Encouragement

Encouragement, Events, Fun, Leadership, Training

August 27, 2013

3 Breakout Sessions You Don’t Want to Miss

In just a few weeks (six to be exact), something VERY EXCITING is happening in Nashville, Tennessee! Maybe you’ve seen our previous posts on KMC, our annual conference for leaders in kids ministry. We can’t quit talking about it here on the Kids Min floor of LifeWay, and I wanted to give you a heads up on a few workshops you should definitely check out:

Teaching to Teach: Equipping Your Leaders to be Better than You
Jeffrey Reed, Director of LifeWay Kids
This isn’t a session about leading a small group for kids. It goes deeper. You can already do it because it’s your job, right? Can all of your leaders? Jeffrey will focus on equipping you to inspire and recruit committed leaders.

Raising Boys and Girls
David Thomas, Director of Men and Boys’ Counseling, Sissy Goff, Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling, and Melissa Trevathan, Executive Director, Daystar Counseling
David helps you understand and explore the hearts, minds, and ways of boys and the vital role we play on the journey from boy to manhood. Sissy dives into the heart of girls to help adults understand the different stages of development for girls: what is normal, what is not, and how to relate effectively. Get excited for encouragement and insight from some of our best session leaders!

Layered Discipleship
Jana Magruder, Director of Kids Ministry Publishing
Come hear a strategy that will help you attract and sustain leaders, develop and maintain upcoming leaders, all while discipling the youngest of these. Join Jana to hear about the “layered discipleship” effect and how it can change the way you look at volunteer recruitment and retention, developing new leaders, and growing the next generation with hearts for Jesus.

Just reading over these descriptions gets me so excited for October 7-10th! We hope you’ll join us!

For the Kids Ministry Conference website, click here. To register now, click here.

Encouragement, Leadership

April 8, 2013

Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me That!

By Bill Emeott

Over the next few Monday’s I’ll be sharing some thoughts that I often share with new Kids Ministers. I thought I’d put these best-practices out here on the blog with hopes that in-experienced and experienced alike will benefit. These are really not all that profound, but things I learned the hard way. For me, they’ve become the core principles of my ministry and I hope they’ll help you in yours.

#1: TAKE CARE OF YOU, NO ONE ELSE CAN!

This principle is number one on the list, but (for me) the hardest to really “get.” As I teenager I remember learning that real “JOY” is found when one puts JESUS first, OTHERS next, and YOURSELF last. Hear me clearly… PUT JESUS FIRST… Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you” is truth and should be adhered to however, always putting others before yourself can be detrimental to you ministry. If you’re always giving and never taking the time to “breath in” and take care of yourself you won’t make it in ministry. You’ll soon burn out and be no good to anyone. Consider these four areas of “taking care of yourself:”

Take Care of Yourself Spiritually: The most important thing in your Kids Ministry is your relationship with God! Do not neglect your Bible reading, your prayer time, your worship, your witness, or your repentance. God wants to speak to the folks in your ministry from the overflow of what He’s done in your heart. Too many of us confuse our job with our relationship with our Boss (God). Be careful!
Take Care of Yourself Mentally: Challenge yourself to learn and grow. Never stop learning and developing your skills. Read books, blogs, and research other ministries to learn from. Grow in wisdom from those who’ve walked the path before you. Attend workshops and conferences and be a student.
Take Care of Yourself Physically: Ouch… that one hits me square in the eyes. I’m constantly fighting the battle of the bulge so know that I’m really talking to myself VERY LOUDLY on this one. Watch what you eat and how much of it you eat. Find exercise as a part of your life’s routine. Know, young minister… it’s easier now (when you’re young) than it will be later (when you’ve hit your 40s)! Watch the stress in your life and find opportunities to de-stress. Be a good time manager and make sure that you’re taking care of your body. After all… it’s the only one you get.
Take Care of Yourself Socially: When is the last time you were part of a group that you weren’t leading? When is the last time your trip to a restaurant didn’t involve a clown, a king, or a big over sized mouse? Make sure you are part of adult conversations. It’s okay to do something socially that doesn’t have anything to do with Kids Ministry… and I think It’s a good idea to have a close friend that doesn’t go to your church. You need time to talk, socialize, and enjoy the company of folks who don’t remind you that you still have child-care needs for an upcoming event.

Okay, there’s best-practice for Kids Ministry number one. I hope it’s been good for you to read and consider.

Take care of yourself this week. Find the time to deepen your relationship with Christ, read a blog or two, take a walk around the block, and see a movie with your best friend! I think you’ll be a better Kids Minister for it

Let me know what you think and check back next Monday best-practice #2: “Know What You Believe, and Why You Believe It.”

Encouragement

October 24, 2012

The Importance of Waiting on God’s Timing

By Katie DeCillo

Think about today’s culture in which we live…

We eat a lot of fast food! Computers do much of our work in order to get things done quickly and in a timely manner! Homes have more technology than ever before in order to do more…and to do more quickly! We are in a hurry most of our days!

The danger of living under such circumstances is that our need to have everything quickly and at our finger tips bleeds over into our spiritual lives. And, if we are not careful, we will attempt to take things into our own hands and rush them.

Doing so, can lead to disaster! Our impatience can often lead to:

Marrying the wrong person.
Taking the wrong job.
Quitting too early; quitting too late.
Joining the wrong church.
And on, and on, and on.

We can learn much from Bible people who needed to practice patience:

Abraham
David
Joseph
Jonah

As is always the case, we find our answers related to patience in God’s Word. Check out these passages on patience:

Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 41.10
Galatians 6:9
1 Peter 5:6-7
Psalm 40:1-2

So, what are you dealing with today that may require you to wait and be patient or is causing you anxiety because God hasn’t “fixed” it yet? Try this approach:

Pray sincerely about your issue.
Find a Bible verse related to that issue that you can claim every time it comes to your mind.
Daily yield that need to God with patience.

Throughout my years of ministry God has proven to me over and over that His timetable is best! I always end up with more of a blessing when things get “fixed” according to Him and His infinite wisdom!

Encouragement, Leadership

August 23, 2012

Advice for a newbie…

By Katie DeCillo

God calls. You answer. Now what? You find yourself engaging in the lives of kids at your church and want to make the most impact in the short amount of time you have each week with those kids. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming or even discouraging when you have to spend teachintime sorting through bad behavior in the classroom, potty breaks and distractions.

It’s easy to wonder, "Am I really getting through to them?" "Are they bored?" "Did I help them see Jesus at all today?"

Do you remember your first days as a kidmin leader? What’s advice would you offer to a newbie?

"And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head —Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part." Ephesians 4:11-16 HCSB

Encouragement, Preteen, Resources, Sunday School, Training, Vacation Bible School

May 2, 2012

Ministering to the Kid who Doesn’t Want to be There.

By Katie DeCillo

Every Tuesday, I get the opportunity to volunteer at an inner city ministry here in Nashville, and every week there is at least one kid there who just doesn’t want to be there. They don’t want to work on their homework; they don’t want to listen to the devotional, and they certainly don’t want to sing.

Ever been there? You have that kid that has no desire to listen to what you have to say and doesn’t think that your activities are fun. They want nothing to do with this Jesus you are talking about and have no idea why their parents force them to come to your class.

Here are some tips I’ve learned teaching at church and working with kids each Tuesday:

1. Don’t take it personally.

Kids will be kids, and some days, kids just don’t like what they have to do. They may leave and even come back next week with the same attitude, and that is ok. The Word of the Lord doesn’t return void. They may not seem to be listening or to get it, but they may.

2. Don’t get angry.

Normally, kids who say they don’t want to be in your class will warm up to you after a while if you continue to love on them and talk to them like they are an adult. Ask them lots of questions and really invest in them. Raising your voice will make them feel like you don’t really care.

3. Don’t leave boundaries undefined.

In many cases, kids will push you until they know exactly where the boundaries are. They crave them. Boundaries make kids feel safe. Set up rules at the beginning of class. Re-emphasize as you go. One of my favorites that I have learned volunteering is “raise a quiet hand to tell me …” Also, the kids know that they don’t want to be sitting along the wall because they won’t get to play capture the flag. Rewarding good behavior and participation is great.

Again, don’t be upset if you are not able to be the catalyst that makes this kid love coming to Sunday School. Sometimes, they will still not want to be involved. They may want to sit at a separate table or on the floor, and that’s ok. Try to keep their attention and make class way too much fun to want to miss! They’ll come around. It may take time, but the more they know you care the more interested they will be.

*This post is the third in a series of posts about ministering to different types of kids written by Mary Carlise, from our CentriKid blog.

Encouragement

May 26, 2010

Every Big Thing Starts with a Little Something!

By Bill Emeott

One of the many privileges of serving at LifeWay is the opportunity we are given to attend chapel. Some are okay and others really stand out. Today was one of those “stand out” days because today we were honored to hear Dr. Henry Blackaby. Dr. Blackably, his wife, and son, Richard, were with us in honor of the 20^th anniversary of the Bible Study Dr. Blackaby wrote, “Experiencing God.”

First of all, I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since “Experiencing God” first came out. Secondly, I can’t think of another resource (other than the Bible itself) that has influenced my life more. I’m sure it had much to do with where I was in my spiritual journey when I first did the Bible study (I’ve been through it three times total)… I’m sure the impact had much to do with who led me through the Bible Study the first time (thanks, Billy Godwin)… I’m sure it’s got a lot to do with all that was going on during that time of my life… but “Experiencing God” made a huge difference in my life and ministry.

Today, Dr. Blackaby shared some of the ways God has used the Bible study. He shared stories about soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who have used the study to help them get through some very difficult days; he shared about prisoners in Angola prison who on death row found salvation as a result of “Experiencing God;” he even shared that former President George W Bush used the resource as a daily devotion during his presidency. It really is quite amazing how God has used “Experiencing God” to make a huge difference in so many lives.

Dr. Blackaby challenged us by reminding us that no one really knew twenty years ago what God was up to; no one had a clue that the resource, “Experiencing God,” would make such a huge impact on so many lives. He encouraged us to view our work with an expectant spirit. Expecting God to use the things created in this place to change the world!

So, my challenge to you is the same. We have no clue what God has planned for the boys and girls in our Kids Ministry. Which child is the next Henry Blackaby? Which child will pen the next “Experiencing God?” Which child will grow up to be president of the United States? Which child will change the world? Which one will lead their generation to a closer experience with God? We just don’t know… but I guarantee you this… some child will and I want to make sure that I do my part on this side to help prepare them for the role God is preparing for them!

Bottom Line: Every big thing starts as a little something! Be diligent with the “little somethings” God has entrusted in your ministry! God is preparing them for what He is preparing for them! You get to be a part of His preparation! Be encouraged!

3 Breakout Sessions You Don’t Want to Miss

Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me That!

#1: TAKE CARE OF YOU, NO ONE ELSE CAN!

The Importance of Waiting on God’s Timing

Advice for a newbie…

Ministering to the Kid who Doesn’t Want to be There.

Every Big Thing Starts with a Little Something!

All Ministry Sites

Digital Resources

LifeWay Network