The LOVE Patrol

What is the most important volunteer role in your Children’s Church service? You might think it’s the teacher on stage, but actually it’s the members of the LOVE Patrol! What is the LOVE Patrol? The LOVE Patrol is what I like to call my volunteers that are “out and about” in the room among the children. In my kids service, which we call The Outpost, our official name for our helpers is Trail Guides, but I let them know they are on the “LOVE Patrol” during the service. I borrowed the name “LOVE Patrol” from a church that I visited many many years ago and I think it’s fantastic! It sure is better than “crowd control” – because it communicates that their purpose is not control, but to love on the kids and help them get the most out of the service. Train your volunteer helpers that their role isn’t to just sit in the back, or along the sides of the room, but to constantly be “on patrol” and watching the kids during the service. Contrary to what is often done – they are NOT looking for “bad behavior,” instead they are  actively moving about the room, studying the…

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Teaching Teenagers

While our church is between youth pastors, I’ve been leading our yourh ministry. I’ve been a Kids & Youth Pastor in the past, and done this interim role before – and I always enjoy it. People often ask me how is teaching teenagers different from teaching kids, or preaching to adults for that matter. Honestly, I love it. It’s the best of both worlds! Too many youth pastors, I think, teach them as though they are already adults – as though they are suddenly “too cool” for the “kid stuff.” I beg to differ. Instead, I find you get to enjoy a really fun blend of both styles. Teenagers are not little adults. Don’t let those those big bodies fool you! They may start to interact as peers, but they are FAR from peers. If you want to be effective in ministry with teens, you must respect them as emerging adults, but secretly understand that they are more big kids than little adults. And actually still crave kids stuff more than they will admit. Let’s talk simple brain development. How is the teenage brain different from the chid they were just a few years ago and the adult they will…

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Write It… And Toss It

Saw this Calvin and Hobbes and it reminded me of some GREAT advice my dad once gave me… but first, enjoy the cartoon: Ever gotten so upset about something you sat down and HACKED OUT A LETTER? I have! There were many a letter I wrote that after showing to my dad for his input, he quietly read and then said, “It’s a great letter! Well written! Excellent points! Well organized and presented! Perfect arguments. Now throw it out.” Throw it out?! How could he compliment it so highly, and then tell me to throw my masterpiece out? He was helping me not make a bad situation worse since my letter would only pour gasoline on the fire. So was my letter a waste of time? No! My dad explained that “hot letters” are still good to write because they help you organize your thoughts… process your emotions and sort out the details of what happened. Then, after you toss your flaming masterpiece,  you’ll be better prepared to write the more diplomatic letter that will get results. OR, better yet, pick up the phone if you can’t meet in person. E-mail and text messages have kinda ruined the pace of…

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Be the Adult Who NOTICES Kids!

I’m honored again to have another article in the FREE Spanish Magazine Entreninos. (No worries, my column is in English!) One of my Kidology Theorems was republished, Be the Adult Who Notices Kids. So, now you can download and print in a very nice format for your volunteers. Download the PDF here. To download the entire magazine, first download this PDF for English instructions on how to navigate the Spanish site to download any of their magazines FREE. Just visit entreninos.com to download Issue 40 (or any other issues you want!)

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FREE eBOOK from KidCheck!

Hey, just found out about this FREE new resource from my friends at KidCheck and wanted to make sure you knew about it! It’s a FREE eBook called Optimizing Child Safety in Your Organization. It’s jam-packed with checklists, tips, and proven safety strategies. You’ll learn the following: • Why focusing on child safety attracts new families. • How to predator-proof your environment. • Seven steps for choosing the best volunteers. • The benefits of a Child Protection Policy. • Tips for using children’s check-in for more than attendance tracking. With this eBook, you’ll be equipped to create a safe & secure environment both now and in the future. Regardless of what system you use for your secure check-in system, you will find this eBook loaded with some practical tips, reminders and ideas! AND if you are looking at implementing a secure check-in system or re-evaluating your present setup, you owe it to yourself to at least set up a consultation with the good folks at KidCheck to have a pressure-free conversation about how to make your ministry more safe an Here’s a link to preview DOWNLOAD THE FREE eBOOK!

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