Friday, February 19, 2010

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Focus on the children By SHAVAUGHN MOSS ~ Lifestyles Editor ~ shavaughn@nasguard.com: Is your youth and children's ministry in a slump, or your church simply doesn't have one, then a one-and-a-half day conference by student ministries pastor at Pathway of Life Church in Dallas, Texas, Pastor Ricardo Miller will be just the place for you to learn how to revive the ministry or even start one. The training workshop under the theme "Raising the Standard in Youth & Children's Ministry," will be held at First Step Academy on Fire Trail Road, January 22 - 23, under the tutelage of Miller, a trainer, speaker, coach, and mentor. Miller brings to the table more than 15 years of experience in both children's ministry and other positions in the church. Not only does he draw on a vast amount of experience in working with different churches of various sizes and personalities, but he also possesses an awareness of how children's ministry has changed over the years and what works now, and says he is committed to spending the rest of his life teaching the most effective leadership qualities to the next generation of relevant children's ministers. When ministries resource Miller's experience, they have a unique opportunity to skip the sometimes costly mistakes and get on the fast track to success. Miller says his consulting also saves ministries the excess cash spent testing big event ideas that might work and resources that hopefully will make their ministry the most effective, and focuses the cash flow into what is guaranteed to reach the most children for Christ. Miller has as a personal mission, the goal to reach one million kids by 2016. He says starting a youth and children's ministry is an excellent way to attract young families to church, and to keep them coming back for more. Taking the time to begin the ministry properly will ensure a thriving ministry and excellent growth potential for the church. Miller's upcoming Nassau workshop will include teachings on recruiting workers like Jesus did; Getting parents involved in your ministry; How to teach about homosexuality; How to effectively evaluate your ministry; Leadership: duplicating yourself in others; Special events that reach young people; How to get the money you need for ministry; The seven signs of a healthy children's and youth ministry; Operating a law-abiding children's and youth ministry and building a culture that appreciates children's and youth ministry. BOX INFORMATION FOLLOWS MILLER'S STEPS TO STARTING A CHILDREN'S MINISTRY FORM A TEAM: The team should be made up of several members of the congregation from a varied age range. Include, for example, a mom of a pre-schooler, a dad of a middle schooler, and parents of elementary and high schoolers. Include grandparents, educators, and Sunday school teachers from the congregation. Also, it is advisable include the Senior Pastor. START WITH A VISION STATEMENT: A vision statement is a theme for the future, an image of success, and a goal to bring the group together with one purpose. It should be realistic and believable, easy to understand, and should focus the group's energies. It should be challenging and inspirational. One church began a youth and children's ministry based on the following vision statement: "Our vision is to make sure the youth and children of the church are encouraged to be, and recognized as, a functioning part of the Christian family, that they get the best possible teaching, and are surrounded by God's love. In summary: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." — Proverbs 22:6. This vision statement, accompanied by scripture, can be changed to suit your ministry's needs and purposes. EVALUATE YOUR CURRENT YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES (IF ANY): Analyze each age group to determine what is working and what isn't. Are these programs/activities fitting in with your newly-formed vision statement? Are activities developmentally appropriate? Are they promoting spiritual growth? If they are, they can be built upon. If not, they must be re-formatted to fit into the vision statement. INVESTIGATE OTHER YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES: Contact other churches in the area to see what works and what doesn't work for them. Visit churches on youth night to get a first hand view of their ministry. Don't re-invent the wheel. Try to find some ideas that work already. Personalize them or build upon them for your ministry. SET SPECIFIC GOALS: Each age group should have different goals to achieve, depending on their developmental capabilities. What does God want the children in your ministry to learn? Goals need to be specific, measurable, biblical, and attainable. Goals should be reviewed periodically to evaluate whether they are being met and what needs to change in order to achieve them. Remember that not every age group will achieve every goal, but the ministry as a whole should be meeting its goals regularly. PRAY, PRAY AND PRAY!: Continually pray for the program, your leaders, children, teachers, and congregation's support and community support. Thursday, January 22, 2010