Two years ago, the Way We See It Blog came into existence with the unique points of view of 4 children’s ministry experts. We’ve undergone some changes since then, but we’ve all had a great time with you.
Today, it’s time to say goodbye. Ryan, Jim, and Evan are all still great buddies, but for all of us maintaining two blogs each and a magazine was getting to be a lot of writing! Don’t worry, we’re still going to be giving you the same great content you’re used to, but you’ll be getting it from a few different sources.
First, Ryan Frank today launched a brand new blog. His blog is going to be the new official voice of KidzMatter in the blog world. Whenever we have something exciting to share, you’ll find it there. He also has two special features each week: Tuesday Talk and Freebie Friday. You’ll find out more about those on his blog.
Second, you can check out the awesome wisdom of one Mr. Jim Wideman at his blog. He’d absolutely love to see you come along for the ride there with his ministry wisdom and training. While you’re there, be sure to check out The Club too.
Lastly, but certainly not least-ly, Evan Doyle’s blog. (That’s me!) I’ll be posting about ministry and my life here, and would be super excited for you to subscribe to my RSS feed there.
Yes, parting is such sweet sorrow. If you want to keep up with all 3 of our RSS feeds, click here and Yahoo! Pipes will do its magic and pull all three of our feeds together! You’ll be able to keep up with all three of us quickly and easily. See you here, there, or in the air!
No matter how great an individual player you are, a team can make you or break you. I’ve always loved being a part of a team. I love team sports. I love playing in bands. As a children’s pastor I have worked hard assembling and developing my teams. My least favorite times in ministry have been being on staffs at churches that were all doing their own thing and not functioning as a team.
My favorite definition of a team is Together Everyone Achieves More!
It’s plain that a team can accomplish more than an individual. Yet children’s ministers still insist on doing things themselves rather than build a strong team. I believe every children’s pastor or children’s ministry coordinator should see himself or herself as a coach and desire to build a super team. Here are four things a successful coach should instill in his team and expect from each player. #1-BE OWN THE BALL. A team player must be alert of what’s going on and able to assess the situation for themselves and the team. A team player puts the goals, needs and good of the team first, rather than individual goals, wants, and needs. Each member of the team must value the team. Don’t ever think about quitting the team in hard times. Don’t let setbacks stop you. See problems as challenges and situations for your team to excel. Get after it-work it with all your might to make your team Be it’s best. #2- GIVE A LOT! Let your teammates slam-dunk while you take an assist. Rejoice in the abilities and accomplishments of those around you. An excellent team player chooses to prefer others to excel. Their motto is: “It doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” Never complain, but seek opportunities to motivate others. Don’t be negative. You cannot maintain a winning attitude and be negative. Being positive is a choice! A team player complements others and hand out praise. In ministry we can’t control every event, but we can control our response to it Do your best even if you go unnoticed. Always ask, “What’s best for the team?” Never be too busy to help others. The team that gives a lot accomplishes a lot. #3-OVER COMMUNICATE! Let those above you know what’s going on. No surprises ever. Surprises hurt the team. Let those around you know what’s happening and what they should be doing. The military calls this the need to know. Talk with the team; build a relationship with your teammates. Don’t take things personal. A good communicator is a good listener. Determined to learn from everybody, not just your coaches. This includes learning from your own mistakes. #4-DO YOUR JOB! Do what you know to do. A team player understands their role and does it with all their might. A valuable team player must possess knowledge of the game. They are always a student. It’s imperative to know and follow the game plan. Know your job or position. Always be loyal to your coaches.
The best teams in the world review and evaluate constantly. Not just the accomplishments but also the mistakes. Take blame but never assign any. Never talk bad about teammates at anytime. Never talk bad about the coaches or the front office anytime. Desire to share any victories together. Value your team and you’ll enjoy the value of teamwork first hand.
It is always the right thing to do to give thanks and be thankful.
It’s not just a seasonal thing. It should be a way of life for the Christian. Not only should we practice thanks living but we should also practice thanks giving. All of us like to hear thank you that includes your volunteers.
Here are some practical ideas to motivate your workers with thanks:
1. Begin to say it. Get in the habit of saying thanks. If the Apostle Paul can tell people he thanks God for them every time he thinks about them we can too! Walk around before service & thank workers personally. When you are in front of a group of workers- say thanks. Be on the lookout by catching people doing things right.
2. Begin to write it. The best purchase any children’s leader could make is a box of thank you notes. Write a heartfelt note to your leaders when they’ve done something thanks-worthy. A couple of times a year as well as after every major event send a letter to say thanks. Even a form letter is better than no thank-you at all. Always sign each letter personally and write a short note to personalize it.
Don’t forget Christmas cards, Valentine cards, Birthday cards and Anniversary cards. I’ve found that when I write a personal note on all reports, forms and checklist workers complete so they know you read them and know what they are accomplishing.
3. Begin to show it. Candy treats and little sayings are cute but nothing says thanks better than letting your actions speak louder than words. Things like special worker parking places, breakfast for your volunteers and their families before your earliest service, Worker Appreciation Day as well as a free tape of the service they work shows volunteers you really appreciate them.
4. Invest in them. Plan a retreat or special training event for your workforce that includes training, inspiration, and fun. Bring them as a group to a conference or seminar. Give them training products as gifts. I’m always purchasing tape sets and teaching CD’s for my workers. Books are best. If a book has blessed you bless someone else with it. I gave every key leader and coordinator in my ministry a copy of my new book “Children’s Ministry Leadership-the you-can-do-it guide” sure they enjoyed the book but the fact that I invested in them spoke volumes to them. But the greatest investment is when you give them your time. I take key workers with me all the time; I look for ways to invest myself in them constantly.
It’s never the wrong time to begin to show thanks!
Make thanks giving and thanks living a part of your yearly calendar planning. Look for every opportunity to say thanks, write thanks, show thanks, and invest
in your children’s ministry team!
If you’ve read this blog very long, you’ve probably realized by now that I love Starbucks. I love their coffee, and I love writing about them too. One of Starbucks’ core values is something called legendary customer service. Legendary service means that your customer service is so great that people remember it. Trouble is, a lot of Starbucks stores don’t have it. Why is this?
The main reason–legendary service begins with knowing that there are two sides of the service counter. Not only are behind-counter tasks important, so are things on the front side of the counter. This means cleaning and forming conversations with customers. A lot of Starbucks partners have forgotten this fact. They, quite frankly, don’t care about the other side of the counter. It makes them just like any other fast food employee. It’s not legendary.
No, I haven’t forgotten I’m writing on a kid’s ministry blog and not a business blog. Just give me a second. We as kids’ ministry people (and ministry people in general) have a tendency to barricade ourselves. Behind the stage, on the stage, in a back room, in a sound booth. Instead of heading out before the service and hanging out with the kids, we’re too busy “hiding”. Yes, I realize you have to prepare. I get that. But don’t forget that you’re serving those kids. Your ministry is to share the love of Christ with them. You have to spend time with them to do that. They’ll remember you more. They’ll connect with you more.
I’m far from innocent in this area. I feel that most of us are probably that way. Make a special effort to talk to some kids this Sunday. Don’t make them come to you. Go talk to them. Remember- there’s two sides.
9. Make much of prayer. We often grow weary in our service to the Lord because we try to do everything ourselves. The Lord wants to help you! Does your team recognize that prayer is a priority in your life? Is prayer a priority for your team? The team that prays together stays together!
10. Don’t take yourself and those around you too seriously. You’ll breathe easier in ministry if you learn to lighten up. Take time to have some fun. Learn to laugh at yourself.
Start practicing these ten pointers and you’ll find yourself breathing easier in ministry. Don’t try to tackle them all at once. Pick two that you will start working on this week. Then in a few weeks, pick two more, and so on.
7. Be a planner. Anticipate what is coming ahead. Buy a calendar and start planning in advance.
8. Treat yourself to something special now and then. Sometimes you need to do something for yourself. Buy some new clothes. Go on that shopping trip. Take a few days off and stay at home. Take that trip. You get the idea.
5. Get control of your tasks; don’t let your tasks control you. Sometimes you would breathe easier if you simply got organized. Children’s workers aren’t always the most organized people. Clear those goldfish crackers off your desk and start getting organized.
6. Learn from others. Be a life-long learner. What are other teams doing? What are current trends in ministry? What new products are available that will breathe some fresh air into my ministry?
3. Delegate. Get experienced people to help you. Look for people in your church or on your team that can step it up a notch and help you. Look for areas in your ministry that you are weak and find someone strong in that area to assist you.
4. Renew yourself spiritually. You’re like a sponge. If you give out and give out but never absorb, you will turn dry and crusty like an old sponge. You need to absorb as you give out. Place yourself under the teaching of your pastor. Listen to good Bible teachers online or on the radio. Read books. Spend time alone with God. When you absorb you have a lot more to give away.
Leading a ministry can be tough work. If you’re not careful, the week-to-week effort can become routine and exhausting. Here are ten ways to breathe easier in ministry.
1. Get the monkeys off your back. A monkey is something that hangs on your back day and night and won’t let go. Too many leaders procrastinate and in the process end up carrying around too many monkeys. Deal with problems and don’t let them weigh you down!
2. Get training. Go to a good conference targeted to children’s leaders. They are a real shot in the arm. Whether you are brand new in ministry, or you have been doing it for years, you can never get enough training.
Volunteer appreciation is a term that gets thrown around a lot. You know you need to appreciate your volunteers, but some children’s leaders forget what it means. That’s what I want to address today.
Appreciating your volunteers is important, especially in younger generations like mine. We like to know that we’re really being helpful and doing good. It’s important to us in any area of life. There’s an issue though. In a lot of ministries, “volunteer appreciation” means a sheet of paper that says “You’re a lifesaver!” with a mint in the middle. The thought is appreciated, but it usually doesn’t mean much.
When was the last time you shot off a phone call or email to a volunteer just to say, “Thanks for changing the life of a child”? Better yet, when is the last time you took your volunteer to lunch just to say thank you? Make volunteer appreciation more than a cheesy candy gift. Make it something real- something a volunteer can walk away from and feel encouraged and cared for. Make it personal.