A Free Resident CM University?

Just a few of the Kidologist CM Books

Just a few of the Kidologist's CM Books

Over the weekend I finally got to unpacking all my books from Chicago – a lifetime of children’s ministry and the inheritance of two pastor-dads and the heritage of a CE Director mother and as Kidology’s founder (who gets samples from publishers) –  I am blessed with what could be the ultimate children’s ministry LIBRARY! I may have nearly every book and magazine ever published related to children’s ministry – and many go WAY BACK… it’s both incredible and frustrating. Not only because I could never read them all myself, but because I don’t know how to make them available to others. I couldn’t ever sell them, I don’t want to donate them, and yet they are all here sitting on shelves just LOADED with wisdom and ideas and sage advice and pages upon pages of knowledge! I wish I could scan them all and put them on Kidology.org, and yet for many of them, I’m not sure I’d have the right to do so – and researching the rights of each book would be too tedious to under take – and so here they all are – the ultimate children’s pastor library, here available only to me.

It got me thinking… I wonder if there were any children’s ministry leaders out there who would ever be interested in a residence program  – just thinking out loud here – where they could just come to my house and have access to all my books, resources, tools, etc. and just enjoy several days of independent study here in beautiful Colorado. I’d be happy to avail myself for several meals for conversation and “brain picking” but otherwise, I’d just do my work, and leave them alone – What if I just said, Come! Study! Learn! Have full access to whatever of mine you want for several days. I’ll set you up with a desk and wireless Internet, and you can just browse anything I have and pack your brain full of as much as you can while you are here. Whatever you can extract from my brain while you are here can be bonus – but there is plenty on my shelves from others who have come before me or who have written from their knowledge and experience. I’d have some serious organizing and planning to do before I could do this – but I’m curious if the idea has merit.

It would be like a Self Study CM University – Kidology’s Colorado CM Independent University! What do you think?

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10 Comments:

  1. Maybe this is because I am a horrible slow reader but for the price of a flight, I could buy a bunch of books on Amazon. (Your opinion on the top 10 or 20 books would be good though.)

    What I can’t get from Amazon is talk time. So if you are willing to fly me out and spend a few days over coffee talking CM and reaching families…that would be cool!

  2. Karl, I think this is a great idea.

  3. Rob, great point! I did a blog post on my Top Ten Recommended Books here: https://kidologist.com/2009/01/21/the-kidologist-top-ten-of-cm/ and since I can’t talk in person to everyone I created Kidology Online Training, the videos are free for members and the download kits are incredible helpful for a very small fee, its like getting me… just without me! Check it out at: http://www.kidology.org/training/online/

  4. Well, I would be willing to eat the cost of travel – let me come, behold and devour!

  5. Curiosity would compel me to look at your library to see what mine might be missing. But mostly I would want to pick your brain at every possible opportunity, not just to interact regarding ideas, but to soak in the attitude and enthusiasm which makes you who you are.

  6. I would love to have an opportunity like that. All those books and resources and tools. Man that would be sweet to spend time as Glen said just soaking up your passion and enthusiasm what a shot in the arm that would be. I would make a week long trip of it and go see Barney too!

  7. Doug – you are welcome to come some time! (Something is in the works that might make this happen in time.) ‘Cept Barney is 1000 miles away in California, so that would have to be a separate trip! :(

  8. Thought Barney was closer than that to you. Hmmmm….In time!

  9. It would be AWESOME to come and “pick your brain” and look through the resources you have. I am slowly creating a children’s ministry library of my own that other children’s ministers from other small churches can come and have access too, but I haven’t been at it as long as you have.

    It probably wouldn’t be hard either to come up since I am serving in Colorado as a missionary at a very small church. I’m in Stratton at Heritage Church.

  10. I would be up for it. I have massed a small collection of book from retired CM folks and purchased some as well. Plus a chance to spend time with The Kidologist!! What a blessing. Where do I sign up?

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