The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!” (Proverbs 22:13 NLT)

I’ve been in many meetings where someone, with the organizations best interests in mind, said that a new idea simply couldn’t be done And then proceeded to list all the reasons why. These people aren’t bad, but if their not careful, they will become complacent and lazy. Yes, organizations need realists who can identify obstacles for future growth. But the job can’t stop there. We cannot be held hostage by those obstacles.

Great employees and great leaders are problem solvers. For every problem, there is always a solution. Sometimes that solution is exorbitantly expensive or highly improbable, but never impossible. And the last time I checked, we serve a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)!

So are at kind of leader are you going to be: a Lazy Blamer who complains about the lion; or a Lion Tamer who does whatever it takes to overcome?

Leaders are Lion Tamers not Lazy Blamers. (Proverbs 22:13)
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Leadership development is something that must be ongoing in any organization. Why? ”Everything rises and falls on leadership,” (John Maxwell).

I believe that leadership development is imminently important in children’s ministry. The problem that I see over and over and over again in kidmin is a shortage of volunteers. This shortage causes panic in the leader’s mind. The leader will then either assign anybody who walks in as a volunteer to fill the hole or fill it himself. But filling a volunteer gap with someone untrained and unqualified kills an atmosphere of excellence. Filling the gap with oneself, while well-trained and overqualified, leaves a leadership gap somewhere else. So what is a kidmin to do?

Develop leaders. But your thinking, “That sounds great, Chris. But where do they come from? If I’ve already got a shortage of volunteers and can’t fill basic spots, what makes you think I’m gonna find a highly qualified leader to  step into the ministry?” I don’t. But I think you can develop some highly qualified leaders.

They may already be in your children’s ministry; they may be in your student ministry; they may be sitting on a pew not involved in any ministry yet. They are interns, young leaders with raw potential and time. They are between the ages of 16 and 25. They go to school or sit at home, have part time jobs, and no real direction…yet. I believe many young adults are just dormant leaders, waiting for a vision worth championing.

Many young adults are just dormant leaders, waiting for a vision worth championing. #leadership
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So I have recruited five such young adults for our ministry this summer. Some are paid a small stipend, others are volunteers, but all are being trained with the same expectation. One or more of them will become a leader. They are not there yet. My job is to get them there. Then I can share ownership of the ministry with them. They will share my burden of recruiting, training, and equipping volunteers. And they will develop new leaders.

Leadership development never ends. The Bible calls this making disciples. I call it “LeaderDev +1.” I develop a leader, and that leader develops another leader. When young leaders consistently bring their own +1 to this party called #kidmin, that’s discipleship. And that’s one thing you must get right to begin growing a strong ministry.

Go Big with your ASK. You'll never get a yes if you aren't bold enough to hear no. #leadership
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So I invite you to experiment with me. Cast a compelling vision and invite someone to join you as an intern. You may have to ask more than one peson. Go Big with your ASK. You’ll never get a yes if you aren’t bold enough to hear no.

]]> http://kidminchris.com/?feed=rss2&p=2923 0 http://kidminchris.com/?p=2820 http://kidminchris.com/?p=2820#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 12:30:44 +0000 KidminChris http://kidminchris.com/?p=2820 As the Light of the World, Jesus exemplifies what a leader should do as well as taught about how his followers should lead as lights. As you look at the ministries you lead, especially the staff and volunteers you supervise, I think it’s helpful to think of them as lights.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

First of all, we need to understand that all of our leaders are visible, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses. So put yourself in the place of a parent, child, or first time guest walking down a hallway or sitting in an environment. Which leaders are most visible? Which leaders should be moved to a less visible area because of their level of ability or faithfulness? Which leaders are shining so brightly that they should be promoted? Where are the dark corners that are lacking in light and leadership and desperately need help? Finding the right spot of visibility for the people you lead should be a top priority.

You are the light of the world...even if you are a compact fluorescent.
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Second, we need to understand the types of lights who serve as leaders in our ministries. Different lights shine at different intensities and different hues. Some lights burn very hot. Others are designed to last many, many years. If you can understand the type of light a leader is, you can better assign them to right area to lead. All lights are useful, but not all lights are useful for the same applications. So here are some light choices to think about as you think about the leadership layers of your volunteers, their strengths, and weaknesses.

• Christmas Lights – useful to add decoration and levels of excellence; work best in groups, but when one goes out, they may all go out
• Night Lights – prefers to stay in the background most of the time, but when you need it, it’s always there and dependable
• 60-75 watt bulbs – the workhorse of lightbulbs; flip them on, turn them off. They light up a nice size area, but it usually takes 3 or 4 to really fill the room; with too much use they burn out quickly
• Halogen Bulbs – compact and can be used almost anywhere; they are super bright, but also super hot. These are great lights to have on your team but careful observation may be necessary to keep them from burning others
• Compact Fluorescents – this next generation of bulbs isn’t quickly accepted by those who don’t like change; sometimes they take a while to warm up to full capacity & luminosity, and without proper care, some can be toxic if they are damaged; but these lights are here to stay and, when used properly, can decrease the amount of energy necessary to fill a room with light

Don’t forget, you are the light of the world…even if you are a compact fluorescent.

A leader with GRIT will…

1. Go Big or Go Home – Great leaders set great big goals. Leaders with GRIT understand that people will usually do their best to meet the expectations set for them. High expectations = high achievement. Low expectations = low achievement. Proverbs 14:4 (NLT) puts it this way, “Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.” Oxen leave big piles of poo that have to be cleaned up, but the farmer knows that he needs oxen to pull the plow and that poo is the start of  good fertilizer. Gritty leaders go big, take on great responsibility, attempt difficult tasks, take risks, and get the job done.

1. Refuse to Give Up – Great leaders know intuitively that excellence requires hard work. They also know that God’s calling does not change with the pay scale, not does it depend on meeting a budget. Whatever the task, a great leader will find a way to get it done and will not stop until the task is complete. He knows that he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength and that his needs have already been met in Jesus (Philippians 4:13, 19). A good leader also shows discernment when listening to the counsel of others for when it’s time to quit or time to forge ahead. As he was working to build the wall, Nehemiah knew better than to stop. He knew he was called by God to complete his task. And when other leaders wanted to meet and possibly to kill him, Nehemiah responded with “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” (Nehemiah 6:3, NLT). A great leader doesn’t let talking get in the way of finishing.

1. Invest in Young Leaders – Achieving big goals almost always takes a team. Great leaders follow Jesus’ example. He called disciples, equipped them for service, delegated assignments to allow them to test their leadership, and finally sent them out as Apostles, leaders who “owned” their ministries. Great leaders recruit, equip, delegate, and send out with authority. As my kidmin mentor Jim Wideman tells his story of the early days of his ministry, he often says that his pastor let him “sorry all over” a group of kids. He was given the chance to make mistakes in a safe environment under the guidance of a veteran leader. I also got that chance. Great leaders give young leaders that chance over and over again. It’s hard because we always want perfection. But don’t let the unattainable allure of perfection keep you from taking a chance on a young leader who may just replace you some day. Give young leaders your heart, and then give them opportunity.

1. Think in Steps – Those great big goals can’t be reached overnight. A leader with GRIT is in it for the long haul. They have a burning desire, a God-given vision, that they just can’t get out of their heads. But crossing that finish line is going to take time and multiple steps. I heard it said once that the only different between a dream and a goal was a plan of action and a source of accountability. In kidmin, your accountability may come from your pastor, parents, or team members, but I can almost guarantee that the plan of action will have to come from you. Your team will certainly contribute, but you have to lead them to think in steps to get to your goal. Almost all leaders set goals, but the leaders with GRIT actually get there. “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win…I run with purpose in every step” (1 Corinthians 9:24, 26a, NLT). Or as my dad has always taught me, “Always plan your work before you work your plan.”

In case you need reminding, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). Stand in that power. Be a leader. Go Big. Refuse to Give Up. Invest in Young Leaders. Think in Steps. Show some GRIT!

Each year I read through through the book of Proverbs at least once, one chapter a day, for a month. I’ve probably read through Proverbs at least 25 times in the last 20 years. But this month, I ran across a verse I hadn’t noticed before. That happens all the time. But this verse announced what I already knew to be true and what I believe is a seminal leadership axiom.

“Work hard and become a leader. Be lazy and become a slave.” (Proverbs 12:24 NLT)

Probably all leaders have great talent and God-given, natural ability in their chosen fields. There are people who are naturally super smart, have tremendous athleticism, or are gifted in the arts. But even the tremendously gifted must put in thousands of hours of practice to become experts in their fields.

Potential leaders must work, and work hard. Some may say work smart, not hard. But it’s my belief that working smart simply increases your potential to accomplish more and build greater influence. Working smart is valuable in leadership; but working hard is essential.

Do you dream of creating a children’s ministry that has compelling environments, engaging worship, consistent small groups, and magnetic leadership development? That kind of ministry doesn’t happen by accident, nor does it happen overnight. What is standing between you and your dream? Leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership takes hard work.

Often, ministries work the same way. They grow slowly, gradually. But what happens when a church experiences a growth spurt? What would happen if your children’s ministry suddenly experienced a growth spurt? Would you be ready if your children’s ministry increased by 5% from one week to the next? 10%? 25%? As exciting as that sounds, it’s most often accompanied by ministry growing pains.

Many of us in ministry think that kind of growth could never happen. Sure, we have high attendance Sundays or big summer events like VBS. But where does a children’s ministry ever get a bump in attendance like that and actually sustain it for more than one week? Believe it or not it does happen, and it just happened to my church.

I’ll be the first to admit that I can’t take any credit for this, but the leadership at Church by the Glades is phenomenal at planning series around the regular rhythms of life to try to draw the masses in AND KEEP THEM COMING BACK. This happened at Christmas 2012 and again around Easter 2013. We’re now a couple of weeks out from Easter, and our children’s ministry has literally grown by 25% in just one month…not counting the high attendance weekend of Easter. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a 25% jump in that short amount of time has caused us to scramble just a little bit.

So were we ready for it? Not completely. How are we dealing with it? We just had a staff meeting today to discuss how we handle the growth we already have and how we prepare for the next big bump that will likely come at back to school time. Hopefully, you can use some of the questions below to prepare yourself and your staff & volunteers for a growth spurt. Because as my favorite mentor Jim Wideman says, “Why would God bless you with more if you aren’t already taking care of what you have?”

1) What are the physical obstacles we are currently facing?  

We face several challenges, but here a just a couple.  Since we are checking in more people, we need to add a couple of check-in stations. This requires budget dollars and a shift in logistics, but it is necessary to continue to offer the same great experience at all of our services.

During our discussion, we also quickly surmised that we are at or near capacity in almost every room and already don’t have enough tables and chairs for some of our preschool classes.  In our preschool building, we don’t have any more rooms to move kids into, but we have some rooms that we can divide.  So we have decided to divide the rooms for drop off and pick up to try to reduce the chaos during these high traffic times.  Practically speaking, boys will get picked up at one door, and girls will get picked up at the other.  We also have some plastic tables and chairs we use for mobile childcare that we can bring into our preschool rooms for the next couple of weeks while we wait for permanent tables & chairs to be ordered.  On our elementary side, we still have 2 classrooms that aren’t being used, so we are dividing our largest classes into 2 environments.  All of that takes more staffing, which leads me to the next question.

2)  What are the volunteer staffing obstacles that we are currently facing?

Before our growth spurt, we needed to increase our volunteer staff by 10-15% to prepare for growth and to add a whole new volunteer team to add a level of excellence to our check-in experience. We also needed to do a better job training our staff.  The growth spurt just upped that percentage of recruiting to at least 25% more volunteers.  That doesn’t happen overnight.  It just so happens that I will have a precious few seconds of stage time this weekend to cast a little vision to the whole church, and you better believe I will by talking about plugging in to volunteer.

To address check-in & training, we decided recently that all new children’s ministry volunteers would start as greeters and guest services volunteers in kidmin.  This solves the problem we had with check-in and allows us to get to know these volunteers as well as provide on the job vision casting and training after the drop off rush occurs.  So far so good.  Plus, it’s easier to recruit someone to open a door than it is to recruit them to teach the Bible to a group of 5th grade boys or survive snack time with two year olds.  It also gives our new recruits the opportunity to see how everything works before they decide exactly where they want to jump in.

3)  What are the leadership obstacles that we are currently facing?  

We are a large church with multiple services and a very lean staff.  So a good leader has to know when to move staff to new responsibilities and when it’s time to hire new staff.  Twelve is the number of government in the Bible.  A good rule of thumb is try to have no more than 12 direct reports under each ministry leader, whether paid staff or volunteer.  Since we literally have hundreds of volunteers, my job is to lead my staff to develop volunteer directors to lead the various ministries.  We also see people in the Bible grouped in 10s, 50s, 100s, & 1,000s for the purposes of accountability and organization (Genesis 18 & Mark 6).  My highest level staff should be able to lead at least a dozen other staff & the volunteers necessary to oversee at least 1,000 people.  My lowest level volunteers should lead small groups of 10 kids. A ministry can have all the bells & whistles in the world, but if leadership isn’t organized, it will always struggle and most often fail.

We have a very real need for more staff that is energetic, willing to work, and has the potential to grow into strong leaders.  Notice that I didn’t say we needed to hire a kidmin veteran.  While it’s tempting to look outside and hire an “expert” to come in and help, our budget won’t allow it.  Your’s probably won’t either.  Instead, we’ve shifted a seasoned part-time 100-level leader internally from elementary to preschool to supply some much needed help there and promoted another part-timer to a 100-level position to address our most rapidly growing segment of kids & families.  We will also be looking for a couple of young summer interns that we can invest in over a short time period to see if they are ready to take on some major leadership responsibility.  If they are, they will probably be joining our staff permanently in the fall to help us get ready for the next big bump.

4) How can we make sure that we are aligned with the vision & leadership of our pastor and the rest of our ministries?

We all have to make sure that no matter how busy we get, we stay plugged into the heartbeat of our pastor by going to one of our services.  I teach my team that we can’t support the vision of the house if we are never in the house and that working on the weekends isn’t an any more valid excuse for a staff member skipping service than it is any other individual.  Growth spurts often take kidmin leaders out of worship or away from leading to fill volunteer gaps in their ministry.  What starts as a once-in-a-while thing quickly becomes an all-the-time thing. But the God who ruled and cared for the church yesterday is the same God who brought the increase and is the same God who will provide the leaders to care for the increase.  Most of the time we need to do less running around like madmen and more running straight to the goal of God with purpose in every step.

5) What’s the next step?

For our church, growth like this means that adding another service is probably just around the corner.  That means we have to begin talking now about training up helpers to be leaders to take the place of current leaders when they transition away to a new service time.

]]> http://kidminchris.com/?feed=rss2&p=2877 0 http://kidminchris.com/?p=2807 http://kidminchris.com/?p=2807#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:23:52 +0000 KidminChris http://kidminchris.com/?p=2807 I love tech. I love trying new things.  So when I heard about the new MailBox App, I couldn’t wait to give it a try.  A quick download from the App Store on my iPhone, and I was on my way…sort of.  After launching the app for the first time, I was placed in a reservation queue behind about 180,000 more users.  According to MailBox, they are doing their best to provide world-class experience, which is why they are closely controlling the roll out of the app.

After about a 6 day wait, I finally got to use the app yesterday for the first time.  And I was pleased.  MailBox does everything it claims to help you de-clutter your inbox.  Easy swipes left or right on a message will Archive, Delete, Snooze, or add it to a list to read later.  MailBox is simple.  It doesn’t do much, but it does it very, very well.

But there are limitations.  First, it currently only works with GMail.  According to the MailBoxApp.com website, however, they will be rolling out support for other email services soon.  Again, this is all supposedly a part of them controlling the roll out to make sure the user has a great experience.

Second, and I know this is a little persnickety, but the signature setting is limited.  Creating a signature for the end of every email sent from the app is very similar to Apple’s native Mail app or any other client for that matter.  However, one of the settings I really appreciate in GMail allows the messages sent from my phone to have the exact same signature as those sent from GMail on the desktop.  And my signature in GMail is heavily styled using html tags, links, images, etc.  Since MailBox only works with GMail currently, it would be a great feature to add to the App.  Or at least provide a way to encode a better signature from the phone itself.

Third, MailBox does not rotate to a landscape mode.  This used to bother me with other apps because I first learned to type on the screen this way.  But after a year using the iPhone in portrait for many apps, I’ve gotten used to those that don’t rotate.  However, this will be a deal breaker for some users.

Finally, there is no desktop or web version of the App.  It’s just an app.  This is an experience that currently only exists on your iPhone, which means checking email from your desktop puts you right back on your normal desktop mail application or checking your GMail as usual online.  That may not be a big deal, but once I find something I like, I want a similar experience on every device, mobile or desktop.  However, a quick scan through their Twitter stream revealed that a desktop app is in the works.

Will I keep using the MailBox App on my iPhone?  For now.  I’m going to give it a week or so to see if it grows on me.  If not, I’ll just switch right back to my trusty GMail App.  But for now, I’ll get back to swiping my inbox clear!

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
-Psalm 46:10

I have met dozens, if not hundreds, of children’s pastors, ministers, & core volunteers over the years.  All of the good ones have at least one thing in common; they are all supremely dedicated to their ministries.  And almost all of them are dedicated to a fault.

One of the most common things I have heard from children’s pastors at churches of all sizes and denominations is that they rarely go to worship at their own church and hear their own pastor preach on a Sunday morning.  As a matter of fact, most conferences designed for children’s ministers include multiple opportunities to worship at the conference because conference leaders know that people in the kidmin world don’t get to worship with other adults very often.  The sad truth is that most are content to just chalk this up to one of the sacrifices of the job.

But I believe that this is a sacrifice that is killing children’s ministries and ministers in many churches.  I’m big, BIG, on supporting the vision of the house.  But how can you know that vision if you are never in the house?  I love kids worship and kid’s small groups just as much as the next guy.  I even believe and teach that children’s ministry should be a top priority on which church leadership should focus energy, budget, and staff.  But what goes on in the Senior Pastor’s playground is WAAAAY too important for me to miss out on 46 weekends out of the year!  To know his heart and his vision for his flock, I have to be there to hear it.  Listening by podcast and going to staff meetings just isn’t the same.  It’s like the CEO sending out a company wide coaching memo each week and me just tossing it in the trash because I’m too busy to read it.

I was talking with my kidmin staff a few months ago about this very same problem.  One of the questions I asked them to consider is how are we any different from anybody else who says “I’d like to go to church, but I have to work every weekend; I just don’t have time?”  Seriously?  Is that the tone we want to set in our children’s ministries?  And our core volunteers take their cues from us.  I’ve known plenty of volunteers over the years who loved rocking babies but just didn’t like going to church.  They had been in their little world for so long, they lost their first love.  They decided they loved rocking babies more than rocking out for God.  Or as Romans 1:25 says, “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”

And many of us kids’ pastors are guilty of the same.  We’ve become martyrs.  We’ve become complacent.  We’ve become the kings of our own kingdoms.  And when we do that, we easily become liars and loathers when we suddenly don’t agree with our Senior Pastors.  We believe that our calling to kids trumps his leadership.  But we forget that we aren’t called to kids.  We’re called to be our Pastor’s helper, his armor-bearer, his Timothy, his Aaron & Hur.  But we often become his Jezebel, Delilah, Sapphira.  You want to be Hur, not her (or him).  You don’t want to be the one your pastor only sees when you need to complain about something.  You want to be the one he sees with hands held high, not just held out.

So, if you love your kids as much as you say you do…

if you love your leaders as much as you say you do…

if you love your Pastor as much as you say you do…

if you love your God as much as you say you do…

You have to find a way to go to be in the house.  God deserves your worship.  Your pastor deserves your support and presence.  After all, “if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand,” Mark 3:25.

Are you building up the house, supporting its vision?  Or are you tearing it down?

Please comment below and let me know how I can help you figure out how to get yourself and your leaders into the house regularly.

This weekend our worship team used the song “Family Portrait” by Pink to set the stage for our continuing series “Break Free.”  My 7 year old son Grayson, along with about 15 other kids, got to participate in a video shoot and the on stage performance.  Here’s the video I shot with my iPhone.  I know that several families, including kids who were on stage, were greatly impacted by the performance, and I’m certain that lots of discussions about marriage and divorce have been happening.

Now, you’re church may not use the same kind of tactics to reach the community around you.  That’s okay, so long as you are actually reaching the community around you.  As you  think about children’s ministry and pop-culture, how do you include elements like music, video, or comedy from sources like Nick, Disney, NBC, ABC, video games, etc. to bring kids in closer to listen to what you want to teach them?