Relevant Children's Ministry

How to Get Your Volunteers to Show Up for Training...Every Week!

2012-02-15T06:17:00.000-05:00

Do you face the challenge of getting volunteers to show up for training? I do. People's lives are crazy busy and they're not looking for one more thing to add to their schedule. But training and growing volunteers is a vital part of Children's Ministry.

I have found there is a key opportunity for training each week that many Children's Ministries overlook. That's the 10 minutes before you open the doors for the worship service / class time.

Recently we have become very intentional about using those 10 minutes to pour into our volunteer team. Here's what the 10 minutes looks like...

Laughter. We have fun. We spend a minute or so letting people tell jokes or funny stories.
Recognition of a volunteer who goes the second mile. We name something specific they have done and the impact it had on kids and parents.
Devotional/training piece. One simple thought that helps everyone grow.
Prayer Requests/Prayer. We pray for individual needs and for God to work in us and through us as we serve.
Team cheer. We literally get in a huddle like a football team and do a team cheer. Right now it's a chant that says "What time is it? What time is it? It's time to serve! It's time to love on! Go God's Kids team!" I know it sounds cheesy...but it works. People go out enthusiastic and with a sense of anticipation.

Think about this. A football team huddles before each play. It's quick..it's to the point...it communicates what's next...and it gets everyone on the same page. Try doing the same thing with your volunteers before service. It works!

Posted by Dale Hudson

7 Simple Steps That Will Help You Keep Volunteers

2012-02-14T07:24:00.000-05:00

Here are 7 simple steps that will help you keep volunteers and minimize turnover.

Create clear job descriptions. Let people know up front what the time commitment will be, what their responsibilities will include, what the wins will be, expectations, etc. If they go in with no surprises, they will be less likely to surprise you by quitting later.

Place them in their sweet spot. Take time to find out what their gifts are and what they are passionate about. Don't place them where you "need" them. Instead, help them find their sweet spot. When someone is in their sweet spot, they will be energized by serving and will last.

Say "thank you" every week. Those two words carry a lot of weight. Look them in the eye and sincerely let them know you are thankful for their friendship and ministry.

Take 10 minutes before each service and huddle with them. Spend a few minutes telling jokes, sharing prayer requests, sharing praise reports, sharing a thought from God's Word, bragging on a volunteer for something specific, sharing a short training piece, praying, etc.

Feed them. Have snacks, drinks, water, etc. available for them before and after their service time. Having food ready shows you value them.

Build a family instead of an organization. Make journeying together the best part of serving. When you move from an organization to a family, people will develop a sense of belonging. And when people belong...people stay.

Acknowledge special events in their life. Acknowledge their birthday, anniversary, graduations, Christmas, etc. It means a lot when you take time to do this.

What are some other things you do to keep volunteers? You can leave your ideas in the comment section below.

The 6:00 a.m. Crew

2012-02-13T07:06:00.001-05:00

In Matthew 20, Jesus shares an interesting story. An estate manager went out to hire people to work in his vineyard. He hired the first crew at 6:00 am, the second crew at 9:00 am, the third crew at 12 noon, the fourth crew at 3:00 pm, and the last crew at 5:00 pm.

Quitting time was 6 pm. He paid everyone the same amount....no matter what time they had started work. We learn from this that God's redeeming grace is available for everyone...no matter what time in life they come to Him.

Some people come to Christ early in life as children. For others it may be in their 20's, 40's, or even in their last few years of life. The same forgiveness is extended to all.

If you serve in Children's Ministry, I believe you are focusing on the most critical of the five crews...the 6:00 am crew.

The vast majority of people who come to Christ are from the 6:00 am crew. When you minister to children, you are working in the greatest harvest field.

The 6:00 am crew also has the most time to work for the Master. When a child comes to Christ, they have their whole life to make an impact for the kingdom.

A pastor once said that he had seen 2 1/2 people come to Christ. He was asked if he meant 2 adults and 1 child. He responded that it was the opposite...it was 2 children and 1 adult. He said the children had their whole life to serve Christ...the adult only had half a life left to serve Christ.

Keep investing in the 6:00 am crew!

Posted by Dale Hudson

How to Help Kids Overcome Separation Anxiety

2012-02-10T06:46:00.001-05:00

Separation anxiety is a common issue that will you face in Children's Ministry. It usually surfaces during drop-off time. In this short video, I share some tips about how to help children who are experiencing this.

Posted by Dale Hudson

A Key Factor in Successful Volunteer Enlistment (Free Download)

2012-02-09T08:24:00.007-05:00

A key part of our volunteer enlistment process is the application. This allows us to collect key information and insight about the potential volunteer. Every person is required to fill this out. We also use the completed application during the one-on-one interview as a reference to ask questions.

Below is the application we have developed. Free free to download it and edit it to fit your ministry if you find it helpful. (the Word document margins will adjust correctly when you download it)

Volunteer Application
Posted by Dale Hudson

7 Children's Ministry Guidelines You Can't Afford Not to Follow

2012-02-08T06:53:00.002-05:00

Here are 7 guidelines that you can't afford not to follow. These are things that can make or break your Children's Ministry.

No one is ever allowed to be alone with a child.
There must be two volunteers present before opening up a classroom for check-in.
All potential volunteers must pass a background check and personal interview before they can begin serving.
Parents must have a matching security tag to pick up their child.
Guests get the very best treatment. Roll out the red carpet.
Use direct communication. When problems, issues, or conflict arises, go directly to the person(s) involved.
Respond within 48 hours to phone calls and emails.

What other guidelines are critical to Children's Ministry? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Why You Should Be Nervous

2012-02-07T06:55:00.006-05:00

The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!"
Jeremiah 1

Do you still get nervous before you teach kids or adults? I think that's a good thing. Being nervous makes you cry out to God for help and stay dependent upon Him. It causes you to rely upon His power instead of your own.

It's easy after you've been teaching kids for awhile to get "used" to it. You might even get to the point where you lose the butterflies. Ask God to send those butterflies back into your soul. Stay as dependent upon Him as you were the first time someone handed you a lesson plan and asked if you could share.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Are You Making This Big Mistake in Your Children's Ministry?

2012-02-06T07:13:00.002-05:00

A common mistake I see many Children's Ministries making is not having enough boys on their praise team. This seems to be a struggle for many. There is a natural tendency to fill up your praise team with girls because they are more willing and ready to participate in the elementary years.

But...it is extremely important to have a solid group of boys on your praise team as well. Gene Del Vecchio, in his book Creating Ever Cool...A Markers Guide to a Child's Heart, reminds us that boys are turned off during the elementary years if something appears "girlish." On the other hand, girls will accept something that appears "boyish" during this years. Bottom line...if you appeal to the girls, you will only connect with the girls. If you appeal to the boys, you will connect with the boys and girls.

This is why it is so important to have a good mixture of boys on your praise team. Here are some ways to get more boys involved.

Have a male worship leader. A male leader will draw boys to your praise team. If you can find an older high school or young adult male to lead...that's will be an even bigger draw for boys to get involved.

Reserve at least half the slots on the praise team for boys. The quick, easy route is to just fill up your praise team with girls. But be intentional about enlisting boys for your praise team.

Use songs that appeal to 5th grade boys. Walt Disney taught us that we should always appeal to the oldest kids in the group. Cool runs downhill. Your target should be a 5th grade boy. If he connects with the song, then all the kids will think the song is "cool" and engage.

What are your thoughts on this?
Do you think it is important to have boys on the praise team?
What challenges have you faced with getting boys to join the praise team?
What are some things you have done to get boys to join the praise team?

Would enjoy seeing your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

How to Make Your Lessons a Thousand Times Better

2012-02-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

Do you want to make your lessons a thousand times better? Then use visual images. You've heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It is true. Dr. Leonard Sweet says, "We are wired to be visual learners. Images are the language of the 21st century...not words."

Major corporations know this. They spend billions of dollars each year to find the right imagery to sell a product, service, or idea. The United States Military spent $598 million on advertising to increase "brand identity" and meet their annual recruitment goals. Nike spent $269 million on its image to sell their products. Pepsi budgeted over $1 billion on its image. Not to be out done, Coca-Cola budgeted $1.4 billion for its image.

Kids think using pictures. John Berger writes in his book Ways of Seeing, "Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak."

Visual images help kids understand lessons. Robert E. Horn, an award-winning scholar at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language and Information, said, "When words and visual elements are closely entwined, we create something new and we augment our communal intelligence ... visual language has the potential for increasing ‘human bandwidth'—the capacity to take in, comprehend, and more efficiently synthesize large amounts of new information."

Visual images help kids remember lessons. Dr. Lynell Burmark said, "...unless our words, concepts, ideas are hooked onto an image, they will go in one ear, sail through the brain, and go out the other ear. Words are processed by our short-term memory where we can only retain about 7 bits of information (plus or minus 2). This is why, by the way, that we have 7-digit phone numbers. Images, on the other hand, go directly into long-term memory where they are indelibly etched." Pictures get caught in our brains.

Visual images help kids apply the lesson. A study at the University of Minnesota School of Management found that presenters who use visual aids are 43% more effective in persuading audience members to take a desired course of action than presenters who don't use visuals. Give kids a point for their head and an image for their heart.

Ideas for using visual images in your teaching...

Use images on screen.
Use printed pictures or signs.
Balance words and images well.
Use simple icons to represent key points / truths.
Give kids pictures that represent a truth and ask them to discuss what they are seeing.

What are some other ideas for using visual images to enhance teaching? Share your ideas and comments below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

What You Need to Know About the Rise of Tablets for Kids

2012-02-02T06:11:00.000-05:00

The number of kids using tablets is on the rise. A study shows that 44% of children wanted an iPad this past Christmas compared to 31% in 2010.

Sales are forecast to be nearly 250% higher this year than the 18 million tablets sold last year. PC sales, meanwhile, will increase by an anemic 3%. A new survey from the nonprofit group, Common Sense Media, finds nearly half of 2 to 4 year olds, and 10 percent of children younger than that, have used a smartphone, tablet or video iPod.

Tablets have become a communal item among families. One-third of parents share their tablet with their kids. 65% of mothers regularly let their children use their tablet. In many instances, parents are handing the tablet to their child to keep them occupied while they are shopping, waiting in line, in the car, or at a sibling's soccer game.

Educational leaders are recognizing the potential of tablets being used in education. Apple recently announced that it is targeting its products for classrooms. Many teachers are already using tablets to engage students and make learning more fun. Valerie Nash, the Director of the Peoria Unified School Distict says,"the power of having that in the classroom is that it’s a tool for learning." A tablet called the Nabi is linked to 33,000 educational and kid-friendly websites. Here's a couple of examples.

video platform video management video solutions video player

Online safety is a concern. With most tablets comes direct access to the internet. Not the most ideal place for a child to hang out if it is not filtered. Companies such as Fuhu, Fooz, and Playrific have developed apps that parents can install to protect their children while they are using tablets.

So what does this mean for Children's Ministry?

Should we be developing apps for tablets that teach kids God's Word?
How can we equip parents to use tablets as a discipleship tool for their children?
Do you think the Bible on tablet will eventually replace the Bible on paper?
How can we make tablets a creative, interactive teaching element in our classrooms at church?

Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

One Word That Will Empower Your Children's Ministry

2012-02-01T05:45:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been in an environment where "no" ruled?

"No, we can't try something new. We've always done it this way."
"No, we aren't going to take the risk."
"No, I don't think that will work."
"No, we have a rule against that."
"No, we don't have the budget to fund that."
"No, we've tried getting new volunteers and no one wants to serve."
"No, that would upset someone."
"No, I don't know the answer."

When "no" rules, an atmosphere of pessimism is fostered.

But when "yes" is nurtured, it creates an atmosphere of optimism.

Give your team the authority to say "yes" by having "guidelines" instead of "rules." An example would be a single mother who is late to check-in her children. Check-in is closed. A rule would say "no." A guideline would see that it was a struggle just to get the kids up and dressed. A guideline would see that she is pushing a stroller while trying to hold a diaper bag at the same time. A guideline says "yes" we will help you get the kids checked in.
(the only exception would be safety and security procedures...those are "rules" that should be always be followed)

Saying "yes" shows your team you have confidence in them.

"Yes" empowers your team to be leaders. Give away your "yeses." Empower others to pull the trigger without having to run everything by you.

Remember a slow "yes" is more productive than a fast "no." When someone brings you an idea, don't say "no" immediately. Take time to think it through first. Ask questions such as...

Can you tell me more about your thought process? How did you arrive at this conclusion?
That's an interesting idea. Is anyone else on board with this?
How does this add value to our core mission?
Help me understand. How will this take us where we want to go?
Have you thought through any implications this might have?
What will we miss out on if this doesn't happen?

"Yes" shows greater leadership than "no" does. It shows that your team is on the same page and aligned with the big picture vision. If they are constantly bringing you questions that have a "no" answer, then you are not communicating the vision and direction clearly.

Teach your team to say "yes...let me find out for you" instead of "no...I don't know." We've all been on the other side of "no" when trying to find out information. Maybe you were in a store asking where something was located. Or maybe you were asking for directions. Or maybe you were asking when an event was starting." Just hearing "no" can be very frustrating. Teach your team to find out the answer instead of just saying "no."

Look for opportunities to say "yes" even when its inconvenient. Many times the second mile "yeses" can have the biggest impact.

Posted by Dale Hudson

How Looking Down Can Take Your Children's Ministry Up

2012-01-31T06:53:00.000-05:00

Recently I was at a Walt Disney Resort. This sink caught my attention. Notice the height. It was made for children. Whoever designed it had the insight to bring it down to a child's level.

Effective Children's Ministries have the ability to get down and look through the eyes of a child. They are able to connect with children by entering their world.

Here's some ways looking down can take your Children's Ministry up.

Look down when you are choosing paint colors. Bring kids in and let them help pick out the colors. Kids like bright, fun, cheerful colors. Enough already of the beige walls and brown folding chairs.

Look down when you are choosing chair and table sizes. Take the time to find out which table and chair sizes are the best fit for each age group in your ministry.

Look down when you are choosing sinks and toilets. The sinks and toilets in your children's area should be the right height for children to easily use them as pictured above.

Look down when you are writing or choosing lessons. Make sure your lessons are age-appropriate. Effective teachers know how to share the truth in simple, easy-to-understand language that children can understand. (by the way...it's the same for teaching adults)

Look down when you are theming your children's area. The children's area is for CHILDREN...not adults. The children's area should say to kids, "We designed this with you in mind."

Look down when you are creating children's worship and classroom environments. They are kids. They were made to laugh...giggle...move...bounce...wiggle...and have fun! Are you expecting them to act like adults at a funeral?

Look down when you are placing signage. Any signs you have created for kids should be installed at a child's eye level.

Look down when you are talking to children. Get down so you are on the same eye level as the child. We forget what it is like try to talk to someone towering over us. Getting down on the child's level makes it easier for them to talk with you.

Here's a challenge:
Get down on your knees so you are on the same eye level as a child. Go through your children's area on your knees and look at it through their eyes. Look for things that need to brought down, adjusted, or replaced so they can be kid-friendly.

Looking down can take your Children's Ministry up to a new level of effectiveness!

Posted by Dale Hudson

Warning: The Importance of Incident Reports (free download)

2012-01-30T08:23:00.004-05:00

It's extremely important to document incidents in your Children's Ministry because...

It holds you accountable to document and report to parents any incidents involving their child.
It benefits your ministry if the incident requires legal counsel.
It alerts you to any dangers that need to be remedied or corrected to prevent future harm.

The incident report should include the following...

Time and place
Type of incident
Person(s) involved/injured
Description of incident/injury and any actions taken
Witnesses and follow-up

A good incident report...

Is clear and concise
Has good grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Uses terms that readers are familiar with
Is consistent in style throughout the department
Is accurate
Is factual
Is objective

Tips for incident reports...

Incident reports should be not only filled out for children, but also for adults who are hurt, injured, or require medical assistance. This includes parents and volunteers. The adult should read the report and sign it before he or she leaves.
ALWAYS be proactive about informing parents about an incident involving their child. Make sure the parents read the report and sign it before they leave.
When in doubt...fill it out. When deciding whether or not an incident warrants a report, always err on the side of caution and fill out the report.
When the incident involves one child injuring another child, have the parents of both children read and sign the report.
The Director should read the report and sign it. If the incident happens over the weekend, I review it and sign it by Tuesday.
Follow up as needed. Take time to check on the person. A phone call or visit to the hospital will show them you truly care.
Keep the report on file.

Below is the incident report we use. Feel free to download the word document if you'd like to edit it and use it for your ministry. (page margins are corrected when downloaded)

Incident Report

Posted by Dale Hudson

9 Elements of a Productive Staff Retreat

2012-01-27T06:16:00.000-05:00

Twice a year, our Children's Ministry staff goes on a retreat. One is a two-day retreat that is held in July. You can read about our summer retreat at this post.

The other retreat is held in January. This is a one-day retreat. Here are the elements that we incorporate into this retreat.

Devotional and Prayer
We start off in God's Word and prayer. It's important we prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in us and through us. The prayer time usually consists of prayer stations. This past retreat we had four prayer stations people could spend time at.

Fresh wind of God's Spirit - We had a fan set up. People could stand in front of the breeze and ask God's Spirit to blow afresh on their life.
Lend a hand - We had paper that people could trace their hand on and then write prayer requests inside the traced hand. They could then spend time praying for the needs others had written in their traces.
Pictures of Christ - We had pictures of Christ looping on a screen. People could sit and meditate on the images.
The Suffering of Christ - We had a bowl of ice available. People could hold a piece of ice in their hand and be reminded of the suffering Christ endured for them.

Review of Previous Year

Goals - How did we do?
Stories - Each campus shares life stories about what God did.

Preview of Coming Year

Key events
Budget
Staffing
Goals

Team Building Activity

Lunch

We cater in a meal. We also have snacks and drinks available throughout the day as well.

Leadership Development

Teaching on a topic that will help us grow as leaders.

Game

Fun is an important part of growing together as friends.

Initiatives

We look at a key initiative we are preparing to implement.

Encouragement Activity / Closing Prayer Time

This is a prayer activity where we pray for each other. This year we had everyone write prayer requests on a beach ball and then swapped them so we could pray for each others needs all year.

If you would like a copy of the agenda we used, feel free to contact me at daleh@cftoday.org.

Below are also some pictures from the retreat two weeks ago.

How to Make Your Lessons Easy to Remember and Hard to Forget

2012-01-26T06:40:00.000-05:00

Our lessons should be easy for kids to remember and hard for them to forget. This means moving our teaching from their short term memory into their long term memory. Here are some keys...

Repetition. You remember what you repeat. Instead of teaching one truth a week, teach one truth a month and have the kids repeat it over and over and over throughout the month. Studies show that we forget the majority of what we hear if it is not repeated. When it is repeated 6 times the retention rate goes up 90%.

Simplicity. Great teachers have the ability to take complex truths and explain them in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Teach kids the truths of the Bible in short, easy-to-repeat phrases. An example would be "The Bible is God's Word and I can trust it completely."

Evoke Emotion. Emotion is very closely tied to long term memory. People remember what they feel. Use activities and experiences that evoke emotion. One of the greatest examples I have seen of this was actually in an adult service. The Pastor gave everyone a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie on the way into the service. He had them hold it the entire service while he taught on resisting temptation. Needless to say, a lot of emotion was felt that day as the room was filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies. The people who attended that day will never forget it.

Link the truth to an everyday object. Link the truth you are teaching to objects that kids come in contact with on a regular basis. This will remind them of the truth each time they see the object. An example would be using a skateboard to illustrate what it means to repent. Repentance is like doing a 180 on a skateboard. Each time the child rides a skateboard after that, he will be reminded of what repentance means. Jesus did this often when He taught. He used birds, fish, coins, sheep, gates. etc.

Participatory. When kids get involved in the lesson, they remember the lesson. Kids are growing up in a world that is quickly moving away from lecture style learning. In a recent article in The Edge, Don Tapscott wrote, “I argued that is a widening gap between the model of learning offered by many big universities and the natural way that young people who have grown up digital best learn. The old-style lecture, with the professor standing at the podium in front of a large group of students, is still common. It’s part of a model that is teacher-focused, one-way, one-size-fits-all and the student is isolated in the learning process. Yet the students, who have grown up in an interactive digital world, learn differently. Schooled on Google and Wikipedia, they want to inquire, not rely on the professor for a detailed road map. They want an animated conversation, not a lecture. They want an interactive education. Students are making new demands of universities, and if the universities are to remain relevant, they will have to change. Professors will have to abandon the traditional lecture, and start listening and conversing with the students — shifting from a broadcast style and adopting an interactive one."

Applicable. It's hard to forget something you are living out during the week. Spend as much time teaching application as you do information. Give children specific ways they can live out what you have taught them. Then check back the next week to see how they did. When kids become "doers" of the Word and not just "hearers" of the Word, you will see life change.

Use a story to illustrate truth. People remember stories. Illustrate what you are teaching with stories. Jesus did this with parables. The prodigal son is a great example. It reminds us of the Father's love and forgiveness for those who have gone astray.

What other tips do you have for making lessons easy to remember and hard to forget? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Why We Need More Marriage Ministry and Less Children's Ministry

2012-01-25T08:03:00.001-05:00

The most important factor in a child's spiritual life is his or her parents. No one has more influence. The time a child will spend in Children's Ministry is a small fraction compared to the time the child will spend with his or her parents.

We don't need more Children's Ministry...we need more Marriage Ministry. As the marriage goes...so goes the family. As the marriage goes...so goes the child's primary spiritual influence.

Look at the stats of a recent report...

Taxpayers are spending a trillion dollars a year to subsidize non-marriage — 75 percent federal and 25 percent by states. As Ronald Reagan once said, "If you subsidize something, you will get more of it."
America has subsidized cohabitation. Result: it soared 17-fold from 430,000 in 1960 to 7.5 million last year.
Marriage rates have plunged in half.
41 percent of U.S. births are out of wedlock (mostly to cohabiting couples).
50% of marriages end in divorce.
Divorce has devastating effects on families financially. Over 45 years, poverty levels for married families have been only five percent to seven percent, while that of unmarried individuals is 5-6 times higher.

What can we do to help marriages?

We must do a better job up front of equipping couples we marry. Churches marry 86% of Americans...but I am afraid we fail them many times. Protestant divorce rates are actually higher than the unchurched. We must focus on pre-marital counseling at a new level. We must provide the skills they need for success going into the marriage.

Provide hope and strategies for couples who are having trouble. Recent research reports that about 60 percent of divorces are by couples who are no more unhappy than those who remain married and have “low levels of conflict.” Over 2,500 couples were surveyed and found that 40% of those well into the divorce process, say that "one or both of them are interested in the possibility of reconciliation."

A "Second Chances Act" has been proposed that would set a one year "cooling off” period before a divorce can become final. It would also encourage spouses to send their mates an “early notification and divorce prevention letter,” warning that a divorce was likely if problems were not resolved. The proposal would also require parents of minor children to attend divorce education classes before they can file for divorce. This would allow churches more time and opportunities to provide help with counseling and reconciliation.

Teach about and hold high the sanctity of marriage. With the number of cohabiting parents rising rapidly, we must continue to speak the truth in love. We must meet cohabiting parents where they are and call them up to God's plan for the family.

Spend as much time focusing on parents as we do children. We have to shift much of our time, energy, and resources toward partnering with adult ministries... toward discipling parents...toward equipping parents...toward helping parents have strong marriages.

If we want to see children's lives changed...then we have to see their parents' lives and marriages changed. What happens at home is just as important, if not more important, than what happens at church.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Excuses That Are Preventing You From Building a Prevailing Children's Ministry

2012-01-24T06:35:00.000-05:00

Excuses are something we hide behind when we're not moving forward. It's easy to rest in the quagmire of excuses and convince ourselves that it can't be done. But the more we make excuses, the more we become susceptible to failure in life. We place ourselves in a defensive stand of powerlessness. Here's 10 common excuses you'll hear in Children's Ministry when things aren't going well.

1. "I'm not creative."
Everyone has creativity. You simply have to know how to draw it out. Get in a room with 5-6 people. Decide up front there are no bad ideas. Start throwing ideas out there. You'll be amazed at how creative you really are.

2. "I don't have a big enough budget."
You will never have a big enough budget. There will always be more needs, ideas, and positions than there is money. It's not what you don't have...it's what you do with what you do have.

3. "I can't get volunteers."
People want to make a difference. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Many times it's how we are asking.

4. "We can't change. We've always done it this way and people don't want to change."
Remember change should be a process instead of a surprise. Start the change with one person and gradually let it grow out from there.

5. "I am not talented enough."
Yes you are...as a team. It's not what you can do individually...it's what you can do together. Prevailing Children's Ministries are built on teamwork not individual talent. Teamwork will make the dream work.

6. "Children's ministry is not a priority at our church."
Be the squeaky wheel. Share with people the importance of Children's Ministry. Tell the stories of what God is doing. I guarantee you when people see and hear about the fruit of your Children's Ministry, it will quickly become a priority.

7. "Our calling is to take people deeper. We focus on believers instead of outsiders."
We are all called to help believers grow closer to Jesus. But...you can't disciple empty seats. Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. His heart beats for those who don't know Him. If your "holy huddle" is not concerned for the lost around you, then it's not "holy."

8. "We've tried before and failed."
Don't let the past prevent you from what God has for you now. Forget past failures and press forward for the prize of the high calling of God. The front windshield is a lot bigger than the rear view mirror for a reason.

9. "We're not in a big city."
No matter what size city you are in...there are plenty of people around you who need Jesus. Reach out to them.

10. "We don't have a nice children's building."
Take the facility He has provided and make sure it's clean. Use kid-friendly colors. Use what you have to make it creative as you can. But remember...buildings don't change people's lives. God uses people to change people's lives.

Remember the story of the servant in Matthew 25? He didn't prevail with the talents the Master had given him because he was full of excuses that were rooted in fear. Let's lay aside our excuses and pursue what God has called us to do.

What are some other excuses we make in Children's Ministry? How can we overcome them? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Free Volunteer Recruitment Posters

2012-01-23T08:26:00.003-05:00

Here are 4 posters we just created for our hallways to invite people to join the Children's Ministry team. The posters reflect our philosophy of inviting people to join the team through vision instead of need. Below the photos are the PSD files if you'd like to download the posters and adjust them to fit your ministry.

PSD file download for this poster

PSD file download for this poster

Posted by Dale Hudson

How to Minister to Children Who Are Dealing With Their Parents' Divorce

2012-01-20T13:17:00.001-05:00

In this short video, I share some practical ways you can minister to children whose parents are going through divorce.

Posted by Dale Hudson

An Inside Look at Our Children's Ministry Calendar

2012-01-19T07:06:00.001-05:00

Below is an inside look at our entire Children's Ministry calendar for 2012. It includes our staff meeting schedule as well as special events, classes, spiritual steps, etc. We spend several days each summer preparing our calendar for the next year. Here are some thoughts that guide our calendaring process.

Let your strategy drive your calendar instead of allowing your calendar to drive your strategy.
Less is more. Find your niche' and do a few things well. You can do a lot of things mediocre or a few things with excellence.
What you say "no" to is just as important as what you say "yes" to.
Evaluate each year. What is working? What is not working? What needs to be changed? What needs to be dropped?
Sometimes something "good" has to die so something "great" can live.
Work closely with other ministries so you don't plan things on top of each other.
Think "steps" instead of just events or programs. Everything on your calendar should be a step that is moving people toward spiritual maturity.
We are multi-site, so we strive to balance alignment across campuses with maximizing the individual impact each campus can have in their area.
Strategically look at family calenders when planning your church calendar. Take into consideration holidays, days school is out, 3 day weekends, spring breaks, graduation dates, etc. when planning. Make sure you place key events, classes, etc. at times when it won't be competing with other family events.

GK 2012 Core Calendar

If you have any questions about anything on our calendar, feel free to post in the comments section below and I will be glad to respond.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Study Shows Video Games Linked to Creativity in Kids

2012-01-18T07:12:00.000-05:00

A recent study by Michigan State University scholars shows that both boys and girls who play video games tend to be more creative.

A study of nearly 500 12-year-olds found that the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories. In contrast, use of cell phones, the Internet and computers (other than for video games) was unrelated to creativity, the study found.

Linda Jackson, professor of psychology and lead researcher on the project, said the study appears to be the first evidence-based demonstration of a relationship between technology use and creativity. About 72 percent of U.S. households play video or computer games, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

The MSU findings should motivate game designers to identify the aspects of video game activity that are responsible for the creative effects, Jackson said.

"Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment," Jackson said.

The researchers surveyed 491 middle-school students as part of MSU's Children and Technology Project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. The survey assessed how often the students used different forms of technology and gauged their creativity with the widely used Torrance Test of Creativity-Figural.

The Torrance test involved tasks such as drawing an "interesting and exciting" picture from a curved shape, giving the picture a title and then writing a story about it.

In addition, the study found that boys played video games more than girls, and that boys favored games of violence and sports while girls favored games involving interaction with others (human or nonhuman).

Yet, regardless of gender, race or type of game played by the students, the study found a relation between video game playing and greater creativity.
-Medical News Today

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Ways to Gain Credibility With Those You Lead and Serve

2012-01-17T12:46:00.001-05:00

Credibility doesn't happen fast. It is not given...it is earned. And it's something you must gain if you're going to be effective in Children's Ministry for the long haul. Here are 10 things you can do to bring credibility to your ministry. Keep doing them consistently and you will earn credibility with parents, children, volunteers, and those you serve with.

Keep your word. Be known for honesty. Follow through on your promises.
Be consistently good. You don't have to be great...just keep hitting singles with a home run thrown in once in a while.
Always be learning.
Admit it when you blow it and apologize. People don't expect you to be perfect. Acknowledging your mistakes doesn't make you less credible...it makes you more credible.
Act don't react. Don't let your emotions control your response.
Don't share confidential information that people have entrusted you with.
Be on time for meetings and appointments.
Be prepared for meetings and appointments.
Give credit to others for the wins.
Lead by example. Make sure your walk matches your talk.

What other traits do you think are critical for gaining credibility? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Do You Recognize the Importance of 100 Little Details?

2012-01-16T09:15:00.001-05:00

Last week I was eating dinner at a Disney Resort. Here is what the butter looked like when they brought it to the table. Notice the detail. That's what makes Disney...Disney. They give fantastic attention to the 100's of little details.

Excellence is simply the little details done well. The "little" details that we skip over may be the key to taking our ministries to the next level.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Inside Notes from Children's Pastor's Conference Thursday Session with Reggie Joiner

2012-01-13T07:26:00.001-05:00

Thursday's general session was with Reggie Joiner. Reggie is the founder of Orange. He is also one of the founding pastors of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. In his role there as the executive director of family ministry, Reggie developed the concepts of ministry for preschoolers, children, students, and married adults over the course of his 11 years with the church. He is the co-author of Seven Practices of Effective Ministries and the author of Think Orange, Parent Beyond Your Capacity, as well as the Orange Leaders Handbook. Reggie and Debbie Joiner live in Cumming, Georgia, and have four grown children.

We have around 40 hours per year to minister to children at church. Parents have over 3000 hours.
No one has more potential to influence a child's relationship with God than a parent.
All parents have spiritual influence...it's either positive or negative.
Is what you are doing effective? Sometimes there needs to be a systems overhaul.
We hold up the picture of the perfect family and tell people this is what they need to be. Families don't need a better picture...they need a better story.
Only 23% of kids live with both biological parents. 75% of the families you are trying to minister to are not like that "perfect" picture.
Just because a family is not the "perfect picture" doesn't mean there is not a bigger story at work.
Approach ministry from a bigger story instead of a better picture.
Every family needs to know there is hope.
Don't buy into the myth that you have to be a certain type of parent before God can use you in the life of your child.
Parent's don't need more to do. They need something more strategic.
Make it easy for parents to win.
Churches should do less for kids and more for families.
It's not just about content. It's about content driven through relationships.
What happens in your home is more important than what happens in your ministry.
One day someone will be doing your job but no one else can be the father or mother your kids need.
Fight for the heart of your kids.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Inside Notes from Children's Pastor's Conference Orlando Wednesday Night

2012-01-12T12:10:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night was General Session #1. Here's some notes I took from the speakers...

Michael Chanley, Executive Director of INCM

Our five initiatives are meant to identify bright spots in the church worth replicating. They are a starting point for beginning to set an international standard for Children's Ministry. Working together, we can focus on key issues that will make a lasting impact. Commit today and help us set a new standard for Children's Ministry.

Impart God's truth to this generation
Provide a safe and relevant environment
Communicate with families
Network with a community of leaders
Pray for the international children's ministry community

Kyle Idleman, Teaching Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville

What we win people with is what we win people to.
We must teach kids that a call to follow Jesus is a call to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him.

Phil Vischer, Creator of Veggie Tales and "What's in the Bible" Series

It's not the government's job to teach kids to love Jesus, it's ours.
We must get back to teaching the next generation the Word of God and addressing the tough questions they ask.
We've taught kids more about being patriotic than about following Christ.

I will be posting notes from the afternoon session with Reggie Joiner later this afternoon.

Posted by Dale Hudson

A Secret Peek Inside The Church Tours at Children's Pastor's Conference (Pt.3)

2012-01-12T00:04:00.000-05:00

Today I led the pre-conference church tours as part of Children's Pastor's Conference. We visited three churches in the Orlando area. We were inspired and encouraged as we saw what God is doing in these wonderful churches. Here's an inside peek at the third church we visited and the awesome space they have created for kids and families.

Summit Church
Summit is a multi-site church with currently three locations. Base Camp, the Children’s Ministry, strives to support parents as they raise their children to love Christ. They do this through relevant teaching, creative and fun environments, and volunteers who truly want to invest in children’s lives. Safety and relevancy are of utmost importance for them.

Children's Director Tracy Beeson and her team opened their doors and gave us an inside look at their ministry. Here are some pictures from the visit.

A Secret Peek Inside The Church Tours at Children's Pastor's Conference (Pt.2)

2012-01-11T23:29:00.002-05:00

Northland Church

Children experience authentic worship, and receive sound Biblical instruction in an environment which creates a visual expression of God’s Word. The walls are wired with state of the art technology, allowing for their vision of connecting children around the world. Mural and photo walls create settings for entering Bible times – actual geographic locations of the past, present and future. This reminds the children that the Bible stories are about real people in real places who are in relationship with a real God.

Children's Director Debbie Blahnik and her team opened their doors and gave us an inside look at their ministry. Here are some pictures from the visit.

A Secret Peek Inside The Church Tours at Children's Pastor's Conference (Pt.1)

2012-01-11T23:00:00.002-05:00

Cornerstone Church

In 2008, 20 years after the church began and with over 1200 people in attendance, Cornerstone had to continue doing church as always or make decisions to change and lead where they had never been before. The bold decision was made to change. Since that year the name of the church, the strategy and the allocation of space to children and families has transformed their ministry. By making the decision to stop doing a few good programs they repositioned the ministry to do what used to seem impossible in the creative realm of reaching families. They increased space for kids and students by 50% without adding any new square footage to their building.

Family Ministry Pastor Matt Nickels and his team opened their doors and gave us an inside look at their ministry. Here are some pictures from the visit.

Free Notes and Updates From Children's Pastor's Conference in Orlando This Week

2012-01-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Wednesday through Friday, I will be blogging from Children's Pastor's Conference in Orlando. Check back throughout the day for updates, notes from main sessions, and teachings from breakout sessions.

Posted by Dale Hudson

The Secret to Great Storytelling

2012-01-10T06:31:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time...these are words that kids love to hear. Stories capture their attention and heart. They are not alone. People of all ages love stories. Each year people all over the world spend billions of dollars to hear, see, and listen to stories. Stories are part of our very DNA. We are wired to connect with stories. We are part of God's story unfolding here on earth.

Jesus was the master storyteller. Much of His teaching was done through stories called parables. People flocked to hear His teaching. Great communicators are great storytellers. Tell stories well and you will grab the hearts of kids.

Tell stories well and you will effectively communicate God's truth to kids. Tell stories well and you will keep kids on the edge of their seats. Tells stories well and parents will drive across town to have their children be a part of your Children's Ministry. How do you make your Children's Ministry a place where great stories are told?

Remember it's about the presentation. The Bible contains the greatest true stories ever told. The greatest stories deserve the greatest presentation. Give 110 percent to present them well.

Raise up great storytellers. Don't just put anyone in front of the kids. I've made this mistake before and put someone in front of the kids to tell a story who shouldn't have been there. After just a few minutes, the kids were dying. Look for people whom God has given the gift of communication. Cultivate the gift in them and teach them how to go from being a good storyteller to a great storyteller. There are lots of great books on how to be a great storyteller. Use these tools and resources to grow them.

Involve the audience in the story. Great storytellers invoke participation. Involve everyone. An example would be the story of David and Goliath. Bring up two people to play David and Goliath. Split the rest of the room into the two armies. Dramatically guide them through acting out the story while you tell it. Except for using a real rock for the slingshot!

Describe the scene. Paint the picture of what it looked like. For David and Goliath, an example would be, “It was a gloomy day. One one side of the valley stood the army of Israel. Across the valley on a rocky hillside camped the army of the Philistines.”

Describe the characters. An example would be, “They were staring at a giant man named Goliath. He was soooo talllll! His giant spear was like a tree trunk, he had a huge shield that carried the marks of battles fought and won.”

Immerse yourself in the story. Go there and picture it in your mind as you tell it.

Use voice fluctuations. An example would be, (whispering) “Suddenly the Israelites saw the biggest, strongest, man they had ever encountered, walk to the edge of the hill.” He raised his hands to his mouth and shouted to them, (loud) “Who dares to come and fight with me?” Nothing will take away the power of a story quicker than a monotone voice. Use different voice levels to bring excitement and tension to the story.

Pictures tell stories. A picture is worth a thousand words is true. The mind reads pictures much faster than words. Using pictures when you tell a story will immediately enhance it. This can be done on screen or printed pictures.

Video is a format of storytelling...use it. Movies and DVD's are simply stories. That's why children love watching them. Use videos and DVD's to communicate to children. I don't recommend going totally video, but I do recommend using it some. Balance it with live storytelling or use a combination of the two.

Use puppets to tell stories. Younger kids love puppets. Puppets can bring life and energy to a story.

The hallways of your children's building are designed with store front buildings that represent Bible stories. There are buildings like “Jonah's Travel Agency, Esther's Day Spa, Goliath's Big and Tall Shop, Solomon's Bank, Joseph's Coat Shop, Rahab's Rooftop Inn,” and more. On each building is a brochure holder that contains a card that describes that Bible story. We want parents to be able to walk up to a building, pick up a card, and talk about the story with their child. Our prayer is that the greatest stories ever told will be passed from one generation to the next.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Questions Every Children's Leader Should Ask Themselves

2012-01-09T06:18:00.000-05:00

Am I spending time privately with God consistently?
Does my schedule match up with my priorities?
Where is my emotional, spiritual, and physical tank level right now?
Am I doing what only I can do?
Am I personally bringing new people onto our volunteer team?
Who are the three people I am pouring into right now?
Do I have balance in my life?
Does my family know they are my top priority?
What would it take to move our Children's Ministry to the next level?
Are our programs, events, and processes effective?

What other questions should we be asking? Would enjoy seeing questions you ask in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Are You Looking for Affordable, Quality Children's Ministry Training For Your Team?

2012-01-06T06:44:00.002-05:00

We all know that training our Children’s Ministry volunteers is vitally important, and yet many feel the budget limitations due to the economy. That's why I am excited about the Spring Training Workshops sponsored by Crossroads Kids Club.

There are three sessions to choose from this Spring. Each session takes place from 9:00 am to noon on a Saturday morning.

March 17: “The Art of Bible Storying”

April 21: “Effectively Reaching Today’s Kids for Christ”

May 19: Topic TBA

These sessions will be held in the Chicagoland area and are only $19 each. If you'd like more information about registering go to www.springtrainingworkshops.com.

Hope to see you there.

Posted by Dale Hudson

How Disney World Identifies It's Team Members and What KidMin Can Learn From It

2012-01-05T06:49:00.000-05:00

If you've ever been to a Disney Park, you know how to spot a team member.

Clothes. Disney team members are dressed in a costume that coincides with the area of the park they work in.

How about your KidMin? Do you provide your volunteers with a KidMin shirt, vest, smock, or some other clothing item to wear when they are serving? It not only helps kids and parents recognize who they are, but it's also great PR for inviting other people to join your team.

Smiles. Disney team members are taught to smile.

It's important to fill your volunteer team with positive people who smile...especially the greeters. Don't tolerate a grumpy attitude.

Name Tags. Disney team members wear name tags.

Do you require your volunteers to wear name tags when they are serving? It's an important security piece as well as helpful for kids and parents who interact with them.

What other positives or negatives have you experienced with the above identification?
What other things do you do to identify your team members?

You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Are You Using This Effective Teaching Method In Your Children's Ministry?

2012-01-04T07:01:00.001-05:00

God loves variety. Think of all the wonderful varieties of plants, animals, colors, and fish He created. Think about all the different types of people He created. It would be boring if we were all the same! He also created kids with a variety of learning styles.

The effective Children's Ministry recognizes this and seeks to engage all learning styles.

Linguistic Learners have sensitivity to the meaning and order of words. They use an expanded vocabulary. They respond to jokes, riddles, reading, writing, telling stories, and word games.

Logical-Mathematical Learners like reasoning, patterns, and order. They want to know how things work, ask lots of questions, and collect things. They respond to puzzles, blocks, and counting devices.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners enjoy sports and physical activity. They respond to body language, dance, acting, and active games.

Musical Learners are sensitive to pitch, melody, rhythm, and tone. They love to listen to and play music, sing, hum, move to rhythm, and create tunes.

Spatial Learners perceive the world accurately and recreate or transform aspects of that world. They like to doodle, paint, draw, build with blocks, puzzles, mazes, and taking things apart and putting them back together again.

Naturalist Learners recognize and classify the numerous species of an environment. They like to spend time outdoors observing plants, collecting rocks, and catching insects. They love nature.

Interpersonal Learners are all about people and relationships. They have many friends. They are good mediators and team players. They enjoy group games and discussions.

Intrapersonal Learners use their emotional life to understand themselves and others. They control their feeling and emotions. They do a lot of observing and listening. They do best when working alone. They enjoy cameras, drawing pads, journals and questions about their experiences and emotions.

How to use the learning styles...

Make a grid with the above learning styles. As you prepare your lesson, run it through the grid and incorporate as many learning styles as possible. Over the course of a few lessons, you should hit all the learning styles.

Here's an example. Let's take the story of Jonah and the Whale and run it through the grid.

Linguistic – Dramatically tell the story to them. Then have them re-tell it to someone else in the room.

Logical-Mathematical – Have them put together a puzzle of Jonah and the Whale.

Bodily-Kinesthetic - Have them act out the story.

Musical – Sing a song about the story.

Spatial – Have them draw a picture of the story.

Naturalist – Bring some seaweed for them to touch or a picture of a large fish for them to look at.

Interpersonal – Have them play a group game and discuss the story with friends.

Intrapersonal – Ask them questions and have them draw pictures about how they would have felt if they were Jonah.

Your teachers will have a tendency to teach out of their own learning style because it's their comfort zone. Challenge them to engage all learning styles. When that happens children will be excited about coming to church because they will be learning in style...their style, that is!

How do you incorporate learning styles into your lessons?

What are some creative things you have done with some of these learning styles?

Share your thoughts with other readers in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Top 5 Deathbed Regrets

2012-01-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

Recently a nurse who worked in palliative care shared the leading deathbed regrets of those she cared for. Her patients were those who had gone home to die. She was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their life as they experienced a variety of emotions including denial, fear, anger, and remorse.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
It's important that you follow God's plan for our life...not what someone else has planned for you. What are the dreams God has placed in your heart that you haven't followed because of the boxes others have placed around you? What are you waiting for? Make 2012 the year you start fulfilling God's destiny for your life.

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
You keep telling yourself that the work is going to slow down. But it won't...so you've got to be the one who slows down. Make this the year that the kids' ballgames take priority over climbing the ladder. Make this the year that you make it home in time for dinner. Make this the year that you use your vacation time...all of it. Make this the year that you replace overtime with extra time with your family.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Who do you need to say "I love you" to? Who needs to hear "I forgive you?" Who have you been putting off confronting just to "keep the peace?" Is silent bitterness and resentment building because you are suppressing words that could bring healing? Let this be the year you have the difficult conversations you've been avoiding.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
It's easy to get so caught up in our own lives that we let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. It is not money or status that holds the true importance. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. Pick up the phone in 2012 and call that friend you've lost touch with.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
We can get so caught up with the mundane tasks of everyday life that we forget to laugh and be silly. We can take ourselves way too seriously. Do you spend more time frowning than you do smiling? Tell more jokes this year. Learn to laugh at yourself. Let go and smile again. Let the joy of the Lord flood over the problems and pressures you are facing.

As we enter 2012, let's live with these things in mind now so we are not full of regrets later.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Why Your Children's Ministry Can't Afford Not To Use Facebook, Twitter, and Text in 2012

2012-01-02T07:28:00.001-05:00

Recent stats show...

Facebook

800 million users and growing exponentially.
More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages).
Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.
On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day.
More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile device.
MORE IMPORTANTLY...Your volunteers....parents...church attendees...students...are on Facebook.

Twitter

Number of users increased by 59% last year.
MORE IMPORTANTLY...Your volunteers....parents...church attendees...students...are on Twitter.

Text

Over 5 billion text messages are sent every day.
Average student sends over 3,300 text per month.
Over 98% of text messages get read.
MORE IMPORTANTLY...Your volunteers....parents...church attendees...students...use text.

Check out this short video that shows the importance of using these tools.

If you're not using these tools to communicate, disciple, and connect with the people in your ministry, why not? Let 2012 be the year you jump in.

You can get tips on how to use these tools at these posts...

The Facebook Phenom and How It Can Help Your Children's Ministry

Transition Time Tips (read section about Twitter)

How to Connect With Parents With a 98% Success Rate

Posted by Dale Hudson

What You Can Learn From The Most Engaging Children's Show Ever

2011-12-29T08:30:00.001-05:00

Blue's Clues is a children's television show which aired on Nickelodeon from September 8,1996 until 2006. The main character was an animated dog named “Blue” and the show's host who was a man named Steve. It has been called “one of the most successful, critically acclaimed, and ground breaking children's television series of all time.”

Malcom Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point called the show “perhaps the stickiest television show ever.” By sticky, he means irresistible and involving. It became the highest-rated show for preschoolers on commercial television, and received nine Emmy awards.

Within 18 months of it's premiere, virtually 100% of preschool parents in America knew about Blue's Clues. In 2000, the show had generated over $1 billion in licensing products. More than 10 million Blue's Clues books were in print by 2001 and over 3 million copies of CD titles had been sold. By 2002, 13.7 million viewers tuned in each week.

There is much we can learn in Children's Ministry from Blue's Clues. Here are some “clues” from Blue's Clues that will help you be more effective.

Children connect with stories. Children's educational shows before Blue's Clues had used a magazine format made up of a variety of segments. Blue's Clues changed all that by telling one story in a narrative format from beginning to end. The camera moved left-to-right like reading a story book. Transitions were as obvious as turning a page in a book.

Creatively tell the stories of the Bible. The way you present the story is important. Make it engaging and exciting. The Bible contains the greatest stories ever told. Tell them in a great way!
Use stories to communicate truth.

Use children's everyday activities and places as the background for your teaching. The settings and scenes for the show were simple things that were part of children's everyday lives.

Use places and things that children are familiar in your lessons.
Use everyday objects as teaching tools. Jesus did this when He taught. He used birds, flowers, coins, gates, sheep, etc.
Keep it simple and age-appropriate.

Use active participation instead of passive viewing. The premise behind the show was to have children be intellectually and behaviorally active during the show. Up until the time the show was created, children's educational television had presented their content in a one-way conversation. But Blue's Clues asked questions directly to the children who were watching and paused to let them think and respond. The creators believed that if children were more involved in the action of what they were viewing, they would stay engaged longer. They were right!

Use active learning. Get kids actively involved in every part of the class time including the teaching time.
Ask lots of questions. Give children time to respond.
Kids learn more by “doing” than “listening.”

Kid-test your programming. Every episode was field tested three times before it aired. Producers would have groups of children watch the show. They would make notes when children looked away which meant they were disengaged. They then went back and adjusted those parts of the show to make them more engaging.

Look through the eyes of children when planning. Make sure elements are age appropriate.
During class, watch for when children become restless or start looking around. Adjust these parts of the programming to be more interactive and engaging.

Repetition is a key to retention. The same episodes aired daily for five days before showing the next one. Children's attention and comprehension increased with each repeated viewing. Repetition was also built into each episode. For example, in one episode the host says some variation of the word “predict” 15 times.

Less is more. Decide what basic, must know truths you want children to know and focus your teaching on those truths.
Repeat the main lesson point multiple times during the class time.

Get the right people on your team. Characters and voices for the show were very carefully chosen. Steve Burns, the host, was chosen out of over 100 auditions and months of research. Tracie Paige Johnson was cast as Blue's voice because her voice sounded the most like a dog. Don't just fill holes.

Find people who are gifted and called to the roles in your Children's Ministry.
Get the right people in the right seats on the bus.

Children enjoy problem solving. Steve, the host, presented the audience with a puzzle that involved Blue. The audience then worked through a series of games which were mini-puzzles that were all related to the overall puzzle. At the end of the show the clues were brought together to discover the answer.

Bring problem solving into your lesson.
Challenge children to think. Move beyond simple “yes” and “no” questions. Pose questions that will spark dialogue.
Guide children to DISCOVER answers instead of being TOLD answers.

I would encourage you to rent or buy a set of Blue's Clue's DVD's and watch them for more clues on how to effectively communicate to children.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Why Your Preschool Ministry Is An Indicator of Your Church's Health

2011-12-28T08:40:00.001-05:00

Your preschool ministry is a barometer of the health of your church. A healthy church is reaching young families.
I am thankful for our senior citizens. I personally look to them for wisdom, insight, and encouragement. Our churches should be ministering to senior citizens as well. A healthy church will reach all generations. But if your church is primarily gray, then the barometer indicates things are not healthy.

In Florida, we have a lot of senior citizens...especially in the winter months. The snow birds migrate down for the warm winters. The semi-trucks full of cars start arriving. They are the cars of the snowbirds. That's when you start seeing the silver alerts on roadway signs. A silver alert means a senior citizen driver who is causing major safety issues in traffic is on the road. The make and model of the car flashes on the sign.

Look around your church. Is there a silver alert? Is all you see gray hair? Are there a good percentage of young families with preschoolers? How do you increase the health?

Be willing to change.
All across our country there are small churches made up of a few older families who are unwilling to change. They are not reaching young families because they are determined to keep a church culture from the 1960's. I have served in churches that were full of young families. I have had conversations with some of the older members. How did they adjust to the loud music? How did they handle the change over the years? I always got the same response. “It's not about us. It's about reaching the next generation of families.” Wow! No wonder their churches were healthy and full of preschool families.

The Senior Pastor and Leadership must be committed to reaching young families. Everything rises and falls on leadership. They must be willing to appeal to young families. The top two reasons people pick a church are: How friendly are you? What do you have to offer my kids?

The church must make preschool ministry a top priority. Finances, resources, and staffing must walk this talk.

Church greeters and ushers should include preschool parents. When preschool parents walk in the doors of your church, who are they greeted by? Are any of them people their own age?

Sit down with your team and rate the health of your church based on the percentage of preschool families that attend. What does the barometer say? Do you need to formulate an action plan to increase the health?

Posted by Dale Hudson

How to Build Trust With Parents

2011-12-27T18:02:00.001-05:00

I cringe every time I read of a child that was severely injured or abused in a church or school. I don't know how I would react if if were my child...I don't even like thinking about it. I constantly remind our staff of the great responsibility we have to not only God, but to the parents who entrust their children with us. They are trusting us with the most precious thing on earth to them...their children.

We must go the second mile to build trust with parents. Here are some ways to build the trust factor...

Keep the rooms clean. I once went to a home to eat and the entire home was covered with roaches...literally. I quickly lost my appetite and made excuses about not being hungry. Just couldn't bring myself to trust the food. It's the same way with your church rooms. When parents look inside the room, they quickly access if it's clean. If it's untidy, cluttered, or dirty, their trust factor will evaporate. Keep toys clean and disinfected, throw away or repair damaged furniture, keep the floor vacuumed, and the trash emptied.
Let parents know every volunteer has been through an orientation process which includes a background check and screening. Put it in writing and regularly remind parents. Knowing that you have done due diligence to only have approved volunteers in the room will build trust.
Let parents know your safety rules such as no adult is ever alone with a child.
Do things with excellence. A commitment to excellence lets parents know you are worthy of their trust. This will be shown not by what you say, but by what you do.
Follow proper ratios. Nothing will deplete trust quicker than a parent looking into a room that is too crowded or understaffed.
Have a secure check in/check out system. This is critical to build trust. Parents must know that their child cannot be picked up by someone else.
Issue pagers or use numbers on the screen to notify parents when they are needed. This will give parents a sense of security and will help them feel more comfortable entrusting their child with you.
Communication. Regularly communicate with parents through newsletters, email, phone, text, Facebook, etc. Direct communication about their child's experience at church instills trust. Parents want to know...they want to be involved.
Fill out incident reports. Kids are going to fall down, they are going to get bumps, scratches from other children, etc. Hardly a week goes by without it happening. The key is how you respond and communicate with parents. Have incident reports. Anytime there is an accident, bump, scratch, etc. fill out an incident report. Write down exactly what happened. When the parents come to pick up their child share the incident report with them and have them sign it. This will build trust. Trust is depleted if they go home and discover a bump or scratch and were not told about it.

Trust must be earned and remember...it only takes seconds to destroy it. Be diligent to earn parent's trust week in and week out. With each passing year, their trust in you and your team will grow stronger as you lead with integrity.

Are You Making These Mistakes In Your Children's Ministry?

2011-12-26T08:40:00.002-05:00

Here are 7 mistakes you can't afford to make if you want to see your Children's Ministry impact kids and families.

Having too many programs.
Are you trying to do too much? Are you spreading your volunteers too thin? Are you trying to keep
ineffective programs propped up? Are you doing a lot with mediocrity or a few things with excellence?
Trying to get volunteers through pulpit and bulletin announcements.
Public pleas for help can push people away from serving instead of drawing them toward serving.

Not following volunteer-to-child ratios.
If you are consistently violating volunteer-to-child ratios, you are making a mistake. The band-aid you are putting on a bigger issue such as lack of space or lack of volunteers is hurting instead of helping.

Not maximizing the first 8 minutes.
People decide in the first 8 minutes if they are going to return to your church. If you're not working hard to make those first 8 minutes the best experience for new families, you are severely limiting how many will return.

Not having a security system in place.
If you don't have a check-in / check-out system in place, you are putting children at risk.

Not running background checks on everyone who serves.
You can't afford not to run background checks on everyone who serves with children. If you are not doing this, you are endangering the children and setting your church up for a lawsuit.

Having training that no one attends.
Why are you continuing to hold training meetings that only a small percentage of your volunteers are attending? Is it time to adjust your training and try something new?

Posted by Dale Hudson

Disney Is Training Super Bowl Customer Service Teams

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

The NFL is looking to Disney this year to train their Super Bowl custmer service employees.

Frank Supovitz, senior vice president of events for the NFL, said, “Nobody’s better at it in the world than Disney. You see that any time you go to their theme parks. They’re very customer-oriented."

The NFL is taking cues from Disney to help them implement Fans First. Fans First is an initiative designed to improve the fan experience – from airport, to parking lot, to stadium seat and back. They want to make Super Bowl fans feel like VIPs by training all of their employees to be on the same page and have the same customer-focused goal.

Here's an inside look at some of the costumer service skills the NFL is learning from Disney in preparation for the Super Bowl.

Extraordinary Service

Know who guests are and understand what they expect when they come to visit.
Use both demographics (mainly describe the physical attributes of a group and often compromise quantitive data) and psychographics (offers clues to what a guest needs, what they want, and what emotions they experience) as your two major kinds of information.
Clues include: needs, wants, stereotypes, and emotions.
Meet expectations and then exceed them…that is the WOW factor.
Imagine an animated film…twenty-four frames per second, each a still portrait of that fractional moment, must come together to create an entire story…that is same with creating a guest experience.
Hire the very best people to make the guest experience happen.
Pay fantastic attention to details.
Remember, everything speaks.
Create specific behaviors that help you achieve the promise. At Disney, their standards are safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency.

Extraordinaire Employees

The employees provide the first impression to the guest.
Equip the employees so they can deliver a magical experience.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good orientation program to create a portrait of the organization and its culture in the minds of new employees. A good orientation includes these elements: history and traditions, values, educational experience, academics, student life, courtesy, and efficiency.
Guidelines for guest service should include: make eye contact and smile, greet and welcome each and every guest, seek out guest contact, provide immediate service recovery, display appropriate body language at all times, preserve the “magical” experience, and thank each and every guest.
Build a performance culture by: keeping it simple, making it global, making it measurable, providing training and coaching, soliciting feedback and ideas from the team, and recognizing and rewarding performance.

Extraordinaire Setting

Everything, animate and inanimate, speaks to guests.
You can’t change people. But if you change the environment that the people are in, they will change.
The components of setting include: architectural design, landscaping, lighting, color, signage, directional design on carpet, texture of floor surface, focal points and directional signs, internal/external detail, music/ambient noise, smell, touch/tactile experiences, and taste.
Use these elements to create magic: know your audience, wear your guest’s shoes, organize the flow of people and ideas, create a visual magnet, communicate with visual literacy, avoid overload-create turn-ons, tell one story at a time, avoid contradictions-maintain identity, for every ounce of treatment provide a ton of treat, and keep it up.
The setting should appeal to all five senses.
Make sure the backstage and onstage areas are always separate.

Extraordinaire Processes

Processes are a series of actions, changes, or functions that are strung together to produce a result.
Factors that affect guest perception of wait times: access, respect, and information communication.
Every one of these factors must be addressed for an enhanced guest experience.
We must always improve outdated processes.

When it comes to making families feel welcome, there is so much we can learn from Disney. Service...Employees (volunteers)...Setting...Processes. These are four great areas to work on in 2012.

Posted by Dale Hudson

What's Sucking the Life Out of You? (Pt. 2)

2011-12-22T08:48:00.002-05:00

The leech has two suckers that cry out, "More, more!" There are three things that are never satisfied--no, four that never say, "Enough!"

Proverbs 30:15

Yesterday we talked about this verse. In Bible times, horseleeches were a common problem. It was a parasite that lived in water. Horses would pick them up when drinking from pools of contaminated water. The horseleeches would lodge in the horse's throat, nose, or nostrils and begin draining it's very life blood.

A leech is something that seeks to suck the spiritual life out of you. It's goal is to rob you of your ability to effectively serve the Lord. It is patient. It drains you a little at a time until one day you wake up and like Samson in Judges 16:20, "When he woke up, he thought, "I will do as before and shake myself free." But he didn't realize the LORD had left him." His power to serve was gone and it happened so subtlety he never knew it took place until it was too late.

We talked about 6 leeches that have their sights set on a slow kill. Today let's look at how to prevent the drain. The tips are listed in blue.

People. Our ministry is people. But be careful about people who attach themselves to you and begin to constantly drain you. It may be someone who is always negative. It may be someone who repeatedly calls you on your day off and demands the time you have set aside for your family. It may be someone who instead of following the Biblical counsel you give them would rather just lean on you as an emotional crutch.

1. Surround yourself with positive people.

2. Set boundaries and let people know your day off is reserved for your family.

3. When you are with your family, don't feel like you have to answer your pbone. Better yet, turn off

your cell phone.

4. If someone continues to ignore the counsel you give them, draw a line in the sand and let them

know you can no longer counsel them until they get serious about wanting help.

5. Remember you are responsible TO people but not FOR people.

Problems. In ministry, there are always problems that arise. You can probably think of 3-4 right now that you are dealing with. And dealing with them can suck the very life out of you.

1. Realize problems are part of forward movement. The only way to not have any is to do nothing

and be nothing.

2. Deal directly and quickly with problems instead of avoiding them. Ignoring them won't make them

go away.

3. Don't try to solve them alone. Always get advice from someone you respect and trust.

4. If you have problems weighing heavily on you at bedtime, write them down on a piece of paper with

some possible solutions before you try to go to sleep. It will make it easier to fall sleep.

5. See problems as opportunities to grow. Face them with purpose instead of self-pity.

Pressure. The pressure can be a constant life drainer. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 11. I chuckle when I read it. He starts off by talking about all he has endured including beating, shipwreck, hunger, prison, and more. At the end of the list he says, "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

It's like he is saying the toughest part of ministry is the pressure. We all feel it. It can come from our leaders but normally it comes from within. We are driven. We want to reach the world. We constantly are striving to get more done and make a bigger impact for Christ.

1. Realize you can't save the world...you just work for the Person who can.

2. Have hobbies, sports, and other outlets that take your mind off ministry.

3. Act don't react when the pressure rises.

4. Learn to prioritize and organize your time.

5. Remember sometimes 85% is good enough. The pressure to make it 100% may not be worth it.

Pace. Ministry can take over your entire life. It can consume you. It can easily grab all 7 days of your week. There is always someone else who needs you...another lesson that needs to be written...a phone call to make...an email to respond to...a family to follow up with...a hurting person to pray with. You keep telling yourself it will slow down. But it never does.

1. Find a pace that you can sustain for the long haul.

2. Take your day off...every week.

3. Use your vacation time...all of it.

4. Realize there are times when you have to operate in the red rpm zone. But make it for short

periods and get out.

5. When you are home...be home. Leave work at the office.

Pain. Prolonged physical pain can drain you. Whether it's a bad back, ongoing illness, medical condition, or complications from a surgery...it can suck the joy and vitality out of your life. I had a friend who had back issues. It got so bad that he had to quit work. The bills begin to pile up. It sucked the life out of him to the point that he committed suicide.

1. Have a doctor that you know and trust.

2. Take your time when recovering. Trying to jump back in too fast can cause you to lose more time in

the long run.

3. Don't be too "tough" or proud to ask for help.

4. Have someone you can talk with. Someone who will really listen.

5. Lean on God's grace.

Personal sin. Sin will suck the joy, anointing, and power out of our ministry. That hidden sin is doing far more damage to your spiritual life than you may know. The horseleech couldn't be seen on the surface. It attached itself inside the horse...out-of-sight. Unforgiveness, lust, pride, anger, bitterness, jealousy and other hidden, personal sins will eventually take you down if not dealt with and forsaken.

1. Yield yourself each morning to the Holy Spirit's control and guidance.

2. Have close friends that hold you accountable and ask you the tough questions.

3. Set protective boundaries around yourself. An example would be not riding alone with a member of

the opposite sex other than your spouse.

4. Focus on your relationship with God more than you do on your work for God.

5. Spend time daily in God's Word. Jesus defeated the devil's temptations by quoting Scripture.

For years, I allowed some of these leeches to suck the life out of me to the point where I almost lost my ministry. This post tells my story and what I learned through it.

Posted by Dale Hudson

6 Things That Can Suck the Life Out of You!

2011-12-21T07:33:00.001-05:00

The leech has two suckers that cry out, "More, more!" There are three things that are never satisfied--no, four that never say, "Enough!"

Proverbs 30:15

In Bible times, horseleeches were a common problem. It was a parasite that lived in water. Horses would pick them up when drinking from pools of contaminated water. The horseleeches would lodge in the horse's throat, nose, or nostrils and begin draining it's very life blood.

A leech is something that seeks to suck the spiritual life out of you. It's goal is to rob you of your ability to effectively serve the Lord. It is patient. It drains you a little at a time until one day you wake up and like Samson in Judges 16:20, "When he woke up, he thought, "I will do as before and shake myself free." But he didn't realize the LORD had left him." His power to serve was gone and it happened so subtlety he never knew it took place until it was too late.

What is sucking the life out of you? Here are 6 leeches that have their sights set on a slow kill...and you may not even know it's happening.

People. Our ministry is people. But be careful about people who attach themselves to you and begin to constantly drain you. It may be someone who is always negative. It may be someone who repeatedly calls you on your day off and demands the time you have set aside for your family. It may be someone who instead of following the Biblical counsel you give them would rather just lean on you as an emotional crutch.

Problems. In ministry, there are always problems that arise. You can probably think of 3-4 right now that you are dealing with. And dealing with them can suck the very life out of you.

Pressure. The pressure can be a constant life drainer. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 11. I chuckle when I read it. He starts off by talking about all he has endured including beating, shipwreck, hunger, prison, and more. At the end of the list he says, "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

It's like he is saying the toughest part of ministry is the pressure. We all feel it. It can come from our leaders but normally it comes from within. We are driven. We want to reach the world. We constantly are striving to get more done and make a bigger impact for Christ.

Pace. Ministry can take over your entire life. It can consume you. It can easily grab all 7 days of your week. There is always someone else who needs you...another lesson that needs to be written...a phone call to make...an email to respond to...a family to follow up with...a hurting person to pray with. You keep telling yourself it will slow down. But it never does.

Pain. Prolonged physical pain can drain you. Whether it's a bad back, ongoing illness, medical condition, or complications from a surgery...it can suck the joy and vitality out of your life. I had a friend who had back issues. It got so bad that he had to quit work. The bills begin to pile up. It sucked the life out of him to the point that he committed suicide.

Personal sin. Sin will suck the joy, anointing, and power out of our ministry. That hidden sin is doing far more damage to your spiritual life than you may know. The horseleech couldn't be seen on the surface. It attached itself inside the horse...out-of-sight. Unforgiveness, lust, pride, anger, bitterness, jealousy and other hidden, personal sins will eventually take you down if not dealt with and forsaken.

So how do you deal with the leeches that are sucking the life out of you? How do you avoid waking up one day like Samson?

Tomorrow I will share my personal story of allowing leeches to suck the life out of me to the point where I almost lost my ministry. I'll share what I learned through it and how I dealt with them. Join me as we talk about how to effectively deal with the things that are draining us.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Amp Up Your Preschool Ministry with the "Adopt a Room" Strategy

2011-12-20T06:37:00.000-05:00

You've seen it on the highway.

And if you're looking for a strategy to keep your Early Childhood rooms clean and prepped, it can work for you as well. One of our preschool leaders came up with the idea of "Adopt a Room." Families adopt a preschool room. Then they come in each week and clean, wipe down the toys, and prepare the room for the weekend services. Here 's a picture I took of one of the rooms a family has adopted.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Leadership Tips for Children's Ministry

2011-12-19T06:47:00.000-05:00

Here's 10 tips from 22 years of asking questions, making mistakes, observing, and grappling in Children's Ministry. Hope they help.

Who you are is more important than what you do.
Make people skills one of your priority growth areas.
People don't follow a title...they follow someone they love and respect.
There will always be someone who is not happy with your decision...accept it and don't try to appease everyone.
It's not what you can do, it's what you can empower others to do.
Learn from everyone...everywhere...everyday.
When hiring...look at what someone has done in the past. Location doesn't change people. Past performance usually indicates future performance.
Take your day off and use your vacation time. Your future in ministry depends on it.
Your greatest ministry is at home.
Details done well make the plan gel.

What are some other general tips you have seen, heard, or experienced? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Using YouTube in Children's Ministry (Pt.2)

2011-12-16T06:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we talked about using YouTube video clips in lessons or discussions. Today let's talk about using YouTube to encourage and equip your volunteers.

Volunteer training is extremely important and a necessity. But let's face it...with people's schedules it can be difficult to get them to come to training. So why not take the training to them? Make it easy for them to access the training anytime...anywhere. That's where YouTube can be a huge help.

Here's some tips for using YouTube to help encourage and equip your volunteers.

Grab a video camera or webcam. Many computers have a built-in webcam.

Record a short training video. I would recommend making your video 5 minutes maximum. If it goes longer, people tend to not finish it.

Go to YouTube and set up a free account and channel. Setting up a channel will allow you to place all your training videos in one location so volunteers can easily access them. Here is a video that shows you how to do this.

Upload your video to YouTube by clicking the upload button. If you want to add things like text, music, etc. you can edit your video first with a program like Windows Movie Maker (pc) or iMovie (mac).

Share the video with your volunteers. Here are several options...
   -Email them a link to the video.
   -Embed the video directly into the email you send.
   -Create a Facebook page for your volunteers and embed the video directly into the page (click for
    sample).
   -Create a free training blog site for your volunteers and embed the video into the page (click for
    sample).

I still recommend meeting in person with your volunteers at least one to two times a year. Video training is a great tool, but it's also important to cast vision and disciple face-to-face.

What are some other tips for using YouTube for training? Any other tech tips?
How have you used YouTube to train volunteers?
What are the positives of using video training?
What are the negatives of using video training?

Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Using YouTube In Children's Ministry (Pt.1)

2011-12-15T06:35:00.001-05:00

Video clips are a great way to illustrate a truth in a lesson or jump start a discussion about a topic. And if you're looking for video clips to use, YouTube can be your best friend.

YouTube was founded in early 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The beta version of the site launched in May 2005. 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, resulting in nearly 8 years of content uploaded every day.

Here's some tips if you want to use YouTube clips...

Start with the truth or topic you want to illustrate or discuss.

Type the topic in the search line on YouTube. An example would be the word "faith." Thousands of options will come up. If you want to narrow it down, you can type in something more specific such as "faith of a child."

If you are going to use the clip in PowerPoint, Media Shout, Pro Presenter, or some other presentation program, you will want to download the clip to your hard drive. Here are some great programs that will allow you to save the video file directly to your hard drive.

Preview the entire clip before you show it. You don't want to be embarrassed or in trouble later because you didn't. I had a friend who pulled a clip and didn't preview it completely. Later when he was showing it, there was a curse word in the clip. Talk about awkward. Thankfully it didn't cost him his job...but it could have.

Stay balanced. Using too many video clips can weaken the impact. Variety is important when teaching. Use hand held object lessons, pictures, kids acting out stories, sound effects, and other methods just as much as you use video clips.

Today's kids are growing up immersed in a video world. Instant access to video content is available 24/7 via cellphones, game systems, Facebook, tablets, television, laptops, and more. It only makes sense to illustrate truth using a venue that is part of their everyday life.

What other tips do you have for using YouTube when teaching or leading a discussion?
What are some ways you have successfully used YouTube to connect kids to truth?
How often do you use YouTube clips?

Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tomorrow I will share how to use YouTube to encourage and equip volunteers.

Posted by Dale Hudson

12 Ways to Help Kids Become Generous Givers

2011-12-14T07:36:00.001-05:00

Here are 12 ways to help children develop a generous heart for giving their time, treasure, and talent back to God.

Make it one of your core values as a ministry. Show kids that giving is something you live, not just something you do. Show them by example that generosity is a lifestyle.

Teach lessons about giving. Teach kids the "why" of generous giving. Teach kids that we are stewards of all God has entrusted us with. Teach kids that God loves a cheerful giver. Teach kids that it is better to give than to receive. Teach kids that giving is an act of worship. Teach kids that giving is an investment in eternity.

Make giving a weekly part of your Children's Ministry. Set aside a time in the service or class to take an offering. Make it a key component instead of an afterthought.

Take time to share a short thought about giving before the offering each week. Read and explain a verse about giving or share an example of someone in the Bible who had a generous heart.

Give kids opportunities to give toward outreach projects. Some examples would be participating in a special Christmas offering, supporting missions, sponsoring a child in a needy country, etc.

Let kids earn prizes at church...for other people. There has been a running debate about rewarding kids for spiritual disciplines. Have you considered rewarding them...but the prize is something they earn to give to someone else? You can see how we do this through our Five Loaves and Two Fish Gift shop each week.

Provide concrete, hands-on opportunities for kids to give. Kids love to give tangible things like canned goods, toys, clothes, etc. I will never forget last year when we were encouraging the kids to bring shoes for kids in Haiti. One girl came in, saw the sign, immediately took her "Sunday dress shoes" off, put them in the shoe bin, and walked out barefooted. Wow...we were blown away!

Get kids involved in giving toward building campaigns. Building campaigns are great opportunities to teach children to be generous givers. Many times God can use kids to lead the way. At one church I served at, we were raising money to build a new children's building. We challenged the entire church to give generously...including the children. One of the 3rd graders went to his parents and asked if he could forgo vacation that summer to Sea World and instead give the money toward the new building. God used his generous heart to inspire the entire church.

Teach kids to give of their time. Teach kids that financial giving is just one aspect of generosity. It is also about giving of your time to serve others.

Give kids opportunities to give of their time. If we are going to teach kids to be generous givers of their time, then we must provide them with opportunities to serve. Too many kids were told to "sit still and be quiet" at church and that's what they are still doing now as adults...sitting still and being quiet! And we wonder why we can't get them to volunteer! Get kids involved in serving and they will grow up to be adults who serve. We have a strategy that we use to get kids involved in serving. Feel free to contact me at daleh@cftoday.org if you'd like a copy.

Teach kids to be generous with their talents. Teach kids that their abilities are on loan from God and were given to be used for His glory.

Give kids opportunities to be generous with their talents. Can they sing? Have a kid's praise team. Are they a people person? Have them greet at the doors and welcome new kids. Are they good at sports? Teach them to be a great example for Christ on their team. Can they play an instrument? Have them play at church. Be intentional about helping kids find ways they can use their talents to bring glory to God.

Just think about how much the kingdom of God can be advanced now and in the years to come if the kids in our ministries become generous givers. They are ready...they are willing...they want to make a difference.

Below is a short video story of a girl in our Children's Ministry who gets it. Generosity has become part of her DNA. God is using her generosity NOW to impact others...and I can't wait to see what He is going to do through her generous heart in the years to come.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Join Me at Children's Pastors Conference

2011-12-13T07:21:00.001-05:00

I am excited about Children's Pastors Conference 2012! Under the leadership of the new executive director, Michael Chanley, the conference is poised to bring a fresh, new level of training, networking, and encouragement to children's leaders.

If you have been thinking about attending a Children's Pastors Conference, this is the year to go. One of the best investments you can make is to get off the speeding ministry train for a few days and be poured into.

If you're attending, I'd love to connect with you. Here are the sessions I will be facilitating.

Orlando (January 11-14)

Pre-Conference Church Tour

Join me as we visit Cornerstone Church, Northland Church, and Summit Church in the Orlando area. We will travel by bus.

Children’s Ministry Leadership That Lasts: How to Go the Distance

Greatness in ministry is not measured in years, but in decades. If you are going to go the distance in ministry it will not happen by accident. There are pitfalls you must avoid and spiritual disciplines you must follow. Discover how to not only survive, but thrive in ministry for a lifetime.

Magnetic Ministry: How to Draw Kids and Families to Your Church

You cannot minister to empty seats. Learn how to create an irresistible ministry that will draw kids and families to your church.

Your First Five Years in Children’s Ministry: the Do’s and Don’ts

Get off to a great start in children’s ministry by learning from the mistakes, wins, failures, successes and experiences of someone who has been there. You will discover things everyone in children’s ministry wishes they had heard when first starting out.

San Diego (February 27 - March 1)

Pre-Conference Church Tour

Join me as we visit Friends Church, Rock Harbor Church, and College Avenue Baptist Church in the San Diego area. We will travel by bus.

Children’s Ministry Leadership That Lasts: How to Go the Distance

Your First Five Years in Children’s Ministry: the Do’s and Don’ts

Posted by Dale Hudson

25 Traits of The Ultimate Children's Ministry

2011-12-12T06:33:00.000-05:00

Ran by volunteers who are equipped and empowered by staff.
Gives guests the royal treatment.
Provides parents with tools to disciple their children that are actually used.
Shows up at the hospital.
Notices and responds when a child is absent.
Impacts the entire church.
Takes care of details with excellence.
Knows it takes prayer and preparation.
Knows WHY it is teaching what it is teaching
Constantly evaluates and stops what is not working.
Has a calm nursery.
Has elementary services that are quiet at times and loud at times.
Works very closely with student ministry.
Has stories about entire families that were reached through the children.
Knows what it does well and focuses on it.
Is clean.
Keeps kids safe and secure.
Teaches application just as much as information.
Provides serving opportunities that help kids grow in their faith.
Cares more about building THE kingdom than it does about building ITS kingdom.
Has clear, spiritual growth steps for children to take.
Has every child connected into a small group where they are known, loved, and cared for.
Grows by reaching unchurched families instead of transfers from other churches.
Has kids lining up to get inside the doors and crying when have to leave.
Doesn't think it's the ultimate Children's Ministry.

I don't think any of us have arrived there yet, but it's something we should be striving for. What are some other traits you think the ultimate Children's Ministry would have? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Great Leaders in History and What KidMin Can Learn From Them

2011-12-09T06:40:00.000-05:00

Time Life magazine recently listed Great Leaders Through History. Though you or I may not agree with some of these leaders in certain areas of thought, there is much we can learn from them about leadership. They are listed below with one of the things I believe they can teach us about leading in Children's Ministry.


Ghandi, Pioneer of Nonviolent Protest

Learn to use respect to win people over, instead of using power to bend people to your will. As a leader, it is a very simple matter to leverage on your position or your authority to coerce people to bend to your will. However, it is your true strength as a leader that can persuade and convince people to follow you with their hearts.

Vince Lombardi, Legendary Coach

You cannot bypass hard work. Most people would like to convince you otherwise but the truth is, there is none other. Show your team the value of hard work by example; and as you lead by hard work, your team will follow.


Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President

Great leaders are visionaries. They have an instinct for the future, a course to steer, a port to seek. Through their capacity for persuasion, they win the consent of their people and call forth inner resources.

Steve Jobs, Apple

Be innovative. If you want to maintain your leadership, you have to create new ideas, new initiatives, all in the spirit of moving your organizational mission forward.

Nelson Mandela, Prisoner turned President of South Africa

Remember not everyone will support your vision. No matter how ideal your vision is, the fact is that a vision means change for people. Not everyone wants to change because change is uncomfortable. For some, change is outright painful. Don’t expect everyone around you to rally behind you. Expect some people to stand against you.

Golda Meir, Prime Minister Israel

Make complex issues appear simple and express your views in plain but emotional terms. Even when she spoke to an audience of thousands, it could sound as though she was speaking in her living room."

Dr. M.L King, Civil Rights Leader

Engage the heart. While logic may compel the mind, stories and metaphors move the heart. This is the difference between offering information and inspiration.

Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister

Accumulate experience. One may say that success is the result of good judgement, that good judgement is the result of experience and that experience is often the result of bad judgement.

Douglas MacArthur, U.S. General

Have confidence derived from conviction. Quote - "Duty, Honor, Country - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady and Social Reformer

Be optimistic. Optimism is a key to leadership and Roosevelt was a great optimist.

Captain Kirk, USS Enterprise

Take action. When faced between doing nothing, and taking action, Kirk always chose the latter. When necessary he would leap in before looking and improvise along the way, adjusting his actions as necessary.

Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul and Humanitarian

Be a great listener. As an interactive leader, Oprah is deeply aware of the feelings and emotions of those around her.

What other leaders in history have you learned from? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Power of a Grandparent's Legacy

2011-12-08T07:16:00.000-05:00

LeCrae is an award winning artist who is making an impact in the lives of young people around the world. As I was watching him share his story in the video below, I was reminded of the godly example a grandparent can be for their grandchild.

He starts off with...
"I remember when I was 17 and a lady asked me, 'Are you saved?' I didn't have any idea what she meant. What is 'saved?' The best thing I could think through was maybe she means, 'Am I like my grandmother?'

Soon his grandmother's prayers would be answered as LeCrae found Christ and his life was transformed.

As you seek to partner with parents...don't forget the power of a grandparent's legacy. The compounded spiritual influence of a parent and grandparent in the life of a child can be profound.

And in many cases, the grandparent is raising the child. A recent report shows that 4.9 million children are being raised by a grandparent in the U.S.

Here's 6 questions to think about...
1. How can I leverage the spiritual influence of grandparents in the life of their grandchild?
2. How can I be more intentional about involving grandparents in their grandchild's spiritual
milestones?
3. What can I do to encourage grandparents who are raising their grandchildren?
4. How can I involve grandparents in serving in their grandchild's environment at church?
5. How can I connect our Children's Ministry to the Senior Adult Ministry in our church?
6. What tools and resources can I give grandparents to help disciple their grandchildren?

Posted by Dale Hudson

Storytelling...Disney Style!

2011-12-07T06:56:00.003-05:00

A story is simply a communication tool. And when it is well done, it will grab people's attention and convey the message. There is something about stories that draws us in. Jesus knew this. He used a lot of stories (parables) to communicate truth.

Have you ever noticed when you are teaching that everyone focuses in when you begin telling a story? And when the story is over, you can sense they pull back some of their focus? It's a natural reaction.

Disney is good at connecting with kids and families because they are good at telling stories. Watch this short video and see how to tell stories..Disney style. After the video, I list 4 key components of great storytelling that I've learned from them.

Great storytelling involves...

Great content.

We have the best content ever written...the Bible. It contains the most exciting, challenging, and relevant stories every penned.

Great creativity. The best stories deserve the best presentation. Let's stop droning and start delivering.

Great characters.

Talk about a cast of "A" listers. We've got it. David, Esther, Jonah, Moses, Ruth, Paul, Joshua, Mary, and more. Choose storytellers who will do them justice.

Great costumes.

Make your great cast of characters come alive by using costumes. Telling the story of David and Goliath? Make sure you have a slingshot. Sharing the story of Jonah the whale? Wrap some seaweed around your shoulders.

What are some other components of great storytelling that you use? Would enjoy hearing your ideas in the comments section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Leadership Lessons I've Gleaned From Dr. Ronnie Floyd

2011-12-06T06:30:00.004-05:00

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is one of my heroes and mentors in ministry. He has been a pastor for over 35 years. Since 1986, he has served as the Senior Pastor of
Cross Church. Under his leadership, the church has grown to minister to thousands of people each week. He has authored 20 books that have been used to equip believers around the world. His books Our Last Great Hope, The Power of Prayer and Fasting, and 10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know are must reads for those in ministry.

I had the honor of serving on his staff team for 7 years as Children's Pastor. A few weeks ago, Cross Church
celebrated his 25th anniversary as Senior Pastor.
I had the joy of going back to be part of honoring him and sharing how he has impacted my life. What he has taught me by word and example over the years has made a huge difference in my life. Here are some leadership lessons I have gleaned from his life and ministry.

Faithfulness. For two and a half decades, he has faithfully lead Cross Church. Remain faithful to God's call on your life.

Integrity. Who you are is more important than what you
do. Lead from the inside out.

Passion for the lost. He has a great passion to reach his area, America, and the world for Jesus Christ. It permeates his life. Live the great commission.

Family. He has been a loving husband and caring father. His most important ministry has been his wife, Jeana, and their two sons. Both of his sons are serving Christ full-time. Home is where ministry begins.

Prayer and Fasting. He has taught us to make walking with God a priority in our lives. Our public ministry must be a reflection of our private time with God.

Legacy. There are leaders around the world who are part of his legacy because he has been intentional about pouring into others. Invest your life in helping others succeed.

Children and Student Ministry. He has made reaching the next generation a high priority in his ministry. He invests heavily in these areas. He opened the door for Bruce Barry of Wacky World to build the first animated children's worship environment in the nation. Bruce found Christ under his ministry and has gone on to create children's worship environments in churches across the nation. Below is a picture that Bruce drew to celebrate Pastor Floyd's 25th anniversary at Cross Church (Bruce - left, Pastor - middle, me - right).

Thoughtfulness. He takes time to express appreciation to those around him. Those who have served with him can attest to this. I have many hand-written thank you notes he has given me. Be intentional about saying "thank you" to the people you serve with.

Encouragement. On a number of occasions he has told me, "I believe in you." Those words have brought encouragement and confidence. Use your words to speak life and blessings into those around you.

Thank you, Pastor, for your impact and investment in our family. We will continue to pass along what you have taught us to others.

Here is a short clip of what I shared at the 25th anniversary service.

How to Get Kids' Attention Back When You Are Teaching or Leading a Class

2011-12-05T06:14:00.001-05:00

Do you ever lose children's attention while you are teaching or leading a class? It happens to all of us at times. In this short video, I share 7 simple ways to re-engage children when you lose their attention.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Christmas Idea #5 for Children's Ministry

2011-12-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

This week I am posting Christmas ideas for Children's Ministry. Idea #5 is taking the kids to sing out in the community. There are many places looking for children's groups to sing Christmas songs during the Christmas season. We have sung in malls, retirement homes, city Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, festivals, and more. When you lead the kids to reach out to the community at Christmas...

It is obeying the Great Commission to go into the world and share the good news.
Children grow in their faith by serving others.
You have the opportunity to invite families to visit your church.
You are serving your community.
You are partnering with parents. Parents will get involved and help when their children have these type opportunities.

There are lots of opportunities for the kids to make an impact in your community at Christmas. Be intentional about looking for those opportunities and then ask to be part of them.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Christmas Idea #4 for Children's Ministry

2011-12-01T07:01:00.000-05:00

This week I am sharing Christmas ideas for Children's Ministry. Idea #4 is Christmas Volunteers. Most churches have additional services at Christmas time. This usually means you will need extra volunteers in Children's Ministry. This provides you with a great opportunity to enlist new volunteers.

Here's a strategy that we have had good success with.

4 weeks out begin asking people for a one-time serve for Christmas services. Normally I do not recommend doing church-wide asks in the adult service. But Christmas and Easter are the exceptions. If you present it as a church-wide push for people to step up and help at a Christmas service, you will usually get good response. Present all church ministries together when doing this. This should be in addition to the best way to enlist volunteers...one-on-one asks. You will need to do both to be the most effective.

Enlist with vision instead of need. Explain to potential volunteers that many families will try out "church" at Christmas time who otherwise would not attend. By volunteering, they are playing a key role in reaching families for Christ.

Place the new volunteers with your key, current volunteers when they serve. See this post for more details on how to effectively do this.

Give each person that volunteered a handwritten thank you note and small gift for serving.

After Christmas, personally invite the people who served for the first time to come back and join the team on a regular basis. We normally get a 60-70% return rate.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Christmas Idea #3 for Children's Ministry

2011-11-30T05:38:00.001-05:00

This week I am posting Christmas ideas for Children's Ministry. Idea #3 is a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party. Hosting a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party can help turn children's focus toward the true meaning of Christmas. Here's the logistics...

Teach the children that Christmas is about Jesus coming to the earth as our Savior. We are going to celebrate His birth with a party.

Pick a weekend to host the party. We host ours during the service on the weekend before Christmas.

Print party invitations and distribute them to the children and families. Give children a few extra and encourage them to bring a friend. Christmas is a great time to invite friends to come to church.

Elements to include in the party...

Worship
Praise (give kids the opportunity to share what Jesus has and is doing in their life)
Lesson about the birth of Christ and why He came
Special "Jesus' birthday offering." (see yesterday's post for more info)
A birthday cake that says "Jesus."
Sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Christmas Idea #2 for Children's Ministry

2011-11-29T07:13:00.003-05:00

This week I am sharing Christmas ideas for Children's Ministry. Idea #2 is a Jesus' birthday offering.

It's normal for a child to be focused on what he or she is "getting" for Christmas. As a child, I remember my "wish list" consumed many of my thoughts about Christmas.

But what if we turned children's primary focus from what they are "getting" for Christmas to what they are "giving" for Christmas? What a great opportunity to instill in children a heart of giving and living for others.

One way to do this is to have a "Jesus' birthday offering."

Teach children and families that Christmas is about Jesus coming to the earth for us. He should receive our best gifts at Christmas. It is very important to teach the children the "why" behind the offering. This moves it from something to "do" to something to "live."

Pick a weekend to receive the "Jesus' birthday offering." We receive the offering on our "Happy Birthday Jesus" weekend. I'll share more about this in Wednesday's post.

Give children a container to collect their offering in (below is the one we use). Another option is to print labels that kids can tape around a can or jar.

Choose a need or project for the offering. Children respond well when they have something specific to give toward. Show them pictures of what they will be giving toward (clean water for needy country, homeless shelter, funding a church building for a missionary, etc.).

Align with the entire church if a church-wide offering is being taken.

Communicate about the offering to parents and partner with them. The goal is to get the entire family involved. Here is a short video Pastor Maxwell made to explain the offering to families in our church.

Give children ideas on how to collect money for the offering (ask for one of their presents to be money toward the offering, do chores, have a yard sale, etc.)

Have a special offering time during the service on the designated weekend.

Report back to the children and families about the results of the offering. Take time to celebrate what God did and the impact the offering is going to have.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Christmas Idea #1 for Children's Ministry

2011-11-28T06:41:00.007-05:00

Each day this week I'll be posting a Christmas Idea for Children's Ministry. Here is Idea #1.

Help families discover a more meaningful, Christ-centered Christmas season by providing them with an Advent Calendar. An Advent Calendar can be a great discipleship tool to place in parent's hands. Below is the calendar we created this year for our families. We included activities for families to experience together such as prayer, Bible reading, baking, singing, watching a video, and more. We are also placing each calendar activity on our parent Facebook page. (day #18 is a video to watch - text is not seen in this version)

You can create your own Advent calendar using a simple computer program such as Microsoft Publisher or there are lots of free online Advent calendars available for download.
Family Advent Calendar
Posted by Dale Hudson

In Line to See Santa

2011-11-25T08:47:00.001-05:00

I hate waiting in line...don't you? The ultimate misery for me is waiting in line at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. It's enough to drive you crazy!

But I have watched preschool parents willfully stand in long lines. I've seen them stand in line for an hour just so their child could see Santa. I've seen them wait in long department store lines just so their child could have the popular toy that everyone wanted. I've seen them weave their way through a maze of line stanchions so their child could go on a ride at a theme park. I've seen them wait in the summer heat so their child could have their picture taken with their favorite Disney character. I've seen them wait patiently past their child's bedtime so they could be part of a special holiday event like 4^th of July fireworks. I've seen them stand in line to make their child's birthday extra special.

All of that waiting was for one reason...so their child could have an experience that would create a wonderful memory. When I was a preschool parent, I stood in those lines right along with everyone else. I wanted my boys to have fun experiences that would bring a smile to their face and give them fond memories of their childhood.

So if parents are that committed to seeing their children have great experiences, we must ask ourselves this question. How can we create preschool experiences at church that will have parents lined up to get their child in?

Why do parents line up for their child to see Santa and their favorite Disney character? Because these are icons that they have a relationship with. These icons touch their heart strings and foster happy memories. These icons touch the inner need of feeling loved by someone. What if your preschool ministry was full of volunteers (icons and characters) that made preschoolers feel loved. Volunteers that cheerfully greet them by name each week. Volunteers that create happy memories for them. I have some volunteers that are at that level. And parents and preschoolers can't wait to get to their class each weekend. Parents will line up to have their preschooler in an environment where caring leaders build a loving, nurturing relationship with their child.

Why do parents line up to purchase the popular toy that everyone wants? Because they want their child to have the very best. What if your church became known as the best place in town for preschoolers? What if the word spread that preschoolers were learning and living out Biblical truths they were being taught at your church? What if unchurched preschool families saw the positive impact your church was having on the families who were attending which caused them to want the same for their family?

Why do parents wait in long lines for their child to experience a ride at a theme park? Because they want them to have a fun experience. When they are on the ride you will see them watching their child's expressions closely. They love to see their child's eyes light up with wonder. What if we created hands on, interactive learning experiences at church that amazed preschoolers? What if we created worship experiences that lit up their faces with God's glory? What if we offered shared experiences where parents and preschoolers could have fun together?

Why do parents wait patiently so their child can be a part of a special holiday or birthday event? Because they want to celebrate milestones with their child. What if we provide spiritual celebrations and milestones that parents can experience with their child?

I recently witnessed something that was exciting for me. A mother was leaving church with her preschooler. She had her preschooler in her arms. He was pitching a royal fit! He was trying to get away from her with all his might. He even had his take home paper in his hand and was hitting her with it. I'll never forget what he was yelling! He was yelling, “NO! I don't want to leave! NO! I don't want to leave!” I'm not excusing his behavior. But my heart did rejoice that he had such a great experience at church that he didn't want to leave. I'd rather our preschool parents having to drag their children AWAY from church instead of TO church!

My prayer is that half empty hallways and classrooms will be a thing of the past for churches. That parents will be lining up to get their children in our preschool ministries! If we incorporate the things mentioned above, it can become a reality!

Posted by Dale Hudson

Family Geocaching at Church?

2011-11-23T08:02:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Geocaching? Thousands of families are participating across the world.

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek", sharing many aspects with benchmarking, rigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.After 10 years of activity there are over 1,532,000 active geocaches published on various websites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide.

Here's a video that explains more about it.

The popularity of this activity among families has really got me thinking.

So...what if...you had geocaching at church?
What if on a weekend, you hid several family discipleship tools in the geocaches at your church? (devotion books, music CD's, tickets to a family music concert, etc.)
Sent out clues to families via email, text, or Facebook?
Invited families to come look for the geocaches before or after the service?
Tied the geocaches into what you are teaching that month?
Included a family discussion question from your lesson inside the geocache?

I think this is something families might get excited about. I think it might encourage some families to be more faithful in their attendance. I think it could have some kids dragging their parents to church. I think it could spark some family Bible discussions and discipleship. I think it could help parents have faith talks with their kids. I think I'm going to try it. I'll need to work out the logistics, but I think it has the potential to make an impact.

What do you think? Have you heard of anyone trying this at church? Do you think it would work? Any ideas on how you'd do it? Would enjoy hearing your feedback in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Our Children's Ministry Weekend Schedule

2011-11-22T08:50:00.000-05:00

People often ask about our Children's Ministry weekend schedule. Here's what it looks like...

Saturday
4:45 pm     Staff Prayer
5:20 pm     Volunteer Huddles/Prayer
5:30 pm     Doors Open
6:00 pm     Service #1
                  Early Childhood (45 min. class time /15 min. chapel)
                  Elementary (30 min. large group / 30 min. small group)
7:00 pm     Pick-up

Sunday
7:45 am     Staff Devotions/Prayer
8:20 am     Volunteer Huddles/Prayer
8:30 am     Doors Open
9:00 am     Service #2 (same schedule as service #1)
10:00 am   Pick-up

10:00 am   Volunteer Huddles/Prayer
10:10 am   Doors Open
10:30 am   Service #3 (same schedule as service #1)
11:30 am   Pick-up

11:40 am   Volunteer Huddles/Prayer
11:50 am   Doors Open
12:12 pm   Service #4 (same schedule as service #1)
1:12 pm     Pick-up

Other

New Volunteer Orientation - every weekend during services
Room available for children who are at church for 2 hrs. due to their parents serving - every weekend during service #3
Guest Reception - 1st weekend of every month after services
Baptism Class - 2nd weekend of each month during services (child/parents attend together)
Parent/Child Dedication Class - 2nd weekend of every other month during services
Parent/Child Dedication - 3rd weekend every other month during services
Baptism - 4th weekend of every month during services

What does your weekend schedule look like? Would enjoy seeing what you do. Share in the comments section.

Posted by Dale Hudson

9 Tips for a Children's Ministry Makeover

2011-11-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

Stuck in a rut?
Need some updates?
Tired of the same old, same old?

Maybe it's time for a ministry makeover. Here's nine tips that can breathe new life into your children's ministry.

A fresh coat of paint. It's amazing the lift that fun, kid-friendly paint can bring. Get out the brush and re-paint some of those tired old colors.

New curriculum. Have you been using the same curriculum for several years? Maybe it's time to look for something new that will challenge your teachers and kids.

Stop doing what's not working and re-focus the energy, time, and resources toward what is working. Are there any tired, old, ineffective programs you're propping up just for the sake of tradition? Are they holding you back? Change may be necessary if you want a makeover.

Bring some new volunteers on the team. New volunteers bring energy, excitement, and life with them. They will be an encouragement and inspiration to your current volunteers.

A new logo can bring excitement to your Children's Ministry. Have it professionally done and put it on new shirts, signage, brochures, etc.

Adjust your schedule. Are your rooms full? Do you need to add an additional service? Would adjusting your weekend service schedule 15-30- minutes make it more family-friendly? Would a new schedule allow you to reach more people?

Bring in some outside eyes. Familiarity can cause you to become blind to things that need to be updated or adjusted. Ask someone to come in and evaluate the ministry. It might be someone from another department in your church or someone you bring in from the outside as a consultant.

Re-assign or dismiss people who are blocking progress. Is there someone who is holding back the ministry? If there is, they're probably coming to your mind right now. Hard conversations are never easy to have and difficult decisions take courage to make. But sometimes it's necessary if you're going to move forward.

Build a new children's area or building. This is the most expensive way to makeover your children's ministry. But wow...the return can be incredible. A great children's area can make your Children's Ministry seem even better than it is. It can bring incredible growth and revitalization.

What are some things you have done that have brought new energy and excitement into your ministry?
What are some things you have been thinking about trying?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

How to Be a Children's Ministry That Influences Families

2011-11-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

It's a given our children's ministries influence kids. But are we influencing families? When our influence is expanded to the entire family, we can see exponential impact. Here are ten ways to expand your influence to the entire family.

Be prepared to minister to families when they are going through difficult times.
God wants to work through you to influence families when they are at the hospital...when they are seeking counseling...when they are mourning at the funeral home...when they are in financial crisis.

Give parents easy-to-use discipleship resources and tools.
Many parents feel like they can't effectively disciple their children unless they are a Bible scholar. Encourage parents by providing them simple, user-friendly resources.

Don't add too much to their already crazy, busy schedules and guilt them for not being there.
Families make choices with their time. If you are constantly expecting them to be at the church for extra programs or events, they can become disheartened and overwhelmed.

Strategically look at their family calenders when planning your church calendar.
Take into consideration holidays, days school is out, 3 day weekends, spring breaks, graduation dates, etc. when planning. Make sure you place key events, classes, etc. at times when it won't be competing with other family events.

Partner with other ministries.
Become best friends with student ministry, adult ministry, women's ministry, and men's ministry. Work closely with them and together create a strategy to influence families. Here's an example. We sat down with adult ministries and shared with them the child dedication class dates for next year. They purposely created parenting and marriage classes that will roll out of the child dedication class dates.

Set up key, family milestones you celebrate with them.
There are key times in a family's life when they swing the doors wide open and invite you to bring influence into their home. Set up classes and celebrations for milestones like child dedication, baptism, pre-teen passage, high school graduation, etc.

Be just as intentional about building relationships with parents as you are with kids.
Spend intentional time talking with parents, going to adult ministry activities, attending adult worship, etc. When you build relationships with parents, you open their hearts to receive your influence.

Find out their needs as a family.
What are they struggling with? What challenges are they dealing with as parents? What is their home life like? How can you best minister to them? This is done through the step above as you build relationships with families and spend time listening to them. You can also host a parent focus group a few times a year and intentionally ask these type questions.

Provide opportunities for families to serve together.
At church...in the community...families are looking for opportunities to serve together. Create family service opportunities and projects.

Provide events for families to enjoy together.
Family activity nights...family worship nights...family camps...family concerts...all great ways to get families together so you can speak into their lives.

Influence a kid and you will change a life...influence parents and you will change a home.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Resources We Recommend to Parents

2011-11-17T07:07:00.001-05:00

Each month we connect with parents through a short video. We post the video on our parent Facebook page. Our goal is to encourage and equip parents as they influence their children spiritually. This month we used the video to share which Bibles, devo books, DVD's, and music we recommend. We also gave parents some quick tips on how to use the resources during the week. We intentionally chose resources that will help connect church and home.

You can see which resources we recommended in the video below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Multi-Generational Households Increasing

2011-11-16T06:39:00.000-05:00

According to the Census Bureau, the number of Americans living in multi-generational households has shot up, increasing by 4.9 million, or 10.5%, from 2007 to 2009.

Multi-generational households include households with:

Two generations: parents (or in-laws) and adult children ages 25 and older (or children-in-law).
Three generations: parents (or in-laws), adult children (or children-in-law), grandchildren.
“Skipped” generations: grandparents and grandchildren, without parents.

The increase is primarily due to the economic downturn. The unemployed, whose numbers are growing, are much more likely to live in multi-generational households—25.4% did in 2009, compared with 15.7% of those with jobs. Under these circumstances, it is perhaps natural that more people would reach out to family for financial support.

What does this mean for our ministries?

How can we effectively minister to multi-generational households?

What are the positives for kids who are living in multi-generational households?

What are the negatives for kids who are living in multi-generational households?

How does this affect family ministry?

What do we need to change or adjust to meet the needs of multi-generational households?

Would enjoy hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

10 Best Places to Find New Volunteers

2011-11-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

Need some new volunteers? Here's 10 great places to find them.

1.    New member class.
2.    Baptistry.
3.    Wherever the coffee pots are.
4.    Church hallway after service.
5.    Adult class/small group activities.
6.    Parent drop off/pick-up line.
7.    "Join the Team" table in the church lobby.
8.    Student ministry.
9.    Children's special events.
10. Men's / women's ministry.

Intentionally make connections in these places and you will grow your team.

Posted by Dale Hudson