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

The Big D Word

The Big D word; it’s the word no child wants to hear, but the word more and more are hearing every day: Divorce. It happened to my parents when I was 4 years old and it had a negative effect on my life. Before the divorce, I was a daddy’s girl. I loved spending time with my dad, and he was my hero. After the divorce, he became an ‘every other weekend dad’, and wasn’t available as often. In many ways, my mom became my mom and dad. But because my mom was busy working and supporting her family of 4 children, there was not often time for church. Thankfully our next door neighbors started taking us to church. While at church, seeds of life were planted in my life and even though I have gone through many ups and downs in my faith, the seeds that were planted and watered long ago by church volunteers have remained. The Bible says, in proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Because there were volunteers from church in my life that trained me up in the way I should go, as I got older, I did not depart from it, I grew closer to God. I may have strayed along the way, but in the end, I came back to the only truth that mattered in my life.

So what does my story have to do with you as a volunteer? Well here at VFC, we exist so people get it! People include the children we serve! We want to see children ‘get’ that God loves them! Whether you volunteer at Valley Family Church or you are volunteering at another church, every time you serve you are coming into contact with kids just like I was. Most of the kids we are serving are lost and hurting, they are looking for love and acceptance, and they may be acting out for attention.  As a volunteer we may never know what each child’s home life is like. So many children are living in a single parent home, and they need seeds of life planted in their life. As volunteers we get to do that every time we serve. We get to be the love of Jesus to each child that comes into our classrooms. You don’t have to be the volunteer giving the message or Bible Story to plant a seed; all you have to do is be the love of Jesus! Every time you serve and you take the time to talk to a child, play with a child or just give them that welcoming hug, you are sharing God’s love with them. You are training them in the way they should go, and when they are older, they will not depart from it! Be encouraged knowing that every time you serve in a kid’s classroom you are planting seeds and showing children how much God loves them no matter what is happening at home!

- Jodi

Raising the Bar

In kids ministry, we endeavor to reach kids with the love of Jesus Christ. As leaders, it is easy to get in the rut of thinking that we need to do this on our own. It is time to raise the bar and teach our kids to be the leaders and evangelists God calls them to be. We have the responsibility to equip them for the mission field.

Proverbs 22:6 says "train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart." The Word says that they will not depart and it does not say they can't use the training while they are still young. It is our vision to teach kids how to love others, serve others and give back to the Lord and others. When the kids get it, they are able to minister to their friends and help grow the Kingdom, taking the pressure off of the adult leaders to reach kids on their own. Instead, we form a team by feeding the sheep and together sharing the love of Christ!

Shon

We're Not Church as Usual

Change is never easy, but it is always required for growth. Throughout history, nothing has ever stayed the same other than the Lord. This is also true in our approach to kids ministry. There have been some great ideas to minister to kids, from flannel graphs to father Abraham. These tools were successful in communicating the gospel of Jesus in their season.

Mark 2:18-22 talks about the old and new wine skins. Simply put, it doesn't make sense to put the new wine into the old skins; they won't work. The old wine skins were successful in their season, but in order to receive the new wine, you need skins capable of holding it. We are currently taking a look at the methods we are using that could, metaphorically speaking, use new wine skins. This can sometimes require you to abandon ideas that you're personally attached to and transition to something new.

This generation of kids has only known one thing: technology. I'm fairly young, but I can still remember writing papers on an electric typewriter. That is not where these kids come from, so our approach in ministering to them needs to change as well. I'm excited about the opportunity to challenge what I've known with what could be. We are working diligently to incorporate new, fresh, culturally relevant elements into our kids ministry in order to not be kids church as usual.

Reflect What You Expect

We’ve all heard it said before “inspect what you expect.” That leadership principal has rang true for me for many years in many situations. I cannot argue with that principal nor do I intend to. As a leader, we are to follow up on the tasks that we delegate to others to ensure that the task is being carried out as requested. I’ve always felt that there was another step to be taken, that simply 'inspecting' is not enough.

Without reflecting what you expect you could create a mindset that you’re “too good” to do what you’re asking your volunteers or staff to do. I believe that there is power in those that are under your leadership seeing that not only are you inspecting to ensure excellence, but that you’re reflecting the same excellence you ask of others in your own daily life. This mindset creates and breeds productivity. Managers inspect, leaders inspect AND reflect.

For example, when asking a volunteer to greet all of the parents with a smile, I don’t walk around with a sour look on my face. I am communicating that I’m not too important to do what I’ve asked others to do. There is also the reality that I will need people on my team who can do things that I am not gifted to do. In these situations, I am sure to communicate that I am asking them to do something because it is a weakness of mine. Some leaders try to hide their weaknesses. However, I believe that we lead through our strengths but connect through our weaknesses.


Tim