• /
    • Archives / January 2012

Archives For January 2012

Winning in Early Childhood: Next Steps

January 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

One of the very first steps to setting up our Early Childhood environments for a win is to set realistic expectations.  I’m talking about expectations that set us up to win and to keep on winning and keep on winning and keep on winning.  The issue is that these wins have to be defined by each leader on a unique level, and have to be defined for each church based on the win for that body of Christ in that location.

I’ve defined 3 “Next Steps” for helping us define the win where we are.  These things have to be done for us to begin to attempt being successful for Nursery and Preschool children and their families.

1. Know Your Kids.  Really, really, really know the kids you teach and lead.  Do we know their families?  Do we know their siblings?  Do we know what could be happening in their lives away from church?

It’s a gigantic cop-out to say that our churches are too busy or too large to find these things out.  Each kid has a unique story, and if we take the time to find it out we can then take our ministry to a new level.

What does this look like? It looks like teachers praying for parents in the hallways, and fathers that don’t attend church coming for the first time.  It looks like teachers knowing the birthdays of their kids and kids celebrating the uniqueness of their teachers with gifts and hugs.   

 2. Learn what’s developmentally normal.  Take the time to make your leaders as educated as possible on age appropriateness.  There are books, blogs, and information galore on this topic.  Why not take the time to put it all out there when you do teacher training?  Why not add some notes and helpful hints along the way for your leaders?  Why not use these?

3. Pray.  Let me guess.  You forget this one sometimes, right?  Let the Holy Spirit lead, in spite of what your developmentally or cognitively know about your class.  The Lord desires to have your true leading from Him.  Make prayer a priority for your class and classroom leaders.

Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

In Ministry , , ,
 permalink

The Real Horror Story of Early Childhood

January 30, 2012 — 4 Comments

I’ve seen the real horror of Early Childhood and Nursery ministry.  It’s NOT the one person in a room of 20 kids under 18 months old all by themselves.  It’s NOT the parent that insist that we not call her out of service when her kid throws chairs across the classroom.  It’s NOT even the kid that comes to church and prays for Jesus to protect them from the crocodiles (whatever that means…)

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen happen, that you can laugh about now?

I’ve found that the real Horror Story happens when classroom leaders fail to teach up or down to the level of learning of their kids.  It’s a horrible tragedy when leaders of 4 year olds treat their class like 14 year olds and grow exasperated when they won’t sit down for her lecture.  It’s a tragedy when the 2 year old leader doesn’t take the time to illustrate biblical truths to her kids in an environment ripe for learning.

I’ve just about seen it all, but these above scenarios are what keep me up at night.  When these things happen the kids don’t absorb the truth of God’s Word like they are created to, and those leaders grow frustrated and anxious about the job they are failing at.  It’s time that us in the leadership of our churches begin to train, teach and lead in a way that sets everyone up for success.

1. First, we’ve got to set realistic expectations.  Don’t every place a leader in a room with an age of kids, without first explaining what that age of kid can and cannot do.  Not doing this is like throwing someone the keys to your stick shift car and expecting them to know how to drive without having every driven a stick shirt before.

2. Second, you’ve got to give your leaders the information.  Tell them what’s the what about the age of kids they have.

3.  Third, and finally; you’ve got to define the win for your Early Childhood leaders.  There may be no easier win in your entire Children’s Ministry, but also be the hardest to define.  Tell your leaders how they know they’ve done the 4 year old class right.

Proverbs 2:6  For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding

 

In Ministry , , ,
 permalink

Forcing Us to Grow

January 26, 2012 — 2 Comments

Let’s talk about making that real lasting investment in our communities, and making it outside of our church.  (Catch-up with the introduction HERE.)  I love MY church, THE church, and the calling of the church.  However, sincerely believing that doesn’t mean that the Church Can Do Everything, and it Helps to Make our Message Real.  The other great side-effect of serving in an uncomfortable place is it Forces us as Leaders to Grow.

When we take ourselves of the comfort our churches afford us, we begin to see all kinds of discipleship happen in our own lives.  I know what your thinking… “Where are you getting this churches lead to comfort talk?”

I believe that when all our interaction with people is within the confines of our Christian environments, that we become separate from the real lives of so many around us.  We actually begin to exists in environments we can explicitly control, and when we control the environment of our interactions we can easily grow comfortable.  When we step outside of those things we can control, then we are forced to be hands and feet for a gospel message to those that need it the most.

It’s time that we make personal growth and discipleship a priority, and just as we encourage people to serve in our areas of ministry; we need to back it up with our own service in their lives.  Don’t believe the myth that all your personal growth will happen within the context of your local church.  You can and will grow as a leader and a believer by taking the reality of the gospel outside your church walls and into your community.

 

In Ministry, Personal , , ,
 permalink

Helping to Make our Message Real

January 25, 2012 — 2 Comments

Let’s talk about making that real lasting investment in our communities, and making it outside of our church.  (Catch-up with the introduction HERE.)  I love MY church, THE church, and the calling of the church.  However, sincerely believing that doesn’t mean that the Church Can Do Everything, and it doesn’t end there.  One of the most important benefits to us as leaders to serve outside of our churches, is it Helps to Make our Message Real.

I know that for years I would speak, preach, teach, and talk family, family, family.  However, it wasn’t until I started fostering kids in my home that people began to listen.  There is something about backing up your message that will soften the hearts of the people you lead.  Those you influence will begin to see you truly leading from your passions in all areas of your life, and there may be no greater testimony that that to the people in our churches.

What in our personal life backs up what you preach?  And don’t say the work you do at the church! That’s only part of it.  Your calling is bigger than that 3 hour window on Sunday Mornings!  Put some legs to all your talk of life-change, family discipleship, and bringing hope to children.  It’s time for those in churches to back up our Sunday talk with some Monday living.  We are not exempt from community outreach, just because we are ministers within a local church.

But what does it look like?  That’s up for you to decide.  
In Ministry, Personal , ,
 permalink

The Church Can’t Do Everything

January 24, 2012 — 4 Comments

This week we are talking about making that real lasting investment in our communities, and making it outside of our church.  (Catch-up with the introduction HERE.)  I love MY church, THE church, and the calling of the church.  However, sincerely believing that doesn’t mean that the Church Can Do Everything.

I believe that it was never the intention of the local church to replace individual outreach.  It’s not the church’s job to reach out to my next door neighbor, or coach my kids baseball team, or volunteer at the public school in my community, or share Christ with the hurting world I interact with everyday.  As Christians, it is our duty to bring life change to wherever we are living.

The purpose of the church is more of a launching pad.  There is no doubt that we can create some effective outreach from within the walls of our church community, and I’ve seen great churches make an impact in their communities as a whole.  But, isn’t church also to be the place that we launch people out into the world?  Isn’t the local church meant to encourage those in attendance to live a life that brings glory to God and therefore spread the Gospel the world over?

Those of us working in churches, are often the last ones to get this message.  We spend 50+ hours a week creating amazing experiences for the families that attend our church (and we should), but many of us spend rarely an hour a year investing in our community without our church name badge on.  Why?  This has got to change if we are truly to be leaders at taking the Gospel to a hurting world.

Let us force the community of believers we serve with to see Christianity as permeating our everyday life.  Let’s bring light to our hurting communities, and in the process bring the light to our own churches.  I’ve never once served in my community, and NOT seen my church get the attention in some way.

Many of us have personal passions that we are dreaming of fulfilling, and fell restricted by our local church.  Let this not be.  It’s my prayer that you find the solution to carry on the mission of your calling both inside your church walls and outside them as well.

In Ministry, Personal , , ,
 permalink