So this weekend I met one of our new staff pastors at the church.  I was introduced very nicely, but at the end it was added, “He’s kind of a different Children’s Pastor.  He doesn’t like puppets!”

I know this post will probably be misinterpreted by many,  but I’m going to answer for the blogging world why I don’t use puppets in our children’s ministry.  Let me preface it by saying that I grew up watching the Gospel Bill Show, and even went to Mexico for 2 weeks as a teenager with the specific responsibility of doing puppet shows.  I know how to work a puppet with best of them, and can easily manipulate the two-sticks as arms manuever on any sized puppet.  My thoughts don’t come from ignorance, but from experience.

I’ve made jokes that I don’t like puppets because I’m uncomfortable sticking my hand up it’s butt, or because I could never trust someone with blue skin; but the reality is that I think puppets are really great.  In fact, when used correctly and professionally they’re a great way to get a child’s attention.  I think of them like real-life living cartoons; and they can no doubt grab the attention of a little one.

However, there is another side of puppet ministry that many seem to ignore.  Most church puppet shows really, really, really stink.  There I said it.  They just stink.  Many think that if you give a few teenagers the puppet chest, and a puppet skit cassette tape that the world will be a better place.  Wake up people.  There is a saying in Kids’ Ministry that if 5th grade boys don’t like it, then nobody will like it.  Do you see many 5th grade boys begging for an appearance of Sid, the Blue faced teenage puppet and his sister Sally the blond pony-tailed know it all puppet?

So what’s replaced the puppets in my areas of ministry responsibility?

Video.  Video is cheaper, easier, and it’s fairly easy to reach excellence in a very short period of time.  With DVD ripping tools, and plethora of video editing tools; I can now quickly make videos segments that are far more effective than puppets (in their stinky state.)  In fact, I’ve found teenagers much more willing to run my light board and cue up video segments, than to operate puppets.  And by doing video, I don’t have to train a dozen people how to learn a skill that they will never use outside of my Children’s Ministry.  I know that hurts doesn’t it?  Puppet ministry isn’t real useful outside of jobs at Chucky Cheese’s or daycare.

However, before you paint me as a puppet-hater you need to know that many of the video’s I make for our kid areas have puppets in them.  Very well done, professional puppets.  Get that?  No teenagers and puppet mouths talking to the ceiling.   No Friday Night puppet skit practice to prepare for.  No combing of yarn hair to make sure the Devil Puppet has straight black hair, and it’s not too fuzzy.  Leave the puppet’s to the professionals.  Use their skills when you need them.

I love puppets. Seriously, I do.

So are you still using puppets with your Elementary-age kids?  Have you moved away from them?  Are you a puppet-lover, and everything you’ve just read made you mad?  Do share!

Orange Conference Recap from JC on Vimeo.

My week at The Orange Conference was a thrill. It was such a great time of inspiration and learning, as well as meeting all kinds of wonderful people. If you’ve been reading my blog then you’ve already seen my summaries from some of the breakouts and hopefully you’ve read some of the live blogging posts while me and many others sat in large sessions. I promise to pull back on the twitter rate that I kept up last week, and I’m suspending the daily twitter summaries as blog posts.

Here are some of the things I learned at Orange this year:

• Matt McKee really does indeed own and wear white pants.
• Purchasing a Macbook may have indeed been the best technology decision I’ve ever made. I used this Macbook around the clock, and never once had to reboot to help it recover from a crash. Nice!
• Kenny Conley is very, very tall.
• That I can indeed live on only 4 hours of sleep a night. (at least for 3 days or so…)
• Gina McClain is very, very short.
• That I really enjoy telling our story of collaboration to others in “the industry.”
• If you twitter 100 times in one day, that your thumbs get very sore.
• Sam Luce does some great impressions. In the week I witnessed a spot-on imitation Jim Wideman, Kenny Conley and Matt McKee. I also heard the Indian, Irish, and English Cockney accents he has as a part of of his mad humor skills.
• That others are as disturbed by puppets as I am.
• I really enjoy having an espresso machine at my disposal for the entirety of a conference.

I want to apologize in advance for the nightmares this Christian Puppet show will cause.  To help make up for it, I encourage you to check out the coolest puppet show I’ve seen. 

(HT: SamLuce)

Those that know me know that I’m not a huge fan of puppets.  I believe their best days are behind them in regards to Children’s Ministry.  Granted, there are those that work with them fabulously; but that is rare in today’s world. 

But the Muppets have always had a special place in my heart, and I still stop down almost every time I hear the Count on Sesame Street.  Really, can anyone make the number 3 sound so fantastic?

Mentalfloss.com had a fascinating article on the back story of the most beloved Muppet characters.  Enjoy!  (and consider this first and last time I will have a pro-puppet post…)

Surprising stories behind 20 Muppet characters

Like a lot of you, I grew up on Sesame Street and the Muppets. But did you ever stop to wonder where they came from? Some of the characters we know and love were recycled from other TV shows and commercials Jim Henson worked on, while others were invented by using whatever materials were around. Be prepared for a little nostalgia, and I hope I didn’t leave out your favorite – not all of the characters have interesting background stories (sorry, Big Bird).

My blogging buddy Sam had a post yesterday regarding the seemingly lack of adequate and qualified Children’s Pastors available to fill the available positions. He listed 5 questions and asked for some feedback.
OK, here goes with some honest, brutal answers from someone who’s opinion shouldn’t really matter:

1. What does it take to become a Children’s Pastor?
What should it take, or what does it take? It should take experience, motivation, and some level of educational background (either academic or experiential.) Assuming that they love Jesus, and want to see kids know him as well. What it takes in reality, especially at most small churches, is a willingness to do it. Something we like to call the “mirror test.” They hold a mirror up to your nose, and if it fogs up…. You’re Hired!

2. Why most Children’s Pastors wanted to be youth pastors?
Because it’s when we’re teenagers or college students that we really start trying to live out our Christian walk; and the first ‘church’ relationship we ever had was with our Youth pastor. Therefore, making the youth pastor role the coolest one we’ve ever known! On a side note… it could also be that children’s ministry leaves a bad memory for many…

3. What churches are looking for in a Children’s Pastor?
I think most churches want a person that can advocate for the kids in a serious, and relevant way towards the rest of the church. I also believe that most churches want someone who they can let ‘do their own thing’ and not have to worry about the kids anymore. (I know this sounds terrible; but in reality it’s true!)

4. Misconceptions that keep people from pursuing children’s ministry.
The biggest misconception is that Children’s Ministry is all puppets, crafts, and veggie-tales videos! Another misconception is that it doesn’t pay as well as the other church jobs (This might not be such a misconception!) Not that money is the most important thing in the world, but if I’m looking to support my family with a calling into church ministry then normally I’m NOT going to choose the least-paid position in the church. I’ve seen churches that purposely look for women to run this are of ministry, because they assume that with her husband working they can pay less than they would for a man looking to support his entire family. (This is changing at churches around the country, but ever so slowly.)

5. What makes a Children’s Pastor last?
A willingness to be creative in ministry thoughts and planning; as well as a willingness to adapt when necessary to reach as many kids as possible. Children’s Pastors lose their influence over the long haul when they forget that trends change over time. God, please don’t let me be doing the same thing in 5 years that I’m doing now!