ETCH | dandibell

In kidmin

making the Gospel the center in every spiritual marker

October 11, 2016 No Comments

there are many spiritual markers that dot the timeline during the 18 years a child is in the family’s immediate care. in a recent breakout at #etch16 we discovered how to be intentional about applying a Gospel-centered approach during special times from birth to high school graduation.

in a Bible study i am taking it describes john as a man that had Jesus as the very core of his existence. this really got me thinking about all we do in ministry. let’s not look at these spiritual marker celebration times as programs or events, but a chance to make the Gospel the core of their existence.

Gospel-centered spiritual markers – the whys:
– the goal is the Gospel. without it we have just another event.
– celebrations don’t change lives, the Gospel does.
– these spiritual markers bring many non-believers and/or family members together.

Gospel-centered filter – five question to ask when planning/evaluating spiritual marker events/celebrations.
– is the Gospel at the core of this spiritual marker celebration?
– does it create an opportunity for life-change?
– how is it different than worldly celebration? (is Jesus the takeaway?)
– is the Word of God the backbone of the celebration?
– how will you help families apply these truths beyond the walls of the church?

ideas:

pre birth
– intentionally share Gospel with expecting parents – because so many coming to the church or back to the church in this
season.as this time
– expecting parents have an assigned prayer partner and encourager.
– testimony from Christ-centered, seasoned parents
– challenge families to look ahead with eternal perspective -in the end what matters most?

birth
– hospital visits include intentional conversation and prayer.
– gifts for new parents: prayer book, Bible with babies name, magazines, books

baby dedication
– family mission statement (what kind of 18 year old you want)
– life verse
– letter from pastor sharing the Gospel for kids to open when they are older (8, 13, etc.)
– church challenged to pray and support family
– challenge to families to share Gospel with family through this celebration

new Bible
– God’s Words is how kids learn the Gospel
– highlight verses that outline the Gospel (roman road – Gospel God’s plan for me)
– teacher and staff scriptures to get kids into God’s Word

seeking Jesus
– involve family in this – Gospel class with parents
– share the God’s truth based on scripture
– allow families to experience truth
– kids discuss truth with parents

– family worship
– Creator
– the fall
– redemption
– restoration

new believer & baptism – build on foundation of the Gospel
– new Christian’s class
– how to grow – what’s next (devotional)
– how to study God’s Word family class – help them own their faith.
– Gospel testimony during baptism (whether written or on video).

tween transition
– lesson plan of basic Bible truths taught by church leaders.
– secret prayer partner (a vetted adult in the church that they write letters back and forth with each month. adults are given a topic to write about.) this means there is another adult praying for and investing in that child.
– parents write and read aloud a letter to their child as they transition to student ministry. (important for child to hear the words said not just read.)

middle school
– 3 year discipleship plan
apologetics, spiritual gifts, spiritual disciplines
– mentors patiently pouring the Gospel into middle school
– free standing coffee gift card to talk

purity
– purity commitment service (purity not just to wait, but purity for kingdom purposes)
– coupons to pass or ask to talk

high school graduation
– lead in worship – share testimony of life-change
– special Sunday commissioning them from pulpit
– assign church prayer partner for first year in college
– college Bible and devotion

during this breakout at #etch16, we had participants share ideas they had about celebrating spiritual markers. they were a wealth of great stuff. here are some things they shared:

home dedications – this helps include families that start coming to church when children are older, or for adopted children.
pink and blue party – invite expecting parents and baby room workers and tour the preschool area
testimonies form seasoned parents – structured and Gospel-centered
make a new mom devotional book complete with devotions written by season parents in the church.
parents write letter to child including verses.
senior adults make wooden treasure boxes for baby’s dedication. these boxes hold memories form their spiritual journey.
mentors for new parents
a parent “commissioning” service
home visit after birth and a two week meal schedule
required classes for parents along with milestones (i.e. baby dedication)
personalize baby dedication (fewer vs bunches)
bring new parents to staff or seasoned parents house to partake in a family devotional.
online classes & orientation of the Gospel before dedication
weekend trip with teen – share testimony, Biblical man/womanhood, rite of passage
mother/daughter and father/son events
spiritual gifts assessment to help them feel a part of the body of Christ and begin to serve
take classes of kids to church to observe and take communion after a class on the Lord’s Supper
transition retreat with kidmin and student ministry leaders
parents present Bible to child in new Bible class/sunday
intergenerational service on sunday mornings
high schoolers serving in middle school small groups
high school graduation dinner with staff
for seniors – get a 4×6 photo album. adults write notes and verses on cards. cards and pictures are added to each students album.

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In blog series

20 lessons learned in 20 years (part 2)

October 6, 2016 No Comments

20 lessons learned in 20 years (part 2)
(read part 1 here.)

some of the most effective ministry lessons are learned from mistakes and in-the-trenches ministry experiences. if you are new in ministry here are some tips from someone with 20 full-time years of kids ministry experience to help you avoid pitfalls and burnout in ministry.

11 – network
– if you leave a conference without a minimum of five other names, email addresses, and business cards, you weren’t trying.
– we are all on the same team. why are we not sharing ideas, solutions, struggles, prayer requests, praises, etc?
***make it a goal to leave your next conference with at least five new names and contact info. then make it a priority to connect with them when you return home.

12 – be mentored and mentor
– who has gone ahead of you that is speaking truth into you?
– who is behind you that you need to encourage and challenge?
*** do you have someone in your life whom you have given permission to call you out on sin, encourage your spiritual growth, and cheer you on?
*** who is praying for you and who in ministry are you praying for?

13 – safe place to vent
– find a safe person outside your office and church to vent to in confidence.
– get emotion out in a safe place so you don’t bring it to the meeting.
– let it out, then let it go!

14 – don’t break policy just to please
– if it is important enough to make into a policy, it is important enough to apply it.
– policy protects the whole, pleasing often satisfies a few.
*** are there polices you have that serve no real purpose?

15 – keep mouth shut
– confidentiality in ministry is a must.
– don’t have meetings after meetings. if you need to say it, say it in the meeting.
– no triangulation – talk to the person you have a problem with, not a third party.

16 – silos don’t make teams
– God’s truths deserve our age group collaboration.
– in age group ministries, we have to work together to help develop and support a Christ-centered 18-year-old.
*** where in your ministry team are there barriers and resistance to teamwork?

17 – be who God called and gifted you to be
– you are who you are and where you are because God created you and put you there.
– quit trying to be another ministry leader or ministry. be who God created you to be.
– comparison steals joy.

18 – grow in the valley
– some of your hardest ministry moments are your best teachers.
– give yourself grace from failures, so you can grow.
– allow conflict to build character so you don’t get stuck in the valley.
*** where have you seen God in a ministry valley?

19 – yield to and leave room for the Holy Spirit
– you can’t program every moment. allow room for God to show up.
– sometimes unplanned interruptions make an eternal impact
*** when is the last time you made room for and experienced a Holy Spirit interruption?

20 – humility goes a long way
– you don’t have to pretend to have all the answers. some people just want you to listen.
– if you can’t clean a toilet with no one watching, are you really ready to serve?
– get beyond yourself, so people remember Jesus and not you.

In blog series

20 lessons learned in 20 years (part 1)

October 6, 2016 No Comments

20 lessons learned in 20 years

some of the most effective ministry lessons are learned from mistakes and in-the-trenches ministry experiences. if you are new in ministry, here are some tips from someone with 20 full-time years of kids ministry experience to help you avoid pitfalls and burnout in ministry.

1 – the Gospel is the goal
– you are not a cruise director.
– it is not about you.
– the Gospel changes lives for eternity, you don’t.
– families can get moral lessons from books or the side of a fast food container. morals aren’t what we are after, the Gospel is.

2 – know where you are going
– figure out where you are going before you begin.
– make sure everything you put on the calendar and in the budget has the end in mind.
– keeping the end in mind helps you avoid detours and stick to an eternal itinerary.
– a finish line filter helps you say no.
* do you have a ministry vision statement that can serve as a guide and filter for where you are going?

3 – quality vs quantity
– “you can’t do a million things to the glory of God.” beth moore
– a few well-planned, successful events are better than many half hearted, poorly planned events.
– families are busy. when you ask for their time be prepared — make it Gospel-centered and make it count.
colossians 3:23 – “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human
masters,”

4 – realize you haven’t arrived
– you don’t know all there is to know about ministry
– you aren’t the greatest thing to hit the ministry world. people have been in the trenches long before you.
– make sure you always have a teachable spirit.
– listen more than you talk.
* when is the last time you really listened to what God is doing in someone else’s life and ministry?

5 – strategically surround yourself
– make sure your staff/leadership team are strong in the areas where you are weak.
– a well thought out team makes a more successful team.
– allow your team to make you better. (can you take corrective criticism?)
* what type of person is your ministry team missing?

6 – partner with parents
– parent champions – the first thing i did in a transition was create a parent champion team to evaluate and make a plan
to move forward. read more about that here.
– make sure these parents will be prayerfully honest with you and are not just “yes” men and women.
– parents help share your heart and vision with their peers, thus having a greater impact.

7 – target the family (there are 168 hours in a week. you may have the kids for one or two hours. target
the family for maximum kingdom growth.)
– what are you doing to reach the family as a whole?
– family worship (teaching like Jesus taught)
learn more about that here.
– make sure to build a bridge from church to home.
* what takeaways are you giving families to talk through at home?

8 – ministry to children and families with special needs
– educate yourself and your team.
– be prepared before the first family arrives. (policies, space, intake forms, volunteers, etc.)
– provide quality, Christ-centered care

9 – communicate
– communicate often through various channels. (constant contact, mail chimp, remind, facebook, instagram, twitter, ifttt, blog, snail mail, etc.)
– just when you think you are bugging people, they are just getting the message. they need to see the message seven
different times.
– if you are getting questions or have to have a FAQ section, have you really effectively communicated?

10 – sabbath
Luke 5:16 – “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
– Jesus made time alone a priority, do you?
– an empty vessel has nothing to give

In kidmin

etch family ministry conference

May 22, 2016 No Comments

i am honored and excited to be included as a speaker at the new etch ministry conference in nashville this fall. here are my breakout topics and descriptions.

20 lessons learned in 20 years
some of the most effective ministry lessons are learned from mistakes and in-the-trenches ministry experience. if you are new in ministry, come hear from someone with 20 full-time years of kids ministry experience to help you avoid pitfalls and burn-out in ministry. we will have some hands-on fun, too.

making the Gospel center in every spiritual marker
there are many spiritual markers that dot the timeline during the the 18 years a child is in the family’s immediate care. let’s discover how to be intentional about applying a Gospel-centered approach during special times from birth to high school graduation.

i would love to see you there and meet some new ministry friends. find out more about the conference here. comment and let me know if you are coming.

About Me

Danielle has over 25 years of kidmin experience and she possesses a great fervor for sharing, discipling, and shepherding children and families with the message of Jesus Christ. Danielle is a well-respected leader and trainer in the area of Children's Ministry and has spoken regionally at local churches and nationally at children’s ministry conferences. She is a curriculum writer for Gospel Project Kids. and Awana brite. She has also written the following resources: “God’s Brave Girl” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), “The Gospel God’s Plan for Me” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), and the Younger KidMin chapter for “Children’s Ministry Volunteer Handbook” (Outreach). Danielle is the lead instructor for the Children's Ministry Certificate at beadisciple.com. In 2010, Danielle was named by “Children’s Ministry Magazine” as one of the top 20 Children’s Ministry Leaders to watch. Danielle’s blog, dandibell.com, is one of the top 100 kid’s ministry blogs.
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The posts on this site are my own personal opinions. These posts do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the companies I write for or my church.