Monthly Archives: March 2011

Setting the Right Objectives in Kids’ Ministry

BasketBall - score

A few weeks ago Dan Scott did a great post on objectives in children’s ministry. At the end of the post he opened up the floor to the kids ministry blogosphere and asked: “What are some of your ministry objectives?” Here’s what I wrote back:

Hey Dan,
Here are the objectives for our three primary programs:

1. WEEKEND SERVICE WIN: Incite wonder and provoke discovery of God in kids and help parents do something about it at home. One way that we will know we’ve won is when at least 30% of the kids who come on the weekend are in a small group.

2. SMALL GROUP WIN: Connect kids with a caring, consistent leader and group of peers. One way that we will know we’ve won is when at least 60% of the kids who signed-up for a small group actually showed up to their group.

3. MINISTRY TEAM WIN: Create consistent opportunities for kids to experience personal ministry. One way that we will know we’ve won is when at least 20% of the kids who come on the weekend also served in a ministry.

We added the % measurements to help show movement through our process. It’s not so much about having a lot of kids show up on the weekend as how many of them are taking the next step in their faith: from casual attendance, to being cared for by one of our leaders, and ultimately to serving others. It’s not enough for us to paint a picture of what we want to do or where we want to go; we also need to figure out how we’re going to measure success. We take this info and put it on our weekly scoreboard.

Setting these kind of objectives has helped us to clarify the win for each area of our children’s ministry. These objectives are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) and give us a quick read on the pulse of our ministry. They are not the only wins that are important to us, but they do give us a good way to have healthy discussions on how well we’re reaching and serving the families in our community.

Click here to download a sample scoreboard.

For more information on how to clarify the win and measure success in your ministry check out7 Practices of an Effective Ministry and Simple Church.

How do you measure success in your children’s ministry?

Why Getting Older Doesn’t Guarantee Good Sense

“Wisdom sails with wind and time”

Job 32:6-10 (NIV)
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: ”I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. 7 I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ 8 But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. 9 It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right. 10 Therefore I say: ‘Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.’”

You have more insight than others give you credit for.
You have more influence than you realize.
You have less time than you think.
You have more to offer than your boss sees.
You have the right people just waiting to be asked.
You have a God that is ready to do things that you didn’t even have the guts to ask Him for.
You have more opportunities than you realize (if only you would slow down to see them).
You have just the right amount of resources.
You have too many excuses.
You have too many people counting on you to keep listening to the same old excuses.

If you’re just starting out as a leader, how are you earning credibility with the other leaders in your organization?

If you’re a more seasoned leader, how are you empowering younger leaders to have their voices’ heard?

5 Ways to Connect with Other Children’s Ministry Pastors

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martincanchola/3177646903/

Connecting with other children’s ministry pastors is valuable, but sometimes difficult to do. Thankfully we live and work in a world that is always “plugged in.” Connecting with people from anywhere in the world isn’t the hurdle that it was even 10 years ago. Here are five ways that have helped me connect with other children’s pastors:

1. Call local churches and ask to talk to their children’s ministry leader.
This is probably the most obvious one. Do a search online of the church’s that are within a realistic driving distance of you, call them, and ask to talk to their children’s ministry leader. Most church websites will probably have this person’s work number and email posted online. Let them know that you’d like to connect with them and pick their brain about ministry. The more you do this the more you’ll find that you have not only connected with a great group of like-minded leaders, but you’ve made some really good friends along the way.

2. Friend and follow people online.
This is the easiest way to build connections. Chances are that if you’re reading this you’re already well on your way to doing this. That’s great! Keep looking for people by creating lists to help your keep up with children’s ministry trends on Twitter, follow some of the people whom your online friends follow, and subscribe to as many blogs as you can.

3. Comment on the posts you like and pass them on.
As a blogger I LOVE it when people comment on, like, or retweet what I write (hint hint). I’ve got a recurring task on my online to-do list that reminds me to make positive comments on the top 3 children’s ministry posts that I read each day. This helps me to be proactive in making connections with other kids’ pastors. This is important to me. I don’t wait to take the time, I MAKE the time for it each and every day.

4. Establish your own online presence and give stuff away.
Now we’ve upped the ante quite a bit. Get on Facebook and Twitter. Regularly update your status (at LEAST once a day) with the appropriate hashtags (#kidmin, #cmconnect, #kidmin360, etc.) so that other kids’ pastors know how to find you. Consider starting your own blog where you post what you’re learning and doing in CM and give away free resources as often as you can.

5. Keep in touch with the people who keep in touch with you.
The longer you’re in children’s ministry and the better you get at it the more that other like-minded people are going to want to connect with you. Of those people some will inevitably stand out more than others. Be intentional about keeping in touch with them, asking for their advice, and depositing encouragement into their lives.

So now I’d love to hear from you. How do you connect with other children’s ministry pastors? Who are some of your favorite CM blogs to read? Who do you recommend to follow on twitter?

–Jeff

PS – I love connecting with other children’s ministry workers. Here’s how to get a hold of me:

Email me
Follow me on Twitter
Subscribe to my blog

Start as You Mean to Go

Finish Line

A few weeks ago Sarah and I had our second-to-last adoption class (you can read more about our adoption journey here). This particular class dealt with how to care for our baby once he/she arrives. It was three hours of swaddling (I’m still not sure what this even is), changing diapers, burping, etc. Sarah found it both helpful and overwhelming. As a guy, I was bored out of my skull. Sorry ladies, I tried. Really I did.

Anyway, about halfway through the presentation the teacher said something that caught my attention. I don’t remember how or why this came up but she used an expression that sent my spidey sense tingling: “Start as you mean to go.” I had never heard this before and wanted to learn more. I quickly pulled out my iPhone at the break and looked it up. What I found was pretty interesting.

After fighting through the proverbial technological cobweb of zero WiFi and terrible 3G coverage (I don’t blame you Apple; I know AT&T is the true criminal) I finally discovered what this phrase means. It’s an old British expression that means you should begin any new enterprise by acting and sounding as if it were already a success.

“That’s interesting,” I said out loud. Yes, sometimes I talk to myself. It’s a bad habit I acquired growing up as an only child. Never mind that now. Let’s get back to the topic at hand.

What if I started every day (yes, even Monday) as if it were going to be the most productive day every? What if engaged every person I met that day as if we were going to have truly meaningful interactions? What if I started every project as if I KNEW it was going to be a complete success? Imagine the kind of life, ministry, and career you would obtain by having this kind of approach to living.

So now I’d love to hear from you. What endeavor do you need to start as you mean to go? How can you begin to have this kind of attitude today?

–Jeff