Childrens Ministry Online

Dallas Orange Tour!

Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.

I’m pumped! Tomorrow I leave for Dallas for the Dallas Orange Tour. This year I’m taking about 24 volunteers and staff. This year I’m actually bringing more student ministry volunteers than those in kidmin. For the last 6 months I’ve been far more involved in student ministry than I have in the past and I wanted to make a big investment in these leaders… plus I want them to start thinking Orange. These student ministry leaders were so excited to be invited, which is why I have about 18 going.

I can’t over-communicate how important these kinds of events are for ministry teams. I’ve been to the Orange Conference for the past 4 years and I’ll probably continue to attend for some time. The conference has impacted me and influenced me tremendously and I want the same for my staff and volunteers, but I can’t always bring all of them due to money issues, but something like the Orange Tour is a complete no brainer. I’m taking 24 and by the time I pay hotel, food and registration, it cost me less than sending 2 to Atlanta for Orange. To help out, I’m even having the volunteers car pool and cover their travel expenses.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the Orange Conference, but there is something really special about the Orange Tour. Because the entire thing is hosted directly by Reggie and Sue, it feels far more pure and concentrated. You’ll leve the Tour with a strong grasp of what the Orange strategy is all about… maybe even better than the conference. I’d encourage everyone to attend a tour stop… even if that means catching a flight into one of their locations. I’ll be blogging about my tour experience next week (since I don’t blog a lot over the weekend), so stay tuned!

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A wireless conference

Posted on 11. Jan, 2012 by Kenny.

Yesterday I made an announcement via the KidzMatter weekly email blast. As many of you may know, the Illuminate Conference is making final preparations for the last stop in the 2011-2012 conference year. On February 18th, we’re going to have our largest Illuminate Conference in Nashville, TN. If you’re in the area and want more information, be sure to check out that event here.

However, I know that most who read this blog are not able to make it to Nashville due to the distance. Austin and Birmingham wasn’t really close enough either. Illuminate’s DNA is to offer high quality events that are both local and affordable. Unfortunately, we can’t be local for everyone… yet (give me a little time people). Ha!

However, all along it’s been my intention to provide great resources for kidmin leaders and volunteers, regardless of location. Every general session and breakout has been recorded for that very purpose. So, on March 1st, Illuminate Online will officially go “Online!” The site is still being put together and resources organized, but I think it’s going to be a really cool resource for those in kidmin. For more information, head on over and check it out here.

Stay tuned for more info soon!

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Equipping teenagers in kidmin

Posted on 20. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.

One of the most significant forces for kidmin in the local church are teenage volunteers. Every kidmin has them and some highly depend on teens. Although some teenagers lead small groups or have a strong presence from the stage, most fill many valuable roles here and there as helpers, behind the scenes volunteers and on the floor with preschoolers having fun. Teenagers in kidmin are highly valuable because many will be the next generation of volunteers and staff. I’m amazed by how many kid’s pastors I meet who were volunteers in children’s ministry when they were old enough to serve.

Unfortunately, many of these teens get over looked. They’re treated as another warm body that helps us keep our ratios. It’s not that we’re not grateful for them, but they’re treated differently than adult volunteers. I think that’s a shame. Sure, teenagers can be immature and a little undependable, but they have passion, availability and a longevity that could far surpass most adult volunteers. These teenage volunteers need to be equipped. Intentionally.

Well, I’m hoping to do my part with this in a small way. Last month at the Illuminate Conference in Austin, I had about 4 teenagers who serve at my church (Gateway) attend the conference. A few of them had parents who were attending the conference and a handful came on their own. I was totally amazed at their involvement. They paid attention, took notes and really got a lot out of the whole event. It was then that I realized that I should really try to provide something specifically for them. They can attend the conference just like everyone else, but maybe I’ll offer one breakout specifically for teenagers.

So I’m rolling this out in Nashville. A breakout entirely for teenagers who serve in kidmin. Oh, and guess who I have leading this breakout. Jim Wideman. It’s going to rock! Check out the breakout here: Teens in Ministry – Never Too Young!

So, hopefully we’ll have a lot of teenagers at the Nashville event who will get the benefit of a little equipping. Who knows, maybe this is the start of something we’ve not seen a lot of, intentional equipping of teenage volunteers.

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Excuses are lame

Posted on 19. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.

I love to see people overcome opposition. A few months ago I had a survey that I wanted potential new staff to fill out (as part of the interview process). The online form I used for the survey broke. It was not intentional at all, but how staff candidates responded taught me a lot about what they were made of. There were several that I had to track down as they got stuck with the broken survey and did nothing. Others submitted what they could with the broken survey and didn’t worry about what didn’t work. However, there was a select few who overcame this obstacle. One called the company that hosts the survey to find out why it wasn’t working. Others cut and pasted the questions in an email or word doc and submitted their answers that way. Although I didn’t break the survey on purpose, this incident taught me a lot about how people react when faced with an obstacle. Some make excuses and others get creative and push through.

Something else happened last week that totally blew my mind. As you know, I have this little project on the side right now called the Illuminate Project. It was started as a tool to equip children’s ministry in the local church in a major way. It’s a low cost, regional children’s ministry conference designed with the volunteers in mind. The response is exceedingly positive around these events. However, many churches end up not coming, even some who initially set plans to attend. I get to hear a lot of excuses. Excuses like:

• We don’t have the money
• Volunteers don’t want to give up a Saturday

Honestly, those are the two big ones. However, I got a message from a Marie Ray, a Children’s Pastor in Nashville, TN. I randomly met her on a shuttle bus in Chicago after the Kidmin conference and then again in Nashville a few months ago. She got excited about Illuminate and messaged me last week to tell me that she was about to register 50+ volunteers for the conference. I was blown away. Nashville is the only Illuminate location where any church has brought more than 50 volunteers and Marie’s church wasn’t on my radar as a church that was going to bring that many. She went on to tell me that she really didn’t have any conference money, so she threw out the challenge to her volunteers. She told them about the amazing experience she just had in Chicago at Kidmin that cost her hundreds of dollars to attend, yet they could experience a very similar training event (many of the same speakers) for just $17.50 a person (Although Illuminate costs $30 a person, the early bird rate saves you $5 and if you take more than 50, you get a 30% discount). So Marie pitched this vision for them to come to Illuminate and pay their own way. Last I talked to her, she was up to 56. WOW!

So, excuses are lame. With vision and pure determination, anything is possible.

If you’re in the Nashville area and you’re not going to attend Illuminate because of one of the excuses I listed above, maybe you should reconsider.

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Nashville Illuminate – Only 60 days away!

Posted on 19. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.

I can hardly believe it, but the greatest event for kidmin volunteers serving in the local church is only 60 days away. It will be here in not time.

So, if you live within 3-5 hours of Nashville, TN, I highly encourage you to check out Illuminate as a viable training option for your staff and volunteers. Technically, the early bird rate expired last Friday, but I’m extending it through this week. Anyone who registers by Christmas can save some money.

I know it’s just a few days before the craziness of Christmas Eve services, last minute shopping and good family time, but I’d highly encourage anyone within driving distance of Nashville to consider registering this week. I’ve actually got a great story that I’ll post later today that should encourage anyone.

Click here to do something great for your staff and volunteers!

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The Power of Persuasion

Posted on 07. Dec, 2011 by Kenny.

I recently came across a couple of articles on being more persuasive. Obviously, this article was probably written for those who are in the sales industry – always looking for a way to seal a deal. Initially, you may think, “What does this have to do with me? I’m a pastor, not a sales person.” That’s where you’d be wrong.

Being persuasive is very important in our roles. Like it or not, we’re all in the sales industry. We’re not selling cars or houses, but ideas, vision and life-changing opportunities. Time and time again, you’ll encounter parents, potential volunteers or even staff who don’t think the way you do. They don’t value what you value and you have an opportunity to convince them to see things your way, jump into serving kids or make some budget adjustments that favor the Children’s Ministry. The more persuasive you are, the more successful you’ll be in many areas. So, I’m starting a smal series on persuasion starting with this post.

Something important to remember is that persuasion is an art. Much of persuasion is subconscious. People may or may not agree with you for reasons they can’t put their finger on or explain. I’m not talking about manipulating people, but you’d be foolish not to take advantage of subconscious cues that may help people hear you out and get on board.

Find Common Ground First

Before trying to convince someone of your way of thinking, find something to agree on first. That agreement has residual effects. When you work from a place of agreement, people will be more likely to agree with you or trust you when you try to persuade them of something else. Address the worldview of the person you’re trying to persuade and make statements that they can agree with. At times, this can create a compelling argument.

Cathy Harwick, one of my children’s pastor’s at Gateway does this really well. I recognized this when we were transitioning volunteers from serving twice a month to serving every week. In the process of convincing existing (or future volunteers) of the need for serving every week, she’s make statements like this:

“You want the very best for your child, right? So do we. Think about this for a second with me. If you had your choice, would you want your child in a room where the volunteers were the same every week or a room where the volunteers were different every week? What do you think is best for your child? It makes sense that we’d want to offer the very best for every kid here at Gateway, right?”

Honestly, I’ve found that it’s just as easy to recruit people to serve every week as it used to be to recruit them to serve twice a month. Maybe I’m better at persuading people, but I do feel that helping future volunteers find agreement first makes it a lot easier to bring them on board.

If you’re interested in more research on this idea, I did find a study showing how this works. Click here to download that paper.

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What’s next for Illuminate

Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.

Now with the Birmingham, AL and the Austin, TX events over, what is next?

Well, on February 18th, we do have our Nashville event, but we have something else up our sleeves as well. It’s called Illuminate Online.

The central vision behind Illuminate is to offer high-quality training for volunteers that it both local and affordable. Unfortunately, Illuminate only has three stops this year which means it can only offer local training for a few regions. So, Illuminate is taking to the web. Although it isn’t the same, much of what you might experience at Illuminate will be available online.

Last Friday, we shot over 3 hours of video content designed specifically for Illuminate Online. I’m excited to make it available soon. How soon? Probably in January. That’s the anticipated launch date of Illuminate Online. As January gets closer, I’ll share more information about the unique strategy of Illuminate Online. If you’re interested in getting updates on Illuminate Online, sign up to be notified here (click on Illuminate Online).

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Austin Illuminate was EPIC!

Posted on 14. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.

I’m excited to say that Illuminate has year two behind it now with just finishing the second event in Austin, TX. Although we had a very high retention of churches come back again (in addition to many new churches), I was amazed by how many people were brand new this year. It felt like the whole room.

I’m incredibly blessed because everything went so exceedingly well. Other than the little tweak here and the adjustment there, there isn’t much of anything that I would change. It was a fantastic second year event. I’ll be sending out email evaluations later this week, but that hasn’t stopped the emails from coming in already. Here are what some people are saying:

“Again I wanted to say great job!  My team was buzzing like crazy the whole way back home. We had a great time and learned so much!  Thank you for dreaming up a conference that truly blesses volunteers.”

“Thank you for all of the work, time, heart, and prayer that you all put into today’s program. We walked away encouraged and inspired!”

“I was so very blessed to attend this conference.  God is working in so many different areas of our ministry here, due to the conference. I just can’t fully describe in words how this conference has changed my thinking and how God was making plans last spring and summer!!  What a blessing you and Illuminate has been to me and will be to our church from birth to college aged.”

I’ll be honest, there have been times this year when I’ve questioned whether I really needed to do this. As great of an idea as it has been, it’s been a lot of hard work and at times very frustrating. But seeing it happen and hearing how much it impacted people make ever bit worth it. I’ll write more posts this week about what happened at the event.

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Illuminate comes to Austin

Posted on 09. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.

Today is Wednesday and the Austin Illuminate begins in three days. I’m so excited!!! We have over 50 churches from all over the state of Texas (and even one from Oregon) gathering at my home church this Saturday. Although the registration are not exactly where I had initially hoped, we have experienced very healthy growth this year over last year and I think we’re going to have a great crowd with some dynamic energy for this little event. So, let me tell you why I’m so stoked about this weekend.

1. Connecting with people who I love and respect – I’ll be perfectly honest. There is some selfish motivation behind me starting the Illuminate Conference. There are several people who lead in the local church that I have gotten very close to over the years. They’ve impacted my life and I can’t imagine doing ministry without them in my world. They’ve become dear friends and I’ve invited them to speak at this event for two reasons. First, because I believe that they’re some of  the best of the best and I want these people speaking into my volunteers and the people who lead kidmin in my city and state. Secondly, I brought them here because I love any time I can get with these people!
2. Building up the church – I believe that Illuminate has the potential to be a game-changer within the local church. Once a volunteer gets “fired up” there’s no telling what they’re going to do. There are precious few resources out there that exist to “fire up” volunteers. My hope is that volunteers will get a better glimpse of what they’ve been called to and as a result of this weekend, churches will never be the same.
3. Equipping my volunteers – So this whole Illuminate thing came about over a year ago as a method to better equip our own volunteers. Even though it is super exciting that hundreds of kidmin staff and volunteers will come and grow, I’m most excited about the 75 volunteers and leaders that serve the kids at Gateway week in and week out. This has always been about them and I’m excited about what they’re going to get out of this event.
4. Making new connections – If you read any of my posts from the last week or two, you’ll see that I’m passionate about connecting with others, especially those who serve kids locally. It wasn’t always this way, but I’m really on mission to find others who do what I do in my city. I’m excited because there are a lot of people coming to Illuminate that I’ve never met that serve right down the road from me. I hope that Saturday is the the beginning of many new relationships.

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Illuminate Updates

Posted on 01. Nov, 2011 by Kenny.

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything about Illuminate, so I thought I’d catch everyone up. It’s truly been a wild and exciting ride this year.

The Austin event is just 11 days away. I’m expecting about 500 kidmin folks to converge on the Gateway Church campus on November 12th and it’s going to be amazing. I’ve got a stellar line-up of speakers. Check it out:

• Jim Wideman
• Sam Luce
• Michael Chanley
• Gina McClain
• Dan Scott
• Amy Fenton Lee
• Jonathan Cliff
• Matt McKee

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