RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Do you have an eye for detail? It's important to pay close attention to the details if you want a ministry that is done with excellence. 

A great example of excellence is Disney. While I don't approve of everything they do or say, there is much we can learn from them when it comes to paying attention to the details.

Walt was famous for his eye for detail, and he made sure that everyone on his team paid the same attention that he did.

He said this...

Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.

Here are some examples of this strategy in motion.

Disney World uses over 15,000 speakers to play ambient music in the park.  All of those "little speakers" add up to an overall experience of excellent background music.

The manhole covers in Disneyland have an emblem of Mickey Mouse on them.

There are underground tunnels that the cast members use to get to their positions. This is so people won't see characters outside of their part of the park.

Florida is humid and there's a lot of dew, so each morning, bright and early, a small army of cast members wipe and dry each and every surface a guest could sit, put their things or their children on. 

The light posts and trash cans change between areas of the park to reflect the unique differences in decor.

The horses on the King Arthur Carousel are all individually hand-carved and painted. They are continually being repainted and all the brass is polished every night.

Look in the windows at Liberty Square and you will see a rifle in one of the windows.  This represents the Minutemen during the revolutionary war.

There are no public bathrooms in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom.  Walt designed it this way because there were no indoor bathrooms during colonial times.

If you ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant, look down at the ground and you will see elephant footprints.

When you walk into Toy Story Land, you will notice huge footprints from Andy.

Listen to the fog horn sound when you go on a Disney Cruise. It plays "When You Wish Upon a Star."

When the Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened in 1967, the fake skeletons available were so unconvincing that the engineers borrowed medical research skeletons – yes, real ones – from UCLA.

The sorcerer in Fantasia is called Yen Sid. Spell it backwards.

In the Aladdin movie, when Genie takes Aladdin's order, he writes from right to left, the way Arabic is written.

Pirates of the Caribbean attraction has special smells pumped into the air. You can pick up the smell of damp wood and gunpowder.  

You can hear music and vocal exercises coming from the window marked, "singing lessons" on Main Street. 

On the Mount Everest ride, the climbing gear in the queue is actual gear salvaged from Mount Everest.

Some of the handrails in Disney World get repainted every night to keep them looking fresh.

What great examples of being committed to the details.  

Do you have an eye for detail?  It is something that can be learned.  Here are a few ways to create a culture that has an eye for detail.

Pay attention to the small things.  

Excellence is the whisper that comes from a thousand small things done well.

Small things add up to being big things.

Live by lists.  

Write it down.  Write it down. Write it down.  Write it down.  Write it down.

Gather people around you that have an eye for detail. 

If you are not a details person, gather people around you who are. They can help you grow in this area of leadership.

Look at things intentionally.

Do this.  At least once a month, get 3-4 people together and walk your ministry space.  Look for things that need to be fixed or cleaned. Write down what you see.  Put it on a to-do-list and take care of it as soon as possible. 

It's easy to get blind to what needs attention.  We get used to seeing the same things week after week and that familiarity leads to missing the details.  The cure for this is being intentional about looking for the small details.  

Remember everything walks the talk.  

We must remember that everything we do is important when it comes to details. Everything we do should walk the talk.  Will you miss something occasionally?  Yes.  Will your ministry space and programs hit 100% all the time.  Probably not. But that is what we should be striving for.

That stain on the carpet that you've been walking over...must walk the talk.

The chipped paint on the wall that you've gotten accustomed to...must walk the talk.

The typos in the lesson plan you send to your volunteers...must walk the talk.

The supplies that didn't get put in the buckets for your teachers...must walk the talk. 

The messy, unorganized storage space...must walk the talk.

The cluttered sound booth...must walk the talk.

The volunteer meeting that you come unprepared for...must walk the talk.

Work on these type things and you will start developing an eye for detail and that eye for detail will help you take your ministry to the next level.

Have you read my best-selling book "If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry?"  You can get your copy today at this link or on Amazon.  It will help you learn even more about doing ministry with excellence.

A while back, I wrote an article entitled "It Doesn't Matter...They're Just Kids."

I talked about the importance of being committed to excellence...especially when it comes to kid's ministry.

I'd like to expand on that thought in today's article.

Let's dive deeper into why we should be committed to excellence when it comes to children and their parents.

Be committed to excellence for children.  Children are often the decisionp-makers when it comes to deciding what the family will do.  Where the family will eat (that's why the family drives past the steak house and goes to McDonalds instead).  What movie the family will watch.  Where the family will go on vacation.  And yes...what church the family will attend.

An excellent children's ministry is a major factor when it comes to growing a church.  Stats show that one of the top reasons why parents choose a church is based on their children's ministry. 

When we are committed to excellence in our children's ministry, it sends a message to parents that their children are worth it. 

In the last 20 years, we have seen many churches invest heavily in the look, feel and decor of their children's ministry.  They have spent major money on creating environments that are welcoming to children.  For many of them, it has helped their church grow and reach more families.  Your facilities and investments send a message to families. 

Walt Disney was known for his commitment to doing the little things well.   He had an eye for detail and he wanted those he worked with to be just as committed to the details. 

Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.  -Walt Disney

• The manhole covers are specially designed with a Mickey Mouse logo in the center.
• The Merry-Go-Round is painted with real gold paint.
• Handrails that get a lot of wear and tear are re-painted every single night.
• If you have never heard the story about the birds in the Tiki show, read it here.

Decades ago, Walt Disney was developing an experimental, audio-animatronic Tiki Bird for his newest attraction...the Enchanted Tiki Room.

As he met with his developers, he watched the birds blink, move and sing.  He was excited, but there was one thing he felt was missing.  The Tiki Birds weren't programmed to look like they were breathing when they weren't talking or singing.

His team had a good answer:  The circuits, valves and pumps made it difficult to add an element that hardly anyone would notice.  If the bird was breathing, and 99% of the audience would likely never notice, would it make a difference?  One of the Imagineers said to Walt, "People are not going to get this. This is too much perfection."

Walt listened to the team and then shared a lesson that is one of the secrets of The Walt Disney Company's success.  "People can feel perfection."  Quality is the imperceptible things that guests might not even know they see.  But "devotion to detail lets guests know that they're worth the effort." 

Going the extra mile to make sure the birds looked like they were breathing may seem like a small thing.  But it is really a big thing. 

Excellence is the whisper that comes from the small things done well. 

Let me ask you a question.  Do you pay attention to the little details in your ministry?  Do you seek to do the "small" things well?  

Here are some examples of doing the "small" things well so that you are known for a ministry that strives for excellence. 

Is your sound booth clear from clutter?  Old service papers laying around?  Empty coke cans laying in the corner?  Dusty?  

Are there chips of paint missing in your areas?  Those small chips that are missing add up to a big perception of your commitment to excellence.

Do you follow through and take care of the small requests that your volunteers ask of you?  It may seem like a small thing to you, but it's a big thing to them. 

Do your letters, Facebook posts, graphics, lesson papers, take home papers, etc. have a small typo here and there?  People notice those small typos and it sends a big message to parents and volunteers that you are not committed to the details.  I know it can be hard for one proofreader to catch every typo.  Set yourself up for success in this area by having at least 2 people proofread everything that you are sending out.  Everyone has occasional typos, but when people see a typo, they should think it is a rare occurrence.

Do you respond to emails, texts and phone calls from your volunteers in a prompt manner?  It's those small, returned phone calls or messages that whispers to your volunteers that you think their questions and input is a big deal for the success of the ministry.

Are you prepared when you show up to teach the kids on Sunday morning?  The big impact lessons come from the time you spend preparing behind the scenes.

Placing a small sticker on a baby's diaper that says "I was changed" communicates a big commitment to caring for the babies in your care. 

Coming prepared for the small volunteer huddle you have before service sends a big message to your volunteers.

"I'm not a details person." 

Don't hide behind an excuse like that.  Here's what you can do.  During your programming, always keep an index card (I know - old school) with you at all times.  When are notice a "small" thing that needs to be done, write it down immediately on your index card.  When a volunteer asks for something, write it down immediately. If you see something that needs to be fixed or updated, write it down immediately.  

Then on Monday, transfer those "small" items to your "to-do" list and take care of it.  

As you do the "little" things well, you will become known as a ministry that does things with excellence and you will make a "big" impact.

Remember...

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities."  Luke 16:10