Ministry Markers

I remember once, many years ago, I was driving home from an event and I was in a great mood. I was all by myself and having fun just singing songs and enjoying life. I jumped off the interstate and made a quick pitstop at a fast food restaurant. I found myself deep in thought but quickly jumped back on the interstate. Things were going well and I was cruising. I was making pretty good time too! 

At least I thought I was until I realized I was going in the wrong direction! I had spent the last 30 minutes or so driving farther away from my destination. I wasn't paying attention when I had left that fast food joint. I had to backtrack and make up lost time and miles. All because I was not paying attention to my direction.

I think this can happen to us when we are working in Children's and Youth ministry. We are just cruising along, having fun trying to get through the next fast paced event, but from time to time we need to look around and make sure we are moving in the right direction. We need to implement milestones at every age level to make sure our programs and ministries are moving in the right direction. Yeah, we're going somewhere, having lots of fun and everything is fast-paced, but where are we going? Are we moving in the right direction and how are we getting there?

Just like there are mile markers along the interstate letting you know where you are and what direction you are going, we need ministry markers to let us know where are kids are at spiritually and what direction they are going. Below is a brief description of ours. 

We can spend more time in depth looking at each one but this will give you a good overview and something to think about. This does not have to be anything complicated. Just two or three things for each age level. Simple things that each leader can point to and say, "This is where we are going. By the end of this program/timeframe this is where my group of kids should be."

Of course, I cannot save anyone or make them do something they do not want to do. This is simply a method for me, as a leader, to make sure I am teaching the right material and leading the staff and students in the right direction.

Below is the scripture we use and a few markers we seek to reach by the end of each age group. It's nothing fancy or groundbreaking just something simple to help us make sure we are going in the right direction. 

Col 2:6-7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 

2&3- Receive. This is a families first introduction to our Kids Ministry. We want to receive toddlers with open arms and show them love. We want families to know their children are safe with us. In turn, toddlers will receive us by having fun and feeling comfortable with our staff. 

4&5- Walk. In this age group, students are figuring out how to walk, or how to get around, in the Kids Ministry. They are learning the basics. Students are learning the procedures. They learn how to focus and pray, how to behave in a classroom setting, and what is expected of them.  

6&7- Root. Deep development begins here. A foundation and understanding of the doctrine is imparted. By the time students leave this group, we pray they have either received the Holy Ghost & been baptized in Jesus’ name or have an understanding and desire for it. They are beginning to get rooted in the faith. 

8&9- Build. These students are under construction. In this group, we strive to help them develop and build a walk with God. We desire them to grow in their Christian lifestyle. We are helping them build on Christian foundations such as- prayer, Bible reading, and giving.  

10-12- Establish. This is the finishing stage of the Children’s Ministry. We want preteens to be established spiritually before entering the Youth ministry. Upon entering the youth group, these students should possess a basic understanding of the Bible and a desire to serve in ministry. There should be an established faith and walk with God upon leaving the Children’s Ministry. We desire students to enter their new phase of life confident in their love of God and hungry for more of Him. 

These are a few of the things we discuss when focusing on our age groups. I will do my best to take some time and look at each age group more in depth in future posts. It is worth your time to plot a course. We aren't just on a joy ride. We are doing our best to direct kids to heaven and help them reach everything God has in store for their lives. We must make sure we are marking the path clearly and moving in the right direction. 

SCORE- Altar Working Session

 

This weekend I am doing some Children's Ministry training at The Pentecostals of Gainesville. This incredible church is pastored by the one and only Bro. Jeff Arnold. I have been looking forward to this event and can't wait to be with their top-notch Children's Ministry team! Here is a list of the topics I am speaking on:

Friday Night

-SCORE. Effective Altar Working

-Think Small. The Power of Small Things

Saturday Morning

-The Basics of Sunday School

-The Basics of Children's Church

-KerPlunk-Proof KidMin

If you're in the area, feel free to join us as we grow together, hone our abilities and renew our passion for Children's Ministry.   

The attached PDF is the notes for the session I am teaching on praying with kids- SCORE. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2rROna3TrBoZUFYa3RSR0lqaFk 

What do I do if...

     There are all kinds of things a seasoned Children's Minister does without thinking. After years of trial and error, you learn what works and what doesn't work. You learn how to conduct yourself in even the most awkward of situations. Still at times, we all need to be refreshed on proper procedures. Below are a few questions with answers that we provide our new volunteers in the Children's Department. New volunteers are typically our assistants so they are not the main ones leading a class or event at that time. So you might have to interpret the question a little differently if you are the main teacher/leader, but the main information is still correct. 

     Most often, I think we rely on trial by fire or "on the job training" when it comes to our new recruits. We must seek to arm our staff with solutions long before the problems arise. Knowledge provides our children's ministry team with power and confidence. To some, these might seem so basic or even unimportant to cover, but we live in a world where we must be very cautious how we conduct ourselves and lead our departments. This might not be the most inspiring post ever, but I pray the information helps you develop a safe and orderly Kids Department. So here goes!  

What do I do if...

1. A child needs to use the restroom? Take them quietly without disturbing the teacher, lesson or activity. NEVER be in the restroom (or any room) with a child completely alone. Stand outside until they are done (of course you can open the door and check on them every minute or two.) Romans 14:16 tells us to not let our good be evil spoken of. 

2. A child talks out during a lesson? If you are the one teaching, position an assistant to sit next to them. If you are assisting, immediately sit down next to them to help them keep quiet.  Anytime they talk when they aren't suppose to, lightly touch them on the arm or lightly tap on the table in front of them and tell them (nicely) that this is not the time to talk. Be consistent and do this EVERY time they talk out. We want to avoid the teacher having to openly correct the student during the lesson/activity. This gives the student causing the problem the attention they were seeking and disturbs the flow of the class. Any momentum that was being built is lost.

3. A child is sick? We don't want to spread a sickness to other children. Speak with the Kids Ministry leader and let them determine if the student should be taken down to their parents. If the child must be dismissed, make sure the child and parents know that they did nothing wrong and how concerned you are about their health. Tell them you will have the class pray for them and look forward to seeing them next service.

4. A child is crying for their parents? Do whatever you can to distract them from being sad. Get them involved in the games, play with them, talk with them. If after 10-20 minutes they are still crying consistently, bring them to a leader and they will take them down. 

5. A child is violent, or cursing? For most problems that a child cause, I lean on the side of mercy. After all, we want the student to enjoy Sunday School and be present so they can receive what God has for them. Also, we want parents to be able to engage fully in the worship service. When there is violence, profanity or something extreme, we must protect the rest of the students and staff. For violence and profanity, get them out of the class right away and find a main leader.

6. An adult, child (or anyone that's not staff) comes to the children's ministry area? Ask them very nicely and politely, “HI! Who are you looking for? I can help you find them!” Then ask them to wait in the “Lobby” while you find their child. For the safety of all children and staff, we cannot have people wandering the halls.

7. A parent comes to the children's ministry area angry or frustrated? Calmly ask them to wait a moment and find the leader. They will handle it. Please don't ever argue or get in a debate with parents, or the children for that matter. Imagine in every situation where someone is upset or angry that it's a fire. You carry a blue bucket filled with water and a red bucket filled with gasoline. You can either help put this "fire" out or you can make it much worse. Choose to be understanding, calm and apologetic if there has been a problem.

 These are just a few of the countless questions I'm sure that we have each had to answer at some point. I would love your feedback! Care to elaborate on an above mentioned question? Are there any other questions you think I should cover in the next post?