Loanership

There is an obvious difference between ownership and a loan. When someone owns something, it is their's to do with it what they will. They don't need to check with anyone on any changes made or discuss with anyone what they want to do with it. When you have something on loan (money, a car, a home, ect...) it is not yours to do whatever you want with it. You need to check with the owner first before making changes. You need to respect their position as the owner of the property. So, how does this play out in kids ministry? Let's take a look...

I have been blessed to work with a team of people that are committed to excellence. They understand that every week we have an opportunity to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to hundreds of kids. I have awesome Pastors who allow us to facilitate this ministry to the kids. One truth I have always tried to maintain is that this is not my kids ministry, it's my Pastors. I do not own the rights to this ministry to do what I want without first checking with the owner. The way God intended for a kids ministry to function is under the umbrella of the church's vision.

That's where loanership comes in. You need to care for your ministry like you own it. You need to have an ownership mindset in your approach to the ministry. But, you also need to understand that the ministry is on loan, entrusted to you by the owner. This mindset blesses everyone involved because there is no place for rouge leaders. Have a loanership mindset with what you've been entrusted with and watch God's blessings flow.


Tim

Kids Ministry Survival Kit

There is no doubt that you can spell ministry W-O-R-K. Because of that fact, sometimes it is necessary to have some little reminders of why we do what we do. I shared the following survival kit with the Service Team Leaders here at Valley Family Church to help them remember the value they are. Jesus loved children and we do too, so lets remember to give them our best. I actually give people each one of the items and a bag to make their survival kit. I hope you enjoy.

Ministry Survival Kit

Toothpick: To remind you to pick out the good qualities in others. (Matthew 7:1)

Rubber Band: To remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will all work out. “We All Scream Green” (Romans 8:28)

Button: To remind you to close your mouth and think before you speak. “We Don’t Trash Talk” (Proverbs 18:21)

Band-Aid: To remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else’s. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Pencil: To remind you to list your blessings every day. (Ephesians 1:3)

Eraser: To remind you that everyone makes mistakes and it is ok. “We Don’t Know Everything” (Genesis 50:15-21)

Chewing Gum: To remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything with Jesus. (Philippians 4:13)

Mint: To remind you that you are worth a mint to your Pastors and students. (John 3:16-17)

Life Saver: To remind you that you are a life saver to many of the volunteers and kids that walk through the doors of your church. You may be the first or only Jesus they have ever seen. (John 15:13)

Tissue: To remind you to dry someone’s tears. (Revelations 21:4)

Sticker: To remind you to stick together and help each other out. (Job 41:17, Proverbs 18:24)

Penny: To remind you that no matter how small you are, we are all valuable to each other and to the Lord. (Luke 12:7)


Shon

Things Kids Ministry Leaders Need to Know

As a Kids Ministry leader, you are in a unique category. You often work in an area of ministry where the people you are ministering to do not know how to communicate their gratitude to you. You need to know a few things:


 Most parents are truly grateful for the positive influence you are in their childs’ life. They may not say anything and may seem to take it for granted, but deep down they are nothing short of grateful. You also need to know that most kids DO hear what you say and are listening and are letting it all sink in, gaining knowledge and wisdom from what you impart. You are in a position of influence of some of the most precious commodities in the entire universe, someone’s child. Further, those kids you invest in are invaluable to not only their parents but also to the King of kings. The time that you faithfully spend changing diapers and wiping noses is sewing directly into the Kingdom of heaven and are done for His purposes. Every chance you have to touch the life of a child is a seed planted into their heart and a huge impression on their future.


Remember the Lord keeps good records and you are earning your rewards in heaven. Thank you for all you do, Kids Ministry Leader.


Shon

The Why Behind the When - Order of Service

Planning the order of your service can be a challenging part of Kids Ministry. Keeping a child’s attention for upwards of 60-70 minutes can sometimes be very difficult. Here at VFC, we believe that with some strategic planning you can not only keep a child’s attention, but engage their mind as well! The first thing you need to establish is the maximum amount of time you will assign to one segment of your service. We have decided that we don’t want any segment going longer than 12 minutes. This allows for the kids' attention to be held and for us to communicate the topic in many fun and different ways. 

It is also very important to make sure that your service is balanced. It's important that your service has a flow and that there is a reason for each segment that is placed. For example, we don’t place our game early in the service because the kids are still engaged and haven’t been sitting for very long. Instead, we have placed our game after the worship and the message portion. We realize that at that point we’ve had some more docile activities and this allows the kids to burn some energy and reconnect.

We have opted to split our worship into segments, having two praise (upbeat, up-tempo songs) and a separate worship (slower, softer) song. The heart behind this is to help the kids understand the difference in worship styles. We feel that it may be difficult for a child to differentiate between the energetic, upbeat songs and the more somber, serious moments in worship. By dividing our worship into segments we are better able to teach the children the different styles of worship and what they mean.

Whatever you decide to do, the important thing is to determine how you want your service to flow. You need to decide what the goal for your service is and make sure that your programming schedule compliments and fulfills that goal. 

Tim

Tim Hoult

The Idea Filter

Being a in Kids Ministry always requires lots of creativity! It may be trying to think of an object lesson or a new element of your service that you think could really enhance spiritual development. We are always coming up with ideas and we should. However, not every good idea should be implemented. Every idea that we have should be run through the “idea filter.” The idea filter is something that keeps us from implementing ideas too quickly or ideas that doesn’t really fit our vision. If an idea doesn’t fit the vision of the church and is implemented anyway, then soon the vision becomes blurred and is not as clear as it should be. Let’s take a look at the different filters we need to run our ideas through.

Vision – You won’t be able to pass it through this filter if you don’t know the vision first. Our Pastors have done such a great job at identifying what the vision of the church is and making it clear and plain. Make sure that the vision for the kids ministry of your church lines up with the vision for the church as a whole. You cannot compete visions. Some good ideas have to be discarded because they don’t fit the vision. God would not give you an idea that collides with your Pastors vision for the church.

Resources – This is a pretty pragmatic filter, but one that needs to be focused on. Simply put, can we pull it off? Do we have the human resources or financial resources for the idea to work? If not, then the idea must go… God will not lead you where He will not provide.

God – Obviously making sure that it’s an idea inspired by God is the most important of all filters. If an idea does not have approval from the Lord, then it’s going to be futile to move ahead with it. God has plenty of great ideas for you; He’s not trying to hide them!

So, don’t get upset if every good idea isn’t approved or doesn’t pass through the filter. You’ll save yourself a lot of time/resources/confusion by not implementing ideas that really don’t fit the culture.

 Tim

On Time for Go Time

In a fast-paced, growing church there are few things more important than timing. It is crucial that people are punctual in order for services to run as smooth as possible and to bring the most honor and glory to the Lord. In Kids Ministry this is no different. Many things happen behind the scenes before the first child enters a room on Sunday morning. Here at VFC, we ask our Service Squad Leaders and Lead Teachers to arrive 1 hour and 15 minutes before service begins. At this time, the SQL's lead the LT's in what we call a huddle meeting. In this meeting any announcements or changes relative to service are shared and then together as a team they share praises and prayer requests. After things are shared, the group prays for and over the service and each one of the kids that will walk in the door that morning. Once they are prayed up, the LT's are dismissed to their classrooms.

Kids Ministry volunteers at VFC are asked to arrive 45 minutes prior to the start of service. At this time the Lead Teacher leads a huddle of their own with their classroom volunteers. Updates are given as well as assignments for the day. Praises and prayer requests are shared and again the classroom and the kids that will attend are prayed over and for. It is so important when working with kids to have your spiritual tank full. There is nothing that accomplishes this quite like prayer.

When people are not prompt and these prayers don't take place, there is a noticeable difference in the classroom. Prayer is where the power lies and the ministry begins. For the best ministry to take place, be sure everyone is present, on-time and praying; pray and pray some more. You will be amazed the difference it makes and the ministry that can then take place for all ages.

- Shon

What's a Teen Worth

One of the greatest things that I have seen in working with kids ministry volunteers is the undeniable value of teen volunteers. There is something about the passion they have and seeing their own Christian life being walked out and glorifying the Lord. 1 Timothy 4:12 says “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” Our teenage volunteers at Valley Family Church do exactly that. They get down on the level of the kids they are serving and meet them where they are. They get in the game and are certainly not spectators. The let their love of the Lord shine through all of the things they do. I would go as far as to say some of the greatest volunteers and even leaders in Kids Ministry here at VFC are teens. Their hearts are right and they "get it!" In return they help the kids to get it! If you are not using teens you certainly need to tap into this priceless resource. You won’t regret it!

-Shon