Archive for the 'Culture' Category

Summer Club Giveaway

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on June 1, 2008
in Blog Updates, Blogroll, Communicating, Conflict, Culture, Encouragement, Families, Leadership, News, Random, Technology and Volunteers
. 0 Comments

Same action brings same results… I’ve found out these past 53 years on the earth you can’t keep doing things the same way you have always done them and get different results. For the last 12+ years I have been teaching a monthly audio leadership lesson that I call the children’s ministers leadership club or theClub for short. Every workshop, book chapter, magazine article and blog post I do has come from a club lesson. TheClub has been a blessing to me and the lifeblood of income and support for JWM. They have also blessed a lot of leaders. In January I made the Young Guns Program available to CM Leaders under 30 so they could get theClub lessons free. I’ve had a great response. But I feel led to do something crazy over the next 3 months I’m going to give my June, July, and August club lessons away free to anyone of any age who signs up for my newsletter on jimwideman.com. Call me crazy, call me generous, call me a nice middle age gentleman who looks a little like the guy on the chicken bucket. Hurry and sign up before June 15th so you won’t miss a single lesson. I’m excited to see the growth that will happen when you dare to expand how you think about leadership.

Now…”that’s the way I see it!”

A breath of fresh air

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on April 27, 2008
in Culture and Leadership
. 1 Comment

I’ve always believed that getting new things now and then is the best way to breathe some fresh air into your ministry. Tonight during church I was thinking about some of the new things we’ve done between last Sunday and today.

1) Ladder Ball Golf - I was walking through WalMart doing my weekly candy / supply run for Sunday and picked up 2 sets of Ladder Ball Golf. What caught my eye was the fact that they were big and they require more than one person to play. I set them in the back of the kids church room for kids to play as a pre-service activity with their friends. The kids love it and the cost of each set was less than $20.

2) While at WalMart (that same day) I bought 2 boxes of Sock’em Boppers. These aren’t new to the toy department but I thought they would make a great game since my lesson last week was on bullies. We made a masking tape line on the floor and two kids took turns slugging each other with the inflatable boxing gloves. Don’t worry, they had to keep it from the head down and I managed to keep my job in the process.
Continue reading ‘A breath of fresh air’

Brainstorming or Blamestorming?

Published
by
Ryan Frank
on April 11, 2008
in Culture and Leadership
. 1 Comment

I am writing this post from a hotel room in Castle Rock, CO. I have been in Castle Rock since Wednesday at an INCM board meeting. Today we spent the day as a board with some of the INCM staff doing strategic planning for the upcoming year. Let me tell you, there are some cool things on the horizon for those like you who do children’s ministry! I left the meeting exhausted and energized at the same time.

Here’s the thought for today. Do you prefer brainstorming or blamestorming? There is power in brainstorming. Blamestorming is the fastest road to nowhere. Why do we throw blame instead of putting our minds together to come up with a powerful solution?

Today I received an email from my office about a big mess up that happened last night at my church (in my absence). Instead of throwing blame, I emailed this individual and we agreed to work through a solution so it might not happen again.

Here are three things to take home with you: 1) Create an environment where brainstorming is welcomed. 2) Purposefully establish times for brainstorming. 3) Create a leadership lifestyle of brainstorming. Be known as the guy or gal who is always asking for ideas, getting feedback, and wanting to make things better.

Seuss and the Bible: Horton Hears a Who!

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on April 11, 2008
in Culture, Leadership and Random
. 4 Comments

Last week, I went and saw “Horton Hears a Who!” in the theatre. I was reminded how much Dr. Seuss reminds me of Biblical themes. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about the Seuss series and some of the things we can learn from it.

We’re going to start with Horton Hears a Who. We’re going to use quotes to make our points.

1. Children matter, just like adults.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

OK, I know I’m kind of preaching to the choir on this one, but it’s something important to never forget. Every child from the youngest baby to the oldest preteen are just as important as the “grownups”. While we can’t use the same approaches with kids as we do adults, they have an amazing ability to understand God and who he is. Remember that they aren’t stupid! Continue reading ‘Seuss and the Bible: Horton Hears a Who!’

What Starbucks has figured out and children’s ministries haven’t, part 3

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on February 22, 2008
in Communicating, Culture and Leadership
. 2 Comments

This is part three of a three-part series.  Read parts one and two first.

What Starbucks has figured out #3: Follow them home.

Part of the Starbucks experience we mentioned last time is something very important: follow-up.  Starbucks doesn’t want your experience to end at the door, they want you to take it home with you.

Think about the last time you visited Starbucks.  You probably left with a refreshed, warm mood.  Just a pretty happy place to visit, right?  Their stores are designed to give you a feeling of being welcome.  Partners are trained to help make you feel like you belong.  When you have a bad experience, you get a card good for a free drink next time you visit.  When they make a decision that may not have been best, apologies abound and they insure that they make it right.  Good customers get recognized, and when you walk in they start making “the usual”.  All of it is done to give you an experience that you take home, and they follow up when they do something.

So what do you do for follow-up?  What do people have that “follows them home”?  When you do something wrong, do you apologize and fix it, or do you deny it and try to avoid it?  Follow-up is so extremely important.  Letting people know that you care and wanting to know if they have any questions after an event is important.  In it’s most basic form, it’s a postcard or letter saying, “We’ve been thinking about you.  Are you interested in any of these things we offer?”  You could go up to having a team of visitors who go to visit those who attend to check up on them.

I know, follow-up has been pounded into your head as a children’s ministry worker time after time after time.  That’s because it’s so important!  Following up on the experience someone had allows you to stay connected to them and share the love of God with them continually.

So as we wrap up our series on Starbucks, just remember these things: training, experience, and follow-up.  Make sure you do those three things, and you’ll be well on your way to improving your ministry.  They’re not everything though, so insure that you continue to improve in every area.  Make your ministry so remarkable, people can’t help but talk about it.  And while you’re at it, go grab a Grande Nonfat No Whip Peppermint Mocha. (Evan’s favorite!)

What Starbucks has figured out and children’s ministries haven’t, part 2

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on February 20, 2008
in Communicating, Culture and Leadership
. 0 Comments

This is part 2 of a three-part series.  To read part one, click here.

What they’ve figured out #2: Experience is central.

Think about the last time you walked into a Starbucks.  The aroma of the coffee, the feel of the store, the laid-back atmosphere.  What you walked into was more than a restaurant: it was an experience.

From the beginning, that’s what Starbucks was about: the experience.  Everything they did focused on what it did to the experience.  Why the craziness over experience?  Because Howard Schultz, once again serving as CEO of Starbucks, feels that their stores should be the third place.  The third place is the place that isn’t home (first place) and isn’t work (second place) that you can go to hang out, enjoy a good coffee or two, and just unwind.  They desire that their stores feel accessible, fun, and a place where you could sit down and have a meeting.  When you walk in, Starbucks wants you to feel as comfortable there as you would at your own home.

But even as CEO Howard Schultz himself will admit, somewhere along the line the experience got lost in the business.  They moved to flavor-lock packaging, destroying the full coffee smell that they had when coffee arrived in large bins.  A tendency towards a “cookie cutter” store design led to what some called “sterility”.  And perhaps most famously, they introduced breakfast sandwiches.  Longtime patrons hated that the toasting sandwiched ruined the coffee smell so much, that one of Howard Schultz’ first acts when he returned as CEO a few months ago was to begin the demise of the breakfast sandwich at Starbucks.

Think about your ministry: do the parents at your church feel welcome and accepted when they bring their kids in, or do they feel guilty until proven innocent by a full cavity search and metal detector?  OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but you know what I mean.  Security is important, but you do have to strike a balance between security and welcoming both current and new parents to your ministry.

How do your kids feel in services?  Do they feel like they’re taking part, or like they’re watching a show?  Are they comfortable, feeling like they’re at home?  That experience is key to getting kids to feel like they fit in.  You know you’ve all had this kind of kid at one point or another: the first-timer who’s extremely attached to his parents.  Won’t let go of his mother’s leg.  Absolutely resists coming.  That sort of child is the child you should focus on that day.  Have a special worker sit right by him and comfort him and involve him.  Include him in games or prize giveaways.  The experience you create is critical.

Experience is hard to keep up.  It’ll take work.  It is so worth it, though.  Experiences that people have as children at church will continue to shape their image of the church into their adult and teen years.  You may think that that Sunday School teacher that teaches an OK class is fine to leave in place.  That’s dangerous thinking.  That class is, whether you or the child realize it or not, shaping their image of the church and will impact whether they or their future children will come to church in the future.  You can’t settle for mediocrity.  Ministry needs to be best.   Remarkable, you might say.  Go above and beyond.  Now that’s the way I see it.

What Starbucks has figured out and children’s ministries haven’t, part 1

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on February 17, 2008
in Communicating, Culture and Leadership
. 13 Comments

Over the next few days, I’m going to use my favorite topic (Starbucks!) to discuss some things that Starbucks has figured out that most children’s ministries haven’t.  I’m dividing it up into three parts, this post right here being part 1.

What they’ve figured out #1: Train, train, train.  Then keep training.  Train until you’re blue in the face.

Starbucks obsesses over employee training.  Partners (not employees, it’s a way they make employees feel more dedicated to the company) learn intricate details about coffee, equipment, experience, customer service, product quality, and company history.   Massive regional training centers ingrain the “Starbucks gospel” into their managers.  Periodical checkups are done on every corporate shop.    They’re even closing their stores on February 26 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM to do product quality re-training.  Training is so key, they sometimes spend up to $3000 per employee just on training.

Continue reading ‘What Starbucks has figured out and children’s ministries haven’t, part 1′

12 ways to make your Children’s Ministry better!

Published
by
Jim Wideman
on February 14, 2008
in Communicating, Culture, Encouragement and Leadership
. 7 Comments

Twelve ways I found that can make your Children’s Ministry better:

1. Give your Children’s Church or Children’s Ministry a name & develop a logo

2. Have a goal or vision for every class. (Make a list of everything you want kids to do as an adult. - If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.)

3. Develop a plan to see your goals met. People follow people with a plan

4. Put your plan in writing

5. Build a structure around you. Identify everywhere you can use a worker

6. Master Time Management

7. Teach the word visually always (Don’t get in a rut)

8. Make time for ministry time, & prayer for needs.

9. Involve Kids in Ministry (Allow the to serve)

10. Update your music

11. Plan socials and activities to get to know kids

12. Keep developing your leadership skills. Choose to be a lifetime learner.

Today is a big day (for Mac users)

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on January 15, 2008
in Culture, Encouragement and Remarkable
. 1 Comment

Today is a very important day.  It’s the day Mac users from all around the world visit the veritable “Mecca” of Mac-dom (a.k.a. Moscone West Expo Center in San Francisco), and many more gather with them via text and video feeds online.  Today is the day of the Macworld keynote address by Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

Yes, every single blogger here uses a Mac.  We’re totally sold.  Why has Apple been able to gain such rabidly fanatical users?  The answer comes in a quote from H.J. Heinz (the ketchup guy) many years ago: “To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success.“  That’s why.  Computers and MP3 players weren’t anything new when Apple released their versions of them, but they did them radically well.  They did something so well, that the users that stuck with them were fanatics.

In the past 25 years, personal computers have gone from a few thousand users to over 1 billion users.  There are almost as many computer users as Christians in the world.  Christians took 2000 years, PCs took 25.  Why the difference?  Because PCs were so revolutionary, they spread like wildfire.

What if you could get the kids and parents in your ministry to be just that fanatical?  Aim for it.  Tell your kids that their faith is nothing to be ashamed of, but is to be shared with everyone how absolutely amazing it is.   Push your kids to that level.  You might be surprised to see a sudden explosion of growth.  Kids are the church of today, and can spread God’s love now.  But childhood is so vitally important in faith formation, you may, as a childrens’ pastor, reach more people than you could ever imagine through one small child.

Keep pushing.  Keep proclaiming.  Keep praying.

Cookies and Guitars

Published
by
Evan Doyle
on December 8, 2007
in Culture, Leadership and Random
. 7 Comments

Ryan and I have this wonderful lady that attends our church named Martha. She operates (with her husband) the church bookstore, works with missions organizations, and she also bakes. Oh buddy, does she bake. Her best kind of cookies are simply known within our church as “Martha’s Wonderfuls”. These are seriously the best cookies known to mankind. I think these are the cookies that God serves in Heaven. She is simply an amazing cook, and all around amazing person.

So that was the good story. Now, I’d like to tell you another story. A much, much scarier story. A story that gives small children nightmares, and is not for the weak of heart. The kind of story you tell around the campfire and then go “boo!” and everyone jumps. Here goes:

Once upon a time, Ryan Frank played the guitar. And sang. The end.

So do I have you thoroughly scared yet? Yes, that’s right, Ryan went through a phase when he played the guitar and sang. Live worship was a big fad in children’s churches, and not having anyone else to play for us, he took up the guitar. God has blessed some people greatly with vocal and instrumental talent. Ryan, on the other hand, lacks the, um, musical adeptness of some.  His guitar playing was actually pretty good.  However, as even Ryan will admit, the singing was a little scary.  It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t any Michael W. Smith either.

So why do I tell you these two totally random and seemingly unconnected stories? If you’ve read my posts before, you know the answer already: to make a point.

Here’s the connection: One person (Martha) is doing what she is really good at to bless others, whether she’s using one of the latest and greatest things or not. The other person (Ryan) was doing what was latest and greatest at the time, despite the fact that he wasn’t very good at it.

Children’s pastor’s tend to suffer from “Fad-itis” a lot. Just think back over the fads from the last few years of children’s ministry that you remember. Many of the ideas you probably thought of are still in use today. Many of them can still be useful today. Some of them are still very popular, and for good reason. They’re great ideas.

I love fads, don’t get me wrong. They can be great tools. Where the problem comes in is when you try to use one of these fads and you’re not very good at it. Like Ryan, you may try to do something really hard and try to do it well, but you are simply not gifted in that way. That’s part of life. If you are not good at something, don’t force yourself to do it! If you can find someone in your church to do it for you, great! Go right ahead and do it. But don’t force yourself to follow one of the “fads” if it will do more harm than good.

So, after all of that, here’s the quick, two second summary:
Don’t force yourself to do something you’re bad at if you can do something you’re good at and be just as effective.

P.S. Ryan, please don’t hate me (puppy dog face). I was just picking on you because I knew your feelings wouldn’t be too hurt, and you know that you don’t sing very well already. So, still friends ;)?