Children’s Pastor’s Conference

I just got back from Children’s Pastor’s Conference in Orlando, Florida. I wanted to post about some of my impressions. They have not been solicited by the good folks on the INCM staff. My overall impression is that the world of children’s ministry is going to be growing much smaller and more connected, as Michael Chanley and the INCM staff and board work to increase the amount of networking possibilities. I have been around CPC since way back in 1994, and the new leadership and especially the new board members have me very excited about the future of this conference and network. There was a real, authentic feeling of, “hey, we’re a family and we’re in this together.” The earnest efforts made to put people together as co-laborers, as well as the open arms vision, Michael is pushing were great.

I thought the breakouts I attended were among the best I have ever been to. Highlights for me were Sam Luce’s session about hanging in their in ministry for the long haul, and Bo Harrington’s sessions about recruiting a rocking kid’s ministry team. I also really liked the networking lunches where you were able to pick out a table in the area of your choosing, matching your interests in say, leadership, with others in the same place as you. I had great conversations with good, new friends each day. I also really enjoyed the setup in the general sessions with the “living room” setup for the chats Michael Chanley would have with different guests. On a side note, I also appreciated what felt like a little less sponsor commercials during the general sessions too.

Once again, I love the direction INCM is heading. I was encouraged by the new relationships I began and also the reminder that I’m not in this thing alone. I know there are friends at INCM and at CPC. I don’t even know many of them, but yet, I feel a kinship between myself and other kid min people. If you happen to be reading this and you’re going to CPC in California in a few weeks, I think you will like what you see. There are many things that haven’t changed, and that’s fine with me. To totally start fresh just isn’t smart, unless you know for a fact what you’re doing is totally broken.

The areas where struggles were evident are likely all taken care of before CPC hits the West Coast this year, and I am excited to see what the future brings. Great job, INCM!

Tags: conference, CPC, INCM, Kid's Ministry

My Favorite “New” Outreach Program

When you read the title originally, I’m betting you weren’t thinking about anything associated with the logo above. Kid min guys and gals love the latest and greatest. I’m among that same crowd. I love the next “thing” as much as the next person. I’m an early adopter! I’m all for a new idea, and let’s start it next week. That doesn’t always work so well, does it?

Well, the logo above represents an organization that is without a doubt the antithesis of new, latest, hip, or cool. The good folks at CEF have been preparing curriculum and training workers to lead children to Christ for the last 74 years using many methods that some people would term “old-fashioned.” When I write that they are the antithesis of new, latest and greatest, I don’t intend that as an insult. The beauty of CEF is in the never changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Plain and simple, they teach Christ and His substitutionary death for us.

Did you know that last year, CEF workers presented the Gospel to approximately 10 million children worldwide and that over 3 million kids accepted Christ as their Savior? Don’t feel bad! The truth is not many people know about the effectiveness of CEF’s childrens ministry across the globe. I have only recently been made aware of this incredible ministry.

In the last few months, my buddy and executive pastor, Jeff Nichols and I have gone through CEF training in order to begin the Adopt A School program and host a Good News Club in a local elementary school. I know most of you have thought about ways to reach out and connect to a local school, but did you know that your church can turn that relationship into an after school program that is allowed to present the Gospel in the school itself?

The US Supreme Court has ruled that if your local elementary school has any kind of extra-curricular activities like, chess club, scouting groups, etc. equal access and opportunity must be given to Christian based after school club. This means your local school can be a type of church for kids you may never meet otherwise.

That’s why I call this my favorite “new” outreach program. As it turns out, it’s only new to me, but I love it! We started our first club in September with 23 kids and now have almost 50 kids in the our Good News Club. Of that 50, only 2 of these children are part of our church on any level. It’s been a challenge to staff, train and maintain another ministry team, but the Lord is for this! We’ve formed a ton of great relationships with these kids. Just these past two weeks, our leaders have led 12 of these kids in making significant decisions for the Lord. Several other kids are responding to the teaching of the Gospel in other ways.

While some of these kids in club attend other churches, many do not, and these kids are beginning to show up in our other ministry programs like Upward Basketball and Awana.

If you are church needing a boost in your ministry and have a heart for kids, this ministry is very doable for you! If I were beginning a mission church today, I would find one or two schools to love on by serving their faculty and staff in as many ways as possible. I would work to form a relationship with the principal, and I would work with the school to launch a CEF Good News Club.

Their curriculum may not be on the cutting edge of new ministry ideas, but that’s okay, because they are absolutely devoted to teaching kids the main thing: Accepting God’s word as truth and accepting Jesus as their personal Savior.

Is your church ready for something like this? What’s keeping you from checking into the Adopt A School program at www.cefonline.com? Let me know what you think! If I can answer any questions about our experience I would be happy to do so!

Tags: CEF, Children's Ministry, Church, Evangelism, Kid Min, Kids, Outreach

What Does Monday Hold For You?

What does a Monday hold for you in your ministry? Is it a day off, or is it your most important day of the week? I used to take Mondays off, you know, relax and recharge after a long Sunday of working in the ministry. I have to say I enjoyed having Mondays off, but I always felt like something wasn’t quite right with being off on Monday. On a typical Sunday at our church, there is something that goes off the rails, or needs adjusting before the next Sunday. Taking Mondays off, I would be conflicted many times, thinking I needed to be getting after that particular challenge area. In my church, taking Monday off meant I probably wouldn’t get to the bigger items of adjustment, etc until Wednesday because Tuesday is our staff meeting day and the day I have a one on one meeting with our executive pastor.

Now, I’ve made a switch. I work on Mondays and take off Fridays. Coming in on Monday allows me to handle all of the hot potatoes that popped up on Sunday, and the smaller things that need attention are still fresher in my mind. In other words, working on Monday has helped me have a better ministry to our kids and families.

So I return to the original question. What about you? What does a Monday hold for you in ministry? Please let me know! I love comments, but usually don’t get too many!

Tags: Kid's Ministry, Ministry, Monday, Organization, Productivity, Time Off

The Most Important Thing

I’m thinking 99% of the world knows about the awful situation that has come to light in State College, PA. A child sexual abuse scandal has rocked the university, leaving some leaders without jobs held for many years, while others are headed for prison. The most recent development has to do with the firing of the coach of the football team, Joe Paterno. He’s been coaching at Penn State for 61 years, and been the head coach for 46 of those years. He is a beloved coach and it appears a type of surrogate grandpa for the students of the university. Hundreds of students showed up at his house the last two nights to cheer for him and express their devotion. Last night there were riots after the students heard of the school’s decision to fire the coach became known. It strikes me that all of these people, from the school president, all the way down to the students have forgotten the most important part of this situation at different times.

This situation is not about football, or coaches, or damage control. It’s not about Penn State protecting itself from the lawsuits to come. It’s about the kids. It’s about the kids who were violated and taken advantage of and weren’t defended.

In this case, these defenseless kids needed to be protected from a physical and pyschological threat. How can this relate to the work we do with kids each week? Well, the kids we minister to typically aren’t in a position of being threatened physically, but the battle is just as important. Our mission to defend these kids is fought on a spiritual front. The most important thing is the safety of the kids in our ministries. Yes, we must provide for their safety physically, but even more so spiritually. Less than 20% of the kids in your church are being actively engaged in faith activities by their parents in any consistent way. (Check out Church + Home by Mark Holmen for more info). That number means the vast majority of the kids in your ministry need spiritual guidance which has to include protection.

The Penn State situation powerfully amplified this need for protection in a might way. The most important thing is to protect those kids. Physically, psychologically, but most importantly to me, spiritually. We must protect the kids we serve, even if we have to offend someone to do it.