Home Articles posted by kidologist (Page 5)

ChatGPT Reviews Kidology.org

I asked AI via ChatGPT to list the Top 20 Challenges and Topics of Children’s Ministry Leaders and then to access how well Kidology.org addresses those. This was the result… including this image: (I did no editing and for the most part it’s pretty accurate! I simply added a few links to resources as they were described, but there is MUCH more on the site than even what is listed here! If you are looking for something not listed here, we probably have it after 30 years of building the site, just write and ask!) Certainly! As of my knowledge cutoff in October 2023, Kidology.org is a well-established online resource dedicated to equipping and encouraging children’s ministry leaders. Founded by Karl Bastian, known as the “Kidologist,” the website offers a wealth of resources, training materials, and a supportive community aimed at addressing the various challenges faced in children’s ministry. Here’s how Kidology.org addresses the top 20 issues facing Children’s Ministry Leaders Today: Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers: Kidology provides practical articles and training modules on effective strategies for volunteer recruitment and retention. They offer ideas on building a strong volunteer culture and recognizing volunteer contributions to prevent burnout. Curriculum Selection and…

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NEW Kids Worship Song from Kid Kardia!

Check out the NEWEST Awesome Kids Worship Song from Kid Kardia: Discover all Zachariah’s songs and download them for FREE at: KidKardia.com Tell him Karl sent ya!

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The UNconference for Kid’s Pastors

Back in 2008 God gave me an idea. It was a crazy idea. But then, that’s how you know it’s from God, right? It was to create an “UNconference for Children’s Pastors.” In time, I welcomed other Christian leaders, but most were children’s pastors, because honestly, it’s one of the most challenging jobs in the Church. The title “Kid’s Pastor” sounds fun – and it is – but it’s name hides the challenges it brings. Often, it is the largest ministry of the church; overseeing the largest group of volunteers, the most hours of programming, every single week of the year (no breaks like other ministries enjoy) and often with special programming and the list could go on, but I won’t play the violins because we LOVE every minute of it. The hard reality is, burn out isn’t just common, it is standard and expected, and the average length of tenure for children’s pastors is three to five years. Many go back to being volunteers, while some quit altogether. I know, I was there. In the midst of “great success” from all ministry metrics, my soul was running on empty. I didn’t need another conference. I needed something different. If…

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BACK to SCHOOL Kidmin Resources!

It’s BACK to SCHOOL Time! BACK TO SCHOOL!!! Well, the kids are headed back to school. Unless you home school, your home will quiet down once again. Peace will settle in, well, for a few hours anyway. School is a BIG part of a kid’s world! Keep in touch with your students by learning about their schools! Know what schools your students go to! Call your kids and ask about how school is, especially if they went to a new school. They may need your encouragement. One little girl came home this week and said, “I hate school. I hate my teacher. I never want to go back again!” What an opportunity for encouragement! (and prayer) Find out if you can visit your students at school. Most schools will allow lunchtime visitors. Slip a note into their locker after your visit, or if you can’t visit. Give a note to parents for them to slip into their kid’s lunch! Get involved in the schools in your community. Perhaps you could put together an anti-drug or positive self image program for classrooms or assemblies! I’ve had schools willing to send home church flyers with their paperwork after serving them with some…

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New KarlBastian.info Page

I’ve been reviewing my various domains over the past year and letting a bunch of them expire. Back when there was only .com, .org and .net it made sense to snag all three when you bought a domain. Some you bought for fun – like IamtotallyunpreparedforSundaySchool.com which we did for a conference lanyard years ago at CPC that is still live. Now that there are a zillion extensions, it makes less sense to hang on to other extensions as they no longer prevent brand competition as someone can simply snag up .biz, .info, or a host of others. One of the odd extensions I pocked up early on when they started adding new ones was karlbastian.info. I’m lucky enough to have a fairly unique name – not too many imposters out there. I was about to cancel the renewal (it just forwarded to my blog) when I got an idea! Why not make KarlBastian.info literally info about Karl Bastian? I have been accused of being a little confusing with all my various websites for ministry, church, kids, even droning… so what if I had a HUB where you could find them all, IN ONE PAGE? Not a new website –…

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