Tag: children’s ministry

You Can Have Effective Meetings!

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Are you a fan of meetings?  Many people are not.  Many times meetings are perceived as cold, impersonal and pointless.  In our time-crunched world, no one wants to waste their time sitting in meetings.  But did you know that you can have effective meetings?  Here are the essentials to keep in mind:

PURPOSE:  Why are you calling the meeting?  If you don’t have a goal in mind, cancel the meeting.  Your attendees will thank you for it.

AGENDA:  Create an agenda and if possible, get it attendees ahead of time.  This will help them know what will be discussed, come prepared with information and ideas and allow for focused discussions.  Keep your agenda concise so that you stay within your allotted time.

COME PREPARED:  What supplies will you need?  Computer? Projector? Wi-fi access?Dry erase markers?  Make sure that any audio/visual equipment is working properly.  Have extra copies of your agenda, writing paper and pens on hand.

APPOINT A RECORDER:  You can jot down notes here and there, but appoint someone else to record the notes.  This will allow you to focus on what is being said and keep the group on track.

BRING A CREATIVE ELEMENT TO YOUR MEETING:  Are you holding a brainstorming meeting?  Cover the table with paper and provide markers or crayons for attendees to doodle or jot down ideas.  Do you want your attendees to “think outside of the box”?  Provide a tactile object such as play dough or an Etch-A-Sketch(C) to channel creativity.

HONOR THEIR TIME:  Nothing turns a meeting attendee into a meeting skipper more than starting late or holding them longer than they expected.  Honor people by beginning and ending on time.  Ending five or ten minutes earlier than expected is even better.

SUMMARIZE WHAT’S BEEN DISCUSSED:  Review action points and what you need to follow-up on.  Make sure that everyone leaves knowing what has been accomplished and what they are responsible for.  If you plan a follow-up meeting, this information should be first on the agenda before tackling new tasks.

What would you add to the list?

Personal touches that make a difference

Kathie Phillips

I’m sure you’ve heard this popular quote:  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

As children’s ministry leaders, we depend on volunteers to do ministry alongside us.  Therefore, it is vitally important that we care about them and show them regularly.  I mean genuinely care.  How?  Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Engage them in conversation–about ministry.  What role do they see themselves in?  How can you equip and support them?  How can you work together to make the ministry all that God intended it to be?  Take an interest in them as a valued ministry partner.
  2. Engage them in conversation–about something other than ministry.  Learn about their family, their job, their hobbies/interests.  Take an interest in them as a person.
  3. Ask how you can pray for them–and do it.  You can do this by calling  or emailing them or having them fill out a prayer request card when they serve.
  4. Follow up with prayer requests.  This not only lets them know that you have covered them in prayer but that you are genuinely interested about what is happening in their lives.
  5. Acknowledge special days.  Send a card (via snail mail or electronically) acknowledging birthdays, anniversaries, the birth of a new baby, get well wishes, etc.  I have done both and my volunteers love it!
  6. Surprise them every now and then.  Mid-way through our summer programming a few weeks ago, I surprised my volunteers with donuts and juice one Sunday morning with a sign that said, “We love our Summer Serve volunteers!”  We don’t have food on Sundays very often, so these are special treats for them.  It was so refreshing to see them sit down and enjoy a light breakfast and conversation with one another.  You could also surprise them with candy, a handwritten thank-you or balloon bouquets.

What would you add to the list?  

Rest for the Soul

Kathie Phillips

This week, my family and I are enjoying some time away at one of our favorite places to relax–a cabin in the woods in nearby West Virginia.  Suited perfectly for rest and refreshment, it is a home that has a wall of windows that looks out onto the tall, mature trees.  The house also has a wonderful screened porch to be able to be in nature without being in nature.  Internet and cell reception is spotty, so it’s a great place to disconnect and reconnect with God and loved ones.

In addition to reading, watching movies and playing board games with the family, one of my favorite things to do here is feed the deer.  Once the food goes out, at least eight deer come closer to the property to feed.  It brings to mind Psalm 42:1:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (NLT)

So often as a leader, I can get bogged down with details of the ministry–scheduling, ordering/purchasing supplies, deadlines, lesson-planning, recruiting, email–and lose focus of the God I serve.  Do I take time each day to acknowledge God before I go about my day?  Do I ask for His will to be done and not my own?  Food for thought as I gear up for the upcoming ministry year.

What about you?  Does your soul long for God?  How does He bring refreshment to your soul?

One of the Worst Recruiting Strategies

Kathie Phillips 1 Comment

I have a few pet peeves about recruiting for Children’s Ministry but one that ranks up at the top of the list is when leaders say they need to “fill holes”.  Every time I hear that, I get chills up spine.  Think about it.  What message do you think that philosophy sends about a ministry to a prospective volunteer?  I don’t serve, I just filled a hole.

I believe that the way in which a volunteer is recruited is directly related to the way that they serve.  If someone is recruited by a leader who shares the vision and mission of a ministry, that volunteer’s potential is unlimited.  They will have a vested interest in the ministry and are more likely to serve longer and take on more leadership roles.  If someone is recruited to “fill a hole”, they will likely not even know or care about where the ministry is going and are likely to serve a much shorter time.

Let’s show potential volunteers how passionate we are about what we do and recruit them as a ministry partner, not a “hole-filler”.