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Kids Ministry, Leadership, Media, Technology

March 26, 2018

10 Ways to Leverage Kids’ Technological Distractions

On my way to church on a recent Wednesday evening, I found out that I needed to help in preschool choir. The lead teacher’s family had the flu, so her co-teacher would be taking the lead and she needed an assistant. Miss LeeAnn, a college student, quickly pulled together some music videos and a Bible story app on her smartphone, which she subsequently connected to the TV in the preschool classroom. And away we went!

Miss LeeAnn leveraged technology in order to effectively teach biblical truth that Wednesday night. Today’s preschoolers and elementary kids are what Marc Prensky calls digital natives. They have never known a world without smartphones and electronic tablets. So, instead of lamenting that fact, let’s use technology in positive ways at church.

Embrace technology for what it is, technology; and don’t condemn kids for using it.
Teach kids the theology of technology. Remind them that their identity is in Christ, not dependent on how many “likes” and “shares” they receive.
Help kids apply what Jesus referred to as the greatest commands—love God and love others—to their use of technology, rather than succumb to negative digital distractions.
Establish ground rules for mobile devices at church for both teachers and kids.
Incorporate the usage of family apps in class.
Use TV screens.
Take pictures/video of kids engaged in Bible learning, in real time. However, be sure to follow your church’s privacy policy.
Present biblical truth and life application in terms of sound bites, quotes, memes, short videos, engaging images, share squares, and emojis.
Build in time for interruptions. When kids have questions, try to respond immediately. If a child makes a relevant statement, allow for open discussion on the spot if appropriate.
Use large group experiences to teach patience. The world of smartphones has created expectations of immediate gratification. When a child has to wait for a teacher or her peers before speaking or taking action, she will learn patience; and patience is biblical. (See Galatians 5:22.)

Speaking to a previous generation, G. K. Chesterton stated, “The huge modern heresy is to alter the human soul to fit modern social conditions, instead of altering modern social conditions to fit the human soul.” Our job is not to change the gospel message to fit technology, but rather to leverage technology to teach kids the unchanging truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Ministry Publishing, Nashville, TN. A graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Landry served on church staffs before coming to Lifeway. He is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher. Landry also teaches children at his church in Middle Tennessee. He and his wife Janetta are the grandparents of two adorable grandbabies.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Media, Sunday School, Teaching Kids, Technology

October 30, 2017

Making Technology Work in your Classroom

By Tim Pollard

In this day and age there is plenty of technology available. We live in a society that is immersed in it, and kids are growing up as digital natives, meaning they haven’t known a world without technology. Many are fluent users as young as three years of age. We’ve seen the tablets, the smart phones, the DVD players, and any host of other things out there (and technology we don’t even know about yet). The key is to know how we can harness this different technology as we teach and keep the digital natives engaged.

First know that technology should not be shied away from, but certainly not the only thing you use when you are teaching about Christ. The technology you use should supplement what you are teaching without being used in place of your teaching. As a general rule, when we are using our Bibles to tell the Bible story kids remember that God’s Word is real and alive and valuable. Using technology in place of that experience may turn kids away from wanting to handle God’s Word.

Here are a few tips to use when you do use technology in your classroom:

Don’t be frightened to use technology. As you engage digital natives in their environment, some use of technology is going to be necessary. Don’t let the technology scare you and, if it does, practice using it ahead of time.
Be the gatekeeper of the technology. As technology is used in your classroom, make sure you are gatekeeping how and when that technology is used. Don’t let kids surf the web while in Bible study, and if they use their own devices, make sure it’s for use as directed.
Use technology only as needed. As we’ve already discussed there is no substitute for the real thing. When telling a Bible story, sure, you can use a DVD player or video online to teach the Bible story, but always follow it up by using your Bible to tell the Bible story in your own words.
Use technology to help broaden your understanding. Use the available technology to help you as you plan for a session. Do research outside your leader guide or study guide to supplement your knowledge of the topic being taught and if necessary supplement your teaching with those things.
Use technology to engage the learners. Many curricula available today have an outside app that can be used to help engage your learners as part of the learning process. Be sure if you use this technology you follow up with the learning by helping boys and girls apply what they did to the biblical content you are teaching.
Use technology to engage others. Use email, social media, social groups, or microblogging sites to alert parents to things their kids may have studied and to elicit their feedback.

As you begin to use more technology in the classroom you will see a new way of engaging your kids, and who knows, you might get much more comfortable using the technology and letting it work for you.

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd graders at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Media, Networking, Parent Helps, Resources

September 12, 2017

3 Simple Ways to Serve Parents on Social Media

By Kids Ministry 101

Social media can be a scary, overwhelming place at times, especially for people in ministry. Often there is so much negativity and anger rippling through our social media feeds that we wonder if there is any way to redeem these tools for kingdom good.

Well there is. Do not be discouraged.

Children’s ministers: the parents of the children in your care are on Facebook, Instagram, and other such platforms. Through social media, you have the ability to minister to them and equip them to minister to their children beyond the doors of your church building.

But you’re busy and there are so many options. I know. Here are a few ways you can get started:

1. Start a Facebook page for your children’s ministry.

Hopefully your church already has a Facebook page, but if you serve a large number of families and it is sometimes difficult to figure out the best way to keep in touch, a Facebook page (combined with a Facebook group, mentioned below) may be the best way to communicate vital information with people.

Starting a Facebook page for your children’s ministry can serve a number of important purposes like giving you a way to communicate with families in your church as well as giving you an opportunity to serve families in your broader community.

2. Start a Facebook group for your children’s ministry.

A Facebook group is different from a Facebook page in a number of ways. Because Facebook groups tend to be more private, you may not want to use a Facebook group to reach families in your community (see Facebook pages for that).

A Facebook group would be helpful for having a way to instantly communicate schedule changes or other important announcements to the families who regularly attend. This is a space where you could share prayer requests and coordinate meals for families in your church.

Facebook pages and Facebook groups are both important, but they do serve different purposes: pages are more public and groups are more private.

3. Share biblical parenting resources that may encourage and equip your parents.

Whether you decide to create a Facebook page or a Facebook group for your children’s ministry, one of the best ways to serve the families in your church is by providing biblical parenting resources that may encourage and equip your parents.

The job of church leaders is to equip the church to do ministry. Through social media outlets, like Facebook, you have the opportunity to share biblical parenting resources like blog posts, videos, or other content that may help the families in your church and your community point their kids to Jesus.

Maybe you’re overwhelmed by all of this. It’s OK. Take a deep breath. If you aren’t sure where to start or you have more questions about how social media can help children’s ministry, I can point you in the right direction.

I help Christian leaders use social media to serve people all the time. It’s my job. In October, Lifeway is launching a service called Lifeway Social to help Christian leaders like you use social media to serve the people in your churches and communities.

The Lord has given you good gifts and he has given us tools like social media to share the good news of the gospel and to equip the saints for ministry. Don’t be overwhelmed to the point of paralysis. Let Lifeway Social help. Learn more at LifewaySocial.com.

Chris Martin is Co-Creator of Lifeway Social and an Author Development Specialist at Lifeway. He loves helping Christian leaders use social media to serve the Church. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisMartin17.

Kids Ministry, Training

August 20, 2014

Kids Ministry, Networking

August 13, 2014

Leadership, Media, Training

October 22, 2013

7 Influencers on Kids Ministry (Part 1)

By Bill Emeott

I’m often asked about what trends I see in Kids Ministry. After all, I visit a lot of churches and talk with a lot of KidMin leaders. The truth is for every church I visit who is doing KidMin one way, the next church I talk with is doing the same thing, differently. There are no trends that I would encourage anyone to join. Each church is called to be unique in the community that God has placed them. Don’t do something because someone else is having success. Do whatever you do because God has led you and you ministry to do it. Follow His leadership – not the trends.

However, I do see some things that I believe are influencing Kids Ministry today. I believe these seven influences that have been identified will help you understand, prepare, and create systems in your church that will help your ministry to be viable and ready for the future. It’s not my intention to defend these influencers, just acknowledge them:

1. Technology: Like it or not, it’s here to stay (and it’s gonna be different next year than it is this year). Many of our “baby boomer” leaders have grown to tolerate technology. They use it but would be fine if it went away! A growing group of younger boomers and Gen Xers have learned to enjoy technology. It’s fun, it saves time, and it’s a useful tool. However, millennials (those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s) and the kids that we are teaching in our churches EMPLOY technology. They use it to “do life” and don’t know anything different! So, in Kids Ministry we have a choice. We can ignore it, refuse to use it, or we can figure it out. My recommendation (and a future post) is to figure it out!

2. Social Media: Social Media and Technology could have easily been lumped into the same category, but I think that would be a mistake. Technology and teaching methods are one thing, but socializing through that technology is really a completely different phenomenon. Email started it, and chatting, texting, and Instagraming have sealed the deal. The parents of our kids (and many of the kids themselves) prefer this form of communication over traditional methods. They still appreciate a note, a birthday card, and other forms of traditional socialization, but on a day-to-day basis, they use the social media outlets. This has become a real issue for some of my more traditional friends but I encourage you to consider the benefits and see if touching lives, by whatever means available, is still the real goal.

Watch this blog for Part 2 and Part 3 of this post where I will share Influencers #3-7.

Media, Resources

June 17, 2013

5 Things to Remember About Ministry Social Media

By Katie DeCillo

So many churches and ministries these days are using social media. Facebook and Twitter are sometimes great ways to get the word out about events, outreach and volunteer opportunities, etc. within your ministry– if you use them wisely!

If your church uses social media or is thinking about social media, here are 5 things to keep in mind:

Your audience. According to churchleaders.com, church websites should be geared toward new people, church/ministry social media should be geared toward people who are already involved. Keep your audience in mind when composing messages; update frequently, and promote your social media networks in church bulletins, newsletters, etc. If you plan on using social media as a primary means of communication, make sure church members know where to find those announcements.
What you’re sharing. This is especially true for children’s ministries. Be careful when posting pictures and/or names of kids in your ministry, especially if your ministry page is set to public. The safety of those kids should be a very high priority. If you’re thinking about posting pictures, make sure you have parental permission. It’s probably a good idea to have parents sign a photo release form just incase. And if you’re going to share meeting locations where children will be present, (parks, playgrounds, etc.) be sure your Facebook page or Twitter feed is set to private to prevent unsafe people from acquiring that information.
How often you update. Social media is a weird thing– it’s only effective if it’s used consistently. Once you’ve gotten everyone on board and they know to check your pages for updates, make sure you actually post them! Facebook pages are great tools for communicating ministry events and updates if you use them consistently.
Grammar, composition, and accuracy. This should go without saying, but sometimes it must be said! Your social media outlets represent your church. Make sure the updates are grammatically correct, composed in a way that is easy to understand, and contain accurate dates, times, and locations.
Who runs the account(s). When you hold the password to a social media account, you hold a lot of power. Be wise in selecting the administrator for your social media accounts. It’s a good idea to choose one or two trusted people who can keep up with your ministry’s happenings and who can communicate with each another about what gets posted.

Does your church or ministry use social media? What sites do you use? Do you think it’s an effective means of communication?

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Katie is the Social Media Specialist for Lifeway Kids. If you have any questions about setting up or using social media sites for ministry purposes, please feel free to contact her at katie.decillo@lifeway.com.

Fun, Leadership, Media

August 13, 2012

Fun

June 19, 2012

Encouragement, Media

June 12, 2012

Tweets You Can Use!

By Katie DeCillo

"Katie, you’ve told me I need a Twitter account for my ministry … now what do I do with it!?"

The key to successful tweeting, some could argue, is informing and generating conversation with your followers. In order to do that, you want to try and engage them in a way that generates a response.

So let’s get started…

Your fall kick-off event is in two weeks and you’ve 500 hot dogs that need to be eaten. The drive of the event is to bring new folks into your church.

No WAY: Fall kick-off is soon. This lets folks know there’s something going on but not when OR where.

Good: Fall kick-off is in just TWO weeks! Bring some hungry friends! This one’s a little more informative, but still doesn’t let followers know where Fall kick-off is.

Better: Fall kick-off is in just TWO weeks! Bring some hungry friends to the fellowship hall parking lot on for food & fun on Saturday, August 25 at 4PM! This tweet works well. It lets folks know you’re excited AND tells them how to join you.

Best: Who are you bringing to Fall kick-off? Meet us in the fellowship hall parking lot for food & fun on Saturday, 8/25 at 4PM! This tweet drives followers to think about who they might bring, and lets them know when/where your event is taking place.

Great! Let’s try again…

You’re VBS director this year and you desperately need more volunteers. What do you say?

No WAY: Ya’ll. I’m pulling my hair out. VBS volunteers are hard to come by these days!

Good: I need more VBS volunteers!

Better: I need more VBS volunteers! Let me know if you’re interested.

Best: Want to be part of a life-changing ministry for kids? VBS is a great opportunity! Email katie.decillo@lifeway.com for details.

See what I mean?

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Twitter and Facebook are great tools for getting the word out about ministry needs and events, but they also serve as a means to getting to know parents and families even better, too. Invite them to join the conversation with tweets like these:

What’s the most important thing you want your kids to learn at church?

How do your kids learn best? By hearing a message, seeing a message, interacting with a message?

How can we pray for your kid(s) this week?

What are some missions projects you’ve done with your kids?

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What are some of your biggest struggles with social media?

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