Let Youth Dream God Sized Dreams!

I have just returned from the Prelude Gathering of Youth Pastors hosted by Mike King and Chris Folmsbee.

One of the powerful times was when a young woman, age 15, talked about the organization that she founded after viewing the movie Amazing Grace and praying for God’s guidance. She is an amazing young woman. So here is a summary of the lessons from Sally Rymer organizer of Clapham Sect Phase 2 http://www.csp2justiceseekers.com/

CSP2 aims to equip young people and those who work with them with the tools necessary to fight modern day slavery in their own communities and around the world.

1. Start with spiritual transformation. Teaching young people to get close to God is critical.

2. Discipleship is believing and doing.

3. Make ministry a safe place for dreams and ideas

4. Personal relationships are the key. Please don’t segregate us from adults of all ages. We learn discipleship through relationships.

5. Be an encouraging voice to youth and their dreams.

6. Pray with them, side by side, not just over them or for them.

7. Don’t be afraid to enter troubles, side by side, with the youth.

8. Celebrate with them what God is doing in their lives.

9. Don’t let youth passion and ideas dry up. Keep them accountable. Youth have short term vision. Help them live through their dreams long term.
Ways to support students with dreams-

1. Keep them connected and involved in spiritual disciplines. God pours into me so I can pour into the world.

2. Help them find the resources and connections they need to live it out.

3. Talk it through with them step by step. Help them see the practical application of the dream.

4. Help them set short and long term goals.

5. Keep them dreaming.

WOW the dreams of a young person. I hope you are helping your young people dream dreams and live out God’s call.

LOGOS Explores New Children’s Ministry Solutions

Today’s world demands new approaches to children’s ministry

The notion that children need love, support, and guidance in order to grow into productive adults and disciples of Jesus Christ is not a new concept. What is new, however, is the degree to which today’s society and culture are all affecting this natural growth process…even threatening it. Factors and conditions such as…

- increasing insensitivity to violence and crude behavior in the culture,

- sexualization of the young in the media and consumer products,

- direct marketing to children,

- changing family structures and life styles, and the barrage of messages and information that besiege
kids - constantly in their connected lives (e.g., cell phones, computers and televisions)

…all seem to make it more difficult for children to grow-up healthy today and in a meaningful relationship with their God.

While conditions may be changing, the fundamental need that children have for connectedness and to be in relationship with supporting adults has not changed. In fact, recent studies have verified that this need is still a critical element in the developmental process. Many churches are discovering that fulfilling this requirement in today’s culture is not such an easy matter. Postmodernism, with its emphasis on relative truth rather than doctrine and personal experience as opposed to established tradition, has rendered many previously successful disciple-making approaches inadequate and not-at-all-compelling to either kids or their parents. New solutions in children’s ministry are needed now if we are to provide the support and guidance that kids really need.

At The LOGOS Ministry, this sense of urgency is leading to action. LOGOS is currently in the midst of a campaign to bring regional leaders in many of the major denominations together to discuss the need for effective children’s ministry and a course of action for solution-making. We have introduced a series of free denominational events, called From Urgency to Action, to highlight the critical needs of children today, to introduce a model for enhancing children’s ministries, and to invite partnership with ministry leaders.

LOGOS is committed to working with churches to develop new ministry methods, techniques, and tools that will work in today’s environment. In fact, our new LOGOS@Home resource provides a flexible framework and set of tools for parents to take an active, even primary, role in supporting the spiritual growth of their children. Already, we are seeing that various church groups, individual ministry leaders, and families are discovering new ways of using LOGOS@Home to meet their unique needs.

We may be living in a new world that challenges us in new ways, but we must never lose sight of a timeless commitment – to raise our children as Christ’s own.

Children’s Ministry for the New Year

As we begin the new calendar year it is a good time to evaluate and plan for the future. Look back over the last year and review the successes and the areas where work is needed. Besides using our free tool for measuring effective children’s ministry, now is the time to ask these questions.

1. How can we continue to make intentional children’s ministry a priority for our congregation?
2. Are parents setting new priorities and making commitments to children’s ministry?
3. Does the governing board of the congregation understand and support the importance of children’s ministry?
4. Is there evidence of strong cross generational relationships?
5. In what ways can we deepen the scope of relationships between pastor, young people and families?
6. What are the new cultural realities in the area in which we minister?
7. Are we reaching out to the community around us in a significant way?

Finally, in the midst of winter, it is a good time to affirm the volunteers in your children’s ministry. Look for special ways to show them how much they are appreciated and the difference they are making in the lives of children.

Alternatives to a Consumer-driven Christmas?

What do you do to make Christmas a joyful celebration of Christ’s birth? How can the meaning of Emmanuel—“God with us”—be made real at Christmastime?

This was the question for the Staff at The LOGOS Ministry this year as we prepared to celebrate with each other. In past years, we went out to lunch and exchanged gifts. But in early 2007, we decided to live more fully what we teach about reaching out to others in relationship for the sake of Jesus Christ. In June, we closed the office and went on a Mission Trip to Youngstown, Ohio where we engaged with a financially-struggling church that needed help with painting the interior of their hallways, office and fellowship hall. We came back energized—and changed by the experience!

As we approached Advent, we again challenged ourselves to reach out. We have been blessed by our wonderful friends and family, and God provides necessities for living which we sometimes take for granted. So, this year, instead of going out, and instead of exchanging gifts, we shared our food at a potluck lunch [which turned out to be quite a feast!] And, most importantly, we decided to pool our gift money and sponsor a child through the Compassion Project. Durga is 4 years old and she lives in India; we became her official sponsors last week!

Our decision to reach out to someone in need has helped us to honor the gift God has given to us in Jesus. What kinds of things do you, your family, or your church family, do to make Christmas about the birth of Jesus?

Stop the Madness

It is a mad and crazy world that our young people are growing up in today. In light of the recent events at the mall shooting in the Omaha area, we are re-offering our booklet Terror and Tragedy: Responding to our Children and Youth. It will give you tools for helping children and youth deal with the craziness, violence, uncertainty and worry that is all around them.

Download the Terror and Tragedy booklet here

Creative Children’s Ministry

How do you support creativity in your children’s ministry? I came across a list the other day about phrases that crush creativity. Here is a selection of the phrases that I hear used a lot in churches with regard to children’s minstry. Take a look at the list. Are any of these used in your children’s ministry? Do they hinder the dreams and vision God has given you for your ministry? The key is not to let our language stand in the way of the creative vision God is revealing.

PHRASES THAT CRUSH THE SPIRIT OF CREATIVITY

By Corey Mann

We tried that before.
It costs too much.
That’s not my job.
They’re too busy to do that.
We don’t have the time.
Not enough help.
It’s too radical a change.
The staff will never buy it.
We don’t have the authority.
Let’s get back to reality
That’s not our problem.
I don’t like the idea.
I’m not saying you’re wrong but…
Now’s not the right time.
It isn’t in the budget.
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Let’s give it more thought.
Not that again.
Where’d you dig that one up?
We did alright without it before.
It’s never been tried.
Let’s put that one on the back burner for now.
Let’s form a committee.
It won’t work in our place.
I don’t see the connection.
Let’s all sleep on it.
It can’t be done.
It’s too much trouble to change.
It won’t pay for itself.
It’s impossible.
We’ve always done it this way.
Don’t rock the boat.
Has anyone else ever tried it?
Let’s look into it further.
Quit dreaming.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It’s too much work.

That is quite a list. Are there any you would add to the list?

Building an Effective Children’s Ministry

Delivering a ministry that really works is a challenging, yet worthwhile objective for all churches…

Children matter to God so they better matter to us in the church. We have been claiming without reservation how important it is to support the spiritual development of children within families and in churches…and how those efforts should be linked by purpose and function in unison. Building a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the most important thing in the lives of our children…and, in fact, in our own lives also.

So, how can churches be sure that their efforts in children’s ministry are properly focused and are working productively toward such a critical goal? At LOGOS, we have tried to answer those questions by translating our more than 40 years of ministry experience into a model, or framework, which defines the characteristics of ministry effectiveness. The resulting Ministry Effectiveness Model has been developed for those churches who use a LOGOS-style ministry model and for those who don’t. Generally, it includes characteristics in three broad categories:

• Purpose – intent and objectives of the ministry within the church’s broader mission
• Practicality – approach, plan and resources to support the ministry
• Impact – capability to produce results that matter

If churches are going to be effective in their service to children, they must engage in constructive dialogue about their ministries and commit to discovering ways to improve them. To support churches in that process, we use our effectiveness model to facilitate their efforts toward probing the fundamentals and seeking specific opportunities for improvement. The criteria that comprise our models help leaders to pinpoint key elements of ministry and to target symptoms that may indicate ministry ineffectiveness. In the final analysis, the model is a great tool for guiding a church’s ministry planning, development, and problem-solving initiatives.

You can find the LOGOS Ministry Effectiveness Models in the library on our web site.

View the Children’s Ministry Effectiveness Model Webinar 

Listen to our podcast: Is your Children’s Ministry Effective?

Children’s Ministry Rules at NewSpring Church

This mega church has placed a high priority on children…with dramatic results

So, how does a mega church choose to minister with children, and is it all show and no go? I went to NewSpring Community Church ( www.newspring.cc) to see how they live out what is stated as their number #2 priority…children’s ministry. They have placed worship as their first objective. So, after an extremely gracious and tremendously hospitable visit during which people bent over backwards to show me around and spend time with me, I identified three things I learned while at NewSpring:

1. They are passionate about children’s ministry. Introducing children to Jesus at NewSpring is as important as introducing adults to Jesus. It was not all about entertainment and WOW, but was much more about the substance of ministry.

2. Sunday mornings at NewSpring are modeled on what we at LOGOS call the foundational elements of ministry to children. These are:

• Theology of Relationships - where there is a focus on relationships with adults, peers and God.
• Process of Call – through which adult leaders are engaged in ministry in a way that is much more than just putting any volunteer in any slot
• Balanced Ministry - that reaches the whole child…mind, body and soul…and not just mind feeding or entertainment.

3. Perry Noble, NewSpring’s Senior Pastor, supports the children’s ministry whole heartedly and this is key to its effectiveness. When I asked him how he responds to adults who say there is too much focus on children and not enough on adults he said, “ I tell them when we have children in our midst, we as adults must give up our rights, privileges and desires and accept our responsibility to reach young people for Christ doing whatever it takes to do so.” After my visit, he wrote an entire blog on this subject which you can read here.

Without a doubt, this church is not just about bells and whistles, but is intentional about reaching kids for Christ. Being passionate about this commitment with the support of the senior pastor is extremely important. In fact, this week’s LOGOS podcast is an interview I had with three children’s leaders at NewSpring in which they discuss how important children are to the church’s life. I interviewed, Jason Moorhead (Chief Operations Officer), Pudge Huckaby (Elementary School Pastor), and Cherie Duffey (Early Childhood Director). I am sure you won’t want to miss this.

Listen to our podcast: Children rule at NewSpring Church

Extending Children’s Ministry into Mission

A balanced ministry approach will eventually result in “going out” to serve others.

One of the fundamental building blocks at LOGOS is the notion of balanced ministry. That is, a ministry that comprehensively addresses multiple aspects of Christian nurture on a concurrent basis. For LOGOS, this occurs along two key dimensions. First, we address the child’s heart, body and mind with our multi-part program approach. The whole child is ministered to in an integrated way in order to produce the most effective nurturing result. Secondly, LOGOS emphasizes both learning and practicing the faith to facilitate the child’s growth into discipleship as an active process of development.

In this context then, mission represents the next step in extending the nurturing and growth of children by shifting the emphasis from the ministry serving the kids themselves to helping them learn to serve others. This is one practical way for children to see their role as young disciples whom Christ directs to “go out” and be of service to those in need. The powerful lesson of service, learned at a young age, can then be built upon and reinforced over time as young Christians grow to become tomorrow’s church. To support this effort, LOGOS is now including training for church leaders on how to include a mission component in an overall children’s ministry model.

But that’s not all! The LOGOS Ministry is also “on a mission.” We are going to be serving John Knox Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, OH during the week of June 11th by painting, cleaning and doing some minor repair work around the church. Follow our preparations and our day-to-day experiences at John Knox by checking in with the LOGOS staff at our new mission website www.myspace.com/logosmission. Visit the site often and leave us a message…or a prayer.

Listen to our podcast: Mission and Ministry are Key

Achieve Balance…Be More Effective

Children’s ministry must address the whole child to really work.

Is your ministry with children narrowly focused…maybe a little Bible study and some arts and crafts? In order to have a sustained, positive impact on kids, we have found that churches must address the whole child with an approach that is balanced along two key dimensions…and that involves more than just an hour each Sunday.

First, an effective ministry approach should educate and train young learners while offering them opportunities to practice what they are learning. Obviously, we are always educating and training in many of the things we do with kids, but at LOGOS we also intentionally reinforce the application of “child of God” and “kingdom of God living” concepts in everything we do with children…and we are always seeking opportunities for them to practice their growing faith!

Second, your children’s ministry must nurture the body, stimulate the mind, and uplift the soul in order to fully engage kids. At LOGOS, we typically nurture with a family-style meal and all kinds of recreation and play activities. We stimulate with Bible study. And we uplift by introducing various forms of worship leadership that connect kids to the church’s worship. And we recommend doing all of these on a consistent, weekly basis. This approach provides a safe place for putting learning into practice and for energizing the young to live daily as disciples. It also helps children to understand that we are meant to come into church so that we can be equipped to go back out again and bring others to Christ.

By focusing on these two perspectives on balanced ministry, you will be more likely to deliver a dynamic experience for kids that is interesting and engaging enough to keep them coming back for more.

So, check your children’s ministry: is it balanced?

Listen to our podcast on Balanced Ministry