Children’s Ministry 2

Our church leaders continue to read and discuss the book, Sustainable Children’s Ministry, by Mark DeVries and Annette Safstrom.  We have been learning some “best practices” from these authors.  If children’s ministry is a topic that interests you, or if you are a parent or grandparent, you might want to pick up the book for yourself.  In any event, I want to invite you to a town hall meeting on July 18 at 6:30 p.m.  Rev. Dr. Michael Goodwin, pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Appleton, will be here to discuss his church’s recent experiences in the area of children, youth and family ministry.  This will offer us yet another opportunity to learn.  What follows is a brief outline of the second half of the DeVries and Safstrom book.

Chapters 8-9: Building A Team
Three roles need to be filled: architect, general contractor and skilled laborers.
Three kinds of work need to be done: building relationships, managing tasks, executing events.
The essentials of delegation: provide instructions and resources, empower, and manage.

The recruiting process for volunteers:
1. Pray
2. Start early, six months ahead of time
3. Develop a list of your volunteer needs for an entire year
4. Make your prospect list with three times the number of unfilled positions on your needs list
5. Put one name on each of the slots on your needs list, start with your first choice, your dream team
6. Send an email to every person on your dream team list the first week. Don’t use a group email.
7. Keep contacting. The process may take weeks.

Rotation Models for volunteers should only be used for a year or two.
Make training of volunteers irresistible: re-frame, create a culture of value, make it fun, respect their time.

Chapter 10: Navigating Church Politics
Take politics out of the conversation and replace it with relationships.
Three steps to making relationships count:
1. Step out of the isolation of your own ministry area
2. Find ways to bring value to the church not just your own ministry area
3. Elevate the profile of the children’s ministry by being its champion

Chapter 11: A Recipe for Turning Parents into Partners
We get more kids by giving persistent attention to reaching out to new families.
As a starting point, spend 20% of your time on the following ideas:
1. Invite nearby families to events you’re already doing. Requires three strong systems: promotion, contact information gathering, and follow-up.
2. Sponsor a program for the community
3. Be pleasantly persistent with neighboring families
4. Stay connected with inactive families and children in your church. Invite to a fun, one-off activity or a town hall meeting or a one-on-one meeting.

Basic components to connecting with parents:
1. Provide the basics and beyond: take-home sheets and a periodic parent workshop
2. Start a parent-connection plan. Each week connect with one new family.
3. Ask your volunteers to find one good thing each week to tell parents about their child.
4. Provide shared experiences like family game nights or service projects.
5. Encourage faith formation practices at home
6. Pray for your families

Chapter 12: Managing Chaos or those unintended ministry surprises
Use 10% of your time as balcony time: strategize, refine processes, plan the next few months or next year.
Develop a “rhythmic week” schedule when you are “on” and “off” and “flexible”
Have a daily list of the six most important things to accomplish.
Don’t let others put a monkey on your back.
Create a children’s ministry preventative maintenance calendar.

Chapters 13-14:  Self-Care and Keys to Longevity
Some questions to guide your spiritual maintenance plan.
Warning signs of the walking wounded.
The process of recovery.
Find your bounce when failure happens: be humble, learn the lesson, and talk most about what you want most.
Develop a constellation of support: mentors, supervisors, coaches, and friends in the wider community.
The biggest struggle is to go from a skilled laborer to a general contractor: the story of Gina.