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It always strikes me as humorous when those of us involved in ministry see other outside activities as competition for our events. First, I view the events that we plan for our children and families as valuable and important for everyone involved. Second, I see great value in other activities outside the church.  It seems to me that we should ask ourselves several questions as we attempt to reach families and teach them how to grow spiritually:

1. When we offer an event do we consider the families existing schedule and commitments?
2. Is the event we are planning truly going to make an impact or are we just continuing something because we’ve always done it?
3. Are we scheduling so many classes and events that it would hinder a families’ opportunity to connect to their community?

Concerning question number one; too often the church calendar is planned without even considering community events.  To me this comes off as arrogant and foolish.  When a missionary goes into a foreign country one of the things they invest a great deal of time in is discovering how that community functions.  Why would we attempt to reach our community without the same mindset?  If our goal is to reach our community we should take the time and look at what activities are taking place inside our community before creating our own schedule.

Question number two should be asked of every event we undertake.  Too often events at church are planned and presented just because it’s what we always do.  Every event should be evaluated under the microscope of the event’s goal and value.  Some events simply need to be reinvented while others simply need to be dropped because they no longer achieve the desired goal.

Now let’s take a look at question number three. My family and I recently moved from Texas (the belt buckle of the Bible Belt) out west to Arizona.  I can say with complete conviction that the way most families view church here is a great deal different from how it’s viewed in the Bible belt.  I also know from personal experience that those of us active in church can become so involved with church activities that we are no longer connected with our communities.  This tendency to become insulated from the outside is what one author dubbed the “Christian Ghetto.”  The longer you have been a believer who is active in your church the more intentional you must be to connect with an unbelieving community.  I believe our call to be “salt and light” is too often forgotten and we simply become a “holy huddle” that is no longer focused on the “main thing.” Our family’s experience in youth sports has been one of the best ways to connect with our community.  We have the opportunity to develop close relationships with many families who otherwise would have little or no connection to a local church.  Our goal as a family is to share Jesus in a relational context by simply being who we are as a member of our community.  Men who would never talk to a “pastor” will share what’s going on with their friend the “Coach.”

My challenge to all of us is:

1. Ask the three questions of every event we plan.
2. Make a commitment to find a way to embrace youth sports and other extracurricular activities in order to make a difference.
3. Be “Salt and Light” outside the doors of your church.

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With all that in mind let’s take a look at some things we can do evaluate as we prepare for the fall ministry season.  Here is a list of questions we can use as we walk through our facilities and think through our program:

Facility Questions:

How is space allocated for each of your age group classes?  Should we shift a class to a different room (larger or smaller) to accommodate the number of children in a particular class?

How is the traffic flow working with the current placement of our guest registration area?

Are the classrooms free of clutter?  Have the carpets been cleaned recently?  How does the room smell?  Does the paint need retouched?

Curriculum Questions:

What is the “Big Idea” for the fall? for the month?  for the season?

Who is responsible for supplies in each room?  Are the basics (glue, scissors, crayons, etc.) fresh and plentiful?

Have we removed old and dated materials?  decorations? photos?

Leadership Questions:

Have we reviewed and updated our policy manual?

Do our leaders know and accept the expectations for this season?

Is the leadership structure clear to everyone serving in the ministry?

These are just a few of the questions that we can ask in order to make sure we make a great First Impression on our new guests this fall.  Use these as a spring board to more and deeper questions as we continue to give our very best.

Technorati Tags: Children’s-Ministry, Youth-Ministry, Family-Ministry, Preschool-Ministry, Kids-Ministry, Sunday-School, Facility, Curriculum, Leadership

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A few years ago I read Good to Great by Jim Collins that truly impacted the way I evaluate ministry. Too often in the church Good is the enemy of Great. We find something that we think works well and we just keep doing it without ever asking “could it be better?” Is Good good enough? We serve an awesome God, the creator of great. He has promised that His plan is more than we can imagine or hope for and I’m sure He has GREAT in mind.

Have you heard “Well if we only had more money…a better facility…more volunteers. Yes, we would all like more and better. However I think we are called to do the very best with what we have and that can be great. “Good to Great shows that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance; but largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.” The questions I have to ask myself are: Am I making the right choices? How am I doing in the self-discipline department? What are the choices I am making with my time and resources? Am I investing my time in the right areas? What are the things that only I can do?

This week start with some self-evaluation of all that you do as a leader. Moving beyond ourselves let’s take a look at our facilities. Does the condition and appearance of our classrooms communicate a desire for greatness? What is one thing we could do this week for our facility to communicate where we want to be on a scale of good to great? Let’s take some initial steps this week to move toward greatness and continue to ask God to reveal His plan for our own improvement and the improvement of the incredible ministry to which He has called us!

Technorati Tags: Children’s-Ministry, Family-Ministry, Youth-Ministry, Kids-Ministry, Ministry, Children, Kids, Church, God, Religion, Christianity, Family, Sunday-School

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