RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

There's a secret behind the success of the award-winning children's movie "Inside Out."  Business Insider recently took an inside look and shared what it was.

The secret - the leadership style of the director, Peter Docter.  Instead of trying to generate the ideas for the movie, Peter listened to other people's ideas.

During the movie's production, Peter walked around the Pixar campus and engaged key people in conversation about the movie.  He also gathered observations from his family. 

Peter modeled a characteristic of a great leader...being an idea GATHERER rather than just being an idea GENERATOR.  You see..great leaders gather the best ideas from the people around them when making decisions.  

Dache Keltner, who is a professor at University of California, says that listening is a key way to practice empathy - and empathy is the surprising route to power and influence.  Research shows that teams that are led by empathetic leaders are more productive and innovative.  Bottom line...power comes from empowering others. 

Which would your team say best describes you as a leader?  Idea Generator or Idea Gatherer?  If you want to be an Idea Gatherer, here's some important steps to take.

1. Don't try to come up with ideas by yourself.  Gather people around you and brainstorm together.  You'll soon find that the smartest person in the room is the room.

2. Forget about the spotlight.  If you're concerned about getting credit, you'll never be an idea gatherer.  Instead of shining, help other people shine.

3. Detach yourself from owning ideas.  See ideas as simply ideas...not owned by or attached to you.  This will give you the freedom to be a gatherer.

4. Listen a lot more than you talk.  You can't gather ideas while you're sharing ideas and not listening.  Learn to ask good questions and then simply listen...a lot.

5. Never make decisions alone.  Idea gatherers never fly solo.  They involve others in the process. 

The more wisdom you gather from other people, the more productive, creative and successful you and your team will be. 

Imagine a children's environment that draws kids to your ministry.

No matter your budget size, there is one thing you can do that will get kids excited about coming to your church.

Use paint and decorating colors that kids love.

Here's 5 kid-friendly colors and why you should use them.

RED

Red is associated with being youthful and bold.  It stimulates the brain and causes impulsive reaction.  Because of this, you will see a lot of fast food chains using the color.  This is also why so many clearance signs are marked red.

According to a study, images that contained predominately red tones received twice as many repins on social site Pinterest.  If you want to grab kids' attention and get them active and involved...mix in some red.

BLUE

The color blue is considered to be a color of trustworthiness, stability and professionalism. 

If you want to earn the trust and respect of parents, blue will help you.

A recent study says that blue images receive 24% more likes than photos with more stimulating colors like red or orange. In fact, the bluer it is, the better.

GREEN

Not only is slime green...but green is associated with taking care of the environment.  And that's a big deal with today's parents and their kids.

Using green conveys not only fun, but that you care about a cause that's important to kids and their parents.

YELLOW

If you want kids and parents to be in a happy mood at your church...use yellow.  Yellow is not only associated with cheerfulness, it also grabs kids' and parent's attention.

BLACK

Black is the epitome of sleek and is associated with power.  It can also make all the other colors above pop when used to outline or contrast them.

Your turn.
What other colors do you like to use in children's ministry?  Why?  
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Good leaders are powerful.  Great leaders are empowering.

Want to find out how you're doing as a leader?  This one question will give you the answer.

Ask your team...Which is more true...our leader is powerful or our team is powerful?

Here's some signs you are more powerful than you are empowering.

• You do most of the talking at meetings while everyone else is quiet.

• Your team is afraid to disagree with you.

• You always make decisions by yourself.

• Your idea always has to win.

• You don't ask for feedback.

• People can't make any decisions without "running it by you" first.

• You like being in the spotlight more than you do putting your team in the spotlight.

• You never hire anyone smarter or more skilled than you.

• "I" is used a lot more than "we."

• You constantly worry about "losing control."

• You feel threatened when someone else on your team shines. 

• You are quick to take the credit and slow to take the blame.

• You become jealous when someone else is honored on your team.

Powerful leaders are stars.  Empowering leaders create stars.

Michael Jordan said it well..."Great players win games.  Great teams win championships."

So which is it?  Powerful you or powerful team?

Goliath was a champion by man's standards.  He was the pinnacle of strength, power, and experience.  But David won because he was more than a champion.  In this short video, discover how you can be more than a champion.