RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: #childrensgrowth

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10 Questions To Ask When Hiring a Children's Ministry Director

11:50 AM Dale Hudson

This past weekend I was consulting with a church that is hiring a children's director.

I was helping them conduct interviews with the people who had applied for the position.

I have a list of questions that I asked the candidates. Thought I would share the questions with you.

These questions can also be used with a volunteer who is stepping up to assume more leadership responsibility as a volunteer.

1. Can you tell me about your relationship with Jesus? When did you enter a relationship with Him? What do you do to grow in your faith?

2. Why are you applying for this position? What drew you to this? Why do you want to be a children's director?

3. What are your strengths? What comes easy for you?

4. What are some things you are working on to get better at?

5. What are 3 goals you would set and try to accomplish in your first year?

6. Can you tell me about a time when there was conflict in a previous job and how you handled it?

7. Children's ministry is about the volunteers who make the ministry happen just as much as about the kids who are part of it. How would you build and equip a volunteer team? What experience do you have leading adults?

8. How would you partner with parents and equip them to disciple their children?

9. Have you taken a personality test? If yes, what were the results? If you haven't would you be willing to take one?

10. What have I not asked you that I should ask you?

The children's ministry director is one of the most critical hires you can make. Get the right person and they can help the children's ministry become a major growth engine for the church.

And think about this. No one, besides the Pastor, has more contact and influence with the people in your church. The children's director ministers to babies, preschoolers, elementary, pre-teens, students who serve, adults who serve, parents and grandparents.

This is not an exhaustive list of questions. What are some other questions you ask potential hires? Share your thoughts and insight with us in the comment section below.

Let the Kids Lead

9:44 AM Dale Hudson

It's time we start giving kids the opportunity to lead in the church.

As you look through Scripture, you will see that kids were often given the opportunity to lead.

Here's an example found in Matthew 21.

...and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. "Yes,” replied Jesus, "have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
Jesus was all for children helping lead the way in the Temple that day.  And I believe He is also for kids helping lead the way today.  
Here are a few things to consider about this. 
1. There is no "Jr. Holy Spirit."  Kids can be led and controlled by the Spirit of God just like any adult can.  Throughout scripture we see kids being used by God.  The boy giving his lunch to Jesus.  David defeating Goliath.  The little maid helping Naaman get healed.  As we just read, children leading the way to praise Jesus in the temple.
2. Kids have a heart to serve.   Have you ever asked a group of kids who would like to help with something?  Hands will shoot up everywhere.  Kids naturally have a heart to help others.  It is when they get older, that they stop raising their hand as often.  Why?  In some cases, they have been told they are too young.  That they don't have the abilities needed.  That they should sit still and be quiet.  That they have to wait until they are a certain age.  This type of treatment causes kids to eventually stop raising their hand and saying "no" to serving as adults.
3.  Kids will act like kids.  Kids are wired to move.  They are full of energy.  Don't expect them to turn it off when it's time to serve.  This may mean putting them in a role that allows them to use their energy.  It might be helping with worship so they can jump around.  It might be helping lead a fun, energetic game or activity.  Instead of squelching them, help them grow and flourish with the gifts God has given them.  
4. Make a list of the different ways kids can lead in your congregation.  Take the initiative in this and create a list of ways kids can serve at church.  Share the list with kids who want to serve and help guide them into a role that matches their gifts and talents.
5. Provide them with coaching and feedback.  Don't stick them in a role and forget about them.  Be intentional about encouraging and challenging them.  Use this as a time to help them grow spiritually.  
6. Realize that kids who serve are more likely to not walk away from the faith when they get older.  Stats show that kids who get involved in serving are less likely to walk away from their faith when they are grown.  There is something about serving that activates your faith.  That brings a passion for Christ into your life.  That brings joy as you watch God at work through you.  
Your turn.  Do you give kids the opportunity to serve at your church?  What are some roles you allow them to serve in?  What are some other guidelines you follow for kids serving?  Share your thoughts, ideas and insight in the comment section below. 

Kids Play...Kids Learn

9:37 AM Dale Hudson

Kids play.

That's what they do.

They play and play and play until they are worn out for the day.

They go to sleep and wake up...ready to play some more.

Have you thought about this?

Kids love recess time.

Why?

Because they get to play.

Kids sit and listen to lectures and they get bored.

Kids watch a video and don't get to interact with it.

Kids are told to be quiet and so they shut down (except 3rd grade boys).

They learn some things through these methods but I want to propose something that can be life-changing for your ministry.

What if you combined play and spiritual education?

What if you encouraged kids to learn through play?

What would it look like if you gave kids lots of opportunities to put the lesson into play format?

Here's an example I jut thought of.

What if you are teaching the kids about Jesus and Lazarus and you let them wrap up someone with toilet paper to be Lazarus? What if you then let them play act out the story? What if you had a couple of games that tie into the lesson and would also be used for discussion starters?

No matter what your teaching situation is now or how far removed you are from the real world where children play, you can add more play into your lesson.

You can do this. You can add play into your lessons.

Some curriculums will do the work for you and provide games, activities, etc. in the lesson so kids can play.

But you can also take it to another level, by brainstorming and coming up with ways to incorporate more games and activities that will get kids moving, moving and moving some more.sfff

It comes down to this.

When kids play. Kids learn.

How much of your lesson time reflects this?

Yes, it will get noisy at times.

Yes, at times you will feel like you are losing control of the group.

Yes, kids will move around a lot.

But trust me...it will work. When kids play, kids learn.

Studies show that trying to get kids to learn through lecturing is the worst way to help kids learn.

Do this. Take out your lesson. Look at it and determine this. How much time is devoted to play vs. lecturing and listening? If you're heavy on the lecture side, it's time to make some changes.

If you are hesitant about doing this, remember this. The kind of play opportunities you are going to give the kids is not just playing for fun. It is play with a purpose. Each part of your play should teach and reinforce the main point of the lesson. There should be discussion questions attached to the end of each game or activity.

Also understand this. Play should never be just about play. Play should be a tool you use to help kids learn more about Jesus.

You can read more about that in these articles:

Can Kids Have Fun and Learn at the Same Time?

Why Kids Are Misbehaving in Your Class (and how to fix it)

Why Nothing Should Ever Be "Just For Fun" at Church

Why Kids Are Saying Your Ministry Boring

Sunday is coming. Make it a play day!

How do you make play a part of your lessons? Share your thoughts, insight and ideas in the comment section below.

Last Day to Register for Multi-Site Webinar

8:55 AM Dale Hudson

There is still time to register for the multi-site webinar.

It's happening tomorrow, July 22 from 10am to noon. Dead line to register is by 9:00 p.m. tonight.

The Multi-Site Children's Ministry Webinar is for leaders who are currently leading in a multi-site ministry and for those whose church is preparing to go multi-site.

We've gathered some of the best multi-site leaders in the nation to encourage and equip you. These leaders have years of experience in leading successful multi-site ministries.

Kim Botto is the next gen director at Crossroads Christian Church in the Cincinnati metro area. Her church currently has 12 locations and ministers to over 30,000 people each weekend at the locations. She will be talking about how to build volunteer teams for new locations.

Dale Hudson is the founder and director of Building Children's Ministry. BCM helps churches build strong teams, leaders and ministries. Dale has served in multi-site churches for over 19 years. At his last church, he helped the church grow from 3 campuses to 9 campuses that ministered to over 28,000 people each weekend. He also grew the children's ministry volunteer team from 300 to 2,600 in 8 years. Dale will be talking about one of the most important factors in multi-site ministry...unity. He will help you see how to keep all of your campuses serving for a common vision and purpose.

Justin Edge is the Central Team Leader of LifeKids at Life Church. Life Church is the largest multi-site church in the nation with 35 campuses. Justin is a passionate, visionary leader who will inspire you and help you grow in your leadership. He will be sharing the keys to leading a multi-site ministry.

There will be time built into the sessions for live Q & A, so bring your questions.

When you register, you get a free ecopy of Dale's newest book - "Lead Well in Children's Ministry" ($12.99 value). This book has over 300 pages of insight about leading in children's ministry.

Can't attend in person? We've got you covered. The sessions will all be recorded and made available in streaming and downloadable formats for those who registered.

You can register now at this link or by clicking on the picture below. Can't wait to see you there.

Why Kids Are So Clingy Right Now

9:06 AM Dale Hudson

Have you noticed that kids are extra clingy recently?

You are not alone. Many parents are dealing with clingy kids.

So why are kids so clingy?

The biggest reason is obviously because they are living through the COVID pandemic days.

When kids feel threatened it can cause anxiety. And when kids are nervous or unsure, they will cling to their parents to feel safe.

"One major reason why kids cling to their parents is because they are trying really hard to help themselves feel safe and comforted."

Dr Steven Meyers, Professor of Psychology, Roosevelt University

Clinging is a child's effort to cope with all of the changes and uncertainty in the world.

Normally we think of a clinging child as a toddler or preschooler. Think about the times you've had a younger child cling to mom and dad when they were being dropped off at their church classroom. Why were they clinging? They were trying to deal with the uncertainty they were feeling inside.

But in the current situation we find ourselves in, even older children, who are normally more independent, may become clingy as well. This may look like them following you around the house or come crawling in the bed with you at night.

Establish routines. This will look different from when kids were in a school building all day. Creating these routines does two things.

1. Routines give kids a sense of security. It provides kids with an established structure for what happens each day.

2. Routines help kids stay on track with their school work.

Spend extra time with your kids. Make it fun. Board games. Toys. Video games. Telling jokes. Reading stories. Give them your undivided attention during this time. This will help keep them emotionally healthy.

Chores. If you already had chores for your kids, then continue them. If you don't, now's a great time to establish some chores for your child. Keep track on their involvement and reward them when they do a good job.

Model the behavior you want to see. Kids are very perceptive. They turn to you for direction on how to respond. They pick up on your emotions. If your emotions are making them uneasy or afraid, then they will cling to you even more as they look for reassurance.

Model confidence and calmness. This will help your children feel more secure and calm themselves.

They need you right now. Kids are sad about all the changes they have experienced. Think about it. No school, can't see their friends, no sports or music classes, etc. As far as in person contact, you're all they've got in many cases. Be there for them!

p.s. Don't forget to sign up for our upcoming online webinar. You can register at this link.

Focus on What Matters

9:17 AM Dale Hudson

It's crucial that ministries have a common purpose and mission.

It's easy to get distracted and sidetracked from your mission, isn't it?

What should your mission be?

Here it is...

Helping people find Jesus and His life-giving love and mercy.

However you word it, the bottom line is this - we must be focused on helping people know Jesus.

Every part of your ministry should be tied to this and live in a "reach the lost at any cost" culture.

You can do a lot of things in a church. But whatever you do should be done with the end result of bringing people to Jesus.

People want to be a part of something that is bigger than they are. There is nothing that is more important than leading people to Jesus.

It's important, as leaders, that we slow down at times to focus on what does and doesn't matter in our ministry. Being intentional with this will allow you to take a look at everything you are doing and focus in on a few big things that will deliver tangible results.

If you are not intentional with focusing on what matters, it's easy to get sidetracked and get bogged down with doing "stuff" that doesn't affect people's life for eternity.

Here are some big questions to ask you and your team. Talk these through. The answers may lead you to a more fruitful ministry.

How can we provide our team members with the "why" which will give them a greater and more reasonable reason for serving on our team?

Is there anything we are currently doing that is not aligned with our why?

Are there any areas where we have gotten sidetracked? How can we get back on course?

What are the 2-3 things we are doing that help us stay focused on what really matters?

What do we highly value in our ministry? What matters a lot to us?

One day, someone will stand by your body as it lies in a coffin. They will be asked to say a few words of comfort and good remembrances. What will they say? How will they remember you? What will they mention was important to you? What did you focus on?

Remember this...

"What you leave for the people in your life is your will.

What you leave in the people in your life is your legacy."

That is being determined now as you are reading this and as you go through your day.

Focus...focus...focus...on What Matters.

How to See God Do More in Your LIfe & Ministry

9:50 AM Dale Hudson

God wants to do more in your life and ministry.

If you are breathing, God still has plans for your life.

I don't see anywhere in Scripture where someone retired from ministry. They may step down from being a pastor or another prominent leader in the church, but they still continued to pursue the plans God has for them.

Where will the adjustment take you?

What great work does God have prepared for you?

How are you going to impact the kingdom of God in the days ahead? How are you going to see God do a great work within you and outside in the world?

Ephesians 3:20 contains the steps you can take to see God do more in your life and ministry. It says this.

"NOW ALL GLORY TO GOD, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ask or think."

The first step is to make sure that you want to see God do more for the right reason. Look back at what it says...

Now all glory to God...

Seeing God do more is not about feeding your ego. It's not about bringing praise to your ministry. It's not about being the biggest and the best.

What it's about is bringing glory to God.

It's not about making you famous. It's about making Jesus famous. It's not about lifting up you and your ministry. It's about lifting Jesus up.

Check your motives. Why do you want to see God do more? He will not share His glory with anyone. The purpose of seeing God do more is to bring glory to His name.

"Now all glory to God, WHO IS ABLE, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ask or think."

The second step is this - believe that He is able.

You can't change a child's life. You can't save a teenager's life. You can't salvage anyone's marriage.

But the good news is this - God is able.

Do you believe that God can do more? Do you believe God can work through you to reach people for Christ? Do you believe God can save marriages? Do you believe that God can use you to change a community?

Walk confidently with a faith that believes He is able.

Here's the next step. Trust in His mighty power.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through HIS MIGHTY POWER at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ask or think."

The word "power" here is the same word that is used in Acts 1:8.

"But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth."

The same power that the disciples used to turn the world upside down is available to you as well. This same Holy Spirit lives inside you and can work through you.

We must trust and operate within the power of the Holy Spirit.

God doesn't anoint programs. He anoints people.

You may feel like you don't "have what it takes" to make a difference. Or perhaps you have been used by God in the past, but now you feel like your ministry is over and isn't impacting people for God.

Guess what? You are right where God can use you. Look what it says about the disciples in Acts 4:13.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men that been with Jesus. God loves to fill ordinary people with His power and do extraordinary things through them.

Look what Paul says.

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power. So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."

The more you rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, the more you will see Him working through your life.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work WITHIN US, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ask or think."

Before God does a great work through you, He first wants to do a great work within you.

This means allowing Him to not just rent a space in your life, but rather it means letting Him control everything in your life. Letting Him do a total makeover. The more God does a work within you, the more He will do a great work through you.

What do you need to surrender to Him? What are you hanging onto that you need to let go of? What parts of your life are not aligned with His will for your life?

Surrender. Sacrifice. Serve.

If you are going to see God do more through you, then you must also SPEND MORE TIME IN PRAYER.

Notice again what the verse says.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might ASK or think. Ephesians 3:20

Remember what happened in Mark 9? The disciples tried to cast an evil spirit out of a boy. But they couldn't do it. Jesus came and cast out the evil spirit. He told the disciples the reason they couldn't cast out the evil spirit was because of a lack of prayer.

He said, "This kind only comes out through prayer and fasting."

We must remember that nothing of eternal value happens without prayer. The more we spend time with Jesus, the more we can see Him at work.

Here's the final thing found in the verse.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely MORE than we might or ask or THINK."

If we want to see God do more, then we've got to have a VISION FOR MORE.

Think with me about Joseph. God placed a vision in his life. He would be a ruler.

He was mocked for His vision. His vision was misunderstood. His vision was challenged. His vision at times seemed too far out there.

But the vision was from God and so it came to pass.

What is the vision God has placed in your spirit? What is He calling you to do? Is it so big that you are afraid to even try? Or you fear the vision will never come to pass, so why spend time on it.

Remember this. If the vision is from God, it can come to pass. Never give up on the vision God has placed in your life.

If you want to see God do more in you and your ministry, then remember these 5 keys we have talked about.

-Make sure you want to see God do more for His glory, not your glory.

-Believe He is able to accomplish the vision.

-Trust in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than your own power.

-Let God first do a work within you, before seeking a work through you.

-Spend time in prayer, asking God to see the vision become reality.

-Dream Big. Have a great vision. Ask God to fulfill the vision.

I'm praying that you will have a such a great year in ministry, that you will turn around in 12 months and realize that only God could have made it happen.