Casting Vision Not Stones

I have been reminded the last several weeks the importance of casting vision not stones. Challenges and problems exist in each ministry. For the most part it is easy to observe the challenges, but the real question is how we respond to them. I am a big believer in casting vision at every opportunity. People understand vision and purpose, and want to be a part of something bigger then themselves. The challenge with problems is when they are shared with another person, the problem can feel like a stone, weighty come with pain.

My church, like most, has its own culture and rhythm, and is what makes it unique. On the downside it can create extra challenges when this culture is a part of what needs to be changed. When I joined Lakeview a month ago, one of the pieces that I noticed quickly was many of the children ministry rooms were uninviting and there seemed to be very little partnership between what happened on Sunday mornings and the parents. The importance of dynamic rooms is it speaks to a child, this is a place they want to be each Sunday. It communicates that we understand them and care about them. Partnering with parents is a necessity. The majority of a child’s spiritual formation should happen at home with the church coming along side the parents equipping them and empowering them.
Identifying the challenges and problems is fairly easy. The hard part can be how to implement change and get buy-in from all. One of the ways I have found that parent’s, volunteers, senior pastor’s will buy-in is when they understand the “why” or “vision” behind the change.

Casting vision for a partnership with parents the started my first Sunday when I was introduced. I took my two minutes to talk about how excited I am to be partnering with parents in the spiritual formation of their children and how excited I am to get to get to know each child and their families.
For parent partnership to be truly successful, I have to have Senior Pastor buy-in. My Senior Pastor, as do most Senior Pastors, understands the importance of building into the next generation and that the future success of the church depends on it. However, the last thing my Senior Pastor is going to want to hear is the “problems”. Each time I have the opportunity to interact with him, I share a piece of vision in this area. It is normally in one sentence, in a positive tone, and fit in the culture of Lakeview church.

I am excited to share with you an example of this in the next post.

Volunteers Make or Break a Ministry

This week marked one month that I have been on the new job as Children’s Ministry Director. It has been a fast and furious month with most of my time spent trying to get my feet under me. My church is the second site of a multisite church with about 45 kids a weekend in attendance. And although it is small, it is stocked with some awesome volunteers. Volunteers make or break a ministry and are a wealth of knowledge. I spent a good bit of time this month leaning into this wealth of knowledge. As a new director in a church any size one of the best things you can do is listen and hear what the volunteers, parents and kids are saying. Understanding where the church has been, the culture of the church, and the hopes of these key people will help you make right choices moving forward. You will discover a ton about the kids in the rooms, curriculum, ministry traditions, families, and goofy things. Here are some key questions I have been asking.
1. Tell me how you started in Kidsland?
2. How do things work in your room?
3. How was the curriculum chosen and are you happy with it?
4. Tell me about the kids in your room (steer the conversation to understand discipline challenges, kids with family challenges, are the kids engaged in the room)
5. What are the needs of your classroom (this can be from activity station games needed, new crayons, a helper, please fix the sound, etc…)
6. What are some changes you would like to see happen in Kidsland?

Meeting with key volunteers, provided a platform for them to share their knowledge and for me to hear their challenges. It also allowed me a great opportunity to respond to the easy-to-meet needs of the kids and the volunteer and created an atmosphere of feeling valued. It is amazing how much can be communicated in a new bin of scissors, some table games, or a new CD.