Home Archive by category "Children’s Ministry" (Page 69)

Category: Children’s Ministry

MONSTER KIDMIN!

A few weeks ago, I took my family to the Monster Truck Rally at the Colorado State Fair, and my little boy LOVED IT! (of course) I enjoyed taking pictures with my zoom lens, and finally got around to making a highlight video… ENJOY: (Here is a download in case you’d ever want to use it in ministry! 24.6MB) What IS it about Monster Trucks that makes them so exciting? Is there a lesson for KIDMIN? I think there is. Do you know the history of Monster Trucks? I’ve learned quite a bit about them as a dad with a boy who is in love with them. It all began in the mid-1970s, when Bob Chandler, then a St. Louis, MO. construction contractor, owned an F-250 4×4 pickup truck.  Chandler used his truck on the job and for off-road family fun on the weekends. But he found ways to break even the toughest of trucks, and that led to the discovery that there was no place in the Midwest to get 4×4 parts and service.  Recognizing a potential market, Bob, Marilyn, and Jim Kramer started Midwest Four Wheel Drive & Performance Center. They still used their 4×4 as a work…

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CM Leaders Conference is a Must

The 1st CM Leaders Conference, hosted by INCM, is coming to a close. It was a fantastic time of challenge, inspiration and fellowship for leaders in children’s ministry. I highly recommend it to leaders for their own enrichment – in addition to CPC, and INCM is offering a bundle on registration that makes the cost of this conference close to a meal out with a colleague if you attend both next year, so you have no reason to miss it. I especially enjoyed meeting folks from Kidology that I’ve never crossed paths with before and getting to ‘break bread’ with my ‘kidmin peeps’ at meal times. The conversations were fun but at times intentionally focused on issues we were facing in our ministries. Opportunities to encourage or equip one on one were memorable. The comradore on Twitter via the hashtag #CMLeaders was at times hysterical. I appreciated that there was both speakers who were well known and experienced, but some who may be less known, but equally qualified and with much to share and great challenges and insights, even if conference speaking isn’t a career for them. The blend was well thought through. There were some helpful resource providers, but…

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More Than Just a Coach

Just one of many thank you letters I receive from our Kidology Coaching graduates: Dear Karl, I want to thank you for organizing the Kidology Coaching program. It has helped me tremendously and I have learned both ministry and life skills through the material and my coach. I joined Kidology and the coaching program about three years ago. When I first joined I was in a position where I was leading a Children’s Ministry with NO experience and feeling very overwhelmed. When I started there were only between 15 and 20 kids. I originally was looking for a coach to give me some direction and advice. As I sit here three years later, I realize that I have achieved both of these through Kidology Coaching. However, I have gained so much more. Barney has become family to me. He is more than a coach, and the life skills he has taught me have given me guardrails and guidance that are priceless. He has instilled confidence in me when I was drowning in fear. He has helped me form good boundaries with family members. He has been patient with me when I struggled to keep in contact and on task. He…

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Kids Music CAN be Cool AND Rich!

Just like much of our adult worship music today, kids music too often reflects what Jesus warned against: “vain repetition.” (Matthew 6:7) We have songs that are nice, peppy, and certainly full of praise, but lack biblical depth or content. It makes me miss the classic “Sunday School Songs” I grew up on. In fact, when I have an opportunity to lead kids worship, I rarely use “video worship” and instead lead with my guitar, despite the fact that I only know about 6 chords! (My musical gift is being able to convert nearly any song into a D-A-G! LOL) I’ve learned that if you are enthusiastic, speed up, slow down, have kids on stage, use motions, and then bring it all down and end with some seriousness, you can make up for what you lack in musical skill. Remember, it’s all about relationships. And I think a person is always better than a screen in the end. But all that aside, I want to make sure you are using GO FISH in your children’s ministry. If you use video worship, Go Fish is probably the BEST out there – in every category. First, let’s talk about production quality. While…

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10 Ways to Make a Difference

We aren’t in children’s ministry to administrate. We aren’t even in kids ministry to teach. We are ministers of kids because we want to make a difference in the lives of children. Below is a PDF of some slides pulled out from one of my presentations I like to give when I am speaking at conferences or encouraging volunteers. I enjoyed speaking to the volunteers at a church this Sunday, and wanted to make these slides available to them, and to anyone else who might find them helpful and challenging. They are TEN WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the life of a child. They are, in a sense, “ten secrets” to connecting with kids beyond just teaching great lessons and being a good leader. These are the things that will set you apart. They are what make you a relational minister. And they are the things that kids will remember years later long after lessons are assimilated into who you are and events are forgotten. I almost hate to give away my secrets, except that they will change lives when applied. So I can’t keep them to myself! Download and Apply Often for Great Results in your Ministry!

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