ADVERTISE… IT’S OK!

There is nothing wrong with advertising… “WHAT?!?!?!!” Yep, it’s o.k. to advertise in church – unless of course you are an avid contributor to *the slice of laodecia website (have you seen this stuff – if ever there was a waste of time, energy, resources and money in the Kingdom , it’s at that website*). So many people automatically think of television commercials that sell those things we as Christians should be able to live without. What is your pastor doing during the services when he makes announcements? He’s ADVERTISING! Remember? Put it on a billboard! Or maybe in the bulletin. What about setting up a booth in the lobby with pictures and sign-up sheets. Have children give a special presentation during the adult services. Wear hats, shirts, name-tags, tattoos! Whatever it takes to communicate your vision. Create brochures, flyers, handouts, signs, posters, etc. Have fun finding new ways to put it out there! Make it look sharp and organized. Make it worthy of being advertised. Put forth a vision of quality and clarity that your church will be proud of.

*disclaimer: Jamie Doyle really does feel this way about the slice of laodicea website.

Alright – here’s a half-baked idea for a lesson… This is of course going to require you to have internet access and a computer capable of flash media. If you do not have flash you can get the free player at: http://www.macromedia.com/
You will also need to log on to the Sith Sense site provided by Burger King.

On the site, Darth Vader asks you to think of something. Then, after asking you to respond to 20 questions or less he tells you what you were thinking! It’s really pretty cool. Get on line and try it yourself… It’ll freak you out man!

So the lesson is an expose on the ability to read minds and have psychic powers. This would be a great lesson for pre-teens and older elementary kids. Have a kid think of an object in the room and have the computer “read their minds”

Explain that it works because the computer is crossing items off of a giant list each time you answer a question – and through a process of elimination, it finds your answer.

Now have someone choose an item that is very specific like: a picture of their family (the computer may guess picture, but it will never be that specific).

Wrap it up by telling the kids that only God can read your minds and He alone knows your thoughts, desires, dreams and attitudes.

Have fun with this one!

Here is a simple step in helping you to more effectively communicate your vision. This is pretty specific but it’s something only you can develop.

DON’T BE SECRETIVE

Too many people are afraid to share what God has shown them. In Habakkuk 2:2 we see to “…write the vision and make it plain…” But it goes on to say that the purpose in putting it down in writing was not only to make it plain but so it could be shared with others. The Living Bible Translation says… “Write My answer on a billboard, large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell others.” Now please understand that I am not a huge fan of the Living Bible. I hope this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. But I do like this particular verse idea. Make it plain so others can read it and tell others. Don’t let your ministry be the best kept secret in the church. Be bold and ready to share what’s been happening in your ministry – remember, what happens with your kids’ ministry is because of God, so don’t be afraid to let others in on what God is doing with the children.

I’ll have another idea later – keep smilin’

So many people have piggybacked with the latest soon-to-be-released DVD, Polar Express and the Narnia movie for children’s church themes. I am not opposed to using pop-culture and the hottest trends or movies for themes or lesson topics. I have done many myself. However, I chose to do something a little different.

I looked at several Christmas themed curriculums and none really seemed to fit what I wanted to do. I realized that as I was looking through some of the old stuff that I had done in the past that the curriculum was already there.

I picked up the first ever volume of K.I.D.S. CHURCH – no, it’s not from the Power Tool Box Series. Many don’t even realize that there was an entire year of curriculum published by Charisma before the Power Tool Box set. It was simply called K.I.D.S. CHURCH and the first Quarterly was called “It’s P.A.R.T.Y. Time” it was all about gifts…

…and here’s a little history lesson and fact list for you: Carl Lindelien was the Editor and Senior Writer and wrote some of the skits, object lessons, puppet skits and dramas for it; Randy Christensen wrote the giving lessons, skits and object lessons; and Bill Wilson was a contributor of stories and object lessons as well.

The first four lessons are on gifts that God gives to us. As I read through the material, I realized that many Christmas things were used to illustrate the lessons. So I am using three of the lessons before Christmas and creating a new lesson for the New Years Eve weekend about sending the “Thank you notes” for the gifts you’ve received.

The entire curriculum is an incredible collection of 13 lessons and it’s worth looking for. Sorry, Charisma does not publish this series anymore. But you might find it on www.ebay.com or in your church’s junk closet behind the old Train Depot Curriculum.

Yeah, I know – a curriculum that’s almost 15 years old is NOT the latest trend. I realize that! That’s why each lesson has to be updated a little. But most of it is salvageable like the object lessons, the giving lessons, the main scripture and the Bible stories. I’ve added my own DVD clips from popular Christmas movies and I don’t use overhead transparencies – I use cool pictures of cool kids doing cool Christmas things in my Keynote program (yeah, I’m a Mac guy). And we use our characters to help introduce or enforce the points.

Here’s my point – before you jump on a bandwagon or buy that latest curriculum, what do you already have that you can repackage and serve up so the kids will talk about it?

Carl Lindelinen

Randy Christensen

Bill Wilson

PUTTING YOUR VISION OUT THERE!

Your Vision is a picture in your heart of what you see yourself doing, who you see yourself working with, where you’re going, when particular things are happening, why you are doing it and how it’s getting done in the ministry. Now the next step is to put it out there so you’re not the only one with this great dream that God has given you. We worked on putting the vision into writing last posting. Now we need to let others catch it.

Here’s a simple illustration that my good friend and one of my mentors, “Big” Dan Rector shares. I give it to you in my own words:

When Dan was young, his family took a trip out west. One of the stops on the trip was to Mt. Rainer in Washington State. When his family arrived to the place that was the best place to view the mountain, they were very disappointed. The fog was so thick that no one could tell where the mountain even was. Dan and his family even asked a man in a gift shop at the same location where the mountain was. The man chuckled and pointed the direction of the mountain. But, in between the people and Mt. Rainer was the thick fog. Disappointed, the family was about to leave when just them for a fleeting moment the fog lifted and in those few seconds of clarity, Dan caught a glimpse of the majestic place. That one look changed his feelings for that mountain forever.

All you need to do is get people to catch a glimpse of your vision and it may change their feelings about children’s ministry forever. Do you need more workers? Then share your vision! Do you need to get your Senior Pastor excited about the things you are doing? Share your vision him. Do you want your family more involved in your ministry? Share you vision with them. Do you want to stay motivated about what you need to accomplish? Continue to share your vision!

In the next few days we will look at some practical ways and a few ideas that will help you put your vision out in front of your workers and the people of the church.

So, I’ve had a few months to think about actually starting this thing. I was inspired by David Wakerly’s site and blog. You should check it out at http://kidinspiration.com Also check out his blog frequently – http://childrensministryblog.com

Let’s talk this posting about vision and you in children’s ministry. Oh, I have my opinions and ideas about methods for Children’s Church. But, that’s for a different posting. I want to let you in on some practical ways that you can develop your vision for your Children’s Ministry.

Proverbs 29:18 says: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The NIV says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” Whoa! Pretty Down to earth, don’t you think? What does it mean to cast off restraint? When something is restrained, in this case, it means that it is under control. To cast off restraint, simply means to become “out of controlÂ…” chaos if you will. Here is what I’m gathering from this verse. The people that you are ministering with and to need to know that there is a vision to continue doing what needs to be done. In other words, if you don’t have a vision…… Get one!

Vision is simply defined as a detailed picture you have in your heart that descriptively answers the five “W’s” and one “H” of journalism:… What, who, where, why, when and how. Does your vision answer and describe the above? Would you like it to? Would you like to take some time to develop the vision you already have?

In the olden days (ten years ago – HA) this is what I did:
I went to an office supply store and bought the following things: A clear view 1″ 3-ring binder, some three-hole punched legal pads, some three-hole punched divider tabs. I labeled each tab with the five “W’s” and one “H” and put these in the 3-ring binder.

At the top of my first legal pad I wrote in huge letters “What”. Then proceeded to write down exactly what my vision was going to accomplish. What things did I want to see accomplished? What style of ministry did I see myself involved in? I went into as much detail as possible.

Then comes the “Who” pages (not the band). I Began to write out who I saw myself ministering to. I was specific. What were the looks on their faces? Where did they live? I had to dream some more. Then I wrote out who I saw working with me in this ministry. What would they be doing?

The “Where” notebook. “Where,” as in the “Where is this ministry headed?” What areas will I dive into on my way? Where do I want to see the workers going in their lives? Where does my family fit into this ministry? Where will I find the people I’m going to minister to/with? Where is my vision headed?

Why am I doing what I’m doing? “Why”, was simply my purpose. I was forming a mission statement for why I was going to accomplish my goals and develop my standards.

When did I want these different events, dreams and goals to take place. I drew out a simple timetable. What needs to be done first? I really needed some direction from God to put me on the right path.

How was I going to accomplish these dreams? How will I train these workers? How will I develop policies and procedures? How will my staff assist me?

Today, I just use my laptop and find a quiet place to go and dream and type. Don’t be scared to dream and cast out farther than you can comprehend and then bring it in to a reality. This way it’s easier for me to copy, paste, cut, edit, delet, reword and actually create something that I can provide for our workers to see and go and do. Give them the vision and motivate them toward it!

Take some this New Year and develop your vision so you can move ahead in the plans that God is giving to you.

The next posting I will share my ideas for taking a vision aputtinging it out in front of your workers and your entire church, until then,

–Jamie