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Thanks to everyone who answered my question last week. I asked, “What comes to mind when you hear the question: Do you drink pop?”
If you ask me that question, I think of Pepsi. You might think of Sprite or Diet Coke. If I ask you, “Would you like a pop to drink?” and you say yes, I would be grossly wrong to assume that you must want a Pepsi. Why? Pop comes in many flavors.
One of my pet peeves about the family ministry buzz is that too many pastors have narrowed the definition. They assume that pop means Pepsi. I had a guy email me a few weeks ago and ask me if my church has a family ministry. I asked him what he meant. His response? “Do you have a service for the children and their parents on Sunday morning?” Why have some narrowed the definition of family ministry to an hour on Sunday morning?
In the next issue of K! Magazine, I asked Reggie Joiner (creator of reThink / Orange) to write an article on this very issue. I asked him to clear up the family ministry confusion. He agreed. You will find this article helpful as you try to help the families in your church and community.
Family ministry is so much more than a big building, a new worship service or a pastor with a door plate that says, “Family Pastor”. While family ministry can (and often does) include these, they do not define it.
Soda comes in a zillion flavors - ministering to families can too. That’s the way I see it.
Check out this video on SermonSpice. It’s a fun reminder of what it takes to be a real man of genius in children’s ministry.
For those of you new to the blog or with very short memories (who, you?), you can view the first Seuss and the Bible post here.
Last time, I went over some truths we can learn from Horton Hears a Who. This time our focus shifts to two more of Seuss’ stories.
Green Eggs and Ham: If you can’t remember why your children always come home with green tongues on Seuss’ birthday, here’s the 5 second plot summary: Two friends. Friend #1 has lots of enthusiasm about his great new food, green eggs and ham. Friend #2 is (much) less enthusiastic. Eventually Friend #2 gives into Friend #1, and ends up loving green eggs and ham. Continue reading ‘Seuss and the Bible: Green Eggs and Ham/The Lorax’
Tonight I was reading over at another blog of a children’s minister online. His name is Hiew Hong Teck, and he’s a children’s pastor over in Singapore. He had some great tips for developing your PowerPoint presentations. They were just so good that I had to share them with you. You can check them out at his blog, ragsstudio.
Legal Mumbo Jumbo Stuff: As always, any links posted here on The Way We See It are not controlled by us. We don’t necessarily agree with everything that may be said on a third-party site, but we do recognize there is some great content out there on some blogs. So enjoy!
Yesterday my pastor and I spent most of the day in Indianapolis making a hospital visit. A man in our church had open heart surgery. On the way home I pulled my Nissan off the road and stopped at Lisa’s Pie Shop. I have driven by the store many times, but never took the time to stop. Those of you who know me best know that I love sweets. We stopped to buy a few pies.
In the pie rack were some good looking pies. Dutch apple, cherry, sugar cream, peach, you name it. Lisa’s Pie Shop creates about 25 kinds of pies fresh every day. Without going into details, we had the opportunity to meet Lisa herself. We asked her what kind of pie she recommended. She said she’s not the right person to ask because she doesn’t like pie. How can you create and operate a successful pie shop and not like pie? That’s what I asked.
Despite the fact that the walls were lined with award-winning ribbons she said she has only tasted about five of the twenty some pies that she makes.
Let me pose a question: Can you do (with excellence) what you don’t like? Lisa does every day. For most people it takes great discipline and character, but it can be done. Be committed to excellence even when you don’t like what you are doing.
Well, I’ve gotta run. That cherry pie in the kitchen is calling my name. Oh, and watch for Lisa’s Pie Shop. The Food Network is coming her way soon.
“Among young outsiders, 84 percent say they personally know at least one committed Christian. Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm.” (Page 48, unChristian, Baker Bookhouse, Grand Rapids, MI)
The first time I read that statistic it hit me hard. It’s really something to think about. According to Barna Research, approximately 120 million Americans are true born-again Christians. Think about that fifteen percent. That means that out of the 120 million Christians in America, just 18 million of those live like a Christian.
Let’s visualize that number. Say that everyone living east of the Mississippi River was Christian. Based on 2005 population estimates, the only region within that area that would be living for Christ would be the New York City Metropolitan Area. All I have to say is wow. That’s pathetic. Puny. Miniscule in proportion.
According to Barna Research, statistically speaking, Christians live very similar lives to non-Christians. Just as many view pornography. Just as many are adulterous. Just as many get drunk. Just as many use illegal drugs. Just as many get divorced. For all intents and purposes, as far as scientists are concerned, the modern Christian lifestyle is identical to the secular one. We’ve got a problem.
We can’t just ignore this. We may not like it, but it’s simple truth. Our job: to raise a generation of Christian children who don’t have that problem. To make them part of that fifteen percent. To be in the world, not of it. To reverse the problems Christianity has. To remind the world that Christians are true, loving, real, transparent people. You, as a children’s minister, have the task of fixing it. It won’t be easy, but one child at a time, we can change that with God’s help. That’s not the way I see it. That’s the way we all need to see it.
My friend Kal Oatis (featured in the January/February issue of K! Magazine) just finished her new family service set at her church. It sure looks cool. Check out the new K.I.C.K. (Kidz in Christ’s Kingdom) pictures by clicking here.
So, here I sit in the Indianapolis International Airport waiting for my very delayed plane to Orlando for CPC! (We were supposed to take off at 6, now it’s 9) I am so excited. The entire airport is blanketed in AT&T Wi-Fi, which is actually very expensive. But I have an advantage. I am an AT&T DSL subscriber, and therefore get free Wi-Fi. So therefore I am writing this here blog post to you. They’ve given me an advantage to choose them over another service.
That’s something important to remember in ministry. What advantages are you giving the members of your church? What reasons do your members have to continue attending your church? Do they see a church that is alive? Do they see a church that is giving them a reason to keep coming in each and every week?
Remember that the church is in the construction business, not the maintenance business. Keep the kids (and workers!) in your ministry not just alive, but growing! Always keep ministry in mind. And that’s the way I see it from IND.
The Indiana State Fair, officially “The Great Indiana State Fair”. (Yes, I know it’s cheesy, but every state has a State Fair. And Indiana’s is by far the coolest.) On August 9, I was at the Indiana State Fair. It almost hit 100 Fahrenheit (that’s 38 celsius for our overseas friends) that day, and it was downright oppressive. We were there to see Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns at 7:30 that night. Before the concert, we had a ton of fun. If you ever get a chance, visit our awesome state fair (I would say most awesomest state fair like ever, but that might get me arrested by the grammar police), and swing by KidzMatter on your way through.
But that is all beside the point. Here’s some good ministry insights gleaned, from all things, the State Fair: