In the fifth part of this series examining the seven key findings from Good to Great by Jim Collins we focus on developing a culture of discipline. Great companies are filled with people on every level who are driven to grow.

Now, when we think about applying this idea to our kids ministries, we can’t miss the central idea. This is not about making our teams learn. It’s about creating a culture where they want to learn. That is critical. Reading a book that you have to read won’t produce nearly the fruit of reading a book that you want to read.

So how do you create a culture of learning? First, cast vision. And then cast the vision again. And again. Share how learning and growing as leaders will help your team experience ministry wins, change kids and families, and bring God glory. Second, model it. And then model it some more. If you don’t prioritize learning and growing, your team won’t either. Share what you learn with your team. You don’t have to go overboard about this; it can simply be sharing a quick idea in a casual conversation. Find natural ways to weave your personal growth into conversations and communications with your team.

Once you begin casting vision for growth, what resources do you point your team toward? Well, you will want to suggest a variety of resources. Not everyone likes to read. Not everyone is tech savvy. So mix up what you offer. Don’t forget to also do your best to ensure that the resources align with your church’s theology and beliefs and your kids ministry’s philosophy and practice.

Here are several resources we at LifeWay provide to get you started:

• Podcasts: In the LifeWay Kids Podcast, the LifeWay Kids team brings conversations and interviews with some of the leading voices in children’s ministry to the table to help you hear more about how to best serve the children and families in your ministry.
• Blogs: You already know about the LifeWay Kids Blog, but did you know there is a blog specifically for Bible Studies for Life, Explore the Bible, and The Gospel Project?
• Books: Consider kids ministry books like Kids Ministry 101, Wholly Kids, and Show Them Jesus along with leadership books and books that will deepen your leaders’ personal relationships with Jesus.
• Conferences: The ETCH Family Ministry Conference (October 3-5, 2016 in Nashville, TN) includes worship times and breakout sessions that will equip your team to lead a healthy ministry—one that is made up of these three essentials: heart transformation, kingdom expansion, and culture shaping.
• Webinars: LifeWay Kids launched free webinars earlier this year and the first was “Growing in God’s Word: Teaching the Bible the Way Kids Learn.”
• Ministry Grid: This online video training platform features plans based on church size which gives leaders access to thousands of videos on every ministry area including kids ministry. There are also free session training videos provided for each LifeWay Kids Bible study line.

One last word about creating a culture of learners. One of the best things you can do for your leaders is to ensure that they participate in your church’s small group ministry and worship opportunities. If that isn’t possible, consider providing each leader with a ministry sabbatical for a season.

Next up: How to use technology to deepen your ministry without relying on it.

Brian Dembowczyk is the team leader for The Gospel Project for Kids. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

In the fourth part of this series examining the seven key findings from Good to Great by Jim Collins we focus on what is known as the hedgehog principle.  

Let’s first look at the principle and then jump over to think about how kids ministries often operate before returning to the principle to see how it might apply to our ministries.

The hedgehog principle is based on the difference between foxes and hedgehogs. The cunning fox can devise many different ways to hunt a hedgehog, while a hedgehog only knows one thing—how to curl up into a spiked ball. But here’s the thing—the hedgehog always wins.

The hedgehog principle states that great businesses operate like hedgehogs. Instead of trying to succeed in many different ventures, they narrow their focus on fewer areas where they blow the top off. Collins suggests businesses focus on the overlapping portion of the following three circles in a Venn diagram:

1. What you are passionate about.
2. What you can be best at.
3. What drives your economic engine. (Put simply, what is most profitable.)

When a business focuses on what it loves to do, what it excels at doing, and what is profitable for it to do, it will succeed. And that is what great companies do.

Now, let’s think about how many kids ministries (and churches as a whole) often operate. If churches had a “life verse,” it would probably be 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 most often. This is where Paul wrote that he had become all things to all people so that he might win them. The corollary that churches often develop from this passage is that they need to do whatever it takes to reach people. So they will quickly add ministry programs and events with that noble intention in mind.

The result, however, is often a bloated calendar, stretched resources of money and people, and events and ministries that are not thriving. We have to appreciate the heart behind this approach, but we also have to be careful. Paul’s goal of being all things to people was to win them to Christ. Sometimes our programming has more to do with pleasing people than sharing and living the gospel. Then there are other times when our programming is focused on the gospel, but we simply cannot sustain the blistering pace. Sure we have to take steps of faith and allow God to stretch us, but we also need to be wise, faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

So let’s look at three questions developed from the hedgehog principle to help us find our sweet spot of ministry—where we are most effective for the gospel.

What you are passionate about. We are all passionate about the gospel and kids, but that still leaves quite a bit of room. What gets you and your team up in the morning? What parts of ministry do you do that are actually fun? What do you value most in ministry and would be heartbroken if you couldn’t continue doing it?

What you can be best at. We need to be honest with ourselves here. We cannot excel at everything. What are the talents of your team? What do your resources enable you to do with excellence? What makes the biggest impact on kids and families in your community?

What God has called you to do. I changed this one from “what drives your economic engine” to fit a ministry context. What has God called you to do in your ministry context? What is your vision as a church? This circle should carry the most weight because there are times when we know God has called us to do something that we don’t necessarily love and that we don’t excel at. (See Jonah.)  

Plot out each of those circles and see what falls in the middle. That is what you need to focus on and protect. Conversely, pay attention to what is only in one circle or not even on the chart. Unless it is in the last circle, you really need to consider whether you should continue doing it. Is it worth the resources? Can it be impactful? Ministry resources are precious. Let’s steward them well.

Next up: Creating a culture of discipline where your team never stops learning and growing.

Brian Dembowczyk is the team leader for The Gospel Project for Kids. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before joining the LifeWay Kids team. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Brian, his wife, Tara, and their three children live in Middle Tennessee where Brian enjoys drinking coffee and teaching 1st-3rd graders at City Church.