Ryan Frank

Posts Tagged ‘101’

Posted on July 14, 2010 - by rfrank

#6. Two hotels and a few cans of paint.

Across the street from our KidzMatter headquarters is a Hampton Inn. About 100 yards south is a Comfort Inn and Suites. I noticed something the other day. One of the hotels started painting the outside of the building. Then guess what? The other hotel started painting theirs a few days later. Good ol’ competition.

Christians are constantly told not to “compare yourselves among yourselves” but I want you rethink that. True, we don’t rate our walk with God by comparing ourselves to others, but every now and then a dose of comparison is healthy. Especially for leaders.

Great leaders learn from other leaders. They even compare themselves to each other every now and then. It makes them better. Start learning from others and once you start, never stop. Read their books and blogs, follow them on Twitter, buy them a cup of coffee, hang around them whenever you can.

Let’s recap.

1) Compare your leadership to other leaders.

2) Ask yourself, “What do I need to change?”

3) Buy some paint.

This is one of a series of blog posts titled: 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off the Ground (Without the Hot Air)

Posted on July 5, 2010 - by rfrank

#5. Leaders let go (just ask Andy).

This past Saturday, Beth and I took the girls to watch Toy Story 3. It was really more for Luci than anyone else. Our 8-week-old, Londyn, slept through the whole thing. Except for the fact that it cost me $28 for three tickets and I got ripped off at the concession stand it was a great night. (Because AMC doesn’t make enough money on their concessions, they only offer “free refills” on large popcorn now. Irritating.)

I was nothing short of impressed with the movie which brought a conclusion to the story of Andy and his toys. It’s my favorite Toy Story for sure. I found myself laughing a lot during the movie. However, those laughs turned into tears in the final scene. Yes, I was crying. And I wasn’t the only one. The tears came when Andy, on his way to college, finally said goodbye to his toys and gave them to a young, playful little girl. He learned to let go. Something that a lot of children’s pastors never learn.

Here’s my question for you. What do you need to let go of?

This is one of a series of blog posts titled: 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off the Ground (Without the Hot Air)

Posted on June 14, 2010 - by rfrank

#4. Thank you Starbucks. It’s about time.

Today Starbucks announced (via a Tweet) that free Internet is coming to all of it’s 11,000 plus coffee shops. Yep, free. Just order your coffee, open your laptop, and make a single click. No more dreaded registration pages. Hip hip hooray. What does this have to do with children’s ministry? Here are a few things:

1. Find a new way to make a splash. This is a big announcement from the coffee king of America. They unrolled it in a Tweet. No TV commercials or big posters on their walls (yet) but in a simple Tweet. Actual cost? Nothing. Come up with new and different ways to make your big announcements. The church bulletin is overrated and people are tired of looking at that same bulletin board.

2. If something needs changed, change it. Everyone has been complaining for years that you can’t get free Wi-fi with your Grande Vanilla Latte. Well, at least I have. Starbucks listened and made a change. What is it in your ministry that everyone is screaming for you to change? Step one: Start listening. Step two: Get off your duff. Step three: Change it.

3. Make life easier for the (little) people that enter your doors. My guess is that sales will go up for Starbucks. They are giving people what they need (and want). What do the kids in your church want? What do they need? Here’s how to find out in a single word: ask.

4. The Internet is here to stay. We live in an electronic world and the Internet has penetrated our society. The kids in your ministry are digital. In 20 years, will kids still carry a Bible and their Awana handbook with them to church or will it be on their iPhone or iPod? If I were a betting man, I would say it will come in a lot less than 20 years.

This is one of a series of blog posts titled: 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off the Ground (Without the Hot Air)

Posted on May 19, 2010 - by rfrank

#3. 64 1/2 ways to help.

Today when driving through town I saw a sign outside a copy store that said, “We Do Everything.” I thought to myself: “Everything? Wouldn’t that be nice!”

Sometimes we think we can do everything. We can prepare the lesson, recruit the volunteers, make the plans, and on and on I could go. The problem with this idea is that it leads to a big mess. You can’t do it all. Go ahead and try. You will crash and burn. What’s the solution? Get some help! The two most important words some of you need to change your ministry are these: Get help. There are some people in your church that want to help but they need you to ask.

A few weeks ago I got a newsletter in the mail from another church in our town. I enjoyed flipping through it, especially when I got to the middle. There was an article called “64 & 1/2 Ways to Help, Encourage, and/or Donate to Our Children’s Ministry.” I love it!

I know you are dying to see the list. I called the children’s ministry director at the church (shout out to Shanna Herron!) and asked her if I could reprint it. She obliged. Enjoy.

1. Donate WASHABLE Tempera Paint & Brushes

2. Donate a Wal-Mart Gift Card

3. Pray specifically for the children’s ministry on Sundays between the hours of 9:45am-11:30am

(more…)

Posted on April 27, 2010 - by rfrank

#2. Jesus in the morning

Tonight Luci was in the bathtub and I asked her if she wanted to listen to some music. Dumb question. Of course she did. I plugged in her iPod and she listened to some kids praise songs. I forget which album it was, but that’s not important. A few minutes later I went in to check on her and the song was playing, “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus in the morning. Jesus at the noon time. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus when the sun goes down!” Do you remember singing this song when you were a kid? Man, I sure do and the motions came right back to me. It made me think about the songs I sang as a kid in children’s church. Most of them were about Jesus or about the Bible. We sang about loving God, serving God, praising God, and you get the idea.

Worship has changed the last ten years for adults (and kids). People don’t want to sing about God, they want to sing to God. My mind goes to Psalm 30:4 that I memorized in Awana. It says, “Sing unto the Lord.” Key word: unto.

Can kids sing unto the Lord? You better believe it. They want to. Don’t force them to sing only about Him.

Before I get 100 emails chewing me out for attacking the old songs, let me tell you that there isn’t a thing wrong with the classics. I want Luci to know the songs I knew when I was a kid. I like singing “The B-I-B-L-E” and some of those oldies together. Just ask yourself this question: Are you creating opportunities for kids to sing unto the Lord, or is it all about who can sing the best, the loudest, and most importantly – follow you on the motions?

This is one of a series of blog posts titled: 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off the Ground (Without the Hot Air)

Posted on April 26, 2010 - by rfrank

#1. Credit card companies and brown M&Ms

I only carry four credit cards in my wallet. One for KidzMatter, one for the church, one for my personal use, and an extra that is a back up just for emergencies. (No, you are not getting the numbers.) I love my credit cards – especially the miles and the points! Here’s what I don’t like. The credit card companies always seem to red flag fraudulent use at the worst times in the world. It’s normally when I am out of town. By learning the my normal spending habits, they can spot when the card is being used inappropriately. I always get frustrated when they freeze a card for potential fraud but at the same time I am thankful for the security it provides.

What if you could get early warning signs about big problems in your children’s ministry?

I read an article today in the March, 2010 issue of Fast Company about Van Halen and brown M&Ms. (This is the first and probably last time you will see Van Halen’s name on this blog.) The article was written by Dan Heath and Chip Heath. Back in Van Halen’s hayday (the 80′s) the band put a short clause in it’s touring contract demanding a bowl of M&Ms backstage, but with all the brown ones removed. Keep in mind, this was a very thick contract and the M&M clause was buried in the middle. When the band would show up for a concert, their lead singer would walk backstage and glance at the M&M bowl. If the brown ones were gone, he knew they read the contract and had all the details ready. If the brown ones were still there, there was a nice penalty to pay. One word. Genius.

You are too busy on Sundays to walk around to every class, talk to every teacher and spend time with every parent and child. What if you created a system that announced problems before they got there? Is it possible to send red flags like credit card companies watch for the scammers out there? Is there brown M&M system that would work in your children’s ministry? The corporate world is doing it, why can’t we?

This is one of a series of blog posts titled: 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off the Ground (Without the Hot Air)

Posted on April 26, 2010 - by rfrank

101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off The Ground (Without the Hot Air)

What does it take to get a children’s ministry off the ground? I believe that every leader in children’s ministry wants to succeed. They want their ministry to soar and be successful. But what does it take? I don’t have all the answers for sure. That’s why I am committed to learning from others. There are a ton of ways to learn from each other. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, books, magazines, conferences, network meetings, the telephone, and the list goes on.

I am going to take on a challenge. It’s a new series of blog posts. I am calling it 101 Ways to Get Your Children’s Ministry Off The Ground (Without the Hot Air). I’m always hearing about something fun or new that someone is doing in their church that is working. Some of the most creative people on earth can be found in the children’s ministry of a church. I’ll also share with you random things from current events or maybe a book I am reading that applies to working with kids. I’ll keep my ears to the rail and will post these randomly over the next year. If I write two posts a week, I can get this done in a year. We’ll see how it goes. Some weeks I’m sure I’ll hit more than a few and some weeks I might run dry.

Are you ready to help me with the challenge? If you have any ideas for me or hear of something I need to know about, please email me! My email address is ryan at ryanfrank dot com. Now I better hit the publish button before I talk myself out of this.