WCA Childrens Ministry

The Power of One

I got to do something last weekend that I don’t normally do as a children’s director.  I stood up in “big church” and addressed the adults!  Launching into a 3-week recruitment campaign across four campuses for our Spring serving teams, my campus pastor gave me ONE minute to cast a vision for serving in “The Great Adventure,” our children’s ministry.  One minute?  How can you possibly begin to convey the opportunities and the reasons and the rewards of serving in children’s ministry in ONE minute to a group of people who have never even darkened your doors? 

I do need to admit that I was set up well going into the whole thing.  I wasn’t in this campaign alone.  We’ve got an incredible Central support team who created multiple banners and a ticket booth prop that decorated the lobby with our adventure theme: “All Aboard!”  People had to walk through it all just to get into the sanctuary.  We also had an insert in the weekend program with all the many serving opportunities that was handed to everyone when they walked in.  Of course, there’s also the fact that our co-senior pastors see the value of children’s ministry AND the fact that one of them produced the compelling call-to-serve video that I got to immediately follow. 

And, then, my campus pastor, Matt, gave me the kindest of introductions, thanked me for my leadership and called me friend.   So, one minute?  No big deal, right?  I just had to say, “So there you have it.  Come and serve.  It’s a great ministry.  Badda bing badda boom.  Sign up.”    Not so.

Casting clear and compelling vision in ONE minute was imperative.    If I could not cast clear and compelling vision in one minute, then MY vision was cloudy.  And, if my vision was blurred, how could I boldly ask people to join me in what I was doing?   Sure, I could recite “The Great Adventure’s” purpose statement of “joining parents on The Great Adventure of raising up kids who are Livin’ It” forward and backward in my sleep.  But, that didn’t provide the fuel I needed to raise up 50 new volunteers at my campus.         

I needed to look at why I was there -- why I give up every single weekend, Saturdays AND Sundays to do what I do.  I needed to identify with the source of the inexplicable joy I have when volunteers and kids start flooding through our doors.  I won’t tell you what I said.  But, I will tell you that we live in a dark world where a real enemy prowls around ready to devour.  And, children are particularly tasty targets.  Kids need to know the God who loves them more than they can imagine, who forgives them no matter what, who is bigger than any problem, who gently leads them, and who will never leave them.  What a privilege it is to BE the people that are the very hands and feet of Christ to kids!  That stokes my fire!  That’s what I am passionate about.  I want to see kids know God, love Him and live for Him, because HE will make all the difference in their lives.   He is the ONE.  There is power in that.    

Kim Huffman is the Children's Director at the Libertyville campus of The Chapel, located in Grayslake, Illinois.

CONSTIPATED IN KANSAS?

  I just got back from spending the weekend in Kansas, where I was consulting with the children’s ministry of a cool church mid-state.  I’ve never been there before…you may be surprised to know that Kansas is not actually in black and white like I thought.  Anyway, while I met with my new ministry friends and tried not to make any cliché “Wizard of Oz” jokes, I was reminded of something that’s been ping-ponging around in my brain.

Somewhere along the way, many of us have decided that the value of our ministry is measured in volume.  In how many different programs we offer, rather than in the amount of transformation and effectiveness that each program leads to.

Think about the sheer number of programs that we feel compelled to offer the kids and families of our churches.  Name your program (VBS, Awana, Family Service, Mid-Week Basketball Palooza, Friday Night Preschool Vegetarian Recovery Group, whatever), we are addicted to offering as many of these as possible.  Nothing wrong with any of them as stand-alones.  Well, the Vegetarian one might need some rethinking. 

However, the troubling truth is that this lengthy list of programs we offer usually has a direct correlation to how effective, dynamic, and excellent we are at executing ANY of them.  The more programs we run, the thinner we spread our volunteers, our resources, our frazzled nerves.  If you’ve recently developed a tick in your right eye and a tendency to yell at the cat, due, in part, to looming summer program planning, you know what I’m talking about.  Sometimes feels like the whole thing’s being held together with duct tape, doesn’t it?

That’s some of what my amigos from the flat state of Kansas were feeling this weekend.  They were feeling stuck.  Clogged.  Ministry constipation, let’s call it, just because that’s so fun to say. 

This church in Kansas has a LOT going for them…teachers with real ability, a new small group structure that’s moving in all the right directions, volunteers with great hearts who were embracing change very well and excited about ministry, a newly christened volunteer “Operations Director” (if you’re wondering where you can get one of those, it’s called a secretary with leadership chops)…lots of cool stuff to celebrate.  But they were running very hard and very fast and very tired with a bunch of programs, but not feeling like they were doing any of them very DEEP.  The diagnosis…ministry constipation.  Their POWER was being blocked from trying to keep so many programs moving forward.  And that can lead to volunteer burnout, leadership frustration, lack of transformation and power, and some intense pressure around the lower abdomen, among other symptoms.  Ouch.

Well, I’m not in Kansas anymore, Toto (and you thought I couldn’t work it in).  But by the time I headed for the airport on Sunday afternoon, some exciting things were happening among my Kansasonian pals.  In a word, they were SIMPLIFYING.  They had a plan for doing less…better.  They’ve decided to let some things go and funnel their energy, time, and resources towards their “A” and “B” priorities…in that order.  And as I looked around the table on Sunday afternoon, I saw faces filled with PEACE.  And POWER.  And that manic half-crazed look was starting to fade (which is always a good thing).  They were feeling the release of becoming unconstipated by so many programs.  And I have high expectations that power is about to flow.

Speaking of constipation, there a dinky little sports bar right next to Gate 77 at the Kansas City Airport.  A word of advice…the nachos…while intensely cheesy, are not the best choice right before a flight.

I’m just sayin’.

Are you trying to do too many programs in your ministry?  What’s got your ministry constipated?  What’s blocking you from going DEEP on your “A” priority and clogging up all the POWER that God has in mind for you?

Aaron Reynolds is the author of The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School, and a twelve-year veteran and former Artistic Director of the Promiseland Children’s Ministry team.  These days he spends his time training and consulting with children’s ministries all over the country, including Kansas.  Visit him at www.creativekidsministry.com.

"Getting Ready to Let Go"

Have you ever felt God trying to tell you something, but you just couldn't figure out how it fit into your passion or your life?

That happened to me and I am still gaining insight into God's desire for my life based on what I heard from Him a few years ago.

Let me explain....Life was full for sure at that time....I was leading a children’s ministry team that was moving into a large brand new space at church, our son and daughter were busy with school, and my husband's place of employment was thriving...yes, life was definitely full!

I kept feeling God was telling me to "get everything in order but get ready to let go." "God, what are you saying?" I quickly asked.  I started cleaning out closets in our ministry area AND at home.

When the cleaning job was done, the prompting continued..."get everything in order but get ready to let go."

To shorten a very long journey, I went from cleaning closets, to having our daughter get engaged, to my husband leaving his job, to my ministry partner making a transition to another ministry in another state, to me being asked to leave a role in our church that I was in for 17 years (and loved by the way) to become the Director of Spiritual Formation.

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you how hard this was for me. Getting everything in order was one thing but letting go is more difficult than I could ever have imagined. It wasn't that I felt God left me or that I felt anxious for the unknown. My difficulty came with going through a season of thinking I lost my identity. My 17 years with our children's ministry allowed me to grow in my gifts and my passion of spiritually developing kids. When I agreed to move from that department, it was so hard to move from thinking of a child's spiritual development to only looking at an adult's spiritual journey.

God gently reminded me through scripture and friends that my identity wasn't lost...it was getting refined into what God created me to be and do for Him.  See, my passion for a child's spiritual growth in our children's ministry led to frustration at times because I felt we needed to reach the family unit if we really wanted to impact a child's faith in Christ.  At that time, I believed if we could reach the child for Christ, then we could reach the parents.

Today, I still believe that can be true, but God has shown me yet another way...I’m now using my passion and gifts to impact the whole family to grow in Christ so that when a child leaves home, he or she is more likely to continue to live as a faithful follower of Jesus. God has placed me in this new role to lead teams that focus on the spiritual formation of the mom, the dad, the children and the church family around them.

God needed me to "get everything in order but get ready to let go" in not only what I did or thought....He took me through a loving journey to get my heart, my mind, my passion, and my gifts in order so that I could surrender them to Him in focusing on how to spiritually develop people of all ages.

Is God asking you, in some way, to get something in order and get ready to let go of it?

We’re hoping and praying God will use the upcoming Conspire Conference to provide connection and inspiration for YOUR journey.

Pat Cimo is the Director of Spiritual Formation at Willow Creek Community Church.
Click here to check out some of her published resources.

Deliberately Thankful

  I’m going to spend this week deliberately tuned in to something I’m very thankful for—the ministry team I lead. Sure, they wobble now and then; no one’s perfect. Especially me; I can be real wobbly.

Over the past couple years, one of the most common questions I hear from other leaders goes something like this: “What’s the most important thing a leader must do?” People we’ve hired in our ministry, directors of other ministries, and many people whose roles I don’t even know have asked this question. Some people might think the answer should be “vision cast” or “clarify and set direction.” I prefer a simpler response: Figure out why you love your people—and then do it.

I believe John Maxwell once wrote that people will continue to follow you as their leader, even when your vision is cloudy and your direction is unclear, when they believe in your heart. 

Even more importantly, Jesus said “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.” (John 13:34) Have you ever deeply considered that Jesus said those words to His ministry team? Join that fact with the age-old quip “Speed of the leader, speed of the team” and the need to love my team becomes extremely clear to me.

So this week, I’ve decided to love my team by deliberately reflecting on all the reasons I’m thankful for them. We recently re-organized our leadership structure, so I’m thankful for their ability to flex and embrace change. Discussions now take place about making some major overhauls to the ministry, so I’m thankful for a team that dares to dream big. We’ve battled low volunteer numbers this fall, so I’m thankful for a team willing to do heavy lifting when needed.

Most of all, I’m thankful for a team that’s easy to love. Because in a bazillion little ways, the love we share will affect the kids we reach out to every weekend. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

What about you? What reasons do you have for loving the team you lead, and have you discovered any strong ways to express your thanks?

For me—I sure hope my team reads this blog…because I love you all.

David Staal is the Director of Promiseland at Willow Creek Community Church.
Click here to check out his latest published resources.