RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: Bible church

Showing posts with label Bible church. Show all posts

Are You Asking the Right People the Right Questions?

6:25 AM Unknown

Last week I led a Parent Focus Group at our church. I do this twice a year. I bring in a group of 8-10 parents and ask them questions about their perception, thoughts, ideas, etc. regarding the Children's Ministry. As usual, I got some eye-opening information, great insight, and valuable feedback. It reminded me of how vital it is to ask questions if you want to grow personally and as a ministry.

What keeps us from asking questions?

Pride. We don't want to admit that we have weak areas. Personally and in the ministry we lead.

Pretending. It's easier to stick our heads in the sand and pretend everything is perfect. It's not easy hearing "there's a lot that needs to improve." It forces us out of our comfort zone.

Pace. We're so busy that we don't take time to slow down and find out how we can improve. It's like trying to jump off a moving train. It's easier to just keep hanging on and riding along.

But asking questions is one of the big keys for personal and ministry growth.

It helps you identify and overcome personal blind spots. Ask some people you trust and who will be honest with you, what your blind spots are. They call them "blind spots" for a reason. You'll never grow past what you can't see...and you'll never see them until you ask.

It helps you get other people's perception of the ministry. Just because you think everything is excellent, doesn't mean it is. Find out what others are experiencing and thinking.

It gives you great ideas you could never think of by yourself. At our last parent focus group, a mother shared an idea that we have implemented. It has made a huge difference in an area of our Children's Ministry. We would have never thought of it without her input.

It helps you slow down and work "on" the ministry. It's not always easy to work "on" the ministry while you are working "in" in the ministry. Asking questions forces you to do this.

If you'd like a list of the questions I ask the parents at our parent focus groups, feel feel to contact me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com and I'll be glad to send them to you.

What other benefits do you get from asking questions? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.

Posted by Dale Hudson

5 Questions Guest Families Are Asking Themselves When They Walk In Your Church Doors

6:03 AM Unknown

New families are asking themselves these questions when they walk in your church doors for the first time. Answer them correctly and there's a great chance they will return.

Some of the questions will be answered verbally. Other questions will be answered non-verbally through actions, attitude, demeanor, and carefully thought out preparation.
Question #1 - WHERE DO I GO?
Remember what it's like to walk into a new place? You don't know where to go, where to drop off your kids, where to find a restroom, etc.

Preparation:

Have clearly marked guest parking...and make it the best parking on the lot. Have parking lot attendants guide guests into this area. You can do this by having an entrance sign that says "Guests, turn on your hazard lights for reserved parking."
Have clearly marked outside signage.
Have greeters at each door.
Have hosts that help them get checked in and personally walk them to the right areas.

Question #2 - WILL THEY BE FRIENDLY?
It's also easy to forget what it's like to walk into a new place and not know anyone. Guests can walk in, see everyone talking in groups, and feel very intimated and out-of-place.

Preparation:

Have the right people greeting. Make sure your greeters have a great personality, love people, and have the ability to make new people feel comfortable.
Make sure the friendliness factor is part of your church's DNA. The friendliness factor must go way beyond the front door. It should extend through their whole experience.
Have a time of welcome and greeting at the beginning of the service. Do not have guests stand or point them out. They are feeling awkward enough already. Simply have people near them greet them and welcome them.
Show genuine interest in them. Move beyond the "welcome" and take time to talk with guests. Engage them in conversation and find out about their family. Have the attitude "there you are" instead of " here I am."
Have a guest reception after the service and invite guests to come meet the Pastor, have refreshments, etc.
Be just as friendly when are leaving as when they were coming in. Have greeters at the doors thanking people for coming as they leave. The smiling face they see when they are leaving will be what they remember the most.

Question #3 - WILL MY KIDS LIKE IT?
This is one of the biggest questions you have to answer for families. It's one of the main reasons people will choose a church. Mark it down...if the kids aren't happy...mom and dad won't be happy.

Preparation:

Make Children's Ministry a top priority at your church. This includes space, budget, volunteers, scheduling, resources, and staffing.
Make church fun for kids. Fun simply means engaging...age appropriate...and relevant. Listen and you will hear guest parent's ask their children, "Did you have fun today?" Work hard to make sure their answer is a resounding "yes."

Question #4 - WILL MY KIDS BE SAFE?
With the volatile culture in which we live, parents will be wondering if their children will be safe in your care.

Preparation:

Have clear safety and security procedures in place...and follow them. This includes background checks on all volunteers, no volunteers alone with a child, pick-up tags, etc.
When parents check in, share with them the basic safety and security measures you have in place to keep their child safe.
Provide parents with a pager when they drop off their child. Assure them you will page them if their child needs them.

Question #5 - WILL THERE BE ANYONE I CAN RELATE TO?
They are wondering if there will be anyone they can connect with? Anyone in the same season of life? Anyone who will understand them? Anyone who will accept them where they are?

Preparation:

Have people from all generations as greeters. If a young couple walks in and only sees senior citizens greeting, they are going to get the impression that the church is not for people their age...and visa versa.
Your congregation should reflect the social economic and ethnic diversity of your community. Someone from any nationality should feel at home. A millionaire and a hundredaire should feel equally valued and loved.
Create a "hospital" culture instead of a "museum" culture. Message that people don't have to "have their act completely together" to be a part of the church. Allow people to "belong" before they "believe" and start "behaving."

What other questions do you think new families are asking themselves as they are walking in your church doors? How can you prepare to answer those questions ahead of time? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Vintage Children's Ministry Songs...Do You Remember Any of These?

5:56 AM Unknown

I heard a vintage Children's Ministry song the other day. It brought back memories of songs I sang as a child growing up in church. Thought it would be fun to make a list of some of them. If you grew up in church, do you remember any of these? What are some other songs you sang as a child in church?

Deep and Wide
Yes, Jesus loves me
Jesus loves the little children
Father Abraham (now that was an aerobic workout)
If you're saved and you know it...
Stop and let me tell you (even came with a fake stop sign on a stick)
His banner over me is love
No, you can't get to heaven without s-a-l-v-a-t-i-o-n
I'm in the Lord's Army
The B-I-B-L-E
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy...down in my heart
This little light of mine

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Keys to Keeping Volunteers

8:33 AM Unknown

It’s normal to have some occasional volunteer turnover. Life happens…people move, work hours change, family situations shift, or sickness comes. But if you are seeing a large turnover rate each year, it will be difficult to build and maintain a solid team that is effective for the long haul. Here are some keys to better volunteer retention.

Place volunteers in their sweet spot. Don’t place them where you “need” them. Place them where their gifting and passion is. When volunteers are serving in their sweet spot, they will go home energized. When they are not, they will go home drained.

Create a “we are family” culture where friendships are fostered. Relationships are an anchor for volunteers.

Make sure they are attending “big” church. Attending the adult service should be a requirement for serving. Corporate worship and teaching fills their spiritual tank so they can serve from the overflow.

Stay away from, “Can you stay over and help for an extra service today?” When you ask a volunteer to do this at the last minute, they may say “yes,” but it will take a toil on them.

Don’t let them overload on serving. I’ve seen it. A zealous volunteer commits to serving in too many areas or ministries. Before long the “S” falls off their shirt and they burnout. Encourage volunteers to focus on one area of service.

Give them time off. Volunteers should have opportunities to take a break. Perhaps it’s on holiday weekends or during the summer. Our Small Group Leaders serve every week during the school year. We purposely don’t have Small Groups during the summer so they can have the opportunity to take some time off.

Show you care more about them than about what they do. When volunteers feel loved, valued, and cared for, their hearts will be endeared to yours. Recently I called one of our volunteers whose mother was in the hospital. His first response was to apologize for not being able to serve that weekend. I was immediately convicted. I wish his first thought had been, “Dale is calling to check on my mother and pray with me.” I want our volunteers to know that first and foremost we care about them as a person.

Honor them by honoring ratios. When you shove a volunteer in a room with 35 three-year-olds, you are not setting them up for success. Keeping your child-to-adult ratios in check is one of the best things you can do to retain volunteers.

Say thank you on a regular basis. Everyone wants to know they are appreciated. Everyone wants to know they are making a difference. Personally thank volunteers as they are serving. Thank them with notes, emails, texts, Facebook, etc.

When a volunteer leaves, find out why. Ask them to do an exit interview. Listen humbly and with an open heart. Learn from any mistakes that were made.

You may not be able to completely close the back door, but you can make it smaller by intentionally taking these steps. A great volunteer team is made up of rookies…and veterans.

Have We Made Children's Ministry Too Feminine?

7:01 AM Unknown

It's a glaring reality that there are a lot more women in Children's Ministry than men. Why?

Is it because we have made Children's Ministry too feminine? We give away "tote bags" to new volunteers...use feminine colors...create training activities geared toward women...ask men to stand in a circle and hold hands...and then wonder why they don't want to be a part of Children's Ministry.

It's time we "man up" Children's Ministry.

Intentionally go after men to volunteer. Go where men are... Men's Ministry...men's Bible classes and groups...Fathers.

Show men the impact they can have serving in Children's Ministry. They don't want to "babysit." They want to be a part of something they see as significant. Show them the difference they can make in the lives of boys who desperately need a strong male role model.

Place men in some of your key volunteer leadership roles. Get men involved in your decision making processes, ask for their insight from a male perspective, have them lead other men, etc.

Remember men attract men. Ask the men that are serving to help enlist other men to serve.

Hire men on your Children's Ministry staff. If you have multiple staff members on your Children's Ministry team, make sure some of them are men.

Provide men with strong leadership. Men are attracted to strong leaders.

Don't force men into training activities or situations where they don't feel comfortable. Keep them in mind when you are putting together training activities, prayer times, etc. Is the activity something a man will look at as "too feminine?"

Make sure your colors aren't too feminine. If you give your volunteers a shirt to wear when they are serving, make sure it's a color the average guy will be comfortable in. When you are decorating for a training event, you might consider not putting out the lacy table cloth and pretty flowers.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe we've made Children's Ministry too feminine? What can we do to change this perception? What can we do to get more men involved? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Inside Look at the San Diego Church Tour (Pt.2)

8:57 AM Unknown

I am in San Diego at the Children's Pastor's Conference this week. Yesterday I hosted the pre-conference church tour. We visited three churches in the San Diego area. One of the best ways to get fresh ideas for your Children's Ministry is to visit other churches. Yesterday I shared pictures from Friends Church. Now let's take a look at the other two churches we visited.

The next church we visited was Rock Harbor. Rock Harbor is a church of communities living out the Gospel together. They have 6,000 people attending across six campuses. Their Family Ministries has taken a "Family Empowered" approach to ministry. Everything has been geared toward inspiring, equipping, and supporting parents in their role as the primary nurturers of their child's faith.

Our final stop was College Avenue Baptist Church. They have been able to transform their classrooms on a very limited budget to creative, Bible-teaching, colorful, and child-friendly environments that support their vision and teaching format.