RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Summer is winding down and fall is fast approaching.  Do you want to make it your best ministry season ever?  Here's how to build a powerful children's ministry over the next few months.

Powerful - Prayer
There is power in prayer. You see, nothing of eternal significance happens without prayer.  Increase your prayer time individually and corporately and watch God move.

Now this is not always easy to do.  Our first instinct is to plan more...try to work things up in our own strength...copy what's working somewhere else.  But what we need to do first is get on our faces before God and call out to Him for wisdom and a fresh anointing.

God can accomplish more in 1 second than we can accomplish in 3 months of our own strength. 

pOwerful - Outward focus
Over time, if you are not intentional, the focus of the ministry can shift completely inward.  This is when the holy huddle forms.  The needs of those inside the ministry take precedent over the lostness of those outside the ministry.

You can't spell the Gospel without "go."  2/3 of God's name is Go.  Get outside the walls of your church and out into the community.  Love.  Serve.  Invest.  Care.  Share.

What is on the heart of Jesus?  The children and families in your community who don't know Him.  It's why He came...to seek and to save those who are lost.  When you make His mission your primary mission, He will pour His power out on your ministry.

poWerful - Word of God
The word of God is powerful...sharper than a two-edged sword.  The power is not in fun games...not in cool environments...not in flashy videos...not in edgy music.  I am not against those things..I use them...but they cannot be the center of our ministry.

Our ministry must be centered on teaching kids God's Word and our curriculum must be grounded in it.  Kids must walk out the door with the truth of God's Word embedded in their heart or we have failed them.

powErful - Excellence
Depending first and foremost on prayer and the Word of God isn't an excuse to be lackadaisical.  God expects us to give our best.  He tells us that whatever we do should be done with all our might.  Excellence is found in the details.  When you pay fantastic attention to the details, they will add up to powerful results.   

powerRful - Raise up volunteers
A powerful ministry is powered by a dynamic volunteer team.  How many new volunteers do you need to add to take your ministry to the next level?  Set a goal for the next four months and start inviting people.  New volunteers will bring energy and excitement to your ministry.

powerFul - Focus
The more focused your ministry is the more powerful your ministry will be.  You can do a lot of things nominally or do a few things powerfully.  Focus your volunteers.  Focus your time.  Focus your budget.  Focus your vision. 

powerfUl - Understand the culture
You won't reach the kids and families of 2015 with a ministry that is operating like it's still 1985.  Learn today's kids.  Learn how young millennial parents think.

I often use the illustration of a McDonald's kid's meal.  The food has remained pretty much the same over the years...hamburger, fries and drink.  But the box that contains the food is changed to stay relevant to the culture.  If Superman is popular, then the box will reflect that.  If Minions are popular, then the box will reflect that.  Can you imagine if the box today had Captain Kangaroo on it (I just dated myself).  Kids would be saying, "What is that?  I can't relate to that."

Our ministry must be like this.  The food...God's Word...never changes, but the container we place it in must change to speak the language of the current culture.  We must be anchored to the truth but geared for the times.

powerfuL - Leadership
Powerful leadership brings powerful ministry.  A ministry will never rise above it's leadership.  If you want a 7 ministry, then you've got to be a 7 leader.  If you want a 10 ministry, then you've got to be a 10 leader.  What areas of your leadership do you want to improve?  Improve you and you will improve the ministry. 

May we ponder these things.  May we practice these things.  May we put these things into action.  If we will, I believe God will pour out His blessings on our ministries in the next few months.

What if there was one question you could ask that would make a huge impact in a child's life?

There is.

Recently, I came across the story Kyle Schwartz.  Kyle is a 3rd grade teacher in Denver, Colorado who cracked the code and unlocked the secret stories of her students' lives.

Schwartz asked her students  one simple question.  Here it is.
Think about what could happen if you asked the kids in your ministry this question.  It would open the door of their hearts and help you know how to better minister to them and their families.  I'm going to start asking this question.  How about you?

You think you know everything about parenting until you have kids and then you realize you don't know nearly as much as you thought you did.

Parenting is one of life's most rewarding...but challenging roles.  And if you're in children's ministry, you're not only pouring into your own kids, but into other people's kids as well.

And even more importantly, you should be pouring into the parents of the kids in your ministry.  Parents hold the most critical components of kids growing up to love Jesus.

Sounds like a lot of responsibility on our part, doesn't it?  How do we help kids grow up to love Jesus?  How can we equip parents to lead their kids spiritually?

My two sons are both adults now.  In spite of all the mistakes I've made along the way, they love Jesus and His church.  I don't have all the answers...but who does?  I have, however, seen some commonalities in parents whose kids grow up to love Jesus.

Let me preface this list by saying it does not override a child's free will.  Each person must decide for themselves whether or not they will follow Jesus.  God doesn't have any grandchildren.  I know what you're thinking, "But what about Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it."  You can read more about my thoughts on this verse in this post.

All that being said, we can equip parents to create homes that are fertile soil for kids to grow in their faith.  Here's 10 keys to raising great kids who love Jesus.

Walk the Talk
You've probably heard the saying, "Your kids can't hear what you are saying, because what you are doing is speaking so loudly."  Isn't that true?  Parents who raise kids that love Jesus don't live a double life.  This doesn't mean they are perfect, but it does mean they follow Jesus every day of the week.  They practice what they preach.  They lead by example.  

Affirm the Gift
They see the gifts that God has placed in their child and they affirm those gifts.  The words "I believe in you" echo in their child's ears.  The move beyond calling their child "out" to calling their child "up" to be all that God intended them to be.  Kids who don't receive affirmation often go looking for it in all the wrong places.

Read the Word
Kids who grow up to love Jesus have parents whose Bibles are worn out...and it's not from sitting in the hot sun on the car dashboard all week...waiting to be grabbed next Sunday upon arriving at church.  It's from being read each day...in front of the kids and with the kids.

Eat the Meal
Research shows that children who have dinner with their parents are less likely to drink, smoke, do drugs, get pregnant, become depressed or develop eating disorders.  They also do better socially and academically...and I believe spiritually.  Why?  Because a family meal is much more than eating.  It's a time to pray, communicate, connect, mentor and disciple.

Serve the People
When a child sees his or her parents serving others, it makes a huge impact spiritually in the child's life.  Serving is a key component of discipleship and kids who grow up to love Jesus have families that serve.  Kids' faith becomes animated as they watch their parents serve and begin serving themselves.  One of the best things parents can do for their kids spiritually is to get them serving others.

Love the Spouse
The best parenting tool is a happy marriage.  Solid marriages create solid kids.  Parents who love each other have kids who love Jesus.

Pray the Prayers
Prayer is a vital part of kids growing up to love Jesus.  Kids who grow up to love Jesus have parents who pray with them.  Kids who grow up to love Jesus have parents who pray for them.  Here's an example of a prayer calendar we created for parents.

Set the Boundaries
Children who stray the most are kids whose parents didn't set reasonable rules and boundaries.  Parents who are consistent in enforcing set rules and boundaries actually end up becoming very close to their children.  Of course, this doesn't mean over-doing rules or having rules without relationship. 

Monitor the Friends
Peers are a huge part of whether or not kids grow up to love Jesus.  You become like the people you spend the most time with.  Parents whose kids grow up to love Jesus know who their kids are friends with and make sure they have good influences around them.

Cultivate the Gratitude
A sense of entitlement is the opposite of the heart of Jesus.  Parents whose kids grow up to follow Him help their kids cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  Thanksgiving is not just a day of the year to eat turkey and watch football in their home...it's a way of life.

The floor is yours.  What are some other keys to raising great kids who love Jesus?  Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

There's a brand new elementary curriculum coming out this summer!  It's called Go!  Go! is designed to be an interactive learning experience that can transform kids' minds, hearts and hands.  Each section of the lesson helps kids love and know God more (mind & heart) as well as discover how to live out their faith (hands).

I've taken an inside look at the curriculum and here are just a few of the things I like about it.

• Scope & Sequence - 3 years. Each year it covers the Bible chronologically with different Bible stories and different emphasis.

• Customizable - Every church adjusts curriculum to fit the needs and schedule of their ministry.  Go! allows you to do this with ease.

• Manageable supply list -  Ever gotten a curriculum that required you to purchase 4 shopping carts of materials at Walmart?  And that was for 1 lesson!!!  Not with Go!  It is designed with supplies that are simple, affordable and easy to access.

• Great lesson flow - The lesson flow is strategically planned to get kids connected and engaged from the first minute on. 

• Media - Kids are visual learners.  Each lesson contains videos, graphics and music to engage the visual generation.

• Takes kids deep - Looking to take kids deeper than just the facts and into an encounter with God?  At the end of each lesson, kids are encouraged to respond to the lesson by response stations such as prayer, drawing, reading, writing in a journal and more. 

• Small groups - Relationships is what keeps kids coming back.  Go! curriculum has small group activities and discussions that not only help kids learn God's Word but also lets them be part of a small community that knows them. 

• Home piece - One of the big wins from the response stations listed above is they tie into the kids' take home pieces.   The take home pieces have space built in for kids to be able to visually show their parents what they learned.  This is a great way to start home conversations about the lesson.

•  Kid-friendly - The lessons are designed and packaged with kids in mind.  Here are some of the series' titles - Slime Time, Space Ninja's vs. Pirate Squirrels, Professor Sid's Science Spectacular and more.  What kid isn't going to love these series!!!

• Volunteer friendly - The lessons and materials are easy to use for today's busy volunteers.  They'll love you for using Go! 

So...the great news...our friends at Go! Curriculum are giving away a free one year subscription to one of our readers!  Yes...you heard it correctly.  A year's worth of curriculum!!!   This is a value of $1,199.00.  You can enter by emailing me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.  We'll announce the winner right here next Monday, March 2.

Below is a great video that gives you a visual picture of the curriculum.  You can also get more information about Go! Curriculum at this link. 

American Atheists have launched a campaign to persuade families to not attend church this Christmas season.

They have placed billboard ads across the 'Bible Belt" that show a little girl saying, "Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to skip church!  I'm too old for fairy tales."

The spokesman for the group says, "Today's adults have no obligation to pretend to believe the lies their parents believed.  It's okay to admit that your parents were wrong about God, and it's definitely okay to tell your children the truth."

The Bible says in Psalm 53:1 that being an atheist is not a truth problem...it's a HEART problem.  The atheist doesn't want to surrender to the truth of God, but instead wants to find his or her "truth" somewhere else.

Stats show that the next generation is being influenced by this mindset.  22% of young adults who previously classified themselves as evangelical now say they have no "religion." 

The answer?  We must be intentional about connecting with and reaching the next generation.  As a children's ministry leader, you are on the front lines of helping people know the truth that is not based on man's ever-changing opinions, but on the eternal Word of God.

Let's shift up to the next gear.  So much is at stake.

Do you want to reach entire families?

I believe the best way is to reach kids.  When you reach kids...you reach parents.

When you take a child by the hand...you take a parent by the heart.  I have seen it happen countless times.

Here's one of those stories I want to share with you.  Our church reached Sanjeev and his family because of his kids.

Watch and be encouraged.  And remember...when you reach a child you change a life.  When you reach a parent you change an entire family.

In this previous post, I shared a unique strategy we developed to help kids get a heart for world missions.

We developed a gift shop called "Five Loaves and Two Fish."  Kids earn store money by bringing their Bible, saying their memory verse, attendance, etc.  They can then use the money to buy prizes out of the gift shop.

The unique twist...all of the prizes are for other people locally and around the world.  We then make their purchases a reality through our missions department.

The kids response to this has been overwhelming.  It is great seeing them develop a heart for giving instead of getting.

We recently remodeled the gift shop to make it more interactive.  Below are some pictures.  If you'd like more information about setting this up at your church, feel free to contact me.

"Jesus had 12 disciples."

"It rained 40 days and nights during the flood."

"There are 66 books in the Bible."

"David killed Goliath."

"Saul's name was changed to Paul."

"Jonah was swallowed by a big fish."

These are all important facts...but these facts alone won't instill in children a passion to know Jesus and follow Him.

If we are going to see children love Jesus with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind...we must teach beyond the facts.

How do you teach beyond the facts?

Teach beyond the facts to reveal who God is.  His nature.  His character.  His heart.

Teach beyond the facts to reveal the big picture.  The facts are all part of the big story of a God who loves them and wants to have a relationship with them. 

Teach beyond the facts to show kids how to live out the truth of God's Word.  Information without life application leads to head knowledge without heart transformation.

Teach beyond the facts to show kids how to serve others.  The end goal of the facts is not for kids to become a Biblical encyclopedia sitting in an ivory tower of knowledge.  It's for equipping them to share salvation and hope in the streets of everyday life.

Check your curriculum.
Check the message you have planned for this weekend.
Check the Bible study you are preparing.

Are you teaching beyond the facts?