Lead Well

Maybe you’ve seen this. You have a fifth or sixth grader completely checked out. They may have been engaged a few years before, but it’s getting close to their time to move on, and they have senioritis all of sudden. You thought it was only for 12th graders, but now you see it in 12-year-olds. But what do you do? Do you encourage them to engage? Talk to their parents? Let them move on to youth? In my first ministry, this problem was rampant. I was the fourth kids pastor for those sixth graders, and they were over it. They didn’t care and a few of them did whatever the wanted causing major distractions. Putting a discipline plan in place helped a little, but it didn’t solve the problem. That’s when I decided to begin a kids leadership team. We still had Sunday School, so for the ones who came, I’d teach a little about the Bible, and then train them how to run sound, lead worship, and do puppets. They helped me make videos to remind kids of the rules and to go to the bathroom...

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash One of the biggest questions I see in the Kidmin world is what curriculum do we use? Which one is better? 252Kids ? High Voltage ? Bible Engagement ? Open Church ? Write your own? The curriculum options out there are endless, and you can spend a lot of time, energy, and money trying to find the right one for your ministry. I’ve tested a lot of curriculums over the years and even tried to write my own. It’s a daunting task. I searched for over a year once, and all I really wanted was someone to tell me which one to do. Fortunately, no one did, and I’m not going to tell you which one either. However, I will give you four questions to help narrow it down and pick a curriculum that works best for your church and ministry.

A few years ago, I read Brian Dollar’s book,  I Blew It . In one chapter he talks about investing in the next generation and mentoring kids to serve. I had done this in my previous church, but I wasn’t happy with the curriculum, so I contacted Brian and ordered his curriculum. I went through it and thought about how to work it into my church context and made some adjustments. I started my first class, called K-Team, a few months later with 12 students. Four of them— still to this day, five years later—have major roles in the children’s ministry. They serve as some of our main children’s church worship leaders and presenters. I believe you can do this too. You have kids in your ministry right now who God is calling into full-time ministry. You have other kids who will be lifelong servants. Either way, we want all our kids to have an authentic lifelong faith in Jesus Christ. Mentoring them to serve in ministry is one of the most surefire ways to do that. But how? Here are five...

When I first started working in children’s ministry as a part-time bi-vocational pastor, I was so excited to finally work with kids every week. I looked forward to the fun we would have and the lessons we would learn as we explored the Bible together. Alas, I learned quickly that this is not always the case. If you’ve been full time, part time, or even a volunteer leader in children’s ministry, you know exactly what I’m talking about. A typical week is spent planning, recruiting, organizing, scheduling, and juggling more balls than we care to count. It’s a tough job, and no one should do it alone. What you need is a team and a plan. Our kids are our future, and we can’t take that lightly by using a few puppets and adding baking soda to vinegar (again) to make our point. The problem is that many children’s workers I’ve met don’t know how to lead an organization. This was my challenge, and I’m sure many of you lack these skills as well. Framework Leadership by Kent Ingle gives...

I get a lot of questions this time of year about what kind of Bible to buy for kids.  While there may be no perfect Bible out there for your kids, some are certainly better than others. It can be confusing with so many different translations and Bible types.  I want to help you make the best decision possible. First, let's talk about translations.  Before 1973 there weren't a lot of options out there.  You read King James Version (KJV) or nothing.  Thankfully, Zondervan put out the New International Version (NIV) and turned the Bible world up on its head. Now, there are hundreds of versions ranging from old school KJV to paraphrases like The Message by Eugene Peterson. Which one is right for your kids? It really depends on their reading ability and comprehension; however, there are a few versions that have stood out to me in the past few years.  They are: New International Version (NIV) New International readers Version (NIrV) New Living Transl...

I'm always reading, and this year, I read more than I've ever read.  I tried to mix several different subjects on leadership, discipleship, church growth, and even a baby book. So, without further ado, here is the list. Ready, Set, Grow   Developing the Leader Within You Developing the Leaders Around You   Spiritual Maturity  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  Love and Respect   Good to Great  Breakout Churches   No Perfect People Allowed   Three Big Questions for Frantic Families   Deep and Wide  A Tale of Three Kings   You Lost Me   Children's Ministry Leadership   Lead small  Volunteers that Stick  The Circle Maker   All In   Jesus is   David and Goliath  I Blew It  Stretch   The Bible   Baby Wise I'll be posting my 2015 reading list in a couple of weeks.  What books have you read recently that were interesting?

Churches around the U. S. are slipping into irrelevancy. Many spiritual leaders and pastors are asking themselves what is happening? Why are people turning from the church and more importantly their faith? It’s hard to pin down, but some researchers have pointed to four big problems facing the American church. Not every church has these problems, but every church, including the congregation, has to look at themselves and ask if they are part of the problem or the solution. Thom Rainer in Breakout Churches lists four big problems that hold the American Church in mediocrity. Doctrinal ignorance: Rainer’s study shows that only 83% of his respondents believe that the only way to get to heaven is through Christ. Unfortunately, that number is getting lower every year. If we want our church to be great, we must profess in everything we do that Jesus is the only way to get to heaven.  Evangelistic apathy: Many people in churches believe that the evangelistic work of the c...

I love to invest in others.  There's a certain joy in seeing someone grow because of the investment I've made in them.  Recently, I was angry because I couldn't invest in young leaders.  I thought I needed to start a ministry college or even a Master's Commission. As I looked at our church situation, the budget, and my time commitments, I realized that this probably is not the right time.  I went to God and began to whine. I complained that the opportunity didn't exist. That the students won't come, and that I can't use this desire He placed in my heart.  Then, he bopped me upside my head. I do have people, leaders, in my ministry right now that I am neglecting.  I've given them some ministry opportunities.  I've trusted them to handle certain elements of the service, but I never really challenged them. God told me to look around and be faithful with what I have. At the end of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 , the Master tells his...

Last weekend, the Royal Rangers went on a special campout hosted by the Frontiersman Camping Fellowship (FCF).  This is an elite group of Rangers and only sixth grade and up are allowed to join after they learn essential skills, such as starting fires with one match or flint and steel, tying several types of knots, and proper shelter building.  This is all fun for the boys, but the underlying reason for FCF is what makes it so great. FCF’s mission is to keep boys for Christ.  Unlike other Ranger outings, this group is focused on the discipleship of young men and provides a rite of passage that is so desperately needed in our culture.  We had 8 boys and 2 dads go through step one of their “initiation” last weekend.  It was fun and the boys had a great time, but I saw something special. On the first night, I saw one dad playing with his son.  Many times we get so caught up in life, work, family, church that we forget why we are doing all of thes...

This Wednesday, I had the great opportunity to work in the nursery and watch 7 babies.  While I have a hard time holding a conversation with a 9 month old, (I’m sure you moms are old pros) I did enjoy my time there.  While in the nursery, I found the scariest baby doll. One of our toddlers asked, “what is wrong with this baby?”  Our nursery worker said she didn’t know but we should pray for it, and they did. While we know God is not going to fix the freaky eyes of this baby doll, our volunteer took a seemingly insignificant moment and turned it into a teachable one.  Many people think that nursery is just babysitting someone else’s kids, but it is so much more.  Our nursery workers have the unique opportunity to lay the very beginning foundations for faith, love, and community.  Everyone one of you serve a vital role in the children’s ministry.  Not everyone can do what I do, and I can’t do what all of you do.  As Paul said in 1...