RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

I am so excited about March 30! Why? Because that's the day we are hosting an online conference about all things volunteers.  

I believe there are a number of reasons why you should join us. 

Here are 10 of the reasons.

1. Building a volunteer team is one of the most important things you do as a ministry leader.

The success of your ministry rises and falls on the strength of the volunteer team you build.  

If you asked me what I believe is the most important part of children's ministry, I would say volunteers.  It's your job description in one word.

You can be great with kids, but if you are not building a volunteer team, your ministry will be limited.  In this webinar, you will gain insight that will help you build a larger volunteer team.

2. You need more volunteers.  When I talk with churches across the nation, I always hear one thing.  We need more volunteers.  No matter what size your church is...50...500...5,000...you will always need more volunteers.  In this webinar, we will talk about how to get more volunteers.

3. The speakers are proven volunteer team builders.  All of the speakers have something in common.  They don't just talk about building volunteer teams, they have actually done it.  

Last week, my father-in-law had open heart surgery. We wanted to know that the doctor was an experienced surgeon.  That he had not just studied about doing surgery, but that he also had a track record of successful surgeries. 

There are a lot of people who talk about building volunteer teams and even speak about it at conferences, but in actuality they have never built a substantial volunteer team themselves.  

In this webinar, be assured that you will be hearing from leaders who walk the talk when it comes to building volunteer teams.  Brian has built a great team.  Bryan is a great team builder.  Heidi has a track record of building great teams.  

I built a volunteer team from 300 volunteers to over 2,000 volunteers in 9 years at a local church.

4. We will talk about how to keep volunteers long-term. We'll talk about how to close the back door and see volunteers go the distance with you.

5. You will learn how to raise up volunteer leaders who can lead other volunteers.  One of the biggest keys to taking your ministry to a new level is raising up volunteer leaders who can lead other volunteers.  This second level is vital if you want to stop flying solo and equip volunteers to lead other volunteers.  Heidi will be sharing how she does this.

6. You'll learn how to build a team post-turbulence.  Can anyone say Covid-19?  It hurt all of our volunteer teams, didn't it?  Some to a larger degree than others, but we were all affected by this.  

Bryan Cheney, who is the children's director at Willow Creek Church and one of our speakers, has led not only through Covid-19 set backs, but at the same time had to lead his volunteers through the heartbreak of the founding pastor going off course.  But he didn't quit. He kept building his team...even in the post-turbulence of these things and they are thriving.

7. You'll learn key ways to lead your volunteers better.  Brian Dollar has been at the same church for over 24 years and has built a dynamic team. He has learned much over those 24 years about leading well and will be sharing the keys to leading your volunteer team.

8. You get a copy of one of Dale's books when you register.

"The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" has been called the best book ever written on the subject. 

"52 Devotions for Children's Ministry Leaders" is Dale's newest book and can be used for personal devotions, pre-service meetings, staff meetings, newsletters, etc.

9. There will be built-in Q & A time to talk about anything you want to regarding volunteers.  Bring your questions.  Each speaker will be offering Q & A.

10. Tied up on March 30?  No problem. You will have on-demand access to the conference after it is over.  Watch it anytime you'd like.

So there you have it. 10 reasons why you should attend this webinar. You can register now at this link. 

Come join us. There will be children's ministry leaders from across the U.S and from around the world.

See you there.   

Is it a struggle to be able to attend a children's ministry conference?  

Do you basically have to beg for the opportunity? 

Does your church leadership not see the value that will come from you attending a conference? 

Here's a simple step you can take that will open the door for you to attend conferences. 

Take copious notes while you are at the conference and then type out a report that highlights the key findings you took away.

When you get back home, give your pastor or the person you report to, a copy of the notes.  If you want to take it to another level, set up a meeting with your leadership to present the key things you learned while at the conference. 

This one little step will be a huge factor when your leadership is deciding if you can attend a conference or not. 

This will convey to your leadership the value of sending you to a conference and the impact it can have on the entire church. 

Do this and you will hear the word "yes" more often when it comes to attending a conference. 

Due to Covid-19, we have seen many conferences either cancel their event or take it online. 

Now that things are kinda' starting to return to "normal," what does the future hold for children's ministry conferences?

Online conferences will continue. They will continue to grow in popularity.  

Many ministries were forced to go online due to the pandemic. And the response has been notable.  Conferences sell digital tickets for those who cannot attend in person. 

There are advantages to hosting an online conference.  

People can attend from around the world.  

It is more cost effective for people to attend.  They are not having to pay for plane tickets, gas money, food, hotel, etc.

Sessions can be recorded and put online for easy access and on demand. 

In-person conferences will continue to rebound.  These will build back momentum in 2022 and will continue to grow stronger in 2023. While online is a great way to host a conference, in my opinion nothing can take the place of an in-person conference.  

Live conferences can provide 3 big things people are anticipating when they sign up for a live conference. 

Connection - you can connect with people who are of kindred spirit and ministry.

Community - you can be spend time with people who will encourage you, challenge you and support you.

Content - you can partner with other people who are passionately seeking to create relevant content that will help ministries move forward. 

Most conferences will offer a hybrid.  They will offer both in-person and online for their conference.  This format meets the needs of both groups and enables many more people to attend.

These online conferences can offer live interaction with the speaker through Q & A, chat, etc.

Your turn. What do you think the future of children's ministry conferences will look like?  Share your thoughts and insight in the comment section below.

But when they got old enough to decide if they would stick with the faith they were brought up in, they walked away.  Over 50% of these kids who grew up said they simply don't believe anymore. 

It's time we stop the flow of kids who are walking away from the church and the faith.   

For the last several years, I have watched, researched, read and studied why kids walk away from church and the faith. It has helped me find the big keys to seeing kids grow up to love and follow Jesus for a lifetime. 

In the upcoming webinar, Fertile Soil, I will be sharing some of these keys.  I will also be joined by two trusted friends who have given their lives to seeing kids grow up to love Jesus.   

Kim Botto, who leads the children and student ministry at the great Crossroads Church, will be sharing why VOLUNTEERS play an important role in seeing kids follow Jesus.  She is a dynamic leader and you don't want to miss her session.

Jim Wideman, who I call the godfather of children's ministry, will be sharing why PARENTS play such an important role in seeing kids love Jesus for a lifetime.  Jim has lived this out and his children are a great example of kids growing up to follow Jesus because of their parents' example.  

I will also be bringing a session about why the CHURCH plays such a vital role in seeing kids grow up to love Jesus.  We'll talk about how the church can shut the back door and ebb the flow of kids who are walking away with no intention of returning.  

You don't want to miss this webinar.  I believe it will be life-changing for many ministries.  When you register for the webinar, you will receive an ebook copy of my upcoming new book - Fertile Soil...See Kids' Faith Grow and Flourish for a Lifetime ($12 value -will be released in Feb).

If you can't attend the live webinar, you can still register and receive an on-demand video of it.

Are you with me?  Do you also feel the burden of helping kids stick with their faith?  Do you want to see kids grow up to be passionate followers of Jesus?  Do you want to know how you can see this happen?

Join us for this live webinar and we'll share some key things you can do to see the kids you minister to grow up to love Jesus. 

You can register at this link - https://www.buildingchildrensministry.com/resources-1/Fertile-Soil-Live-Webinar-p276345433

Let's see things change.  Let's see kids on fire for Jesus.  Let's seem them grow up with a faith that is strong and true.  Join us.