boneless chicken ranch

Okay, so here's what happened today.....
I was checking out children's ministry blogs and I stumbled upon "www.thewayweseeitblog.com." As I read through the leadership category I came across one written by Jim Wideman, it's exactly what I have been trying to verbalize for 5 months now! Here's an excerpt from Mr. Wideman's post....

".............Yes today’s The Far Side Comic was Boneless Chicken Ranch. Every time I look at it it reminds me the importance of structure. Without the right structure in place we can’t move our ministries where they need to go. Yes, they have all the chicken parts, and they look like real chickens but they are stuck right where they are. The only hope for a boneless chicken is a bone structure. The only hope for a ministry to grow and go where God wants it to go is to change your old or nonexistent structure and replace it with a growth structure."

I have been wrestling with a coworker regarding the children's ministry at our church. When I took this position I knew there was attention needed, especially in the details! The ministry had all the parts, vision, mission, values, but it was stuck! The (quote, unquote) details were not on anyones radar. My coworker and several parents kept telling me to get new furniture, update the decor, get new games, ministry attire for the volunteers, etc. That sounds great and all, but isn't that just like dressing up a pig?

I decided it would be more beneficial to start with the basics, or backbone! Application to work with children, background checks on all volunteers, secure children's area, volunteer orientation, team gathering to reiterate the vision, mission and values, volunteer name tags, deep cleaning the carpets, floors and classrooms, taking down all the dated and dusty decor. (The cleaning alone created a huge buzz, seriously, no joke!) Because of these small changes, several people decided to not only leave the ministry, but leave the church. I'm not kidding. I started to feel like the plague, but I now know that they were focused on what they were doing, not what God could and would do!

The crazy thing is that after 5 months of small, mostly behind the scenes changes, there is excitement in the children's area, people are calling me to sign up to serve. Yes, you read that right! Volunteers are inviting their friends to serve. Word of mouth is the best PR you can get! I just ordered t-shirts for all the volunteers, something my coworker suggested. If I would have done that 5 months ago they would have ended up in the closet or garage sale, not now, the volunteers are proud to say they serve God by serving His children! I am a very driven person and looking at what has happened in the past 6 months usually isn't my deal, I am focused on what still needs to be done, but after reading about the "boneless chicken ranch" I started praising God for allowing me to see Him at work. He has really done an amazing work, probably because He is an amazing God!

A Children's Ministry Conversation

Check out Craig Jutila's new blog, www.liquidleadership.tv. He just might be coming to your city!

you have been released

Have you ever had to fire a volunteer? I personally consider it "releasing." It just sounds better. I have had the unfortunate task of releasing a volunteer twice in the past 2 years. One just happened yesterday.

Something I assume everyone knows is you only get one chance to make a first impression. First impressions are so important, especially in children's ministry!! As parents, we want to make sure our children are in a clean, safe environment with people who love them. The atmosphere is exciting, volunteers are actually thrilled your child is there! And when you drop your child off at his or her classroom, you are both warmly greeted and your child doesn't even have time to say; "Bye, have fun in big church." (Everything sounded great until that last quote, that just doesn't happen!) Anyway, what do you do when a volunteer has a great heart, is committed, but is so abrasive to parents they don't want to return? To me, it's perfectly clear, you release them.

1 Corinthians 10:32 says it all; "Do not call anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God."

If you have a volunteer who is causing parents to not return, or to stumble, you must release them. I am not saying they can't serve anywhere, they just can't serve in an upfront position. I know it sounds so easy and cut and dry, but truthfully it is a very hard thing to do. Remember, I fired a volunteer who was committed to the vision, who has a heart for Jesus and His children. There were tears shed and feelings were hurt, but when you consider the number of people who might not hear the saving message of Jesus Christ because a volunteer is in the wrong spot, it's worth it.

As children's leaders, we must make sure people are serving in the best location based on their giftedness. We also need to make sure they have the people skills to be in that position. People are wired differently, some have people skills and some do not. If you are not up for releasing volunteers, take the extra time necessary to make sure people skills are on your radar when you look for giftedness.

Wow, thanksgiving already?!?!

the rooms are safe, but what about the people?

So, i've taken a position with this amazing church that is on the launching pad ready to take off. We currently reside in an old facility that needs alot of work and was just sold.
As I look at the children's area, I know that there are amazing things that could be, but did I mention we just sold it? The past few weeks have been filled with cleaning carpets, wiping down walls and removing bowed tables and broken chairs. The rooms look better and smell better, but honestly it's not as much about what the rooms look like as who serves in each room.
It's the people who matter the most. I am so thankful the children's area is now pleasing to the eye and the nose but my main focus is the people. I don't know if you have ever struggled with task vs. people, but I will tell you the truth, you will never win if you pick the task.
I am a firm believer in making sure the children's area of any church is clean, safe and secure but I am not just talking about the building. Each team member should be too. Background checks are a must in children's ministry. An application to work with children is also a must. Reference need to be called and every new volunteer team member needs to be interviewed. Each children's ministry volunteer is a safe person in a child's eyes. We as a church must remain proactive and protect the little ones God sends our way.

day before you

Rascal Flatts wrote a song called "The Day Before You." I have no idea if this song was meant for listeners to think of God, but He's exactly who I think about everytime I hear it! The song starts off with "I had all but given up on finding the one that I could fall into, on the day before you..." I am currently in the middle of an amazing mind boggling adventure. Some days I am so tired I don't know if I will make to my bed before I fall asleep. And then I remember who is carrying me through this adventure, the one true God! I know I can fall into His arms and He will refresh me for the next days itineray. I am so thankful I never have to go back to the day before I knew such amazing love!

That must be why I am so passionate about children knowing Jesus as their Savior! So their relationship with God can be restored and they can know what it means to fall into the arms a God who created them and knows them better than they know themselves. A God who thinks of them all the time and loves them so much He never leaves them. The chorus of the song says "Now you're here, everythings changing, suddenly life means so much..." Life is totally amazing when you yeild to His plans. Each Texas morning I marvel at the beautiful sunrise and I know that He has called me here. Each new face I meet gets etched into my heart. His plans are at work and He will be made famous through the lives of those who choose to follow Him. Lifechange, it's a good thing.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

the famous one..

It has been almost a month since my last post....hmmmm I wonder why?!? Could it be the fact moved accross country, started a new job, enrolled my incredible children in a new school and taxied them around to their sports. Wow, just typing that made me tired, but it's too early to nap!

God is so amazing! I have seen His hand at work every where I turn! My new church family is absolutely wonderful! Filled with people ready to serve God's littlest creations! They want to be trained! They want to make sure they are serving in a positive atmosphere with a team approach! I wake up each morning ready to lead. God has given me experiences for just such a time. He is so awe inspiring. A familiar verse has kept me focused this week; "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a. Only God could do what has been done in the past 30 days! Only He can get the credit for His kingdom work.

I feel so blessed to be able to see God in action! Praise the Lord

salsa and chips

I love Jesus,
I love my family,
I love salsa and chips!!!

Recently, someone asked me; "What are your favorite things?" The first 3 things were easy, after that it was kind of hard to come up with things! Why is it when someone asks a question like that we can't come up with an answer? I have a lot of favorite things, but those were the first 3??

Craig Jutila said; "It's the little things that make a little difference that make a big difference." The fact that someone took the time to ask me "what do you like?" is a little thing that made a big difference. It shows they care, and as the saying goes, "People don't care what you know, until they know you care." Children are the same way! If you take the time to show children you care about them, they will want to know what you care about, and if you are serving in children's ministry I would think you care about children knowing Jesus as their Savior! Let me tell you about Madelyn.

Madelyn did not want to leave her mom when she was 3 years old. She was nervous, there was a room full of kids and she is an only child. Each week I would greet her by name at the door and ask her a question or two. "What's your favorite cereal?, What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?, Do you like Dora?" etc. I asked because I wanted her to know I cared about her! She told me she loved oreo cereal, chocolate ice cream and no Dora. The next Sunday I see her beautiful little face and I ask; "Did you have oreo cereal for breakfast this morning?" Her eyes lit up, she ran and gave me a hug. Yes, you read that right a hug! She waved at mom and has been my friend ever since. She is now almost 11 years old. She told me a couple of weeks ago she doesn't eat oreo cereal anymore, but chocolate ice cream is still number one!

It was a little question that made a big difference in a child's life. She knows I care and because of our relationship she was willing to explore a relationship with this Jesus she was learning about. She was baptized this past January, she knows HIM. What a privilege it is to serve His little ones!

a time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to move to Texas

After serving 17 years at Westgate Chapel, the time has come to move on. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Never in my wildest dreams did I think the Lord would lead us elsewhere, but in three weeks we will be packing up the SUV with 3 teenagers, 2 golden retrievers, a cat (maybe) and a frog (again maybe) and heading south. 23 hours to be exact to serve the Lord in Corpus Christi Texas. I am so thankful I am not privey to the plans the Lord has made for me. I know He is in control and He has called me to this new location to serve Him, but I would be lying if I said it was easy. I love God, I love my family and I love adventure.......I guess a 23 hour drive to a new town to serve God is right up my alley!

The stars at night are big and bright....

My Story Continues....

I confess, leadership stuff always fuels me. I mean really fuels me! I try to see if I am growing as a leader and where I fall in the different categories. I never seem to fit any particular mold or chart which can be frustrating, but then I remember, Psalm 139:14a "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." That's just so cool! I don't have to fit into anything other than God's plan, and that is comforting! I read an article this morning by Todd Rhoades titled "Four Qualities of Innovative Leaders." (Yes, I was trying to see if that described me, but that's not the point.) Craig Groeschel, the pastor of LifeChurch.tv shared at the Buzz Conference what he thinks are four great qualities of innovative leaders. I think they are pretty interesting, so here is a little of what Todd wrote;

"First, innovative leaders heal the sick. Jesus sought out those in need and met their needs. Unfortunately today, too many churches are inwardly focused and not meeting the needs of non-Christians. Craig said that in order to reach those who aren’t yet being reached, we have to do things that no one else is doing. Our goal is to reach people for Jesus however we can, and in order to do that, we need to teach our people to love people who don’t know Christ. His question to us was, “Who is God calling you to reach that no one around you is reaching?”

Second, innovative leaders break the rules. Jesus broke the Sabbath rules. Craig used the analogy of Nascar: “Go straight, turn left. Go straight, turn left.” Innovative leaders don’t take the common path. They turn right! Every great movement of God was started by a leader making a right turn. Question: What is God calling you to do that’s never been done before?

Third, innovative leaders offend the “Pharisees.” When you do something new to reach people for Jesus, modern Pharisees will attack with a vengeance. But Craig said that we shouldn’t worry when the Pharisees are shooting at us. We should worry when they aren’t. He asked, “What new thing will God call you to create that will be hated today and embraced tomorrow?”

Fourth, innovative leaders redefine success. Instead of talking about how many people they’re reaching and bragging about numbers, innovative leaders are constantly thinking about how many people still need to be reached. We can’t be impressed with ourselves. We need to stop building attendance and start building the kingdom."

Don't you totally want to heal the sick, break the rules, offed the "Pharisees," and redefine success?? I do, as long as it makes Him famous!

Do I hear an AMEN???

Purity, Maturity & Unity

A couple of months ago, I sat around a tree with about 30 children's leaders and listened to Rick Warren talk about how leaders need to make sure they are working on their purity, maturity and unity. The 3 key elements of growth. Personal as well as church growth. He spoke about Achan's sin in Joshua 7. Achan sinned against the Lord by keeping devoted items for himself. He hid them and the Lord spoke to Joshua and told him to rid his troops of this sin. The Lord removed His favor because of the sin problem. There wasn't purity, maturity or unity amongst the troops.

Can you imagine what God can do with a local church body who focuses on purity, maturity and unity? I recently sent out an evaluation to parents of children in our ministry and I was amazed at some of the responses. One responder said; "And when the Jr. High program ramps up and my kids are there, I will be to, only because my wife thinks it is something fun we can do as a family. I'll be one of those smiling faces saying how great and cool it is, and how much fun I'm having. But let me speak now for all those men and women out there that see this circus going on and wonder why in the world we can't get this all done in one shot on Sunday." This was an annonymous evaluation so I have no idea who answered this way, but it certainly sounds like this person is not being honest with himself or with the one true God!

I am so thankful for the incredible volunteers who are serving this family! I pray they continue to focus on "purity, maturity, and unity." I pray that their example will cause the annonymous evaluator to think about how God wants him to act.

Fight to the Finish

I recently sat through a jr. high state track meet and heard a ton of comments about about running a great race. You could hear parents telling their children to get a great start, focus, stay strong, just run, don't worry about people in the other lanes, just do your thing and don't let anyone pass you, but my favorite was "fight to the finish." Are we not called to do the same thing? As leaders, we need to tell our teams to get a great start by preparing for their service, focus on the goal, children knowing Jesus as their Savior, stay strong when you are criticized (it's going to happen), just run your race without worrying about what other volunteers or other churches are doing, God has called you to the ministry you are in, if he wanted you to do what the church in florida's doing, he would move you there. It doesn't mean you can't learn from other ministries, I have learned so much from other ministries and I am so grateful! Iron does sharpen iron. We are all on the same team serving the same God, but you are called by God to fulfill His will at your location. We are supposed to "fight to the finish." Minister to children until, as Craig Jutila says, "Jesus comes back." Oh man, I wish it was Sunday!

On a personal note, my daughter did take second in the state in the 100m, 200m, and 200, low hurdles!

the dip

Seth Godin's new book totally rocks! It's a quick read, the perfect kind for a 2 hour plane ride! Perserverance vs. quitting. Quitting is not a bad thing, in fact, sometimes it's the best thing you can do! "It’s time to quit when you secretly realize you’ve been settling for mediocrity all along. It’s time to quit when the things you’re measuring aren’t improving, and you can’t find anything better to measure." I love to say "Less is More," because it's just plain true! This book hit the spot for me, pick it up you'll be glad you did!

The first child I ever ministered to...

What's Your Story?

I recently heard Donald Miller speak at the Orange Conference. (Which by the way was absolutely amazing. Way to go Reggie, Lanny & Sue) Donald Miller challenged everyone to think about their story. I have always thought about how God has allowed me to experience things as pieces of a 5 billion piece puzzle, but Donald Miller really clarified it for me by creating an amazing image in my mind of the book God is writing for us. God is exciting, there is nothing more exciting!!! Somehow we have forgotten that and just boxed Him in. I want kids to know the real God. I want them to know that following Christ is worth it, it's dangerous, exciting, fulfilling, adventurous, messy, full of grace, joyful, etc. I want them to see that God wants to write their story if they would just let Him.

Once upon a time......

Lion Chasers

After finishing Mark Batterson's book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" I realize lion chasing is what I do. Keeping current is children's ministry is an ongoing process. Children are always changing and they are resilient, it's the parents that have a hard time with the changes! I know for myself I am enjoing every minute I have with my children because they will be off to college in a blink of an eye. Growing things change, change challenges us to rely on God, God grows things, ....... and so it goes. Mark Batterson tells the story of Beneniah and relates it to leadership. You must chase the opportunities that God puts in front of you. In order to stay fresh, I think you must look for those "lions" that God places in our paths, and then chase, conquer, and get ready to again lace up the shox! I love children's ministry, there are always "lions" to chase!

Gut Check for Growing Churches

These are personal reflections from Mark Batterson, Senior Pastor at National Community Church.

The more we grow...

1) ...the greater the PRIVILEGE

I never want myself or anyone on our staff to have a sense of entitlement. We're only servants--I Cor. 3:5.

2) ...the more COMPLICATED things get

Sin complicates your life in negative ways. Growth complicates your life in positive ways. Learn to thank God for complications!

3) ...the harder it is to maintain UNITY

Vision is the key to unity! The larger you get the more frequently you need to cast vision. Unity doesn't happen by default--Eph 4:3.

4) ...the better STEWARDS we need to be

Growth raises the stakes. With greater responsibility comes greater accountability.

5) ...the more ABOVE REPROACH we need to be

I Corinthians 10:23 says, "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial." As our leadership expands, there can be an unhealthy and unholy tendency toward the permissible end of the spectrum! Guard against it. As our influence expands, leaders need to move toward the beneficial end of that spectrum!

6) ...the easier it is to exist for those who ALREADY BELONG

As a church grows it is very easy to give in to centripetal force--we become inward-focused and ingrown. The Great Commission is centrifugal--go into all the world.

7) ...the easier it is to do ministry out of MEMORY instead of ministry out of IMAGINATION

The beginning of the end for every entreprenurial organization is the moment they stop doing what got them to where they are! You need to keep making mistakes. You need to keeping experimenting. Don't repeat the past. Create the future!

8) ...the more we have to remind ourselves of WHY we're doing what we're doing and WHO we're doing it for

There is a fine line between building Thy Kingdom and My Kingdom. As your circle of influence grows, you need to stay Christ-centered.

9) ...the more you have to guard your heart

As you grow, so does the target on your back. Leaders need to keep a pure heart in the midst of criticism and temptation. The blessings of God backfire when they produce pride. Stay humble.

10) ...the bigger our DREAMS need to get

The size of our dreams is one of the best barometers of spiritual maturity. People with a big God have big dreams!

Leading in the Trenches

According to John West in his book Leading in the Trenches, here are 5 things to consider as you build your leadership.

1. Seeing the big(ger) picture

One of the most common traits that employees lack at the beginning of their careers (and sometimes later on, too) is perspective. Most of us are confronted each day with more things to do than time to do them. A key to your success—and the success of your entire team—is recognizing which things are important enough to take priority and actually get done. In order to do this you've got to be able to see the bigger picture.

Try to understand how what you are working on right now fits in to the picture at least two levels up from you. You might “just” be working on a piece of software to write out the new output file format, but if you know that piece of software is needed before the product ships, and if you realize that this product is supposed to turn your company's fourth quarter revenues around, you will be totally focused on getting that work done.

2. Understand what could be better today

A trait most often desired in strong leaders is vision: the ability to look around and see how things could be, not just how they are. Developing a vision that is powerful enough to inspire others while remaining concrete enough to actually accomplish takes practice. You can start getting that practice right now.

Look around at your work environment, tools, and processes: how could things be better? What one change could you envision that would make you more productive? Or more relevant to the company? How about for your whole team, or division?

You want to be careful here, especially at first.

You might get fired up about some of your ideas and want to run straight to your boss and fill him in on all the great stuff he should be doing. There are often reasons, and sometimes good reasons, that things are the way they are, and you or your boss may not be able to change those things right now.

The key is to take the time to do the thinking. Then, as time goes on, look for appropriate opportunities to share your ideas with those around and get their feedback. Then, when you're at that staff meeting and out of the blue the boss says “How can we make things better?” you'll be ready.

3. Responsibility

Take responsibility for your own actions. For example, when someone compliments you for a job well done, accept their thanks or congratulations humbly.

By the same token when you make a mistake, don't make excuses or try to avoid the blame. Admit your error, learn from it, and don't fail in the same way again. And if you want extra credit, go find the people you inconvenienced and apologize.

4. Recognition and reward

We all like to be recognized for our contributions. But this recognition doesn't just have to come from the boss.

When a coworker meets a milestone or stays all night to pull the team out of a jam, say “thanks” or give a word of congratulations. It doesn't have to be fancy or formal.

This is a great habit to form early in your career, and giving this kind of peer support also provides a low penalty learning environment to discover what kinds of praise and recognition people respond best to.

5. Mentorship

One of the most valuable aspects of leadership is the strong desire to develop others so that they can reach their full potential. But, again, you don't have to wait until you are the boss to start doing this.

As you learn and develop, look for opportunities to pass your skills on to others. Helping others develop is immensely fulfilling, but its also great for your team and can help establish you as a trusted expert with your peers and a valuable leader to your boss. Just don't spend so much time helping others that you don't get your own job done!

Youth Volunteers

Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service reports that adults who engaged in volunteering in their youth give more money and volunteer more time than adults who began their philanthropy later in life.

Key findings:

*44% of adults volunteer and 2/3 of these volunteers began volunteering their time when they were young.

*Adults who began volunteering as youth are 2x as likely to volunteer as those who did not volunteer when they were
younger.

*High school volunteering recently reached the highest levels in the past 50 years.

*In every income and age group, those who volunteered as youth give and volunteer more than those who did not.

*Those who volunteered as youth and whose parents volunteered became the most generous adults in giving time.

Cartoons

Nickelodeon has the corner on long lasting cartoons, in fact "Sponge Bob" has been in the top 5 for over 5 years. That is longer than most cartoons are even around! Personally, I love watching "Sponge Bob." The first time I saw it I was like yeah right, this will never last, boy was I wrong.

Did you know the average length of stay as a children's pastor/ministry director is 2-4 years? That is so sad, cartoons stay longer! How can we encourage one another and spur one another on so that number changes?

I think we have to start with humility. We are all on the same team serving the same God, let's all get on the same page and see what happens.........

How do you define a kid's small group?

I would define a small group as....

A small group provides a safe environment where kids can study God’s word with their peers. A place where students grow to be good friends with their small group peers; pray together and hold each other accountable as they grow spiritually. A group guided by a trained small group leader, where students are given the tools and support they need to be part of a biblical community. They can love and be loved, know and be known, serve and be served, celebrate and be celebrated.

demographics

I found this at www.churchrelevance.com. I thought this was very interesting.

Yahoo!’s Neighborhood Profiles Search allows your church to search by zip code to obtain free demographic research about your community. Areas of research include:

•Total Population
•Median Age
•Median Household Income
•Percentage of Single Households
•Percentage of Married Households
•Percentage of Families (households with children)
•Average Household Size
•Percentage of College or Better
•Percentage of White Collars
•Cost of Living Index
•Average Yearly Utility Cost
•Average Household Total Consumer Expenditures
•Average Household Education Expenditures
•Average Household Entertainment Expenditures
•Average Household Transportation Expenditures
•Average Household Retail Expenditures
•Average Household Non-Retail Expenditures
•Total Crime Index
•Personal Crime Index
•Culture Index

Additional Resources: Neighboroo

It's been 7 months.......

Wow, what an amazing weekend! Sue Miller is absolutely incredible. Her insights are delivered with truth and passion. The FUEL conference was well worth all the effort put into it. At the end of the conference, an attendee walked up to me and said, "Thank you so much! I haven't been re-fueled for over 7 months. I am always with the children. I really needed this." I am so thankful this wonderful children's ministry volunteer took the time to sit and be served. I have no idea the percentage of children's volunteers who spend more time ministering than being ministered to, but I would guess that the number would shock us all! It's hard to find volunteers, it always has been. It's one of those things that no matter what you do, there is always a need somewhere. So, what's the answer? Children's Ministry Magazine had a couple of stats I found interesting, 40% of volunteers say they seek volunteer opportunites where they can use their workplace skills, but only 29% believe their workplace skills are what volunteer organizations need most from them. We can learn a lot from one stat, we are asking too many volunteers to serve where they don't feel they are skilled or needed. Get to know more about the people in your church before you just put them in a the places you know about. Sounds easy.....right?!?!?!?

On your mark....

There is never a dull day in children's ministry! In 4 days we kick off the 2007 FUEL children's conference with Sue Miller. She is by far one of the most passionate children's leaders EVER! I look forward to what God has in store for those who attend. I can't wait to see the look of wonder in their eyes as Sue challenges them to put the pedal to the metal to win kids for Christ. This is something I look forward to each year and feel very blessed to be challenged by everyone who I come in contact with. It's going to rock......