3 Lessons From Disney World Trip

Just got back from spending several days at Disney World. I always learn something about relevant children's ministry while I am there. I came back from this experience with three words stuck in my mind. Here they are...

1. Details. Disney hits it out of the park when it comes to details. Here are some examples. This is a picture of the shampoo bottle from the room we stayed in.



They could have just put a regular shampoo bottle in the room like most hotels...but notice they put their logo on the bottle and soap. It's small details like this that take a company (and cm) from good to great.

Speaking of details...we were on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at this spot...when suddenly our boat stopped.



After sitting there for a few minutes, the overhead lights inside the dark ride came on. A cast member informed us that the ride was having technical difficulties and begin pushing our boat back to a spot where we could get out safely.

This resulted in us walking thru the backstage area of the ride. I got a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the little details that make the ride come to life. The behind-the-scenes stuff didn't have the pizzaz that the "face" of the ride had...but it is what makes the "magic" happen. The magic is simply all of the behind-the-scenes details being executed with excellence.

BTW...we got a free fast pass that was good for any ride for any time of the day for our troubles. Another detail that shouted excellence even when something malfunctioned.

A great children's ministry handles details with excellence.

2. Celebration. Throughout the parks, you will see the words "Celebrate" and "What Will You Celebrate?"



While I was riding the monorail, the overhead speaker conveyed this message. "There is so much in life to celebrate...birthdays, anniversaries, graduations...we are here to help you celebrate...what will you celebrate?" This entire year they have given free admission to people on their birthday. I saw people everywhere that were celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, and more.

A relevant children's ministry partners with families to celebrate the significant milestones in their lives. Baby dedication, accepting Christ, baptism, graduation, etc. are great opportunities to celebrate with families.

3. Interactive. I noticed that more and more rides and shows are becoming interactive. Passive entertainment is being replaced with interactive entertainment. People sent text message jokes that were used in one show, in another show everyone voted for the person they wanted to win, and in another show kids and families were selected to come on stage and participate.

Space Mountain had been closed for months, but recently re-opened.

.

I wondered as I got in line what would be different. The biggest difference...interactive video games you can play with other people while you are waiting in line. Speaking of interactive...I've been wanting to ride one of these for a long time...Disney made it happen for me!



A relevant children's ministry will engage people in interactive, participatory learning instead of passive learning.

Details!
Celebration!
Interactive!

These three elements can help your ministry to children and families be relevant!

Fox TV News Story About Our Children's Ministry

Fox News ran this story about our children's ministry this past week. To purchase a prime time TV ad like this would have cost thousands of dollars. We are thankful God provided it for free. We've already had several first-time families show up at church this weekend because of the story.

Taking a Working Vacation Rest of This Week

Headed to my favorite working vacation spot for the rest of this week....Disney World. It will be decked out in full Christmas splendor. I'll be posting ideas I pick up each day. Stay tuned...there is much we can learn about children's ministry from the Mouse.

Helping Kids Take Spiritual Steps

One of the highlights of my week is seeing kids take spiritual steps. This picture is from this past weekend after these children followed Christ in baptism.



All of these children had been through our new believer's class where salvation and baptism are clearly explained. Parents are required to attend the class with their child. We then encourage the parents to continue the conversation with their children at home. All of these children were led to Christ by their parents.

Do you have a pathway in place that helps kids take spiritual steps? Does it involve their parents? If we are going to see children grow spiritually, then it's essential we have a clear route mapped out.

Go See This Movie

We spent Thanksgiving with some friends. After a great meal, we piled in the car and went to see this movie. If you are in children's ministry, go see this movie. It is based on a true story and will encourage you about the life-changing difference a person can make in a child's life.

How Thirsty Are You?

I've noticed that people who read a lot of blogs and a lot of books also tend to be intellectually curious, thirsty for knowledge, quicker to adopt new ideas and more likely to do important work.

I wonder which comes first, the curiosity or the success?

-Seth Godin

Wow...what a great thought from Seth's blog this morning. Being thirsty...it is the beginning of success. It caused me to ask myself some questions this morning. How thirsty am I? How thirsty am I to see God work in my life? How thirsty am I to see the ministry go to the next level? How thirsty am I to grow as a person and leader? How thirsty am I to grow closer to God? How thirsty am I to break out of the mold and change things for the better?

As the deer pants for the waters...so my soul thirsts for You God...Psalm

Ponder that question today...how thirsty are you?

The Law of the Few

I'm thankful for name tags. Without them, I'd be embarrassed every weekend. I simply can't remember the names of all the kids and ministry partners (volunteers) in our children's ministry.

But I do know the names of a few kids and ministry partners that I am pouring into. There's the boy that I'm helping work thru anger issues...there's the little girl that has a special place in my heart - my wife and I have walked with her through some tough times...there's the student ministry partner that I talk football with...there's the ministry partner that's retired and who just got baptized....there's the ministry partner that I'm praying with during a tough economic situation...

• I pour into a few people called our staff...
  
• Each staff member pours into a few Coaches (ministry partners who take care of 6-8 other ministry partners)...
• Each Coach pours into a few Life Group Leaders
• Each Life Group Leader pours into a few kids

Jesus poured into a few disciples and through those few disciples the world was changed.

Follow the law of the few and you will impact many.

Guest Services...Have the Right People in Place!

Yesterday I went to a business and was greeted by this lady who was the receptionist.



No hello...no welcome...no smile...I had to basically jump up and down to get her to acknowledge I was standing there needing help. When I finally got her attention, I received the "don't bother me" attitude. This business will lose revenue because they have the wrong person in place as their face.

Who is the face of your ministry when new families come in? It will mean the difference in new families returning or running.

Another "A Child Shall Lead Them" Story

I see it happen all the time. God uses children to reach a whole family. Here's one I saw recently...

Jewish family in our area has two kids. The kids attend Hebrew school. But the kids are having behavioral issues at home. It's to the point where mom and dad are looking for some help. They drive by our church and decide to stop in and try it. The parents are amazed when they talk with their children after service. Kids are actually excited about coming to church. Their attitudes start changing at home. They ask mom and dad to keep bringing them back. Parents say "yes" because of the positive changes they are seeing. After a few weeks, God grabs mom and dad's heart. This past weekend, mom and dad walk forward at the end of the service and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

A child shall lead them!

Use the Talents You've Been Given

The economy is affecting most church's giving. Perhaps your budget has been cut. Don't fret. I am reminded of the story of the talents in Matthew 25. Be faithful to use the talents God provides and watch Him bring forth fruit. Sometimes He provides 1 talent...sometimes 5 talents...sometimes 10 talents. All He asks is that we work with what He gives us.

Focus on using what He has provided for your ministry instead of complaining about what you don't have. It's not the amount of talents that you've been given...it's what you do with what you have been given...that's what matters to God.

3 Keys to Unity

One of the keys to a growing ministry is unity. God's Spirit will bless a ministry whose staff team is unified. This week I was reading Colossians 3:12-14 and three keys to unity jumped off the page at me. I shared them with our team this morning at our prayer time.

1. Love one another. Unconditionally. (vs. 14)
2. Accept one another. (vs. 12)
3. Forgive one another. (vs. 12)

Protect the unity of your team and church at all costs.

Becoming All Things To All Men...Includes M & M's

Paul said he became all things to all men so that he could win some. This past Saturday that meant becoming an M & M for me. We set up a booth at the City of Palm Beach fall festival and passed out candy and invites to our church. We were able to give out over 500 invites and 67 families filled out a card wanting more info about our church.



Anytime you can get outside the walls of your church and into the community...it's a win. Why pull back on Oct. 31 when you can get out into the marketplace like Jesus did and let your light shine?

Below is a video of me (M & M) and Sheano, as Captain America.

A Lesson from Blockbusted!

Our family loves movies. Nothing like chilling with a movie and a bowl of popcorn after a long day of work. We used to go to Blockbuster to rent our movies...a long time ago.



One day we discovered what millions of other people have discovered...Netflix, Redbox, and on demand cable.





Convenience and cost effectiveness quickly made the decision for us. We haven't been inside a Blockbuster store in years.

The day of downloadable movies, on demand cable, and quick, cheap convenience have eaten Blockbuster's lunch in recent years. They recently had to close 282 stores and I am sure more will be closing soon.

But...yesterday I was at our local supermarket and lo and behold...there was a Blockbuster machine with $1 movie rentals. Someone at Blockbuster knew it was time to change or die. Time to adjust to the culture. Time to change to something that will work instead of going down on the sinking ship of past success.

Lesson learned...our Children's Ministries must be willing to change what is not working...make adjustments as needed to stay relevant to the culture around us. If not...you may find yourself Blockbusted. You may find your ministry losing momentum or declining.

Change is never easy, but it's necessary for continued growth and relevance. Blockbuster has my business back. Why? Because they were willing to change the way they do business and become relevant to my life again. They got out of the "come to our store" model and came to where I was.

Are we willing to do the same for the children and families in our community? Are we willing to ask the hard questions and make the necessary changes...even if it offends someone or pulls us out of our comfort zone? Let's learn a lesson from Blockbuster and look at our ministries with the lens of reality.

Join Me at Children's Pastor's Conference in Nashville

I will be leading three sessions at the Children's Pastor's Conference in Nashville on Jan. 4-7. The sessions are....
1. Multi-Site Church Model...Getting Started
2. Multi-Site Trends
3. Mega Church Round table

You can click here to register. Hope to see you there.

When An Effective Leader Speaks...

• Their words are timely.
• Their words are weighty.
• Their words are listened to.
  

The Power of a Hug!

I serve at a great church that is led by a great leader. Dr. Tom Mullins started our church 25 years ago in his living room with just a handful of people. Today over 20,000 people call CF home and countless lives have been changed. This month we are celebrating 25 years of ministry and honoring Dr. Mullins for his faithfulness and leadership. This past Friday night, the church hosted a dinner in his honor. Many people shared testimonies of what God has done in their lives through Dr. Mullin's ministry.

One of the stories involved the power of a hug. Several years ago, a young man who was involved in the drug and gang lifestyle, came to our church and sat on the back row. His mother had been praying for him and asked him to come. He sat and listened to Dr. Mullins preach. After the service, Dr. Mullins made eye contact with him and the young man knew he was coming to where he was. The young man said Dr. Mullins reached out and hugged him. In that instant, the young man knew someone cared for him and his life was changed. He came to God and a great work began in his life.

He shared his story this past Friday night and then expressed his appreciation to Dr. Mullins in the way he now ministers to others....thru rap. Below is a video clip I shot while he was rapping at the dinner. Below is also a video of the young man now...aka...Raw Servant. He now shares Christ with others thru rap.

A hug...symbolizing God's unconditional love...can change a life. Who needs a hug from you this week?

Mitchel Musso Concert

As mentioned in a previous post, a producer for Disney recently started attending our church. He produced a concert this past week in our city with Mitchel Musso. If you stay current with kids, you will recognize the name. Mitchel is one of the stars on the Hannah Montana show.



My new friend hooked me up with around 50 tickets, which I was able to pass out to some kids in our church. Here is a video clip I took at the concert. Our kids had a blast!

How Do You Budget?

It's that time of year for me...planning next year's budget. I am working with our campus directors to finalize their budgets for the five campuses. In addition, I am responsible for the core budget which are funds for initiatives that are used across all campuses.

We are called to be wise stewards. How do we wisely invest the money we have been entrusted with to make the biggest impact? Here is the approach I take...

1. Start with your vision. What is your children's ministry called to do?
2. Create steps that will help you get to that vision. (this includes processes, programming, events, etc.)
3. Prioritize your steps. Narrow it down to a few things that you can do well.
4. Budget to those steps.

I am reminded of the story of the servants who were given talents in the Bible. Some invested wisely and brought forth good fruit while some squandered what they had been given. I want to be a servant of God that uses the finances He provides to bring forth fruit.

Children's Ministry...It's Not Just Ministry to Children

This picture was taken this past weekend. Our exec. pastor was walking by the volunteer suite and took it. It's Sheano, our awesome 1-3rd grade coordinator, ministering to one of his volunteers. It's no accident that his ministry is overflowing with great adult volunteers.

You see...children's ministry is not just ministry to children. It's also ministry to the adults who minister to the children. An effective children's ministry leader is just as passionate about ministering to adults as they are children.

I once attended a seminar with a man who is amazing on stage with children. After the presentation, I wanted to find out more ideas about how he built volunteer teams. He shared with me that basically he ran a one man show. Because of this, his local church ministry had plateaued. You can be great on stage with children, but if you can't build and lead a team, then you will plateau and be limited long term.

I believe one of the best things you can do as a new or young children's pastor is to grow your skills and leadership abilities with adults. Show me a great children's ministry and I will show you a children's ministry that is effective at leading and ministering to adults.

Staff Questions

I am meeting with the children's directors from our campuses this week 1-on-1. Here are the questions I am going to ask them.

1. Self - How are you doing personally, emotionally, spiritually, etc.?
2. Stats - Give me a general overview of your campus - how are things going?
3. Stirring - What is God stirring in your heart - what is something you want to see come to fruition?
4. Struggling - What are some challenges or struggles you are facing?

I give them these questions ahead of time so they have time to think them through.