Lead Well

Photo by Medienstürmer on Unsplash Starting a new ministry position can be scary. We don’t know what the future holds or what to expect. We’re filled with enthusiasm and passion for the next chapter, but a lot of times we go in blind. I've been there.  It's never fun to be surprised when things happen we don’t expect. Inevitably, we fall into the comparison trap of what we did at the last church. The best way to combat this problem is with questions. It's not unusual to ask a lot of questions during the interview process, but once you accept the position, what then? The transitional time between when you say yes, and your first day is critical to set expectations and understand exactly what you're walking into. By asking more questions, you can make sure you mesh with the culture well and hit the ground running. With this in mind, here are 75 questions to ask after you’ve accepted the job and before you start. If you'd like an editable copy of these questions, do...

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash It’s been said that a new guest makes their decision to return to your church in the first 15 minutes of their visit. That’s a small window, especially when you consider most of that 15 minutes happens before service begins. From a children’s ministry perspective, a guest family will need to find a place to park, unload all the kids (which may include strollers, diaper bags, cups, toys, and anything else) The family is already unsure if this is going to work, and the kids may even be more unsure of what is to come. Once the family is ready to enter the building there are multiple questions they have before they leave the safety of their car. What door do we enter? Where do we go from there? Where is the bathroom? Is the preaching good? Is this a safe place to bring my kids? Will they have fun? Will they make friends? Since we’re talking about kids, we’ll look at the last three questions. 3 Questions Every Guest Asks 1. Do they feel safe? Safety is a...

Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash It's January and that means it's time to start working on VBS. I know it’s 6-7 months out, but there are a few high-level decisions you need to make now to set you up for success in the coming months. One of the first questions that is asked is, "What VBS curriculum should my church use? The truth is there are a lot of great curriculums out there, and while I have my preferences, I won’t advocate for any of them in this post. When picking out a VBS curriculum there are so many things to consider. Theme Cost Content Structure Strategy Music Volunteer needs So much more While you will need to answer all those questions, I think there are three main questions you need to answer before any others. Three Questions to Ask Before Picking a VBS 1. Strategy (Why are you doing this?) For me this is the most essential question to answer.  If you don't take the time to think through your strategy, you're just throwing a dart at the wall ...

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.

Leading my first VBS If you’ve worked in ministry for any length of time, you know that ministry and events go hand in hand. Most people just volunteer for them. Then, you move up the ranks and start planning or leading different elements. Then before you know it, you’re in charge of the whole thing, and you’re not sure where to begin. This was my story. I had led things before and interned with a children’s pastor over the summer. I knew how much work went into putting on a great event, or at least, I thought I did. A year later, I accepted my first job as a children’s pastor. The senior pastor really wanted to bring back VBS and wanted me to be the one to do it. I had 12 weeks. Also, I was getting married in 13 weeks and starting a brand-new college a few weeks after that. It was a little stressful. I can’t say that that VBS was a disaster. I look back on it with fondness and a great learning experience for me. Over a hundred kids came, and many accepted C...

Last week we asked the question, “What kind of leader are you?” You can read more about that here. Ultimately, we should all work to become better leaders, but how do we do that? Over the next 3 weeks, I will outline six ways we can become better leaders. As we become better leaders, our influence will increase, our organizations will be stronger, and we will be more successful. Develop Humility The first thing we must do to become better leaders is to develop humility. I know; it sounds counter-intuitive. Many of us got into leadership because it makes us feel good. We like the power and the responsibility. I know when I first started to lead, I did it because I thought I was better than everyone else in my group, and they needed my “exalted wisdom and guidance.” As I continued to lead with this higher sense of myself on into the professional world, my senior pastor challenged me. Our church was looking at multi-site, and I was excited for the new position, power, an...

Over the past couple of weeks, I've had to deal with some pretty tough questions and attempt to be the spiritual guide in confusing and devastating times.  The first, my senior pastor died of brain cancer two weeks ago, and the second, a three year old girl was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. About 16 months ago my senior pastor was diagnosed with brain cancer and during a biopsy had a stroke which left him paralyzed on his left side for the rest of his life.  As a pastor on staff, I had to stand strong for the congregation and present a united front with the rest of the staff.  For over a year we desperately prayed for God to do a miracle, but unfortunately, God chose to heal him in the next life in heaven. Three days after his funeral, I received a text message that one of our church member's three year old granddaughter has brain cancer that cannot be taken out with surgery and most likely will not be able to receive radiation treatments because it could tur...