Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category
Posted on November 2, 2009 - by rfrank
9 trends in CM leadership – part 4
Trend #4: Limited budgets and busy volunteers require creativity in training
Volunteers are more important than the people they serve. Stop and think about that. Do you agree? It’s not that the kids aren’t important, but it’s volunteers who interact with the children week after week to influence their lives. Consider that Jesus spent more time with his twelve than he did any other group of people.
Volunteers are important and need to be trained. Training would be easy if it wasn’t for budgets and busy schedules. You can’t afford to bring the world’s best trainers to your church; and if you could, good luck getting everyone to show up. This forces you to be creative in your approach to training.
1) Blogs. Some churches have created traditional blogs and video blogs to train their volunteers.
Justyn Smith, children’s pastor at The Church at South Las Vegas, says, “I use a ‘secret’ blog and podcast site that only my volunteers know about. I also allow my leaders/teachers to post their thoughts and encourage others to discuss them so we can all synergize to come up with solutions or better ways of doing things.”
2) Podcasts. A podcast is a broadcast of multimedia information (usually audio) over the internet. It can then be played on a mobile device or personal computer. Churches are choosing to deliver podcasts on a regular basis so volunteers can listen on their own schedule.
Phillip Harris, children’s pastor at Lawrenceville Church of God, says, “We’ve often shared inspiring and training messages in audio and video formats. Some we’ve made on our own, but we’ve also passed along many that we got from others (like Jim Wideman and reThink). Simple and effective.”
For churches that do not want to create their own podcasts, there are other options. Two such examples are Children’s Ministry Talk and Children’s Ministry Podcast. Children’s Ministry Talk (www.childrensministrytalk.com) is a podcast devoted to providing straight talk for children’s ministry leaders, by children’s ministry leaders, on all things related to children’s ministry. It is hosted by Dick Gruber, Jason Rhode, and other children’s ministry leaders. Children’s Ministry Podcast (www.kidology.org/podcast) is hosted by Karl Bastian and his sidekick puppet, Gus. Together they discuss children’s ministry and provide helpful insights and tips for children’s pastors, leaders, and volunteers.
3) Twitter. Children’s pastors like Sam Luce at Mt. Zion Ministries Church plan to use Twitter to connect with their volunteers. “I am still working out the kinks. I think it is going to be great for my teen/college-age helpers and is much better than email. For my adult volunteers, it may be a tougher sell.”
Posted on October 31, 2009 - by rfrank
9 trends in CM leadership – part 3
Trend #3: Church staffers are learning together
Great things happen when a children’s pastor leaves work and ministry behind and jumps on a plane to network and grow. Conferences like Children’s Pastors’ Conference are staying strong and buzzing with energy in a day when the conference industry in general is struggling.
I see a trend developing in church leadership as it relates to conferences. These leaders are choosing one conference that they can all attend together, which accomplishes two things.
First, it makes good financial sense. Attending a conference can be an expensive ordeal with flights, rental cars, meals, hotels, and registrations. Since finance teams are quick to cut the conference budget in a difficult economy, it makes sense for the staff to attend the same conference.
Second, it promotes healthy collaboration in the church leadership. Church leaders like the idea of the senior pastor, discipleship pastor, youth pastor, and children’s pastor learning together and formulating strategies as a team.
Posted on October 29, 2009 - by rfrank
9 trends in CM leadership – part 2
Trend #2: Children’s pastors are networking online
Not too long ago, if you wanted to network with other children’s pastors, you had few options. You could get in your Pinto and meet someone for lunch, you could pick up the telephone, or you could save your money and go to a conference.
While these still exist (well, maybe not the Pinto part), the opportunities to network are rapidly increasing—thanks to Al Gore’s invention of the internet. There are many online opportunities for networking.
Children’s pastors are connecting on cmconnect.org. Created by Michael Chanley, it started as a spark and is taking off like wildfire with over 4,000 members in its first year. You can connect through forum discussions, blogs, specialized groups, and more. It’s like Facebook or MySpace for children’s ministry.
Another social networking site skyrocketing in popularity is Twitter. Every day 10,000 new users discover that it’s an easy way to stay in touch with each other. Unlike its rivals, Facebook and MySpace, Twitter demands a very small amount of time. That appealed to me. It only asks that you answer one question, “What are you doing?” Sounds easy, eh? The tough part is saying it in 140 characters or less. Updates range from “Staff meeting in full swing” to “Eating soup with a fork. Need to make a supply run this week.”
While social networking grows, we must also acknowledge the need for face-to-face interaction with peers in ministry. In his book, Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi says that interacting with others is a key to success. There is nothing that replaces the synergy it creates, which brings me to the next trend.
Posted on October 27, 2009 - by rfrank
A fresh look: 9 new trends in children’s ministry leadership
For the next two weeks, I am going to be sharing an article I wrote for the November/December issue of K! Magazine. The article is called “A Fresh Look: 9 New Trends in Children’s Ministry Leadership.” I shared these nine trends first with the Board of Directors at Awana a few months ago. I decided to develop it into an article for the magazine. Check back every few days and I will post a new trend. Feel free to share these posts with the leaders of your church, but do not publish them (in print or electronically) without writtten permission. Here we go:
Children’s ministry is alive and thriving in the church today. It’s an exciting time to be involved in ministry to kids. To be your best, you need to keep up with the current trends in ministry. What follows is a report on the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m not asking you to agree with every point but just hear the way I see it. Ready?
Trend #1: Children’s pastors are doing more with less
On March 3, 2009, Roger Fields, President of KidzBlitz, took a poll and asked the question, “Is the current economic situation impacting your children’s ministry?” Hundreds of churches responded. The results showed:
Not at all (17%)
Slightly (30%)
Somewhat (39%)
Massively (14%)
The analysis is this: over half of the churches we polled are being impacted significantly by the economy! Consequently, children’s ministry leaders are working with less.
Kimber Scott, Children’s Ministry Director at Mountainside Church of Christ, said, “I had to lower my budget for 2009 by $8,000! We’ve started so many new programs that involve prize-giving. So I went to Goodwill and other thrift stores and bought prizes for 10, 25 and 50 cents each. They’re new toys!”
Tonya Pinkerton, Children’s Pastor at Farmland Friends Church said, “Our church just built three new rooms for the kids … A couple weeks ago we had our big grand opening, but nothing on the walls. After seeing the large posters of kids at the GAP store in the mall, our pastor got creative and asked the store employees for the posters they were going to throw away. GAP not only gave us the posters, they gave us all kinds of neat pictures of kids and a container to hold them! We put them up all over our children’s ministry rooms and halls!”
Posted on October 15, 2009 - by rfrank
Books that K! editors are reading
I love our K! Magazine editor meetings. Every-other month a dozen people from all over the country get on the phone and talk leadership and children’s ministry. I learn so much from these friends. We met this week and one thing I left the meeting with was a list of books that our editors are reading. I want you to know about them.
Gifted to Lead: The Art of Leading As a Woman in the Church
What Are You Living For?: Investing Your Life in What Matters Most
The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary
The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership (J-B Warren Bennis Series)
Generation Change: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World (Invert)
Game Plan for Life: Your Personal Playbook for Success
You didn’t know reading this blog was going to cost you money, did you?
Posted on September 16, 2009 - by rfrank
Email “no-no’s”
Email has changed the way people live and work. I did a Google search to see how many people use email. WikiAnswers.com was a lot of help. When asked, “How many people use email worldwide?” their best answer is “Basically anyone with a computer.” No duh.
Just because email is good for some things doesn’t mean it’s good for everything. Here are some times when you should NOT use email.
- When you have to deliver bad news. Do this face to face.
- When you need to discipline an employee or volunteer. Too many people think the ‘e’ in email stands for ‘easy way out’ and boy are they wrong.
- When you are mad. Take 24 hours and think about it before you email. Ministry is about relationships and communication can make or break relationships. Any single email could be the catalyst for cementing a relationship or for destroying it – bottom line.
- When you need feedback that can’t fit in a few paragraphs. Don’t make someone write a book in an email.
- When you need a formal vote (a motion, a second, discussion, and final votes). You end up with a long thread of emails and everyone gets confused and frustrated the longer it gets.
- When you have complicated instructions you are trying to teach. Pick up the telephone.
- When you want to gossip. How many times have you jokingly said (or not jokingly), “If you quote me, I’ll simply deny it.” News flash – this isn’t possible on email!
- When you have nothing to add. Ask yourself, “Am I adding to the conversation or just making my voice heard?”
Am I forgetting anything? If so, leave a comment and let me know.
Posted on August 16, 2009 - by rfrank
Fighting staff infections – part 3
Tip #3 for fighting staff infections in your ministry: Don’t be tunnel-visioned.
Tunnel vision is a medical condition that results in a loss of peripheral vision. As a result, the patient can only see objects from within a circular field. Tunnel vision can happen in your ministry too. It’s when you lose peripheral vision of the entire church ministry and your only see your ministry.
One thing your senior pastor has that you don’t is perspective of the entire church ministry. He knows the pulse of the people and is responsible for every ministry in the church. He is the overseer of the church. If you push for that budget increase, that major project, that big calendar item, etc. and are tunnel-visioned about your ministry, you are going to build walls between you and your pastor. Tear that wall down by being a team player.
Listen and listen close. Tunnel vision in your ministry will get you no where. It’s a dead end street. In 1946, Darryl Zanuck, then head of 20th Century Fox, predicted “Video (television) won’t hold any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” That guy was had a serious case of tunnel vision.
Posted on August 6, 2009 - by rfrank
Fighting staff infections – part 2
Are you committed to fighting staff infection in your life and ministry? I sure hope so. If you are, you need to consider this second tip: Share your pastor’s vision.
As a children’s pastor, you’ve got to do whatever it takes to stay in tune with your pastor’s vision for the church and ministry. Make his vision your own. It’s not easy to keep in tune with his vision when you are back with the kids every weekend. Every week I try to listen to my pastor’s message from Sunday morning. I don’t want to miss what he has to say. I want his vision to transfer to my heart.
Let me give you one example. Early this year my pastor led our church into making 2008 a year of prayer. He had a vision for the church being a house of prayer. As I discovered this vision, I made it my own. I started a series on prayer in Kid’s Church.
One of the biggest parts of your job is to help your pastor fulfill his vision. Make his vision yours. Buy into it. It will stop staff infection.
Posted on August 2, 2009 - by rfrank
Fighting staff infections – part 1
Sometimes you just know that your friends are rubbing off on you. I was never much of a list guy until I started hanging with Jim Wideman. Jim loves lists. You don’t have to read this blog or K! Magazine much to learn this about him. Here I am, starting a new series of blog posts that are numbered. You’ll forgive me, right?
We’ve all heard of staph infections. A staph infection is a bacterial infection that grows deep below the skin. This bacteria usually enters the skin through open cuts and can be life-threatening. Today I am writing not about staph infections – but staff infections.
Staff infections are grow deep below the skin too. They enter through the mind and go right to the heart. They can threaten the life of your personal life and ministry and must be avoided at every cost. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for reading this blog post – you’re on the right path.
Do you ever wish you could vote your senior pastor off the island? Guess what, at some point he has wished the same thing about you. You’ll never be effective in children’s ministry until you learn to do more than survive with your senior pastor. You’ve got to go from surviving to thriving. Over the next several days I’ll share some tips with you for energizing your relationship with your pastor.
Tip #1: Make communication a priority.
I have a great relationship with my pastor but it’s been work. Hard word. We are opposites in so many ways. I’ve learned the hard way that communication is critical in our relationship. I do my best to communicate with him every way I can. I Bcc: him on important emails. Any time we print something for our children’s ministry, I make sure a copy gets in his mailbox. He gets a copy of every memo. I talk to him whenever I suspect there is a problem with a volunteer or member of the church. I touch base with him on big projects and keep him up to speed.
In your efforts to make communication a priority, don’t barrage him with minute-by-minute updates. Remember, he’s a busy guy. But the minute you hear about a serious problem, let him know right away.
One last point, I learned years ago that my pastor doesn’t like to be surprised. He doesn’t have to be involved in every decision, but he doesn’t like to be surprised. I bet your pastor hates surprises too.
One of the best ways to fight staff infections is to start talking to your pastor.
Posted on July 23, 2009 - by rfrank
My Mount Rushmore of Children’s Pastors
You’ve read my Mount Rushmore of Preachers. Now I want to tell you about my Mount Rushmore of Children’s Pastors. I’ve got to tell you this was a toughie. I’ve narrowed it down to four people that have been the most influential children’s pastors in my life. Here you go.
1. D.L. Moody. Moody was a children’s pastor before there were children’s pastors. This shoe salesman turned preacher would go up and down the streets of Chicago picking kids up and taking them to Sunday School. His Sunday School was so popular that President Lincoln came to see it for himself.
2. Henrietta Mears. Henrietta was the Director of Religious Education at a Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, California for 35 years. She was a church staffer before women had staff positions in the church. Over 400 of her kids entered full-time Christian ministry under her influence. She dreamed big. She wanted to impact the world for Jesus Christ. Her goal in her own words: “Only the best possible is good enough for God.”
3. Mike Bright. I first met Mike at Children’s Pastors’ Conference in 2002. This was before KidzMatter, K! Magazine, and my position as a board member for INCM. I registered for CPC as an attendee and was doing some real soul searching. Mike was director of conventions for Standard Publishing. He led a few workshops at CPC that God used to solidify my call to children’s ministry at a time when I was doubting it. He died that following year after a 5-month battle with cancer.
4. Jim Wideman. He’s the pastor to children’s pastors all around the world. I now have the unique prvilege of calling Jim a good friend. He’s an editor for K! Magazine and is one of the few guys that I try to call every few weeks on the phone “just because.” I always learn from Jim. God has given him great wisdom when it comes to leadership and church work. You ought to join his club if you haven’t already.
These four servants of God set the standard pretty high for each of us. Now you’ve read my Mount Rushmore of Children’s Pastors. Who are yours?
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About Ryan
Ryan Frank is a husband, dad, children's pastor, creator of KidzMatter, and publisher of K! Magazine.
