sustainable children's ministry

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.

[box type=”bio”] for a chance to win a free copy of this book, comment below and share why you would like to read this book during this season of your ministry. all names of those that comment will be entered into a random name picker for a chance to win this book free. winner will be announced on my blog on friday, january 12.[/box]

i don’t read nearly as much as i should. i know, i know a real leader is always a leaner. i want to learn, i just find it difficult to sit still for long periods of time. 🙂 so let me just say when i come into a dawson kids staff meeting with a book that we are all going to read (in addition to the book the ministerial staff is already reading), they know it must be important. that is how i feel about “sustainable children’s ministry”. i was so glad to get an advance copy of this amazing resource (it releases at the end of the month) and here is my endorsement found in the book.

[box] “in a ministry culture where gimmicks and entertainment can overshadow the reason we serve, it is refreshing to read a book that keeps the essentials and the eternal front and center. whether you are new to ministry or a seasoned pro, “sustainable children’s ministry” is for you. proven, practical steps mixed with just enough real-life ministry examples provide the reader with a resource to build a ministry from scratch, evaluate an existing ministry, or tweak a program to make it strong until the end.” danielle bell, minister to children, dawson family of faith, birmingham,[/box]

so for a chance to win a copy of this book, i am asking you to comment and share how this book would help you in your season of ministry. for me, after 20 years in kidmin, i need help seeing things i can no longer see – things too familiar to be recognized. as our team reads this book i will challenge us to look closely at our policies, systems, lack of systems, etc. to see where we fall short. in areas where we are a last minute team, i want us to find ways to build structure to be ahead of the game instead of arriving right on time. i am a visionary and details don’t come naturally to me, so as i read i want to leave with two solid changes i can make in my planning. that’s just the beginning, i am hoping this book delivers even more of a push to more quality backbones that support our Gospel-centered ministry. what about you?

sustainable children’s ministry

5 questions – annette safstrom

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY – Sustainable Children’s Ministry