As you all know now, I am no longer on staff at Freedom and over the children's ministry. With the new direction the church is going, my position was eliminated and this is also the best thing for my health and growth and also the church's health and growth.
Let's be real... it has definitely been a rough transition. I've been grieving as a part of me has died. BUT, I have also been rejoicing because of the peace that I have that God's best is next!
Andrew and I are so very blessed and so thankful that God may have called me out of a position but not called us out of Freedom. There's still way too much to do and we are meant to help push the vision forward-and that's very exciting!
So even though I'm no longer the one leading the way, you have 4 great people who I trust to keep things going and to take ownership! Alicia over check in and Nursery, Rhonda over Pre-K, Amanda Miller over all things K-5 Large Group and Le over K-5 Small Groups. In whichever area you serve, this is who you report to.
Nothings changed---Third Thursday all team meetings are still happening as well as pre-service meetings.
I do want to encourage you with this- Trust leadership. Trust the vision. And then take it a step further- Believe in leadership. Believe in the vision.
What's that mean for you? Serve in your sweet spot--the place that brings you joy.
You may not understand or be completely on board with all things children's ministry but if you know you are supposed to serve here, then trust leadership and trust the vision. Believe in it. Protect yourself, those you serve with, and the kids in your environment by leaving all things toxic out. Keep your thoughts and speech positive ESPECIALLY when serving. And in private, voice your concerns or suggestions to your leader. We want to hear your voice.
If you can't say that you trust and believe in leadership and the vision... then there's always a door open for you to exit.
Freedom is a volunteer ran church. Do we need you? Of course. But only if you want to be here. We require a lot of our volunteers---ESPECIALLY you who serve in the Greenhouse. We have policies and procedures in place for a reason. We are helping raise up Pastor Shane and Rachel's "baby." There's a weight and a huge blessing in being a part of that. Such an honor!
So be a part of it... with joy! And if you can't, for any reason, it's okay. Really. It's ok. Seek God, fight the enemy, and serve in an aspect that is God's best for you. I know that's what I'm seeking and I'm excited to see how God is going to use me in this next season!
We're still on the same team--Team Freedom. The Goal is more important than the Role. Let's get there-together!
Love you guys!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
10 Reasons Why You Don't Have Enough Volunteers
Hmmm....
Don't have enough volunteers? It may be because of one or more of these reasons.
You're not asking.
You're not inviting people to join your team. Week in, week out, you've got to invite, invite, invite. You have not because you ask not. The best way to build a volunteer team is personal 1-on-1 invites.
You're not praying for volunteers.
What did Jesus say to do when the "laborers are few?" He told us to, "pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send laborers into His harvest fields.
Spend time each day asking God to send you volunteers. Jesus wouldn't ask us to pray for something He didn't intend on giving us.
You're not casting vision.
People are drawn toward vision. Stop using words like, "need...help...please..." and start using words like, "impact...opportunity...make a difference."
You're not getting out of the kid world.
You have to go where adults are if you want them to join your team. Get into the adult world. Show up for new member's class, visit adult Bible study groups, connect with the men's and women's ministry.
You're not partnering with the student ministry leaders.
Student volunteers are the bomb. You should have lots of student ministry volunteers serving in your children's ministry. If you don't, then reach out to your student ministry leaders and ask how you can partner with them to get students involved.
You're not keeping the volunteers you already have.
If you're having constant volunteer turnover, then it will be hard to maintain enough volunteers. How do you keep them?
Two words. Family and Fun. Family - people stay where they feel connected and have relationships. Foster this. Fun - people stay where they enjoy being. Work hard to create a culture of fun.
You're not effectively following up with people who have served one time.
There are certain times of the year when people serve in children's ministry one time.
Normally this is during a church-wide push for an event or special services. Easter services....Christmas events...VBS...camps...fall festivals, etc.
Have a strategy to go after the people who sign up to serve that one time. You can turn one-time servers into full-time servers if you're intentional about looping back with them.
You're not providing enough entry level positions.
More jobs = more volunteers. Especially entry level positions.
Not everyone wants to start out teaching, leading worship, or overseeing a program. Provide lots of easy, entry level positions. You'll find that people start out in these entry level positions, but down the road gain enough confidence and experience to step into a bigger role.
You're not in a church that has a culture of serving.
Look around. If all the ministries in your church are lean on volunteers, you may be in a church where serving is not embedded in the DNA.
You're not encouraging your current volunteers to invite people to join them.
Encourage your current volunteers to invite people to serve with them. They know people you don't know and have influence you don't have.
Concluding thoughts...
If you don't have enough volunteers, don't beat yourself up. You're not alone. I don't know anyone who doesn't need more volunteers. I have a lot of volunteers, but I need a lot more...and always will.
The key is eliminating road blocks like the ones you've just read about.
Don't have enough volunteers? It may be because of one or more of these reasons.
You're not asking.
You're not inviting people to join your team. Week in, week out, you've got to invite, invite, invite. You have not because you ask not. The best way to build a volunteer team is personal 1-on-1 invites.
You're not praying for volunteers.
What did Jesus say to do when the "laborers are few?" He told us to, "pray to the Lord of the harvest that He would send laborers into His harvest fields.
Spend time each day asking God to send you volunteers. Jesus wouldn't ask us to pray for something He didn't intend on giving us.
You're not casting vision.
People are drawn toward vision. Stop using words like, "need...help...please..." and start using words like, "impact...opportunity...make a difference."
You're not getting out of the kid world.
You have to go where adults are if you want them to join your team. Get into the adult world. Show up for new member's class, visit adult Bible study groups, connect with the men's and women's ministry.
You're not partnering with the student ministry leaders.
Student volunteers are the bomb. You should have lots of student ministry volunteers serving in your children's ministry. If you don't, then reach out to your student ministry leaders and ask how you can partner with them to get students involved.
You're not keeping the volunteers you already have.
If you're having constant volunteer turnover, then it will be hard to maintain enough volunteers. How do you keep them?
Two words. Family and Fun. Family - people stay where they feel connected and have relationships. Foster this. Fun - people stay where they enjoy being. Work hard to create a culture of fun.
You're not effectively following up with people who have served one time.
There are certain times of the year when people serve in children's ministry one time.
Normally this is during a church-wide push for an event or special services. Easter services....Christmas events...VBS...camps...fall festivals, etc.
Have a strategy to go after the people who sign up to serve that one time. You can turn one-time servers into full-time servers if you're intentional about looping back with them.
You're not providing enough entry level positions.
More jobs = more volunteers. Especially entry level positions.
Not everyone wants to start out teaching, leading worship, or overseeing a program. Provide lots of easy, entry level positions. You'll find that people start out in these entry level positions, but down the road gain enough confidence and experience to step into a bigger role.
You're not in a church that has a culture of serving.
Look around. If all the ministries in your church are lean on volunteers, you may be in a church where serving is not embedded in the DNA.
You're not encouraging your current volunteers to invite people to join them.
Encourage your current volunteers to invite people to serve with them. They know people you don't know and have influence you don't have.
Concluding thoughts...
If you don't have enough volunteers, don't beat yourself up. You're not alone. I don't know anyone who doesn't need more volunteers. I have a lot of volunteers, but I need a lot more...and always will.
The key is eliminating road blocks like the ones you've just read about.
50 Signs You Grew Up in Church
LOL!
If you grew up in church, you can probably relate to some of these. Welcome to memory lane.
If you grew up in church, you can probably relate to some of these. Welcome to memory lane.
- One of your heroes was Bibleman.
- You know who Larry and Bob are.
- You didn't get to watch The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday night because you were at church.
- You were taught Bible lessons with flannel-graph.
- You flipped through the pages of the song book or looked at all the pictures in your Bible multiple times to survive a boring sermon.
- You had a cover on your Bible...and it was stylish.
- You have competed in a contest called "Sword Drill."
- You have owned a WWJD bracelet.
- You've had to keep yourself from laughing at someone who thinks they can sing a "special" but are way off tune.
- You're familiar with the poem "Footprints."
- The song "Father Abraham" was your weekly workout.
- You've been in a singing contest where the winner sang, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah" or "Praise ye the Lord" the loudest.
- Potluck.
- You ate out on Sundays after church.
- You went to summer camp.
- You know the song, "Deep and Wide."
- You have attended Vacation Bible School.
- You've sang, "The B-I-B-L-E...yes that's the book for me."
- You spent Halloween at a church fall festival instead of collecting candy in your neighborhood.
- You've heard the words, "Slow down and walk in church."
- You've had the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in your heart, down in your heart to stay.
- You saw Thief in the Night and had nightmares afterwards.
- You've collected quarters in a little bank.
- You memorized the books of the Bible.
- You've asked to go to the bathroom to get out of a boring lesson.
- You played games around an Awana circle.
- You participated in an offering contest.
- You've sang a hymn while looking down at a songbook.
- "Just as I am" was sang over and over until someone came forward at the end of service.
- You've attended a church "lock-in."
- You sang in a children's choir.
- You attended a "school" that meet on Sunday.
- You've watched a slide show presentation by a missionary.
- You've listened to puppets communicate God's Word.
- You sat through a sermon that felt like it would last for an eternity.
- You've used a church bulletin as a coloring page during a service.
- You've watched a song leader wave his arms in sync with the music.
- You know the words to "Deep and Wide."
- You know Zacchaues was a wee little man and a wee little man was he.
- You know the B-I-B-L-E, yes that's the book for me.
- You've sang, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world..."
- You've sat through a "business meeting" and you weren't inside an office building.
- You know what the word "rapture" means.
- The radio station in your car was always set to a Christian station.
- You gathered around a school pole once a year.
- You played hide and seek at church after the service...until you got caught.
- You sang about being in the army...the Lord's Army.
- Your dad went to Promise Keepers.
- You listened to the music of Carman or Steve Green or Petra
- You know, "you can't get to heaven on roller skates 'cause you might roll right past those pearly gates."
25 Signs You're Still a Kid at Heart
A fun read!
If you're a children's ministry leader, someone has probably told you, "You're just a big kid at heart."
That's a good thing!
There are 2 skills I believe effective children's ministry leaders have.
First, the ability to lead adult volunteers.
Secondly, the ability to connect with kids...aka...be a big kid-at-heart.
Here's 25 signs you're still a big kid-at-heart.
1. You get just as excited as your kids when you're at Disney World.
2. You play with the toys your kids got for Christmas.
3. You still spend a lot of time playing video games.
4. At church, you'd rather be in children's service than adult service.
5. You don't just chew gum...you blow bubbles.
6. You build sand castles at the beach.
7. You still go down the slide at the playground when you get a chance.
8. You like to eat the same cereal as your kids.
9. Sometimes you order a kid's meal.
10. You still get really excited about your birthday party.
11. You know the names of at least 4 shows on the Nickelodeon channel.
12. You eat Lunchables.
13. You still get cotton candy whenever it's available.
14. You have an urge to jump on the bed when you stay at a hotel.
15. You look for the shapes of animals or characters in the clouds.
16. You go in the toy store when you are at the mall...even when kids are not with you.
17. You play practical jokes on your friends and co-workers.
18. You hate brushing your teeth...and sometimes don't.
19. Sometimes you watch cartoons with your kids.
20. You eat the same candy as your kids.
21. You watch Wizard of Oz every time it comes on TV.
22. You watch Charlie's Brown's Christmas every Christmas season.
23. When you're washing the car with someone...you spray them.
24. You get really excited when you see water balloons.
25. You love serving in children's ministry!
Remember...growing old is mandatory...growing up is optional.
If you're a children's ministry leader, someone has probably told you, "You're just a big kid at heart."
That's a good thing!
There are 2 skills I believe effective children's ministry leaders have.
First, the ability to lead adult volunteers.
Secondly, the ability to connect with kids...aka...be a big kid-at-heart.
Here's 25 signs you're still a big kid-at-heart.
1. You get just as excited as your kids when you're at Disney World.
2. You play with the toys your kids got for Christmas.
3. You still spend a lot of time playing video games.
4. At church, you'd rather be in children's service than adult service.
5. You don't just chew gum...you blow bubbles.
6. You build sand castles at the beach.
7. You still go down the slide at the playground when you get a chance.
8. You like to eat the same cereal as your kids.
9. Sometimes you order a kid's meal.
10. You still get really excited about your birthday party.
11. You know the names of at least 4 shows on the Nickelodeon channel.
12. You eat Lunchables.
13. You still get cotton candy whenever it's available.
14. You have an urge to jump on the bed when you stay at a hotel.
15. You look for the shapes of animals or characters in the clouds.
16. You go in the toy store when you are at the mall...even when kids are not with you.
17. You play practical jokes on your friends and co-workers.
18. You hate brushing your teeth...and sometimes don't.
19. Sometimes you watch cartoons with your kids.
20. You eat the same candy as your kids.
21. You watch Wizard of Oz every time it comes on TV.
22. You watch Charlie's Brown's Christmas every Christmas season.
23. When you're washing the car with someone...you spray them.
24. You get really excited when you see water balloons.
25. You love serving in children's ministry!
Remember...growing old is mandatory...growing up is optional.
7 Ways to Communicate with Parents
Great Article!
One of the most important aspects of children's ministry is partnering with parents...and communicating with them is a big part of this.
What are the best ways to communicate with parents? Here's 7 ways you can connect with the people who have the biggest influence in the lives of the kids in your ministry.
Text
Did you know that 98% of text messages get read? This is a sure-fire way to connect with parents. More about that here.
Talk
Make a point to talk with parents at church. Want to know where I spend my time on Sundays? Talking with parents. Be in the hallways and engage them in conversation.
Two-Minute Window
You have a two-minute window when parents are dropping off and picking up their children. Be intentional about connecting with parents during this window of time. More about that here.
Telephone
Call them. And not just when you need them to volunteer. Call just to say "hi" and ask how you can pray for their child.
Take-Home Paper
Send home a communication piece. Will it get read? Not always, but you'd be surprised how many parents actually do read it.
Type
Email still works. Send out emails about upcoming events, classes and activities. Or take it to the next level with a digital newsletter for parents.
Training
Offer training classes at key times in parents' lives with their children such as child dedication, baptism, transition into middle school, etc.
One of the most important aspects of children's ministry is partnering with parents...and communicating with them is a big part of this.
What are the best ways to communicate with parents? Here's 7 ways you can connect with the people who have the biggest influence in the lives of the kids in your ministry.
Text
Did you know that 98% of text messages get read? This is a sure-fire way to connect with parents. More about that here.
Talk
Make a point to talk with parents at church. Want to know where I spend my time on Sundays? Talking with parents. Be in the hallways and engage them in conversation.
Two-Minute Window
You have a two-minute window when parents are dropping off and picking up their children. Be intentional about connecting with parents during this window of time. More about that here.
Telephone
Call them. And not just when you need them to volunteer. Call just to say "hi" and ask how you can pray for their child.
Take-Home Paper
Send home a communication piece. Will it get read? Not always, but you'd be surprised how many parents actually do read it.
Type
Email still works. Send out emails about upcoming events, classes and activities. Or take it to the next level with a digital newsletter for parents.
Training
Offer training classes at key times in parents' lives with their children such as child dedication, baptism, transition into middle school, etc.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Greenhouse Children's Auditorium Kick off!
SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to offer an intentional space for our K-5th graders!
The space is being transformed and completed as we speak!
Here's some things for you to expect:
**We will now be requiring parents to drop their kids off at their rooms. This allows there to be a face to face interaction so we can meet each other and also exchange any information that the other needs to know.
**Also, a reminder, that we have tags for the kids that match the parents for a reason! We will no longer allow non-adults to come pick up kids-EVEN IF THEY HAVE THE TAG. If a child (ages 0-17) comes to pick up another child, they we will apologize and say that we're sorry but an adult must be present with the tag to pick up the child. Let's stand up for safety! Also, to up our safety... we MUST have the tag to release the child-EVEN IF WE KNOW THE PARENTS AND WHO BELONGS TO WHO. We don't know what's going on throughout the week and if there's been an uprising in a home. We don't want to release a child to a parent (again, even if we know they belong together) without the tag because we don't know if they are supposed to be released to them. It's okay to stand for safety and to upset parents with these things. They will appreciate it if and when something happens.. so.. blame safety and me!
**Parent flow: When parents come in, they will go to the check in station and check in. (This is the same process we have had only the check in areas have changed location to in front of the auditorium wall.) K-5th grade parents will then drop their kids off at EITHER opening of the auditorium. Nursery parents will drop the kids off at the rooms and then Pre-K parents will go through the nursery hallway and to the left, up the stairs and down the hall to room 205 and down the EXIT stairs.
When parents pick up, nursery parents will pick up at the room and pre-K parents will go back up the ENTRANCE stairs and down the EXIT stairs. K-5 parents will go to the entrance of the auditorium that's closest to the nursery. They will be met by a leader who will call on the microphone the childs name. The parent will then walk through the make-shift hall to the exit of the auditorium and meet another leader who will collect the childs tag and parents tag, ask the child about the day and give them a safety pop sucker and then they will exit.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I want to make sure we're all on the same page and ready to rock and roll!
I love and appreciate you all and it's a complete joy and honor to lead with you. Please be in prayer for 4 more people each service (total of 12) to join the GH in September!
You all rock!
-Pastor Tiffany
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