RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Even though Walt Disney World in Florida will welcome over 52 million guests this year, it doesn't mean everyone likes going there.

The same thing could be said about churches.  While millions of people attend church, there are just as many, if not more, who do not. 

And believe it or not, there are some similar reasons why people don't attend either place.

Here are 5 reasons why some people don't go to Disney World or church.

It's too crowded.   Disney World gets very, very crowded.  So crowded that it's hard to navigate around the park at times.  Not to mention needing Fast Passes just to be able to get on your favorite ride.  I was there recently and without a fast pass, the wait was 4 hours to get on one of the Avatar rides.

People hate to wait in line.  If your check-in line is slow, people may not come back.  If your auditorium or kid's areas are 85% full, then you will plateau and stop growing.  If parents have to wait in line for more than a minute or so after service, they may not be back.

If parents see rooms that are so full of kids that it has turned into crowd control, they may not come back.

If parents walk into a nursery that is short staffed and overcrowded, they probably won't bring their baby back.

Take a look at your ministry.  Are there any areas that are too crowded?  This can be due to lots of kids or having to combine several ages into one room due to lack of volunteers.     

It's too hot.  Except for November to February, Disney World is very hot and humid.  Some people do not like to be uncomfortable and so the heat and humidity keeps them away.

Churches can also do things that make people uncomfortable.  Not enough parking.  Having to walk a long ways through the rain to get inside.  Messy bathrooms.  Having to turn around and shake hands with people during worship.  The list goes on. 
 
It's too expensive.  Yes. It is expensive to go to Disney World.  At the time of this writing a one day pass can be as much as $129.  Add the expensive food on top of that and you've got a hefty bill.  Some people think they simply can't afford to go because of this.

Money issues can also keep people away from church.

"I need to give 10% of my income to the church?  Are you kidding me?  I can barely pay my bills as it is.  I can't afford to do that."

"All the church cares about is money."

Asking for people to give can turn some people off.

They had a bad experience with someone who worked there.   The majority of Disney employees are well trained and offer excellent customer service.  But occasionally an employee is having a bad day or gets stressed out and is short and rude to a guest.

People remember this and some decide to not return because one person was rude to them.  No one owns the guests, but everyone does own the moment they are with the guests.  Above the rides, food and entertainment, people will remember mostly how you made them feel.

This applies to churches as well. You can have the greatest facilities, coolest worship leader, dynamic pastor and free coffee to boot.  But if your volunteers are rude to a guest, the person will probably not be back. 

Too busy doing other things.  Some people are so busy doing other things that they can't find the time to go.  It may be their kid's sports that dominates their time.  It may be another vacation place like Universal Studios, a water park, the beach or the mountains.

Disney World knows they have competition for people's time.  So they are constantly updating their rides and attractions and adding new ones.  Why?  So they can get people to come back to the park.   They know they have to stay relevant and fresh for this to happen.

Churches face the same dilemma.  Families are extremely busy with school, sports, clubs and other things that vie for their time.  Attending church can get pushed down on the list and become just another option on Sunday...if nothing else is going on.

So there you have it.  5 reasons why some people do not go to Disney World or your church.  I would encourage you to sit down with these 5 things and strategize how you can take away these reasons so that families will attend your church more often.

p.s. If you haven't read the best selling book "If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry," now is the time get it.  It is available at this link.

Do you want to leave a legacy for the effort you are putting into children's ministry?

Do you want to see the kids you are ministering to grow up to love Jesus because of the investment you made in their life?

I believe we all want to move beyond just "serving our time in children's ministry."  I believe you are reading this because you want to know your investment is making an eternal difference.

Plain and simple...you want to leave a legacy.

There is a lady in the Bible who left a legacy that is still being talked about to this day.  Let's take a look at what she did to leave such a long-lasting legacy.

"Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.  While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over His head.  The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste!" they said.  "It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor."

But Jesus, aware of this, replied, "Why criticize this woman for doing such a thing to me?  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me."  She has poured this perfume me to prepare my body for burial.  I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."
Matthew 26

This lady left a legacy that is still remembered and talked about today.  There are 3 keys things she did to leave a legacy.  Let's look at them.

#1 - Pour Out Your Time.  It took time to earn the perfume.  It was very expensive and the woman must have worked many days or even months to obtain it.

One of the most valuable things you have is your time.  It is precious.  When you invest your time in serving others, you will see the spiritual rewards now and later.

Have you heard of Don Ritchie?  Don lived across the road from a place called "The Gap" (no - not the store) in Australia.  The Gap is a well-known cliff area.  It is infamous for being a place where people go to commit suicide.  Don could see the cliff from his house.  After seeing several people jump to their death, Don decided he would step in and offer hope to the desperate people who came there to commit suicide.

Don kept watch and when he saw someone getting close to the edge of the cliff, he would rush over and talk the person back away from the edge of the cliff.  He would then bring them to his house and sit down for a meal with them.  He would talk with them - offering them hope and encouragement.

At his funeral, hundreds of people showed up and said Don had saved their life.

It took lots of time for Don to watch and save people from suicide.  If you want to leave a legacy, then follow the example of Don and invest your time in helping others.

#2 - Pour Out Your Treasure.  The perfume the lady poured on Jesus was very, very expensive.  It was a huge investment for her.  It probably took months or even years to save enough money to purchase it.

What do you invest your treasure in?  Temporal things?  I believe we must remember that everything we have will one day end up in the junkyard.  That new car you just bought, will one day be rusting in a car salvage yard.  That new 60 inch TV you just got, will soon be replaced with a 80 inch one.  The house you have spent years paying off, will one day be flattened.

But there is something you can pour your treasure into that will last.  When you invest your treasure into reaching and discipling children, the results are eternal.  There is nothing more valuable than the soul of a child.  God says this about it...

"What does it benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul."  Mark 8:36

Take all the riches of the world - houses, money, gold, diamonds, cars, land and bank accounts.  Put all of that on one side of God's scale.  On the other side of God's scale put one child that you minister to...and God says the child is worth more than all of those possessions and riches.

#3 - Pour Out Your Talent.  You have talents that the Lord has given you just as He had given the lady talents.  God gave us talents so we could use them to help reach the next generation.  Invest in what will outlive you.  When you invest in the next generation,  you are sending a message to a day you will never see.  Long after we are gone, the children you invested in will still be sharing the Gospel with others.

Matthew 10:42 says, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will not lose their reward."

As you pour out your talent, you will see God begin to use your life to His glory.  Ministry doors will open for you.

You are dropping pebbles into water.  And as you do this, ripples will begin to spread across the lives of children.

In Matthew 1, we see the story of the farmer planting seeds.  Some seeds don't grow and last, but many do.  And the seeds that make it, blossom into a harvest of 30, 60 and even 100 times as much as you planted.

Remember, a legacy is not what you leave for the next generation, rather it's what you leave in the lives of the next generation.  

Pour out your time, treasure and talents, and you will leave a legacy that will last for generations to come.

You often see children who accept Jesus as their Savior at a young age, make another salvation decision when they are teenagers.

What causes children to do this?  Were they not saved the first time they prayed to enter a relationship with Jesus?

Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Kids get saved just like adults do.  There is no "Jr. Holy Spirit."  Kids enter a relationship with Jesus just like everyone else does.

The key is making sure they understand the decision they are making.

I often tell parents and children's ministry leaders, that our job is not to be behind children, pushing them to make a decision.  Nor is it to be in front of them, holding them back from making a decision, when God is clearly dealing with them.

What we are called to do is this - walk alongside them.  As we walk alongside them and share the Gospel with them, the Holy Spirit will draw them. 

2. Make sure you are clearly sharing the Gospel with all ages.  It is crucial that we clearly present the Gospel to children.  I wrote "Starting Point" for this very reason.  It gives children a clear picture of what it means to follow Jesus.  You can see it and obtain it at this link.  It is designed for children in grades one to five.

3. When kids get into their teen years, they are questioning a lot of things.  Be okay with that. It's in these years, they often begin owning the faith for themselves. 

4. Take them back to God's Word.  Remind them that feelings come and go.  If they sincerely entered a relationship with Jesus at an early age, God is still with them.  Our relationship with Jesus isn't dependent upon how we feel, but rather on the promises of God. 

5. When they reach their teenage years, often God is dealing with them about surrendering to His Lordship at a new level.  As they are becoming more aware of their thoughts and feelings, the Holy Spirit begins dealing with them about areas of their life they need to surrender to Jesus.  Thus it becomes a matter of surrendering those areas of their life to Jesus.

6.  If a teenager is having a hard time remembering the decision they made as a child, it's okay to pray a salvation prayer with them again, just to be sure.

7.  I personally believe that once you are saved, you are saved forever.  God will never turn His back on you.  If you made a decision to follow Jesus at an early age, He is still with you. But He is constantly dealing with us and conforming us to His image.  Again, this is where the Lordship factor must be emphasized.  It means you are totally committing your life to His will and guidance.

8. How do you know when a child is ready to accept Jesus into their life? What should you look for?

• They keep bringing it up to you.  If a child is consistently asking about salvation, it's a good sign that the Holy Spirit is dealing with them. 

• You sense they know they must make this decision rather than just making a decision because of their friends, parents, pastor, etc. 

What are your thoughts?  What do you do when a teenager, who was baptized as a child, asks you to baptize him or her again? 

I often remind children's ministry leaders that they will see some fruit now.  And then they will also see more fruit way down the road.

John 15:16 says, "You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name."

That's the cool thing about serving in children's ministry.  You get to see that verse become a reality as the years pass by.
  
And Matthew 13:8 reminds us that the fruit will multiply and produce even more fruit.  It says, "Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" 

Recently, I got a Facebook message asking if I was the Dale Hudson who served in Chicago's inner city nearly 30 years ago.  The message was from a lady named Veronica. Nearly 30 years ago, we knocked on her door and ask if she'd like to ride to church with us.  She and her siblings came to church with us and entered a relationship with Jesus.

You can see this being lived out in Veronica's life, as she now serves in children's ministry and impacts the lives of kids and families.  Here's her story in the video below.

This weekend you will minister to kids.  And you never know what God may do...now...and later.

Get ready.  Easter is coming.  For most churches, Easter is one of most attended weekends of the year. 

CEO's show up (Christmas and Easter Only).  Guests walk in the doors.  The families that normally attend 1 to 2 times a month are all there.

It's one of the key weekends when you need to be prepared to share the Gospel in a relevant way.

If you haven't started planning now for Easter, it is time to start preparing. 

That's why we created a stand alone lesson entitled "CSI" (Christ Scene Investigation).  This highly interactive lesson takes kids on a journey, where they explore the evidence and find out for themselves, if Jesus really rose from the dead.

Kids are invited to join the CSI Team to investigate if Jesus rose from the dead. They’ll examine three scenes to look for clues, collect evidence and talk with eyewitnesses. The evidence will lead them to make a decision about whether Jesus’ resurrection is true and if they want to enter a relationship with Him.

This lesson is also a great way to teach kids apologetics for the resurrection. It takes kids on a deeper diver to help them know why we can know Jesus rose from the dead.

Includes a ready-to-print evidence recorder book that kids use during the investigation.

Here are some clips from 3 of the videos that are included.


Delivered Electronically - Instant Download
Includes...

• investigative I.D. badge for each child (ready to print)
• evidence recorder book for each child (ready to print)
• graphics for posters, promoting, etc.
• slide graphics for Power Point, Pro Presenter, Media Shout, Key Note
• interactive lesson videos
• lesson plan that can be used in large group format, small group format, traditional classroom format or mid-week format
• lesson connects with all learning styles
• lesson incorporates hands on, experiential learning
• games that bring together fun and learning

Churches across the country have used this lesson and confirm it is highly effective.  You can get more info. and order it at this link.

And for this week only,  I am discounting the lesson from $29 to $25 dollars. Just enter the code "CSI" at check out.

Believing and praying with you that Easter will be a great time of harvest and encouragement for your ministry.

When you serve in children's ministry, you are training the future leaders of the church. 

Sitting in your small group...rocking in your arms in the nursery...singing in your kid's choir or praise team...
coloring in your preschool room...trying to act "cool" in your pre-teen ministry...are tomorrow's church leaders. 

Think about this with me.  When you invest in children, you are preparing leaders who will make an impact in a time you will never see.  I'm not trying to be morbid here, but we know our time here on earth is short.  We only have a short time to make a difference.  But when we invest in children, we extend our influence into the future.  

And in case you're wondering, you are also making a big impact right now.  Kids can be leaders now if we will give them the opportunity. 

When you invest in children, you are molding the church of now and tomorrow.  What a privilege and honor that is.  God has entrusted you with this very important assignment.  Don't take it likely. 

The 1st grade boy that keeps climbing on top of the table in your classroom, will one day climb up a mountain as a missionary to tell a tribe of people about Jesus. 

The pre-teen girl that talks out during class and disrupts the lesson, will one day be a bold witness for Christ in the workplace.

The little preschooler that drops his penny in the offering bucket, will one day be a successful entrepreneur who will give thousands of dollars to advance the Gospel.

The 8-year-old girl that sings with all her heart, will one day write worship songs that encourages millions of people. 

The kindergarten boy that is playing with the legos before service, will one day build churches around the world. 

A few months ago, I went to the Billy Graham memorial in North Carolina.  I learned something about Billy's ministry that I had not heard before.  And it relates to what we're talking about in this article.

In 1934, a group of men gathered under a grove of trees at the edge of the Graham dairy farm.  It was the dairy farm of William Graham.  William was the father of Billy Graham, who at the time was a 15 year-old teenager.  

The men had gathered to pray for revival in their city, state and beyond.  They prayed that God would raise up someone from the Charlotte area who would take the Gospel to the world.  A few months later, Billy attended a revival service of Dr. Mordecai Ham.  It was a tent meeting. And on November 1, 1934, Billy went forward and entered a relationship with Jesus. 

Billy would grow up to reach millions of people with the Gospel.  He has been called the "Evangelist to the World" and the "Pastor to Presidents."

The group of men who gathered to pray that day, impacted millions of people through the investment they made in a young man named Billy. 

I believe in your children's ministry there is a child who God can use to change the world.  And He is using you to train this child, who will grow up to make a world-wide impact. 

What a privilege to be able to train tomorrow's church leaders.

As the children's ministry leader at your church, it's your responsibility to be the voice for the children's ministry.

But that can be frustrating when you aren't given the opportunity to speak on behalf of the children's ministry.

Whether your voice is not heard at all or is only
occasionally heard, here are some tips to amp up the volume for your children's ministry.

When you bear fruit, it amps up your voice.  You want to be heard?  Reach people for Christ. When church leadership begins to see kids and families are being reached through the ministry you lead, they will make more room for your voice to be heard.

When your voice is positive, it raises the volume.  Do you complain about what your ministry doesn't have?  Do you whine about the challenges you deal with?  If so, stop.  Stay positive.  Be optimistic.  This doesn't mean you shouldn't share what your ministry needs.  What it does mean is making the ask with a positive mindset.  Share how the increased help, finances, etc. can result in growth and more children and families being discipled.

Ask for your voice to be heard.  I think often the reason why a children's ministry isn't given the opportunity to be heard is because they simply don't ask to be heard. 

Make the ask.  Ask to share a children's ministry update during the service.  Have a "children's ministry day" where the entire church focuses on reaching and discipling the next generation.  Ask to share a message about the importance of reaching the next generation.

Ask for a spot in the church bulletin to highlight children's ministry.  Ask for announcements to be made about children's ministry.  Ask for pre-service slides about children's ministry to be on the pre-service slides rotation. 

Have your ducks in a row when you are invited to speak.  When you do get the opportunity to represent children's ministry at the leadership table, be prepared.  Know exactly what you are going to communicate and think through how you will answer questions that may be asked of you.

Speak with passion and you will be heard.  Passion catches people's attention.  Passion shows people there is deep meaning in what you are sharing.  It should cause your listener's heart to bear faster.

I've shared before the story of getting a new children's ministry area.  Here's how it went down.  We were growing by leaps and bounds in the children's ministry I led.  I begin sharing with the pastor and deacons about the great things God was doing in children's ministry.

I asked for a meeting with the Pastor and elders of our church.  When they walked the room, I was nervous to say the least.

But I had a binder prepared for each person that explained why we needed the new ministry space. I showed the current attendance patterns.  I shared with them the growth that would happen if we created the new ministry space.

One of the most influential deacons stood up and said he had to leave the meeting early.  He paused at the door when he was leaving and looked back at us.  My heart was beating 100 miles per hour.  What he said would carry the vote.  He said, "I believe in this vision and I think we should move forward with it."  The rest of the board agreed and the children's ministry project that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars was approved.

Your voice can be heard at your church.  Bear fruit.  Be positive.  Ask for opportunities to share.  Be prepared when you are asked to speak.

This is the time for your voice to be heard.

It's Friday, so let's have a little fun.  It's important to take time to relax, laugh and not take ourselves so seriously.

For your enjoyment, here are "20 Things a Children's Ministry Should Never Say to the Lead Pastor."

What's a background check?

During your sermon today, can you tell people they're going to hell if they don't volunteer in children's ministry?

Can I take off Easter weekend?

Do you mind if we use a video clip from the Mad Max movie in children's ministry this weekend?

Can I borrow your new car for a Costco run?

What do you think about me doing a series on Revelation for the preschoolers?

Can I take all my volunteers to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for an appreciation dinner and charge it to the women's ministry budget?

Can you stop going 5 minutes over on your sermon so the kids don't get restless?

Can next week's offering go to sending me to Hawaii on vacation during VBS?

Can we have a "bring your pet to church" Sunday?

Can we have the worship team start doing motions in the morning service, so the adults can learn how to really worship?

Can we use the baptistry for a pool party for the 5th grade boys' class?

What if we start having the ushers use puppets to help collect the offering?  I think it would help people be more "cheerful" givers.  

Can we repaint the outside of the church with green, blue and hot pink colors so everyone will know our church loves kids?

Can you start using video clips from Disney movies as illustrations in your sermons?

Can we have a "bring your pet to church" Sunday?

Can we tell everyone in the choir that the choir is disbanding so all of them can serve in children's ministry?

Can you announce to the church that anyone who refuses to serve in children's ministry will not be able to participate in communion until they repent and join our team?

Do you have what it takes to stay in ministry for the long haul?  We often hear about ministers who have fallen out of the ministry for a variety of reasons. 

Immorality.

Burn out.

Bad decisions.

Money embezzlement.

Family issues.

For whatever reason, they quit.  Some estimates say as high as 1,500 ministers drop out every month.  How about you? 

Will you finish strong?  Will you go the distance?  You can. 

The apostle Paul shared with Timothy three steps that can provide staying power to those in ministry.  The steps are listed in his second letter to Timothy.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."            2 Timothy 4:7

#1 - Staying power is found in fighting a good fight.

Put on the whole armor of God each day and in the power of the Holy Spirit, go to battle against bitterness, anger, lust, envy, greed and other tricks of the enemy. 

Solomon reminds us that our number one job as a leader is to guard our heart against such things. 

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."  Proverbs 4:23

These pitfalls are usually not seen until you are so weak that you can't hide them anymore and they come rolling into public view.  By this time, you are ready to throw in the towel. You have no fight left inside you.

You are in a spiritual battle.  It may appear to simply be a battle against flesh and blood, but it is not.  It is so much deeper than that. 

The good news is God offers us staying power through the Holy Spirit.  The truth is we cannot last in ministry without His help.  It takes getting up each morning and examining our heart.  It takes yielding ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit.  It takes depending upon God to take you all the way to the finish line. 

#2 - Stay faithful.  God has much to say about faithfulness. 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."             2 Timothy 4:7

Staying power doesn't happen in a year or even 5 years.  I believe it is measured in decades.  God hasn't called you to be successful.  He has called you to be faithful. 

Hour upon hour.  Day upon day.  Week upon week.  Decade upon decade.  He has called you to serve faithfully.  And there is a compound effect that happens as you serve faithfully year after year.  You remain.  Wiser.  Stronger.  More passionate.  Closer to God.  More effective for God. 

#3 - Finish your course. 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."            2 Timothy 4:7

Notice that Paul clarifies with Timothy that He has finished the race God had for him.  I often say this...

"The best way to be successful in ministry is to stay in ministry."

It's true.  God has not asked you to finish someone else's race.  He has asked you to finish the race He planned for you.  We are not called to compare our ministry race with someone else's.  We are called to keep our eyes on Jesus as we run the race He has for us.   That's how you finish. That's how you have staying power.

Years ago, there were 3 young men who were just starting out in ministry.  Two of the three were considered better speakers than the other one.  You've probably never heard of the two men who were deemed more talented than the third person.

One was Chuck Templeton.  He was a brilliant, dynamic preacher.  Some said he was the most gifted young preacher in the country.  Bron Clifford, was the other gifted preacher.  Many said he was the most gifted, powerful preacher to come up in the church in centuries.  By the age of 25, he had touched more lives, influenced more leaders and set more attendance records than any other minister in American history.

All three jumped into ministry full force, with Chuck and Bron, being the most effective. But...you've probably never heard of Chuck and Bron.  Why?  In just a few short years, Chuck quit the ministry and afterwards, he soon became an atheist.

What about Bron?  In a few years, he also dropped out of ministry.  Due to his addiction to alcohol, he lost his family, ministry and health.  He died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 35.  

I'm sure you've heard about and know about the third person.  He stayed on track for Christ and faithfully preached the Gospel for decades.  His name?  Billy Graham.  Over the decades, Billy preached the Gospel to over 215 million people in more than 185 countries. 

Staying power.  That's what Billy had.  And you can have that same staying power if you will follow the 3 steps we've talked about today. 

Fight a good fight. 

Stay faithful.  

Finish your course. 

Staying power...it's available for you. 

I often talk about how children's ministry leaders are like a missionary.  A missionary learns the language, cultural preferences, music, foods, etc. of the people he/she is trying to reach.  This helps the missionary create connection points.

We are missionaries to kids.  And if we are going to connect with them, then we need to do the same thing a missionary to another country does.  Learn about what they like.  Learn about what they play.  Learn about what video games they like.  You get the point.  

To help with this, here are the top 50 brands that Gen Z (today's kids) kids like.  I want to encourage you to look thru this list, better yet, look through this list with your team.  Ask yourselves questions like...

Why do kids like this?

What can we learn from this?

What ideas from this can we incorporate into our children's ministry?

What changes should we make to stay relevant for today's kids?

Here are the top 50 brands Gen Z kids like...

1. YouTube
2. Netflix
3. Iphone
4. McDonalds
5. Oreo
6. MM's
7. Doritto's
8. iPod
9. Xbox
10. Google
11. Fortnite
12. Hershey's
13. Nike
14. Crayola
15. Playstation
16, Cheetos
17. Lays
18. Reeses
19. Disney
20. Skittles
21. Nintendo Switch
22. Lego
23. Chips Ahoy
24. Avengers
25. Kit Kats
26. Pop Tarts
27. Instagram
28. Snap Chat
29. Kraft
30. Cartoon Network
31. Black Panther
32. Nick
33. Coke
34. Snickers
35. Halo's
36. Sour Patch
37. Game Stop
38. Minecraft
39. Starburst
40. Amazon
41. Elmer's
42. hulu
43. Pepsi
44. Goldfish Crackers
45.YouTube for kids
46. Roblox
47. Taco Bell
48. Lunchables
49. Under Armor
50. Bing

It is truly amazing what kids can do if they are only given an opportunity.

We talk about kids being the church of tomorrow, and yes, that is true.

But they are also the church of today.

And it's time we start giving kids more opportunities to serve at church and in the community.  For way too long, we've told kids to sit still and be quiet in church. Then we wonder why, when they grow up, they are sitting on a church pew and not making an impact for God's kingdom.  It's because we told them to sit still and be quiet.  Habits formed early in life tend to transition into adulthood.

I am listing these top 10 You Tube stars to show what kids can do when given the opportunity.  They can bring creativity and freshness to the table.  They can bring new perspectives, if we will step back and let them lead strong.  They can create amazing content.

1. Ryan's Toys Review



Ryan is a 6-year-old who reviews toys for viewers multiple times a week.  He is the most subscribed child on YouTube with 9.4 million subscribers and more than 16.5 trillion video views.  


2. EvenTube



Evan, is a 12-year-old toy reviewer.  His earns over $1.3 million dollars a year through his channel. His channel has over 4.6 million subscribers.

 
3. Kids' Toys



Kids' Toys features two sisters, Quincy Faye and Laurice, who review the latest children's toys.  They live in the Philippines and have over 2.4 million subscribers.  They've had 2.9 trillion video views in 4.5 years.


4. Seven Awesome Kids

   
Seven Awesome Kids shows the lives and thoughts of girls 0-12 every day of the week.  It showcases the girls wild imaginations through funny skits. They have 1.8 million subscribers.


5. EthanGamer



Ethan is 10 years old and has become a social media star.  He has 1.7 million subscribers.  His content is age-appropriate and he has an enthusiastic attitude which draws a new generation of social media users.


6. BabyTeeth4
 

Jillian and Addie, ages 12 and 9, are the stars of  babyteeth4.  The two sisters are famous for their kid candy reviews, which feature their funny, honest reactions to candy. They also have two other series which have drawn in tens of millions of views.

 
7. B2CuteCupcakes


 
This channel is ran by a 12-year-old social media star named Bee.  Bee has a bubbly personality and demonstrates DIY's, trends, toys reviews and kid life hacks.  


8.  Hulyan Maya

 
Hulyan and Maya are the stars of the YouTube channel called Hulyan Maya.  They have over 1.4 million subscribers.  They test toys out.  They are bringing in over a million dollars through their channel and have been featured on NBC's Today Show.
 

9.  Hailey's Magical Playhouse



Hailey’s Magical Playhouse is where 6-year-old girl Hailey comes to play.  She does things like toy unboxings, surprise eggs, costume dress-ups, and other indoor and outdoor play activities.  She has 1.3 million subscribers.  She loves Disney as well and brings characters into her show.


10. Naiah and Elli Toys Show



Naiah is 5 and Elli is 6.  They have a toy parody channel.  They love doing silly skits and funny 
commentaries when they unbox toys.  They have 1.2 million subscribers.

When we begin turning kids' attention to making a kingdom impact,  we will see many of them rise to the challenge.  As we give them the space and time they need to express themselves creatively, we will see them turn thousands of people into followers of Jesus. 

Last week, I was part of the speaking team at the D6 Conference in Greensboro.  D6 Conference is one of the premier family ministry conferences in the country.  It is ran with excellence and it was a privilege to be part of the team.

I taught 2 breakout sessions and shared a keynote talk as well.

The first breakout was about "10 Keys to Seeing Kids Follow Jesus for Life."

The second breakout was about "Multi-Site Family Ministry."

The keynote was about "Helping Parents Hit a HOMErun."

If you'd like a copy of the teaching notes, you can download them for free at this link.

The conference will be held next year in Orlando.  Come join us.  You will be challenged, encouraged and equipped.  More info about next year at this link.

• Personally greet them with a smile.

• See yourself as a host rather than a controller.

• Design your lessons with how they learn best, instead of how you were taught growing up.

• Listen, really listen to them.

• Make each child feel important. 

• Let them know you missed them, when they are absent.

• Focus not on what they can give you, but rather what you can give them. 

• Thank them for being part of your class. 

• Know what they like.  What kind of candy?  What sport?  What video game?  What movie? What TV show?  What song?  What color?  What phone?  What Bible story?  What ice cream?

Often companies will give you a quick survey to see how they are doing.  Either by phone or by email.  What would your customer, the children you minister to, say if they took a survey of you as a teacher or leader?  

Look at the list above and focus on improving in some of those areas.   Become an expert at providing your "costumer" with a great experience and they will return and bring other people with them.  

p.s. Also remember - your "competition" for customer service is not other churches, but rather businesses, restaurants, banks and other stores.  Parents and kids will be comparing how you treat them in relation to those places. 

So shine...shine...shine!