Home Articles posted by kidologist (Page 111)

A New Normal is Here

On a recent overseas trip, the President of the United States used a phrase that caught my ear.  He mentioned a “New Normal”, suggesting that Americans must prepare to accept current unemployment rates as staying steady into the future. This got me thinking that there is a “New Normal” in children’s ministry as well. Things have changed! What was was once considered “normal” is rapidly changing! As I watch my 4-year-old use my iPhone or iPad, I see that his world is going to be much different than mine. Indeed, he has had his own iPod Touch because at age 2 he was caught operating my iPhone without any instruction. I knew he needed to be equipped to embrace his world. Perhaps you are following the discussions in the Leadership Forum, where Greg Baird has invited 18 authors to write about The Future of Children’s Ministry. What are you doing in your ministry to embrace this New Normal? Or does your ministry still look like it did 10 years ago? There are no easy answers, but I can tell you this: When you were a kid, you could tell which teachers were with it, and which weren’t, and you gravitated…

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How Are You Using Technology To Connect?

How are you using technology to reach today’s kids? In his contribution to Greg’s Baird’s series on The Future of Children’s Ministry, Todd McKeever writes about how he has allowed texting during church to give tweens a safe way to ask tough questions. Since the average American teen now texts over 3000 times a day – it’s might be better to join ’em than to fight ’em! Join the discussion on Kidology and share how YOU have tapped into technology to connect with kids or engage kids in your ministry. BUT FIRST – watch this incredible video, and consider if you need to DISCONNECT from our cell phone a little more. I know this convicted me:

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The Future of Children’s Ministry

Here is the first of 18 articles from Greg Baird’s series from Kidmin360.com In January 2007, I presented ten trends I predicted would characterize children’s ministry in the years ahead. As we approach January 2011 and I review those, it is interesting to consider which of those have trends still resonate as hot trends, which are assumed or fading, and which I wish were of greater emphasis as I scan articles, workshop descriptions of conferences or forum discussions of various websites. Whenever I am asked to write or speak on the “future” I often start with one of my favorite quotes, which always goes off better verbally… “I’m not a prophet, nor the son of prophet. In fact, I work for a non-profit organization.” The reality is, I’m always faced with a very real dilemma. Do I respond with my Predicted Future, or my Preferred Future? Because in many ways, unfortunately, they are very different when I look over the children’s ministry landscape today. I often feel as though I am both fighting against the advance of the kidmin culture as well as contributing to it. On one hand, I’ve been a significant influencer of children’s ministry over the years,…

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I’m Gonna Be a Rat

Yup. It’s official. I’m gonna be a rat in an upcoming animated video from Timbuktoons… that according to their KickStart fundraising site! Todd Hampson and Sean Copley are two of the most creative guys I know. You may not recognize their names – but you see their work all over the Kidology and the Kidmin world. Todd was the artist for my novel Order of the Ancient and Sean designed this blog theme and all my matching stationery, business cards, brochures, etc. Todd is also the guy behind the Kidology Handbook, Leadership Labs and the Kids Church Cookbook design work. And of course, we carry a lot of their shorts and graphics and other products in our store. (4 pages worth!) They are also the creative guys behind a LOT of the stuff you see walking through the exhibit hall at the Children’s Pastor’s Conference. (Though I’m not making the list, as I’m not sure I have permission to disclose all that they are behind?) But if it looks sharp, there is a good chance Todd and Sean are behind it! And I’d like to think I was one of the first to discover Todd. Though I’m sure others may…

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This One’s On Me

Kidology’s “This One’s On Me” fundraiser is a way to support one of your favorite children’s ministry websites with small donations that otherwise may seem insignificant. To make it fun, you can choose to “buy” the equivalent of many every day products as your donation. The catch? You’ll get nothing in the mail, but will receive our heartfelt thanks and a tax-deductible receipt at the end of the year! If you’ve ever treated a friend to lunch or picked up the tab for a colleague’s Mocha Frappucino latte with whipped cream, then you know the joy a small gift can bring and the satisfaction from giving it. Here at Kidology we consider you a friend of our ministry and enjoy giving you the tools, resources, and ideas you need to be effective in your ministry to children. We’d like to give you a fun opportunity to give back to a site you love! As a non-profit ministry we are dependent on donations to underwrite the costs of this extensive high-traffic site. Keeping our membership fees low means we need those who benefit from the site to help cover the expenses that memberships and product sales can’t cover alone. Plus, it…

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