Engaging children in worship - Jamie Statema

Kids do not need rockstars; they need people who are passionate about worship.

We need to teach children what worship is!
- it's more than just singing
- you can worship God by praying, reading scripture, etc

Prepare for worship
-engage kids immediately as they enter
-have music in when kids come in
-make sure the leaders are high energy
-brightly lit environment
-pray

A good start
-energetic welcome - expect a response
-give clear directions
-get kids involved
-don't have dead air
-make expectations clear (especially at for slower songs)

A good set
-start your set with a lot of energy / begin with high energy songs
-have your set planned out. How songs lead into each other
-ask questions and encourage responses
-as you move from fun to serious, let them know.
-plan your set with scripture, announcements and prayer in mind

Keep it simple
-more is not always better
-think quality not quantity

Use the right songs
-don't dumb down your music
-pick songs that are theologically sound
-actions are great - use when appropriate
-actions aren't always great! Use your judgement

Instrumentation
-kids don't care if its live or not
-video is a great resource
-is take no instruments over bad instruments
-ask musicians from "big church" to serve where they're needed more.

What about the 5th grade boys?
-be their friends
-mix them up with younger kids
-don't give them too much grief. Involve them in other ways.
-focus on the kids who are into it and eventually they'll come around
-if they don't like to sing that's ok. Just make sure they hear the gospel over and over and over.

Partnering with Families - Rachel Key

What kind of families are in your church and community?

What do parents want from a church?
# 1 thing - children's ministry that is fun and "wows" thier kids

Deuteronomy 6

Out of 100 kids polled

48% of kids saw their mom as being religious
28% of kids have had a faith conversation with their mom

23% of kids saw their dad as being religious
13% of kids have had a faith conversation with their dad

Parents who know God will have a greater impact than parents who just know about God.

If its so simple, why isn't the faith walk/talk happening in the home?
Important faith lessons learned at home:
SLOW - four simple things found in the home of spiritually strong kids.

Serve - are you giving your families opportunities to serve together?
Love - how are we teaching families to live their faith out loud?
Obey - do your families use the Bible as their sourcebook?
Worship - what are parents worshiping? And how is it displayed to their kids?

Three levels of implementation:

1. What is in your hands that you can use?

2. What can you bring in?

3. What can you create?

Take it home events... See picture. For age appropriate ideas for families.

Communicating with families
1. Find out how they prefer to hear from you.
2. Resist over communication
3. Be deliberate

Keeping it Fresh - Kurt Goble

Many of us struggle to revise our curriculum, build our volunteer organization, get our teams in place, and create a relevant and exciting program. the. Something unexpected happens. We get bored. What once felt fresh and exciting becomes monotonous.

If you can't get excited about what you're doing, nobody else will.

- is it time for a complete overhaul?
- your system is currently designed to achieve the results you're currently getting.
- lose the bucket method and teach from the heart - we need to be learning and absorbing what we are teaching the kids. Rather than just transferring information.
- shift your priorities and habits - once your good at something it shouldn't consume the same amount of time.
- seek God just for the sake of seeking God, not to prepare for your lesson.
- revisit past failures - figure out what you have learned from them and correct it.
-take some new risks - risk some new failures. Dare to go deeper with what you teach your kids. Find what challenges you.
- listen to or read books by people you don't necessarily agree with
- get back in the leathers chair. Always be learning. Be a lifelong learner
- build something bigger than yourself

"In times of change learners thrive, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to thrive in a world that no longer exists"

-give it away, allow people to grow and assume roles
- learn to do something new that will benefit your ministry
-get in and have fun. Set aside the art of self denial and design something you love.
-find someone you trust and let them critique you. Be wise about how you accept critique. Give them specific questions.
-know if you need to get help. Sometimes with focus, issues, etc. know if you need help via medical, counseling etc. be willing to talk to someone.
-struggles we have should not be attributed to spiritual weakness.

Building a Championship Team

Developing a Championship Team - with Scott Berkey

The challenge of recruiting is not a new one.
Matthew 9:36-38

Hebrews 10:24 "and let us consider how we may SPUR one another on toward love and good deeds"
S. Start thinking like a coach
1. Know what you have (before a coach recruits more players they need to know who they already have)
2. Know what you need 1 Corinthians 10 (be ready for people, know where you have a spot for them)
3. Go out and get it (people are attracted to a compelling vision; they want to be part of a winning team) when you open the doors the fans will come in. The all stars need to be recruited. People want to be challenged.
4. Recruit out of relationship and encourage your team to do the same.

P. Practice, practice, and more practice.
1. Praise publicly and correct privately.
2. People are always more important than programs. (If you will be there for them, they will be there for you)

U. Understand strengths and weaknesses.
1."Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" -Confucius
2. Living your strengths by Dr Don Clifton

R. Remember the 3 Signs
3 signs of a miserable job - Patrick Lencioni
1. Anonymity (know your volunteers)
2. Irrelevance (say thank you. Say please)
3. Immeasurement (give your leaders measurable success)

Live stream for Cpc 13 now!

http://my.cmconnect.org/page/streaming
Session 1 starting now! Tune in!! And check back for notes!

CPC 2013

Who's ready for CPC13? I know I am!

Sitting in Sacramento International Airport waiting for my flight, and forming a plan! There is so much information at these conferences we go to, so how do we absorb it all? Or as much as humanly possible, assuming we want to retain it. I am curious to see how different teams function and "do" conferences.

For our team, which includes the following: Elementary Coordinator; Preschool Coordinator; Infants & Toddler Coordinator, a member of our Summer Day Camp team and me (director of children & family ministries), we try to divide and conquer within reason. Earlier in the year, I ask my team to set goals for the year. This is both to keep things fresh, as well as keeping up with currents trends and technology. It also keeps my team (and me) constantly pushing our comfort zones, trying new things and forcing us to learn. More than any of that, we are constantly trusting that God is in control as we venture into new territory.

So with that said, their goals, paired with the regular ministry items are what we use to decide which breakouts to attend. I encourage my team to take a pause, we are all moms, and usually have a very fast paced schedule. I love that they are driven to absorb as much as possible, while also knowing I may catch them poolside for an hour. Rest, and refill is my hope for them.

This year our list of breakouts covers special needs, room design, organization and so much more. I am praying that my team (and yours) come home full of ideas and the faith and courage they need to implement them well.

This week I will be posting notes from the sessions I personally attend as well as the general sessions. I hope those of you who can't join us log into the live stream if possible. (www.incm.org)

If you are headed to CPC, say hello! And hit the reply to share your plan of attack for this conference.

Beautiful Scars

This week I have been preparing a training talk for a group of leaders.  I always begin speaking to adults with the same intro, "My name is Heidi Hensley and I am a children's ministry leader, there are three things you should know before we begin. 1. I will over explain words and details (kids love details) 2. I may ask you to race to our passages of scripture 3. If you participate well, I may throw candy." Of course this always is quite entertaining to say, but they roar in laughter when I actually do toss the first snickers bar. I love what I do, I (we) are called to shape and mold future generations, presidents, teachers, pastors and parents......spiritually. Our "job" in children's ministry is to bring Jesus into a child's world. I take what I do very seriously and am daily humbled that Jesus sees me as an individual capable of introducing children to Him.

I had originally planned on talking about how we as leaders have these canvases to work with. Often children are hearing the gospel for the first time, and so many see kids as a blank canvas who just needs Jesus' colors. I once had a Sr. pastor friend tell me "you're job is easier, the world hasn't gotten them yet", which in some ways affirmed the fresh canvas theory. Don't you love those moments that you have an absolute outline in your head of what you will be saying, and it translates completely different?

As I started working, I picked up a file to put it back in my drawer, out of it slid a report that I had to make to child protective services. I put it away and slowly realized that while my heart was heavy for that child, it wasn't shocked. This is sadly, something that we see more and more. As I went back to work, I just couldn't describe kids as a pretty canvas the world hasn't "gotten to" yet.  The kids we work with, they have scars, and if I am classifying them as unhurt, how will they ever know what to do with those scars.

Did you know, child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education? About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse. The adults that my pastor friend was speaking of was missing one detail. The wounded adults that he was ministering too, well many of their wounds had happened as children.

Everything from divorce, molestation, lack of parent participation in life, physical abuse, bullying, learning disorders to speech impediments, they all leave marks on our canvas. Don't get me wrong, there are also beautiful marks of love on those canvases too! So what do we teach them? Typically we as Christians teach that Jesus paints that canvas white. He takes our sins and throws them as far as the east is from the west... I believe this, we are forgiven! So what about the remains of the sin, the scars? This is typically where the child begins to grow and gets frustrated as they approach adulthood that the residual effects or consequences of sin haven't just disappeared.

Jesus could have chosen to raise from the dead that third day and have returned un-scarred, but He didn't! His scars were visible, they were remains of hate and sin, and yet we see them as some of the most beautiful marks. Children need to know that their sins are forgiven, but they also need to be taught that the lasting effects on their life can be used to glorify God.

So with that idea, my canvas when I start my talk will be dirty and marked up with what the world has tossed at our kids instead of white. And I will hopefully be able to do a visual of Jesus letting those shine through to glorify Him as He forgives.

As a leader I challenge you to look away from those descriptions of the perfect child, from the perfect home, with the great grades, it's a different world. Take a look at your ministry kids this Sunday, maybe they need to hear that God is capable of using their scars for His purpose.