children's Camps.  One week on either end of the vacation is difficult to plan around because not all the schools begin or end on the same day. That leaves two weeks in the summer and often those weeks are difficult to plan big events around because of all the family vacations that people take.  So, why not plan your big event at a different time of year?  If you want to do a Vacation Bible School (either three day or five day), why not plan it during part of one of the other longer school breaks.  For example, many families in our area travel during part of the Spring Break, but not so much during the Fall Break. And our Fall Break is two weeks long, so there are about 5-7 days that all the schools are out at the same time.  For us, it could be a much better time to plan an outreach event. 

Try a Sport Camp VBS
I am about as uncoordinated and athletically challenged as they come, but even I was able to pull off leading a Mega Sports Camp.  It's totally different from your traditional Bible School in many ways, but there are some great Biblical lessons and in this program that the kids will love.  If you want to do Bible School, but want to put a different spin on it, I highly recommend this one.  
 
Do something different
If your town is full of churches, like mine is, there are probably 20 different Bible Schools going on during the summer.  So why not plan something totally different?  Perhaps a Family Concert or Bazaar.  Maybe a Friday night/Saturday family camp out at a nearby lake or park would be well received.  You could have a special family service right around the campfire.  Look at your area and see what the families enjoy.  It will be different everywhere, but if you can plan something really fun, but different than what everyone else is doing, you will automatically stand out.    

Don't overload your volunteers
Your volunteers want to help.  After all, that is why they volunteer, but be careful that you are not overloading them.  If you are seeing that your team is getting pretty tired and are in need of a break, that is NOT the time to add something new to their plate.  Part of our jobs as ministers is to take care of those who are working along side us.  I read a great book not long ago by Barry Newton called "A Mile In These Shoes."  I highly recommend it and there was a quote in it about how we work with others that hit me hard.  He said, "If we are reaching the lost at the expense of those we already have, we are not saving the world.  We are simply leaving a trail of burnt, broken people in our wake." (pg. 104) Programs and events are great, but if our schedule is so full that we are burning out our volunteers to present them, then the price is just too high.  It might be that, for one summer, you don't do a big event so that they can rest and come back refreshed and renewed.  

Don't be afraid to fail
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want you to try something that you know will fail.  But don't let the fear of failure prevent you from trying something new.  If it doesn't work, you can still learn from the experience.  If it does work, you may have just started something that will reach lots of new families in your community for the Lord.  

Times continue to change and we have to change with them.  But don't be afraid, change can be good...and the right change can revitalize your ministry.  

Until next week...

   

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Helping Grieving Families...

This past Friday my Grandmother passed away.  I had lived with her for the past two and a half years.  She went into the hospital on July 3rd and then suffered a massive heart attack two days later.  After 12 total days in the hospital she passed away.  This is the first time I have ever been through an experience such as this and it has been an extremely difficult couple of weeks.  But there have been some wonderful people who stepped up to care for our family in some very simple ways.  I thought I would share some of those ways this week. 

Snacks are a blessing...
For several days, my Grandma was in hospice care at the hospital.  We would eat in shifts, but times would come where we really didn't want to leave and it was such a blessing to have snacks like fruit, chips, veggies, animal cookies, and etc in the room to snack on.  The hospice folks were wonderful and kept us stocked in coffee, drinks and a few snacks, but those other treats that were shared with our family meant a lot during those days.

When you offer to help, be specific
We had people who constantly offered to help us in any way we needed and it was such a blessing.  However, what I noticed was that most of time, my mind simply didn't work very well and if you asked me if I needed anything, I would automatically say, "No, I'm fine. Thank you."  And usually I didn't need anything.  But occasionally someone would say something like, "Would it be ok if we brought you dinner?" or "Would you like me to check on your dogs?" and then that would trigger something in my mind and I would realize that that would be very helpful.  But it wouldn't have occurred to me unless they had mentioned it.


Check in often
During our days at the hospital with Grandma, a few people would text me every day just to see how we were.  Sitting in that hospital room would make for long days and though not everyone could come to visit, just getting a text telling me they were praying meant so much.  More than I can even put into words.  

Pray
There was literally nothing that anyone could do during the time we sat by my Grandma's bed and waited for her to enter Glory.  But lots of people were praying for us and it was such a comfort.  We had messages on Facebook, text messages, phone calls and personal visits that continually reminded us that others were walking this road with us and carrying us to the Father when we had run out of words ourselves.   

These last few days have been incredibly difficult, but these few kindnesses have made all the difference in making what could have been nearly unbearable...bearable.  When any of the families in your church go through something like this, I'm sure these same kindesses would be a blessing to them as well.

Until next week... 

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Co-Workers in the Kingdom

Over the course of a year, there are lots of events that the Children's Ministry plans at my church.  But we are just one of many churches in our area.  There are four other Nazarene Churches, as well as many Church of God (Anderson) Congregations, plus Baptist, Wesleyan, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God Churches and more.  Most of these churches, if not all of them, have an active Children's Department.  Some people would see all these other churches as competitors, but I think it is important that we see them as our Co-Workers in the Kingdom.   

Have you talked to the Children's Ministers at the other churches in your area?  If you haven't, I would suggest that you do and here are a few reasons why:

They can help you get to know the quirks of the area.
Every place is different and every area has it's own unique quirks.  If you are new to an area, these other ministers can answer key questions like: 
Is there a specific park that is especially good, or bad for having activities?
Are there community events (parades, fairs, etc) that you should be sure to plan around?  
Is there a certain sport or school that seems to take precedence in the area?  
Are the schools easy to work with for events. Do they not allow church involvement at all?  

They are full of fun ideas
Check out the children's departments in the churches around you.  You may not have time to see them all, but see if you can look at a few.  You can glean new ideas for decorations, check-in, signs, and many other things.  Sometimes, just viewing a new department will get your own creative juices flowing.

They are doing the same job you are...connect with them.
There is something very special about connecting with other Children's Workers and if you have the opportunity to do so, it will be a blessing to not only your ministry, but also to your own personal well being.  

We are co-laborers in the Kingdom and we should be supporting one another and helping each other grow.  If you haven't already,  would challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and connect with another Children's Pastor from a nearby church.  We're all on the team.  Let's work together.  And you might just make a new friend too.  

Until next week!    
 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Review Days

I love doing series lessons.  We've done a series on great people of faith (Billy Sunday, Fanny Crosby, Billy Graham, The Five Missionaries to the Waodoni, Martin Luther, etc), did a super fun series on the Judges, "toured" the Holy Land in a Biblical travel series, and lots of others.  And each series ends with one Review Day Sunday that is full of lots of games to help them remember what we have learned.  We had one recently to finish our current series and I was reminded of a couple things that are helpful when doing a Review day so I thought I'd pass them along to you.

Not every child was there every week
In fact, there is a high probability that none of the children were there every week.  A series is usually 6-8 weeks long and in that time we will have either one or possibly two Family Sunday services where our children will be in the main sanctuary and not children's church so that extends the time a bit longer.  If you stop to think about it, probably most of your kids will miss at least one Sunday over the course of 8-10 weeks.  So keep that in mind when preparing your games.  I combat this issue by using teams for the games.  No child is ever on their own so no one has to have all the answers.  They work together no one feels pressure to know the answer all the time.

Include at least two games that can be played by a visitor 
A new child won't know many (or any) answers from the series you are reviewing, so include a couple games where they won't feel like the outsider. For example, we were just finishing up a series where we were "traveling" to different locations in the Holy Land and one of our games was a bingo game that reviewed those locations and lots of others too. Every child could play and even the newest had opportunity to win because it was Bingo, not a question/answer game. I also included a game where the answers to some of the questions were literally in front of them on the pages of a previous game.  We had two new children at our last review game and I think they had just as much fun as everyone else simply because the service was planned with them in mind...even before we knew they were coming. :-)

Be flexible and be prepared to change things up
Like everything else in ministry, the unexpected is to be expected. Be ready to add a game or activity if the service goes long or perhaps change a game if necessary. My preschool teacher had a family emergency urging our last review game so I can a child much younger than the others stay in our service...but with a few tweaks, all went well.

Have fun!
Review days should be lots of fun. Enjoy it! Praise their memory when they answer correctly and encourage team work when a question is missed. It's not about who wins (in fact I've started taking away points from a team if I see/hear gloating), it a celebration of what they have learned and how they are growing in their walks with the Lord.

Until next week!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

An Unusual Week

This week's blog will be a bit different.  We had a death in my family on Thursday evening and it has taken a bit of a toll on me.  My Grandfather was 84 and sadly he had not been very much a part of my life for the last few years.  However, his passing has been much more difficult than I expected.  Grief snuck up on me in ways I simply wasn't prepared for.  Indeed, I fell apart over a cup of coffee in a restaurant early Sunday morning because it reminded me of a memory with Grandpa from days gone by. 

However, I am reminded that in everyone's lives there will be difficult days.  The children we work with have them, the volunteers who work with us have them, and we will have them.  During those days it is important that we remember where our strength comes from.  Yesterday, I sat down and wrote a poem trying to find the words to help me work through the feelings that were stirring within me. Now, I am by no means a poet.  In fact, outside of an assignment for school, this may be my first poem.  However, God spoke to me through that activity and I thought that I would share it with you all.  I hope it brings you, during your difficult days, at least in small measure the comfort if has brought me.


Next week I'll be back to the regular Tuesday's Tips.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

The Trip Book...



All through the year there are various activities that will include a trip of some sort for our kids at church.  It might be a Bible Quizzing meet, it might be Church Camp, it could be a retreat of some sort or any number of other activities.  It’s easy for those things to run together.  And we don’t want to lose the memories associated with those trips.  To help with that, at our church, we have instituted a “Trip Book.” 

The “Trip Book” is simply a notebook (preferably hardback so that it lasts a while) that we take on our special trips.  At the beginning of each trip we put the following information:

Date:
Trip Name: (Bible Quiz Meet, Retreat, etc)
Who is on the trip:

Then throughout the trip, we write down anything we want to remember.  It could be something serious (like how God talked to the kids or an important event that happened), or something funny.  Sometimes pictures are drawn or favorite songs are listed.  I let the kids decide what goes in the book.  It is their way to record memories for those who didn’t get to go as well as help those that went remember what we did.   The same book accompanies all the trips until the book is full and then another book is started.  

This is a simple and inexpensive (the only cost is the price of the notebook) way to help children connect with each other as well as take note of what is going on around them.  Just recently, we took several preteens to an event that only one had attended before.  She immediately got out the "Trip Book" and showed all the others what had happened on the last trip.  It was fun for her to remember and gave the other preteens exciting things to look forward to.  I highly recommend you try out a “Trip Book” with your group and see what they decide to record on your next trip.

Until next week!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Never Assume...


Assumptions cause all sorts of problems.  We have to learn to never assume.  There are people who simply will not think of things that you find very basic to ministry and on the other side of that, there will be things that others find very basic that will not even cross your mind as necessary.  For this reason, we have to be very specific about our plans and our programming.  We are all created differently and we will all find various things important...but when those things are not the same things we sometimes can have conflict.  What can we do?

PROMOTE YOUR MINISTRY
My Dad, who is also a pastor, gave me a piece of advice early in my ministry.  He said, "It's not what you do, it's what they think you do."  Now this might seem like a pass to be lazy, but it's actually quite the opposite.  What it means is that people will only know about what they see you doing.  You may spend 40 hours a week in your office planning your services and preparing activities, but no one generally sees that part of your ministry.  If you are never seen outside of a service, the easy assumption is that you don't do anything.  How can you change that thinking?
        BE VISIBLE. You must promote what you are doing.  I don't mean that you need to toot your own horn to the congregation, but you need to be sure that the church leadership understands the work that you are doing.  That may simply mean putting your activities in your monthly report, but it may also mean inviting the Board members to attend a children's church service, or asking to be an active part in your church's Family Sunday Service.  Be visible in and around the community whenever possible as well.  Attending local events/fairs/activities is a great way to connect with new people as well as strengthening bonds with folks you know.  
        DELEGATE TASKS.  If you are doing everything, no one else will know what it takes to prepare a service, plan an event, or promote an activity.  It may seem simpler to just do the job yourself, but we are here to train others to do ministry, so share the responsibility.  Allow others to learn from you and you must be willing to learn from them as well.  They will do the job different than you and that's ok.  

For the following we will use a fundraiser lemonade stand as an example.

Be Specific...very specific
When you are making a plan, don't be general in your plans.  Generalizations can lead to assumptions.  If you say, "We're going to have a lemonade stand fundraiser in July," that might be all you need to promote to the church, but for your team you need a specific plan:
         Jan will buy the lemonade
         Mark is going to make the lemonade on Sunday morning and put it in the fridge to cool.
         Each week a different family will run the stand.  Mary is in charge of setting up that rotation.
         Max will see that the donation box is put in the safe each week for the counters. 
Now each part of the plan is in place and no one is wondering who is doing what for the fundraiser. Planning is very important, but be careful that you do not become a micro-manager.  Once you have delegated the task, let that person do the task their way.

Be sure everyone knows the plan
Plans are great, but if you don't share them, they are not much help.  Make sure everyone knows the plan for your fundraiser.  Mark may know he's to make the lemonade, but if he doesn't know that Jan is going to purchase it, he may buy is as well. If Max isn't aware of who is setting up the family rotations, he may send people who are willing to help to the wrong person.  Making sure everyone has all the information is incredibly important and can save all involved a lot of frustration.

We all have to work together in ministry, and the easiest way to do that is to keep the information stream going.  Never assume others know what you are thinking, planning, or doing.   

Until next week! 




Tuesday, May 24, 2016

What's in Your Prize Box...

I love giving out prizes to kids.  I don't do it all the time, but every once in a while I get out the prize box and the we'll play a game where the winning team gets to choose something from it.  It's fun and that kids love it.  But I have learned a few things about the prize box over the years.  In fact, I have discovered that there are some definite do's and don'ts when it comes to what should go into it.  Here are a couple rules of thumb that I use to keep the prize box from becoming a problem in my own
ministry.

No Weapons
This might seem like a little thing, but for some families this is a big issue.  They don't want their children playing even with pretend guns or knives.  Another issue is that some children live in worlds were guns and knives play an all too real role in their everyday lives and so they are not something to make light of.  Just because your child understands that guns are not toys may not mean that the child next door has the same understanding.  So, the best choice is just not to include any sort of weapon type toy in the prize box.  

No Makeup
Little girls love makeup.  But not all parents are okay with letting them even pretend to wear it.  Lip gloss is fine for one child and not allowed for another.  So in my prize box, we don't put any sort of makeup (pretend or otherwise).   

Keep an eye on what your kids choose
There is always a toy that everyone wants, and there is equally always a toy that stays unchosen in the prize box.  Keep track of what is popular so that you don't spend money on things that no one wants.  In one church I was at, I couldn't keep bubbles in the box because they were always taken, in another church, they would sit in the box untouched.  Every place is different, so keep yours stocked accordingly.

Variety
Make sure that your box is contains something for everyone.  In my box, I have toy cars, perhaps a stuffed animal, small notebooks, bubbles, puzzles, etc.  I recently found watercolor painting books at Michael's that are a lot of fun and were only $1. Keeping a variety of toys makes it more fun for the kids to choose.

There is rarely a prize in my prize box that costs more than $1, so every few weeks I'll buy 3-5 things to add to it.  Spending $5 a month isn't a huge expense, but it adds a lot to our ministry with the kids.  I just try to be careful about what I spend that money on.

Until next week!       

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

But...We've Never Done It That Way Before

Change is hard.  Ministry is hard.  And trying to implement change into ministry can be incredibly difficult.  One of the biggest mistakes that people can make in ministry is to change lots of stuff all at once.  Even if you've been at the same church for ten years...change it not easy.  People expect some change when a new person comes into the department.  I've talked about that in this previous post.  But you may decide to implement something brand new long after you are no longer "new" and that has it's own challenges.  Below are a few suggestions that you might find helpful.


Why was it not changed before now?
I like trying new things, and if you are talking about something small, then it may not matter.  After all, if you're church has had chocolate chip cookies for snack at VBS for the last 30 years then maybe it's time for a change.  However, sometimes even those small things carry way more baggage than you might realize at first glance.  Perhaps the reason those cookies are always made is because Sister Cook's-A-Lot made them every year for 25 years and when she passed away she left the recipe and the funds to cover the making of said cookies for the next 20 years in her will.  Trying to change that tradition will be more difficult...after all, now there are funds literally set aside for those cookies that you would have to find elsewhere if you decided not to make them.  I know that is an extreme scenario, but it's not really out of the realm of possibility.  I once had someone absolutely irate at me to the point of not talking to me for quite some time over where we were going to purchase chicken for a dinner.  Make sure you know why something has always been done before you change it.  A little research can save you a lot of grief.

Is it needed?
I am not saying that it's not good to change things up from time to time, but if you are making a major change (and the definition of major changes differs from church to church), be sure you can explain why you feel the change in necessary.  "Because I want to" probably isn't going to work very well.  Have a well thought out explanation for what you are trying to change and why it you feel it is necessary. 

Include your Team
Big changes often take a lot of planning and a lot of work.  Don't decide to revamp the entire way you are doing children's church without talking through it with your team.  You may be the one who makes the final call, but they have to help you implement the plan.  If you are adding all sorts of work to their duties, changing what they will be responsible for, or even adding an extra piece to the service structure, make sure you include them in the conversation.  If they are on board, half the battle is over, but if they are not with you, you are sunk before you begin.  Plus, they will have insights that you might not have noticed or thought about in your planning phase.  They are on your team for a reason...include them in the process.   

Cover Everything in Prayer
Make sure God is the center of whatever changes you make.  If it is His plan, it will prosper...if it's your plan and He's not leading, it will fail.  It really is that simple.

Sometimes changes are necessary, but if you use these few suggestions, walking through those changes, it can make the path much smoother.

Until next week!