DON’T MISS THE FREE REPORT AT THE END OF THIS POST!
TODAY is one of those days I declare Electronic D-Day! It is the day I process all the e-mails I have deferred recently to be done “later” - unfortunately, later may never arrive if you don’t declare an Electronic D-Day!
Why is it D-Day? Because on this day EVERY e-mail that is pending action is either:
Deleted
Deferred
Delegated or
Dealt with
If you struggle with managing e-mail, I have two gifts for you.
#1 Enjoy this video of me destroying a laptop, as I’m sure you’ve wanted to do the same!
NOW FREE! YES, FREE! YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO GET YOUR E-MAIL UNDER CONTROL TODAY! Why wait another day?
Perhaps it is time for you to declare an Electronic D-Day! The TEN POWERFUL E-MAIL TIPS FOUND IN THIS REPORT may just change your life. From the feed-back I’ve gotten from family and friends, that isn’t an exaggeration!
The ideas in this report are both simple and amazingly profound. You may never look at e-mail the same. Long Gone can be the day where your e-mail controlled you!
It is time for YOU to slay the E-Mail Monster!
Take it from someone who managed probably ten times the e-mail you do, you NEED THIS REPORT!
I’m often asked why I call myself the “Kidologist.”
Does it mean I’m a children’s ministry expert?
Nope.
Does it mean I know everything about kids?
Nope.
Does it mean that think I’m the authority
on kids or children’s ministry?
Double Nope.
I started calling myself the Kidologist years ago because when people would comment on how good I was with kids I worried that as I got older I would lose that touch. I was quite aware that young 20-somethings are usually always get kid-connectors, but that many adults as they get into their 30’s, 40’s (or older) seem to lose their knack with connecting with kids, and I feared my saavy for relating and connecting with kids would diminish with time. As I began to analyize WHY I was effective with kids “Kidology” was born, the study of kids, and how to relate to as well as effectively teach kids. (Explained in more detail in CMPodcast #8)
I coined the term “Kidologist” as a reminder to me first of all, that if I wanted to be effective with children for the long haul, I would have to always be a learner. To always be growing, reading magazines & books, studying the culture of kids as well as the latest CM strategies, keeping up on church and ministry trends, attending conferences (not just speaking at them), and doing whatever it took to stay engaged with kids, their culture, and the world of children’s ministry. Failures as well as successes build experience, and then experience may bring expertise - but as the “Kidologist” I am first and foremost a forever learner in the arena of children’s ministry and my appetite to grow and develop must never be satisfied.
What is your nickname?
If don’t have one - what should it be? It’s a good exercise. It can force you to focus on what makes you unique, what your Calling is, what defines you or what you identify with. I know a Kidhelper who’s life has been devoted to helping kids come to Christ. I know a mother named Melissa who’s childhood nickname of “Meepa” (how she said her own name as a toddler) has grown into her adult nickname of MommyMeepa, as she pours her life into being a wonderful mother. I could name others, but I’ll stop there.
Please comment and give me your nickname, or be bold and give yourself a nickname. Whether it “sticks” or not doesn’t matter - what name would identify you?
Guys, we’re at the critical spot - there are ONLY THREE spots left for Yosemite Summit. If you have thought about this retreat, prayed about it, perhaps dreamed about it - don’t let it slip by! Register ASAP as it will soon be too late to join us for 2009, and there is no guarentee of next year. I hope to do this every year for the rest of my life, but I can only promise one year at a time.
There are not words to describe just how incredible this week is. Of course, I have tried on the Yosemite Summit site many times to describe both the natural and supernatural impact of this trip. But with only three spots left, let me share with you what some of last years guys wrote to me after getting home from Yosemite Summit:
It was great to begin new friendships and gain valuable ministry perspective from the stories of those in our group. Furthermore the times I did get alone with God were especially rich and meaningful.
I needed a vision for the finishing of our new Children’s Building, God gave it to me on this trip. I had a couple of other unanswered prayers and areas I needed direction on and I got them on this trip. It gave me time to get out of the business of ministry and listen to what God had to say to me.
If you are having a hard time spiritually and personally, you need this trip. It is a great time to be forced to get away from the business of ministry and life to listen to what God has for you. We get so overwhelmed with the work/business of the ministry, doing it under our own power, we forget about relying on God. God is our source of power, and strength. There is no place better the Yosemite to see God’s power, strength and creation. And there is no better group of people to share this with than guys who share your pain and blessings!
When I got back and met with my Senior Pastor he said he could see a level excitement and new enthusiasm.
The Yosemite Summit, exceeded everything I dreamed. As I walked through God’s creation, I could sense his presence more and more. Taking time away from everything and focusing on my spiritual health will only strengthen my daily walk, my family, and my ministry. It was a financial investment for my family to attend, but they have already said it was well worth sending me on. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have been a part of the first Yosemite Summit. I know in my heart I will never really leave it.
Perhaps it will be YOU soon describing what an incredible week you had. Register today!
First, George Barna confirmed what those of us in children’s ministry have known all along – that the ripest spiritual field is children, and that the most strategic way to stop the disappearance of a biblical world view in our church is to renew our commitment to children.
Next, Larry Fowler established the biblical basis for churches not just value children, but prioritize ministry to children. Others then followed with a renewed call to broaden the scope of children’s ministry to include the entire family, the loudest voice being Reggie Joiner asking us to rethink ministry at the Orange Conference offering their virtue-based family time resources and strategy to incorporate complete families in the Sunday church experience.
Then Awana Clubs, long known for its success at reaching unchurched children and providing kids a solid biblical foundation surprised us by dramatically altering its approach and confessing its past “let us disciple your kids” attitude was insufficient and began to completely re-engineer its programs to better include parents in the process.
Soon many more, like Julia Duin in Quitting Church, began revealing stats showing just how poorly we are doing in translating Bible Quiz-Whiz kids into faithful disciples when they got old enough to choose whether to attend church or not.
While DiscipleLand has long offered a comprehensive home-based/church-supported curriculum strategy for discipling children, other companies all over the map are waking up to the need to engage the home rather than just keep adding to the programs and resources available at church. “Family Ministry” and “Partnering with Parents” are the buzz words appearing everywhere.
Then Larry Fowler was back with a strategy to build a comprehensive birth to high school strategy for preparing the next generation to be spiritually strong and healthy; to be “Modern Day Josephs” in an ever increasingly secular culture. Most recently, D6 (Deuteronomy chapter six) has splashed on the scene offering not only a family-wide church curriculum, but also devotional magazines from preschool through adulthood aiming to get the entire family in sync with what they are learning in the home.
Everywhere you look, from workshops at CPC to the newest children’s ministry leadership books, you are hearing a growing call: The spiritual formation of children must be done by parents, not for parents. The church’s role is shifting from one of serving and supporting parents to one of empowering, equipping and encouraging parents.
If you can’t feel the wave growing, you’ve either let it pass ahead of you – or should see the swell rising behind you. To best “surf” this growing ministry wave, you’ll need to carefully watch the swell growing, letting some of the smaller advance ones pass, position yourself in the best spot, start paddling in the right direction, and get ready to start pushing down at just the right moment. Soon you too can stand up and ride it in!
Perhaps you are convinced already. Children’s Ministry “as usual” isn’t cutting it. You’ve got to better partner with parents if you truly want to see children transformed into spiritual champion and modern day Josephs. But how?
Let me tell you this. The answer isn’t another curriculum, resource or program. That doesn’t mean you might not switch to DiscipleLand, send home FamilyTime CDs, encourage the use of D6 devotional magazines, or establish new programs or plan various family events. But these cannot be your solution. They can only be components of YOUR strategy. The solution for your church begins with you and your pastor.
As I wrote about in my article The New Deal, in the Jan/Feb 09 issue of Children’s Ministry Magazine, and expounded upon and detailed in my Kidology Leadership Lab: Partnering with Parents, the key is to start with a brutally honest and open conversation with parents as to what their needs, desires, frustrations, struggles, and hopes are for their kids and how they see the church helping or hindering their efforts.
Next, I would suggest, you’ve got to step back and ask yourself three key questions about every age level in your ministry:
1. What KNOWLEDGE do I want them to have?
2. What SKILLS do I want them to have?
3. What EXPERIENCES would I like them to have?
KNOWLEDGE: There is obviously a great need for teaching children the Bible and the truth it contains. Most ministries do this fairly well. Few can give you an overview of their strategy to ensure what their student will or should know at the various stages of growing up. A genuine strategy for forming disciples requires that the organizer of the process know what the long term goals are. As the old saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it!” Now extend this to families! What knowledge do families need to be successful? Do we run the risk of filling our kids with a whole host of biblical trivia and neglect giving families the knowledge they need in order translate what the children are learning at church into real life? Perhaps it is time to get out paper and pencil and start writing out what you believe your families need to know to succeed, and then start evaluating whether they do, how they can, and how you’ll evaluate if they do?
SKILLS: My experience has been that the vast majority of church, if they focus intentionally on what their children need to know, stop there. But knowledge alone does make a disciple. (James warns that even demons know the truth about God, and shudder!) A disciple is one who lives out the knowledge of God in their daily life, and to do so requires key skills. Bible skills, while often taught to children, are only the beginning. We all learned to drive a car while young, but would all agree there is much more to driving than operating a car. Likewise, being able to navigate a Bible is useless if one doesn’t know how to study, understand and then apply what is discovered to life. Have you listed, by age range, what you want your children, youth and parents to be able to DO as a follower of Christ?
EXPERIENCE: The third aspect touches on one of the weaknesses of church programming. In the creating of programs and planning of events, we are often quick to forget the PURPOSE of programs and events. They are not the end – they are the means to the end. The goal of a church ministry is not to create programs or events, it is to create life experiences that impact the spiritual growth of the individuals enrolled in the program or attending the event. This is an important distinction because not all experiences that a disciple needs on along their spiritual journey can be programmed or created via an event. Programs and events can only create a context for life experiences. So, again, I would challenge you to invest some time in asking and answering the question, what experiences do the children, youth and families of my church need to grow as disciples of Jesus?
One of the best things you could do for your ministry is to mentally set aside all your programs, events and plans and answer the questions above. Then, after having answered them, take a look at your programs, events and plans and consider the following:
1. What is the best thing I could stop doing that doesn’t fit these objectives?
2. Does my curriculum support these objectives? (Beyond just teaching Bible knowledge)
3. How do my standing programs help or hinder these objectives?
4. What events do I need to create in order to provide the needed life experiences?
5. What events do I need to cancel because they may be good, but are no longer on target?
6. What experiences can no program or event create? How can I foster those experiences?
7. How can I help families develop the skills they need to keep growing?
In order to develop a ministry-wide strategy of making disciples, you must start to not only include parents in your considerations, but make them an essential ingredient. This will take effort, creativity, and a willingness to accept; even initiate change. “Ministry as usual” is certainly easier, but if long-term results are what we are truly after, then we must be willing to make adjustments now. If only one degree of change now can have incredible long-term results later, imagine the eternal impact of being more strategic now. Most ministries probably need more than one degree of change, but we’ll have all eternity to enjoy the results if we don’t hesitate. It all starts with asking the right questions. The answers to these questions will be different in every church. But if you don’t ask, you’ll never enjoy the results.
Because Jesus Loves Families,
Karl Bastian
Here are some helpful resources from Kidology.org to help you address this growing need to include parents in children’s minisitry.
Ladies - I know how hard you work, and how incredibly needed you are in your ministries - I’ve worked with the best of you for my entire ministry. But sometimes, you need to take care of yourself, and take a well deserved break!
When I started inviting men to Yosemite Summit in 2007, I got many e-mails from women asking me to offer the same thing for women - that they need it too - that they need it more, a few suggested! Well, obviously, I can’t personally provide a retreat for women (not sure my wife would appreciate that!) so I went to the best female children’s pastor in the country, Kim Bobb, and asked her to prayerfully consider putting together a similar event for women, and she responded to my invitation, and the need, for an event for women to disconnect from ministry, and focus on their walk with God while enjoying the fellowship of other women who share the same passion for ministry to children.
The event is called Unbridled, not because you’ll be riding wild horses, but because it it time to throw off all that is tying you down, even if only for a few days, to enjoy some fun, fellowship, laughter and meaning conversations with God and some other women who share your struggles, your joys, your frustrations, and your needs.
Let me encourage you to prayerfully consider joining Kim Bobb on this once-in-a-lifetime event. This may be the only year this is offered, so don’t miss out assuming you can go some “other” year.
Please visit YosemiteSummit.org and visit the WOMEN TAB at the top of the page. You’ll be glad you did, and it may be just what you need to get some peace and sanity back into your life. You will be glad you did, and so will your family too!
And Guys, if you are stil snooping and reading, maybe it is because you need to come join ME on the men’s retreat… it will be amazing.
The first is My First Message, a devotional for kids ages 4-8 featuring the text of Eugene H. Peterson’s The Message Bible. Each beautifully illustrated story ends with a short PRAY and LIVE section helping children pray about what they just read and gain some insight into how to apply the lessons within the story to their life.
While it is described on the cover as a “Bible Concordance and Dictionary for Kids” (ages 6-10) that description is a little misleading and distracts from what the book truly is. The book is much more (and far better than a concordance or dictionary) so if those phrases make you fear kids will be bored with this book, think again!
The book is divided into two sections. The first called the “Concordance” - is not really concordance, in the true sense of the word, where you can look up every occurrence of a word in the Bible. Rather, it is a a series of 40 life situations that elementary kids face and the some very helpful input on what the Bible has to say about that problem; complete with some devotional thoughts, a verse to consider and even some fill-in-the-blank questions to engage kids on the topic.
The second section, called the “Bible Dictionary” also is barely a dictionary. Rather, it is a list of nearly 50 topics in the Bible telling what they are “all about.” While it does define the word, it then is followed by six other verses in the Bible that address that topic. (Now that’s a concordance!) Each topic ends with a challenge for the kids to think about in relation to that topic.
THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK! I only mention the misuse of the words “concordance” and “dictionary” because the book is less those than it is a tool to help kids engage real life with the help of God’s Word.
Perhaps it would be better described on the cover as “Bible Help for Daily Experiences” (as it does inside) and “What the Bible Says About What’s Important.” That’s how I’d describe it - and it does a beautiful and thorough job at that!
As a bonus, one of the nice features are some blank pages at the end where kids can choose their own topic, and explore what the Bible says and add their own chapters to the book.
WANT A FREE COPY OF EACH FOR YOUR CHILD?
I’m so happy to have a complimentary copy of these books for my son - so much so, I want to mail a complete set to the next person who signs up to be a Kidology Champion Donor for 2009!
JUST GO HERE and sign up! As a thank you for your donation, I’ll pay the shipping to rush these books to YOU!
UPDATE: FREE COPIES ARE IN THE MAIL! Congrats to both Pat McWhorter and Dave Truitt - their Champion Donations came in so close, I decided to have TWO WINNERS instead!
January 19, 2009 at 11:39 am · Filed under Kidology
Last year God blessed us with 40 Kidology Champion Donors, and it was a huge help to our ministry. We also have over 700 Kidology Champion Prayer Warriors! Thanks for your prayer and support! Kidology.org reaches over 10,000 children’s ministry leaders and volunteers like you EVERY SINGLE DAY! We leverage the power of the Internet so a small ministry can have such a huge impact - influencing literally millions of children each and every month! But to reach so many we need your help!
IT’S TIME FOR OUR 2009 CHAMPION DRIVE! Will you consider becoming a Kidology Chamption in 2009?
CHAMPION: An ardent defender or supporter of a cause or team. A person who fights for or defends a person or cause. To support, defend, protect and maintain a cause.
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP US!
1. SIGN UP for the Kidology Champion E-mail List
This unique newsletter is different from our regular monthly newsletter. These are personal updates from our founder, Karl Bastian, to let our Champions know timely and specific needs for prayer. It is sent periodically on an as needed basis, but rarely more than once a month. No membership or donation is required to subscribe to this newsletter list. Sign Up Today! (If you already get the Kidology Newsletter, follow the instructions to update your profile. You will then be able to add the Kidology Champions list to your subscriptions.)
2. MAKE A $99 KIDOLOGY CHAMPION DONATION
Join our Team of Kidology Champions who support Kidology.org at $99 a year above and beyond the site membership. (or for non-members who want to support the ministry) This donation is tax deductible. Kidology is a 501c(3) non-profit registered in the state of Illinois. We have an independent audit conducted each year to ensure that donations are handled with the utmost care and accountability. We value your support and hope you’ll become a Kidology Champion. Donate Today!
CHAMPION BENEFITS
While a donation has to be given without any expectation of tangible benefit to be tax deductible, the reality is that we regularly look for ways that we can thank our KidologyChampions for their generous support in a variety of creative ways such as, but not limited to, the following:
Personal e-mail reports from our founder, Karl Bastian, the Kidologist.
Special “sneak peeks” at what is coming soon on Kidology.org
First access to new features on the site and new products.
Kidology Champion title under your avatar in the forum.
(if Professional Level Member)
Random gifts in the mail as we often have vendor samples and products to give away
OUR MISSION:To equip and encourage those who minister to children.
Kidology Inc. is a faith based ministry and we need your help. We hope that our members find great value in our website and that the resources we provide are a genuine help in your ministry. However, while our membership fees and product sales help to maintain the high costs of maintaining this website, the reality is that we rely on the support of donations to sustain our staff, future site development, and all other ministry efforts. Many people often tell us that the nominal annual fee we charge is far under the value they get from the site’s content and forum interaction and product access and discounts. We want to keep the fees as low as possible. So if you find the value of the site exceeds what we charge, prayerfully consider becoming a Kidology Champion.
We are experiencing tremendous growth in the traffic on our site and we praise God for how he continues to bless our efforts to pursue our mission with passion and excellence. But we need your help. The costs of maintaining a site of this caliber are high and need donations to keep our membership fees so low. We have needed to invest significantly on new hosting and other enhancements to sustain a site that is visited by thousands a day in multiple countries 24/7. We are committed to not raising our membership fees for as long as possible and to continuing to give free memberships to students, overseas missionaries, and those who genuinely can not afford it.
Kidology Champions are those who want to say, “I believe in Kidology and want to support the staff and development of Kidology by going that extra mile!”
WE ARE ENTERING 2009 WITH SOME CRITICAL FINANCIAL NEEDS AND WOULD BE GREATLY ENCOURAGED BY YOUR DONATION TO HELP US GET 2009 OFF TO A GREAT START!
Your support tells us: “Rise Up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” (Ezra 1-:4)
Thank You for your prayer and support,
The Kidology Team
You may also make a donation of any size on our donation page or by mailing a check to our office:
Kidology Inc.
1205 Karl Court, Suite 108
Wauconda, IL 60084
I’m headed off to CPC Nashville tomorrow. Let me know (in comments) if you will be there! I’ll be helping out in DiscipleLand’s booth and, YES, I’ll have Kidology Buttons for anyone who drops by to say “HI!”
AND, yes, we will be planning a Kidology Get Together, but I can’t announce when/where until I get there and scope out the schedule and location - but be checking here and/or the Kidology home page for the details, or e-mail me and I’ll be sure to let you know!
This has been a wonderfully crazy few weeks! For the second year in a row, by design, I did no travel or speaking in December and declared it a “family focused” month - my little boy will only to be little for so long! You’d think I’d have had time to blog, but its been a combination of enjoying downtime and also having too much fun and company to spend time blogging, and I have SO MUCH I want to post! I may be “past dating” some Christmas posts in January!
Then, I got a blessing that buried to me too. I was loaned a kitchen showroom that was closed for the week after Christmas to film all my new online trainign videos for 2009. Why a kitchen showroom? You’ll find out soon enough, but I had to spend 12+ hours a day writing, filming, and hauling all the props from the Kidology headquarters to the showroom and back. I’ exhausted and now leaving for CPC tomorrow afternoon!
If you are waiting on an e-mail from me, I hope to catch up while at CPC during some much needed downtime. Until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I plan to do some mobile blogging at CPC, so this blog should start buzzin’ soon!
(BTW:I am much more faithful now at networking via my Twitter page and Facebook, so follow me there and you’ll get more updates and pictures.)
By popular demand (via e-mail) the Children’s Ministry Podcast featuring my trusty side-kick, Gus, is back! Only with a twist - in this first in a new series, Gus turns the tables a bit and interviews ME! What’s he wondering? What is the meaning behind the word “Kidology?” And in the process he gets me to share my unusual journey into children’s ministry in his own humorous way.
You can always be sure to know when the next podcast is out by subscribing in one of the following ways:
Just when I wonder if I spend too much time on Twitter or Facebook, I have an experience that makes me glad that I stay connected and accessible via the Internet. Case in point: Recently I traveled to California to speak at a Spanish conference and so I took the family along so we could introduce our son to Mickey Mouse in person while I was there. As I often do, I was posting my adventures (including my lost luggage!) via Twitter which auto-matically updates my Facebook status. Next thing I know, I hear from a Kidology user, Kristy, who’ve I met at CPC Kidology Gatherings:
Turns out, I am available on the 9th - and so got the privilege of heading up to beautiful Sierra Madre for an afternoon of teacher encouraging! Good thing I have good prayer support, as you can see, I was really suffering for Jesus that afternoon.
Notice the turtleneck! Funny thing was, it was in the 60’s and I was enjoying what I thought was a beautiful warm California day and yet the kids and some adults were commenting on how “cold it was.” Ha. These poor people don’t know what cold is!
The church has several building right in a nice downtown area with the community park across the street. I learned that the “Old North Church” is called old, because across the street is the “New South Church.”
It’s “new” because it was only built 100 years ago! Across the street next to the “old” church is a new children’s ministry building. Really, truly, it is new. In fact, they had only been in it for six weeks the Sunday I visited. Now what are they going to call the “New South Church?” The “Not As New, But Still Newer Than the Really Old Church.”
After seeing the view, I immediately wondered if Kristy should consider retiring and giving me her job! Such a beautiful area, and, oh yeah, so “cold.”
Inside the “Really New, Really” building, they had Easy Risers for their seating. (I love those!) and the rooms were all creatively decorated and kid-friendly. While they are new in the building, I like a clean, neat, attractive simple look that simply communicates that this area is for children.
One of the perks of being in “cold” California, you can meet outside in the frigid weather for class!
I love visiting churches and seeing what creative things different children’s pastors have come up with. And I LOVED this idea! All the students have a personal folder that they bring every week to church. Here is a close up:
They keep their notes inside, and on the outside they go home with the verse and a challenge. (These pockets are empty because this was taken before class.) They also earn “tallents” for various things, including bringinfg their folder back, which can be spent in the store that opens monthly, which happened to be the week I was visiting.
Some things never change - “stores” are a great incentive for kids to be engaged and work toward goals so they get some tangible benefit for thier hard work. While there is a popular trend agaist extrinsic motivators, until I meet an adult that is completely intrinsicly motivated, I think there is a place for rewarding children for hard work. And I’ve seen it work in both the long and the short term. Kids form habits while they are young that remain long after they outgrow the “store” or need for the simple toys and prizes.
Here is Jordan finding out how much he has to spend in the store. He was there early and ran to the store when it was time. After hanging out with him for awhile before church, I found myself thinking ee was one of those kids you say, “I hope my son turns out like him!”
Kristy has a lot of energy and does a great job not only relating to the kids, but equipping and encouraging her volunteers too. I lost track of how many times she said something postivie about a volunteer or expressed the potential in a young helper. They’ve be blessed to have her for eight years, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting her job anytime soon. Besides, it’s too “cold” there!
Besides being a wonderful CP, she is teachable and committed to encouraging and equipping her volunteers. She asked me to do my favorite workshop, “Kidology 101″ and I as she introduced me I got to hear a wonderful story of how it impacted her eight years ago at her first CPC when she was a brand new children’s pastor. That’s what it’s all about. You never know who you are impacting, and sometimes you don’t find out for years. Many times, you never find out. And that’s O.K. But thanks to Facebook, I got to find out this story, and minister to some kids in children’s church and volunteers over lunch. It was a great day!
And she wasn’t “late” with the Mountain Dew, but I was looking for some caffeine to combat the frigid temperatures! A Dew in need, is a Dew indeed!
Thanks, Kristy, for the update, for connecting with others who love kids, and for a great opportunity to minister to your kids and volunteers, it was a great day. (Oh, and for the Dew too!)