Home Archive by category "Leadership" (Page 8)

Category: Leadership

Impress Your Boss by Planning

You do a lot of planning in children’s ministry – likely more than any other ministry leader, except perhaps the senior or executive pastor. Perhaps you have lamented, “No one knows all that goes into kids ministry.” Part of the problem may be that you don’t communicate it. Not in a complaining, poor me way – but in strategically making known what your goals, objectives, and current and upcoming projects are. As a children’s pastor, I always made sure my boss knew clearly what I was working on, what was completed, and what was next. Many times I was told by a senior pastor or executive pastor that I provided more helpful info than any other staff member. Some even said, “I really have no idea what (another staff member) is up to.” I made sure that was never me. I’d rather over-communicate than allow my ministry to be a mystery. I was prompted to write this post today while helping a friend who is becoming a new children’s director and starting his first ministry. I offered to share one of my planning documents with him and thought you may enjoy seeing it too. NOTE: The PDF linked below is UN-EDITED from…

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Check-in Without Lines?

Imagine computer check-in without computers! Imagine secure check-in without lines. Sound impossible? Not any more. Thanks to the always innovating geniuses at KidCheck, secure check-in is getting even easier. As you can tell by the related links below, I’ve been an avid supporter and promoter of KidCheck for years. I love how they are always innovating to make child security easier and more effective each year. While other systems provide the basics – KidCheck continues to add features and benefits that not only provide a pick-up label, but improve communication between parents, volunteers, and leaders. AND NOW… (wait for it) … They have introduced Express Check-in. That means parents can check-in on their smart phone in the parking lot or while walking it, come to your check-in area, hit “PRINT” and be on their way to dropping off their kiddos without every standing in line or typing into a computer. Learn all about KidCheck Express Check-in Here. As I mentioned on my podcast today, the safety of kids is of the utmost importance to parents. When you have a secure check-in area, you score points with parents who want to have the peace of mind that their child is not…

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The Latest and the Greatest! … ?

Seems every day there is something “new” in the Kidmin world vying your attention and money. While I celebrate the advancement of children’s ministry and with it the rapid increase in resources, events and services to help us reach and teach kids… it can also be overwhelming to the leader who is just trying to get ready for the fast-approaching Sunday! New has its appeal, but too often what presents itself as “new and improved” turns out to be disappointing and falls short of expectations. There are times when the stable and proven should be preferred over the latest fad that pops up. Often they are a flash in the pan, and the more reliable tool is still there. Kidology.org has been steadily and affordably helping children’s ministry leaders and volunteers for over twenty years. Our vast collection of helpful tools and resources are tried and proven. When it comes to coaching, we don’t offer large webinars or impersonal conference calls. Our coaches meet one on one with their students weekly, customizing the material to fit their real-world church challenges and journey with them toward success. There is always something new on Kidology.org, but it becomes part of our 20+…

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What Words Define You?

Facebook asked me yesterday if I’d like to know what words I use the most when I post to my wall. It seemed like a fun activity. After clicking my approval, some software somewhere read my wall, compiled words, and sorted them by frequency. The result was the word cloud you see here. I was happy to see “kids” front and center and my son’s name as well. It was no surprise to see “church” or “Yosemite” – though my wife teased me that my friend Brett bumped her off the list, which does cast a little doubt on the accuracy, but at least Brent affirmed that I made his list too! Of course, Facebook only provides a glimpse into our lives, and the parts of our lives that we choose to share – but it’s worth some reflection to ask ourselves, What am I about? What drives me? What do I talk about? What do I think about? Life is made up of words and words reflect the heart. (Luke 6:45 and Matthew 15:18 discuss this.) Whether or not you allow Facebook to count your words, consider if God counted our words and made a list of what typically…

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His Kidmin Yoke is Easy

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 If Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10) and to make our joy complete (John 15:11), then why are so many in ministry worn out, stressed out, and secretly ready to drop out of ministry? Why is it that so often those who know they were called by God to serve Him find themselves second-guessing that same call when life and ministry become almost more than they can bear? Whenever I am asked to speak or write on “avoiding burn out,” I can’t help chuckling to myself. Not because the topic is funny, but because the joke is on me. I know that when I needed to hear such things, I was unable or unwilling to. Why? I loved ministry! I was driven by the pressure that comes from wanting to make a difference. My favorite Calvin and Hobbes quote was when Calvin declared, “I…

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