dandibell
Category

kidmin

Category
In 5 questions

5 questions – annette safstrom

No Comments
 i met annette through the kidmin conference, but she has greatly impacted my ministry with the release of her book “sustainable children’s ministry”   we are having such rich, productive conversations as a dawson kids staff as we read through her book. first, she starts with questions that really cause you to look at how and why you are doing ministry the way you are. then, her hands-on, practical ideas immediately begin to give you ways to implement the changes she suggests or your team discovers. how i wish i would have had this book early on in ministry. 
with annette’s ministry and consulting experience, she offers great answers to the 5 questions. read her answers and do your ministry a favor and get this book. (she doesn’t pay or ask me to say that.)
 
1 – what do you see kidmin and family ministry leaders doing right? 
Creating shared experiences for families that engage everyone. It seems like conversations naturally flow out of shared experiences, so when families experience aspects of their faith together, parents are able to naturally foster their children’s faith and dig into questions that they can explore together.
2 – what do you see as the greatest need in kidmin and family ministry right now? 
 The greatest need I see in kidmin right now is for us as leaders to learn how to “give away” ownership of pieces of the ministry. One person can’t effectively execute every aspect of children’s ministry. Our experience becomes so much richer when we work alongside volunteer partners who are invested with us.
3 – if you could have coffee with every kidmin/fammin leader, what would you want to make sure you shared with them? 
     Take time to take care of yourself. Find a a fun way to blow off steam. Whether it’s a sport or a hobby, do something that is just for yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to “shut off” our ministry tasks. Decide when you’re NOT going to work and protect that time. You will be a better leader because of it.
4 – what word of encouragement do you have for today’s kidmin/fammin leaders? 
 What you’re doing is enough. There will always be more to do, and our desire to do more sometimes makes us feel like we aren’t doing enough. Use that feeling of “not enough” to engage others as leaders who can carry forward pieces of the ministry.
5 – why are you passionate about children’s and family ministry? 
 I grew up in a church with a great children’s ministry. I learned how to connect to Jesus at a young age, and I want to make sure that lots of kids get that experience. My relationship with Jesus as a child still influences my relationship with Jesus today.

Annette fell in love with children’s ministry in the 1980s and has never looked back. After graduating from Bible college in 1991 with a certification in children’s ministry, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University, and a Master’s from SMU. Over the years, she has consistently served in various roles and in various settings as either a staff member or volunteer team member.

In recent years, Annette served as a director for a rapidly growing children’s ministry, and has been a member of the Ministry Architects team since January of 2012. She is a conference speaker for both Children’s Pastor’s Conference and Group’s KidMin Conference. She lives in McKinney, TX with her husband Kevin, and their two children, and enjoys traveling, cooking, and writing.

by
Read More
In kidmin

praying through

No Comments

over a year-and-a-half ago, the dawson kids team began to contact and pray through our kids ministry investors and families. the truth this, we can only connect so much in a hallway on a sunday morning or at an event. our goal was to reach people where they are (whether they are consistently attending or haven’t been in a while) and ask “how can our staff lift up your family?” it’s a simple question. not all respond, but when they do we are allowed an opportunity for greater impact.

in our weekly dawson kids staff meeting we share the prayer requests and then pause to specifically pray for each of them. we follow up each prayer time with a hand -written note.

i understand this isn’t revolutionary, but it has greatly deepened the conversations we have with parents and volunteers in our busy hallways. i would love to hear how you surround your families and leaders in prayer. share ideas in the comment section.

by
Read More
In 5 questions

5 questions – kathie phillips

No Comments
   to know kathie is to love her. she is action packed with passion for kids and families but knit together with such gentleness and grace. i have had the privilege of knowing her for quite some time through the kidmin conference. the event changes when her sweet presence enters. she is a magnet for people and a great example of how to network and create community.
   kathie is not only an in-the-trenches leader serving in a local church, she is a wealth of wisdom and ideas.  i am so excited about her book, “top 50, object lessons” and her blog kidminspiration.com   i can’t wait to share her heart and her answers with you!
1 – what do you see kidmin and family ministry leaders doing right? 
  I think the task of partnering with parents and pointing kids and families to Jesus has made kidmin and family ministry leaders seek out resources to help them do this more efficiently. There are an abundance of resources available now more than ever. In addition, conversations about how to do this are happening in many different arenas (particularly through social media), which inspires me.
2 – what do you see as the greatest need in kidmin and family ministry right now? 
   One of the most prevalent things I’m seeing right now is the need for support from senior leadership. So many colleagues in kidmin and family ministry are feeling isolated and unsupported from those who lead them. This is causing a ripple effect throughout ministries across the country and causing leaders to doubt their calling and, in many cases, inhibiting them from doing their job.
3 – if you could have coffee with every kidmin/fammin leader, what would you want to make sure you shared with them? 
      I would express the importance of community. Ministry leadership can sometimes be a very lonely place, so having a network of support from those also in the trenches of ministry is an invaluable gift.
4 – what word of encouragement do you have for today’s kidmin/fammin leaders? 
   I would encourage kidmin/fammin leaders to remember that no matter what obstacles you face, the One who called you is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Rely on Him, on His strength, when you feel like you have no strength of your own. Also, we work so hard week to week planting seeds of faith in the hearts of kids. We might not see fruit from those seeds, but trust that it will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). What you are doing is making a difference for eternity!
5 – why are you passionate about children’s and family ministry? 
   As an elementary-aged girl, I absolutely loved Sunday school. It was such a wonderful place to be and I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I want kids to love Sunday school as much as I did.” That desire propels me to keep pushing each and every week to encourage my volunteers to love and care for our kids and their families and to work as hard as I can to make their time with us as warm, welcoming and engaging as possible.
Kathie Phillips is currently the Director of Children’s Ministry at a church in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, she’s a wife, mom of two young adults, conference speaker, ministry coach, published author and blogger. Check out her blog at www.kidminspiration.com.
by
Read More
In kidmin

lifeway kids podcast

No Comments

what an honor to sit down with the talented church peters and talk kids being the church of today. i love the podcasts lifeway kids provides!

here is the details of my podcast and the link to find it.

click here for the podcast.

Danielle Bell, Minister to Children at Dawson Family of Faith, joins the podcast to discuss ways to intentionally create a culture where kids actively participate, serve, and engage in the church as soon as they are believers.

by
Read More
In 5 questions

5 questions – jana magruder

No Comments
     jana magruder is a triple threat. she is an excellent communicator, a brilliant author, and a passionate leader that not only gets kids ministry but has a vision for where it is going. she is a thoughtful networker and some of my favorite times with her are around a table with other kidmin leaders at the etch conference in nashville. she is energetic and extremely humble, but this gal brings some truth that will rattle your kidmin in the best way. when i heard her speak about her latest research findings, and basis for her book “nothing less” i couldn’t run to the conference bookstore fast enough to not only get a copy for my kids ministry team but also some of our senior staff.
    i love that she comes straight to lifeway from a church staff so as she leads nationally her heart is never far from the local church.  i am so thankful for the ways she has challenged and equipped me as a ministry leader and i am delighted to share her answers to these five important questions.
1 – what do you see kidmin and family ministry leaders doing right? 
   My team talks to ministry leaders from all over the country and world. When it comes to kidmin and family ministry leaders, there seems to be no lack of passion and heart for Jesus, His Church – and the “youngest of these.” We all seem to have this in common. Every time I’m in a room full of kids and family ministry leaders, I always like to say we are already best friends because we have these three things in common: we love Jesus, His Church, and Kids and families!
2 – what do you see as the greatest need in kidmin and family ministry right now? 
   Our kids and family ministry leaders need a seat at the leadership table. Yes, most of us go to “staff meeting”, but I think they need to lead up and really help the broader ministry team understand the absolute urgency of children’s ministry. We all know that by age 12, a child’s world view is pretty much formed. Therefore, the years spent in kids ministry are critical and the whole church family needs to rally around the vision of what it takes to make sure kids are being discipled and poured into by godly men and women of the church.
3 – if you could have coffee with every kidmin/fammin leader, what would you want to make sure you shared with them? 
   Don’t forget to sabbath – and I mean “sabbath” as a verb. We usually think of the Sabbath as Sunday, a day – a noun. But as a verb – sabbath means to rest and for those of us in kidmin, that is not on Sunday. So, make sure you are taking another day (or at least half a day) to replenish your soul. If you neglect it, burnout can come so quickly and the Enemy will steal your joy. Rest in the Lord, devour scripture, and do something life-giving to you. Errands and laundry are not life-giving!!
4 – what word of encouragement do you have for today’s kidmin/fammin leaders? 
    Remember your calling. If you have been doing this for any length of time, then you know this work is a worthy and holy calling. Allow me to fan the flame of your calling and encourage you to keep going. Persevere and endure – knowing that He would not have called you unless He planned to equip you. Rest in knowing this.
5 – why are you passionate about children’s and family ministry? 
    I believe God works through the heart of a child to change trajectories in families. Most ministry leaders at church want to funnel down through the parents (and hope it gets to their kids). I like to think of overflowing hearts of children whose joy for Jesus is contagious to the whole family. Honestly, it takes both efforts – funnel down and gusher up! That is the delight of family ministry. When we work as teams who truly get this and ditch ministry silos and swimlanes, our opportunity to truly influence the family gets exponentially easier and better. For His glory!

 

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of LifeWay Kids. She is a Baylor graduate and offers a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and publishing. She is the author of Kids Ministry that Nourishes, Nothing Less and Life Verse Creative Journal, which she co-authored with her teenage daughter. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children reside in Nashville.

by
Read More
free dandibell email updates
get the latest content sent straight to your email.
we respect your privacy. thanks for taking time to subscribe.