The Death of Nickelodeon Magazine...And What It Means For Children's Ministry

3:55 PM  Unknown  


I received a card in the mail again today reminding me that my subscription to Nickelodeon Magazine is no longer valid because they are no longer publishing it. Not surprising...the printed page is moving toward it's demise. Just Google and you'll see a long list of magazines that have bitten the dust in the last few years. 

Newspapers are also on the downhill slide. USA Today lost 13.7 % of it's circulation last quarter. The Washington Post lost 13.1 % and The New York Times lost 8.7%. 

Printed books are declining as well. In 2009, there were about two billion physical books sold in the United States. Sounds like a lot - but that's down nearly five percent from 2008. This year that number is expected to drop another two percent.

Don't worry...we're not heading into the dark ages. There is more information, news, learning materials, and books available than ever before. The difference...it is turning into a digital format. It will take a few years, but just like VCR's were replaced with DVD and Blue-Ray, the printed page will be replaced with the digital page.

Novels are moving from paperback to the Kindle. E-book sales will go from about $150 million last year . . . to an estimated billion-dollar business by 2012, as new products from tech companies like Apple flood the market. People's news is being delivered to their computer instead of being thrown on their doorstep by a paperboy. Hardback textbooks are being replaced with down loadable textbooks. 

So what does this mean for Children's Ministry? Could it mean that...
  • Kids will bring their Bible to church...in digital format. The Bible is just as much God's Word on an Ipod as it is on a piece of paper.
  • Children's Ministries will use a lot less paper and a lot more YouTube to communicate with their parents and volunteers. 
  • Parents can be encouraged to text Bible verses to their children during the week.
  • Interactive, digital, hands on learning will replace lesson handouts.
  • Online worship services for children will be made available like the ones that are currently available for their parents,
  • Online Bible studies where children and parents can learn together will be grow.
  • More printed curriculum will be replaced with down loadable curriculum.
  • Children's Pastors will purchase leadership books that take up hard drive space instead of shelf space.

    What are your thoughts? What changes do you see the shift from the printed page bringing to Children's Ministry?

    Posted by Dale Hudson

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    Text the Text!

    8:11 AM  Unknown  

    Looking for ideas to help equip parents to be the spiritual leader of their children? Here's one.

    What if you gave parents a Bible verse to text to their kids each day? If you're like my wife and I, we constantly send text messages to our kids. It's one of the primary ways we communicate with them during the day.

    Starting today, we're going to be texting our kids a short Bible verse each day with a note that reminds them that we love them and are praying for them. Then beginning next week, we will be providing parents with a list of key verses they can text to their children.

    We often tell the kids in our ministry that the Bible is like a big text message from God.  There is power in the text of God's Word. I believe as parents begin reading a verse each day and then send it to their children, it will make a huge impact in their lives.

    Can't wait to see what happens when parents begin texting the powerful "text" of God's Word to their children.

    Posted by Dale Hudson
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    Bowing or Boasting?

    9:31 AM  Unknown  

    "Bow down your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge."
    Proverbs 22:17

    "As it is, you Boast in your arrogance. All such Boasting is evil."
     James 4:6

    One of the fastest ways to stop growing spiritually or as a leader is to start boasting instead of bowing. In the verse above, the Bible talks about bowing our ear so we can hear and apply words of wisdom and understanding.

    What does it mean to bow down your ear? It simply means to have a humble, teachable spirit. A spirit that is ready to receive knowledge, instruction, correction, and wisdom so you can continue to grow.

    The opposite is boasting which leads to pride and arrogance. It can lead us to thinking we know it all. We think we have arrived. We think we've got this Children's Ministry thing all figured out. When we get to that place, we're in trouble. Our personal and professional growth is hindered and plateaus.

    Here's some thoughts comparing Bowing to Boasting.

    Bowing vs. Boasting
    • Listening more than talking vs. dominating a ministry conversation as you share your vast knowledge of children's ministry.
    • Listening to leaders who are younger than you that have fresh, innovative ideas vs. dismissing them because they are a newbie.
    • Writing down things you need to improve on vs. just writing down things your staff needs to improve on.
    • Knowing your weak areas and working on them vs. thinking you are at your leadership pinnacle.
    • Lead by asking questions vs. leading with commands.
    • Your staff/volunteers feeling free to give you feedback, advice, and insight vs. not being approachable.
    • Being passionate about growing as a leader vs. being complacent and content to get by.
    • Talking about what God is doing now vs. only talking about what God has done in previous ministry.
    • Asking others to help you see your blind spots vs. not being willing to admit you have some.
    • Learning from your mistakes vs. blaming others for your mistakes.
    • Apologizing when you make a bad leadership decision vs. telling your staff/volunteers to live with it because you're the "boss."
    • Watching how great leaders react in specific situations vs. being so self absorbed that you miss growing by observing. 
    If we are in the habit of bowing, then we realize that our personal/leadership growth is a lifetime journey. We will never arrive. There will always be more to learn...more to fine tune...more to discover. And to be honest...the longer we do Children's Ministry...the less we may feel we know. And that's a good state of mind to be in.  

    "A wise person will listen and continue to learn."
    Proverbs 1:5

    It's pretty simple...
    Bowing leads to growth both personally and professionally.
    Boasting plateaus growth both personally and professionally.


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