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Hey Everyone,
I have moved from WordPress to Squarespace!
My new domain is…. jhailes.com
Please check it out, subscribe and let me know what you think! š
One of my favorite shows right now is Gordon Ramseyās Kitchen Nightmaresā¦in factā¦I may be slaughtered for thisā¦but I love anything Gordon Ramsey! On my last two vacations I have visited Las Vegas and eaten at two of Gordonās restaurants thereā¦the Pub & Grill and Steak. BOTH the meals I had were incredible.
For those who donāt know, the premise of the show is that each episode Gordon tackles a failing restaurant and tries to work with the staff to turn it around. Without fail every week there are arguments and fall outs as Gordon Ramsey tells the owners and chefs just how bad the restaurant and food are!
And without fail EVERY episode either the owner or the Chef is in denialā¦they are often caught saying, āI would rate my food 9/10ā or āmy restaurant is one of the best in the area.ā The truth is the owners of these businesses become BLINDED by their PRIDE.
In fact, although the general staff ALL knew how bad things were, the owners never heard their complaints. They were always deaf and blind to those close by them. Each week it took Gordon Ramsey, an expert from outside, like a bull in a china shop, to force changes and show the owners a better way!
Last year I invited a childrenās pastor with tons of experience to visit my childrenās ministry and give feedback on what he saw. We were looking at the best way to renovate our facilities and he had experience in this area. What I received was a āGordon Ramseyā style review of my childrenās ministry that knocked me off my perch. In many ways it was like salt was being poured into my open wounds.
Although the critique was harsh and painful I learnt a lot from it and it gave me the kick in the teeth to get things moving!
So here are some things we can do to keep pride outside:-
What are some ways you safeguard yourself from Pride?
I have noticed recently that across the childrenās ministry circles I am involved in that a huge area of concentration for most ministries is CREATIVITY. As childrenās pastors I think we try as hard as we can to find ways to make the message of the gospel penetrate kids minds. I think the dream of EVERY childrenās leader is that their message each week would STICK and that kids would remember it!
A few months ago I began a journey that has slightly distanced me from this though. Donāt get me wrong, I highly value creativity in childrenās ministry. We have to work hard to be relatable and relevant to the kids in our ministries. However, Iām fed up of trying to penetrate a kids mind when they primarily need the message of the Gospel to hit their heart.
I strongly believe that kids need to find wholeness through Jesus. They need to experience God in a way that will stick with them forever, but I donāt think that comes through just information but through relationship.
I grew up in a small church Sunday schoolā¦every week I learned more about Godā¦I knew of Godā¦but I never KNEW himā¦until he penetrated my heart with his love. You see we can try hard and work with incredible creativity to help capture kids attentionā¦but if it ends up in their heads and not in their hearts then itās all pointless.
I believe there are two things, that we often overlook and neglect, that can help move the message of the Gospel beyond the head and to the heartā¦
When kids enter our ministry often they come guarding their heart. Especially kids who had been bruised a little by life. God can work through any barrier but I believe that there is something powerful about pastoral care that enables kids to open their hearts for us to speak life into. Too often this falls into the backgroundā¦but donāt forget we are called to be āCHILDRENāS PASTORS!ā
I finally realized a few months ago that I canāt change a child with my words. I canāt teach them to be a better Christian and then just watch them magically do it. It never worked like that for me and it wonāt for them. Instead the Holy Spirit is the true teacher and the one who enables us to do that which we couldnāt do on our own. Sometimes I think we āsaveā the Holy Spirit for camp or special times of the year but I think its imperative that we make space for him to minister to our kids each week in our services.
How do you incorporate these important elements to your childrenās ministry?
Childrenās pastors today have more resources than ever before to reach children who live in the shadows of the steeple. However, based on the stories I hear childrenās pastors tell about their summer outreach, I get the feeling we are missing the mark by only reaching kids who are already attending another church.
There are 22.7 million[1] elementary children within the US. Certainly there are more children to reach than those who are already churched.
Since there is no shortage of āoutreachā resources available at the local Christian bookstore, whatās missing? Iām glad you asked⦠Itās strategy.
Even the best outreach resources will fail at truly reaching the lost if a few key strategic questions are not answered.
If you want to do outreach, you need to know who you want to reach. Different events will attract different people. For instance, if youāre interested in attracting the local Muslim population, youāre best not hosting a pig roast. Just saying!
We are located in a university town, which means a huge percentage of our parent population is drooling at the thought of their 5 year old child one day receiving a sports scholarshipā¦so in the past we have hosted a sports camp VBS and saw 350 kids attend.
Figure out WHO in your community you want to reach and decide where exactly those people are located. The more specific you are about who you want to reach, the more effective you can be at reaching them!
Keep in mind, that sometimes to reach the WHO in your strategy may mean you need to go to them instead of trying to get them to come to you.
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Once you identify your target, you need to get to know your target. Learn their population makeup, their routine, their likes, dislikes, wants and most importantly their NEEDS.
The greatest outreach you can do is one that meets a need. This past summer our church began a summer long kids feeding program in an especially under privileged part of town. Why? It was birthed out of a need. The local school has an extremely high percentage of kids on the free lunch program, so when summer hit the parents of those kids didnāt buy more food for their kids to eat lunch at home. Through that summer we would feed up to 60 kids a day.
By getting to know the people you want to reach, you can decipher what you can do to reach them effectively.
A good question to ask yourself in prayer is āWhat are the needs of kids in my community who are most overlooked?ā Consider crafting a special outreach just for them. Find creative ways to show them the love of Jesus and build a relationship.
Sometimes I get the feeling that churches are in a bubble & are blinded to what is around them! It is important to understand what is already being offered for families when strategizing your summer outreach.
VBS is the most commonly used summer activity. While there is nothing wrong with a church doing a VBS, we often fall into a rut of doing the same activity each year simply because itās known and easy.
I would challenge you to think about where the children are who truly need Jesus this summer and find ways to go to them, throw a party in their honor, and let them see just how much Jesus loves them.
If your outreach has been a success and children have made a profession of faith in Christ you will need to be ready for the next step ā integration into your church family.
Donāt forget to think about what the child/familyās first service experience will be like. Will their outreach leader be there to greet them at the door? Will they need a ride? Who will go out of their way to ensure each and every child continues to feel special? What if they do not have a Bible, or a friend?
I could of written a blog full of ideas for you and your ministry, BUT without a strategy you wonāt find your niche and you will never be truly effective at reaching the people your church are called to reach.
Now itās your turnā¦what do you think? What have I missed? What has worked for you?
[1] http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/pop1.asp
One of my FAVOURITE hobbies is to watch some of the classic movies of the 80ās and 90ās. Born in 1990 I missed out on being an 80ās kid BUT having 3 older sisters definitely meant I was forever enchanted by movies from that era.
Last night I had a lazy night at home and as I scrolled through netflix one movie stood above the restā¦The Karate Kidā¦the original of course!
There is so much depth to that movieā¦and Mr. Miyagi is just so freaking coolā¦although sadly I only just realized the actor who played him died in 2005!
I want to look at 3 key lessons that we can learn from that film:-
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Clearly Mr. Miyagi was a man of focus. At times in the movie he is seen praying, meditating, balancing and even trying to catch flies with chop sticks. Mr Miyagi knew it wasnāt about being the greatest fighter but the best person he could be.
Too often I think Kidmin can take ādisciplinesā for granted. Prayer, reading our bibles and fasting are KEY to the Christian life. We must remember its NOT about being the greatest childrenās ministry but about being the greatest Christian we can be. This is most important.
I love how Mr. Miyagi uses the sanding of the floor, the waxing of the car and the painting of the fence and house as training for fighting.
Anyone can pass a degree in a classroom but the most important and deep rooted lessons and skills can never really be taught in a āclassroomā setting. Character is forged through discipline and unfortunately the struggles of every day life. You canāt shortcut Godās growth plan for your life by going to seminaryā¦.just saying!
In the movie Daniel was instructed to do some pretty crumby jobsā¦from his perspective it probably felt like he was being marginalized and used as a slave to get Mr. Miyagiās odd jobs done. There is a turning point in the movie (probably my favorite part!) where he challenges Mr. Miyagi about the things he is making him do. At that point Mr. Miyagi reveals his full intentions/motivations behind getting him to do those thingsā¦and all of a sudden the tables are turned and Daniel is shocked that he has the makings of being a great Karate fighter.
Sometimes as Kidmin we can feel marginalized by our senior pastors. We feel like we are given the difficult jobs or are treated unfairly by our pastors. Sometimes we may just feel their expectations/critiques are too intense. However, its important we donāt make assumptions about their intentions, because often they are working for you rather than against you! Speaking to your pastor about your struggles will always bring more clarity.
Soā¦.what lessons have you learned from Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid!?
This Saturday our Church rocked an incredible outreach block party in the roughest area of our neighborhood. It was our third year doing this and by far our best year, especially as far as our kidās activities!
The outreach was a huge success reaching at least a 1000 people in the neighborhood. We handed out 300 backpacks with school supplies and we had hotdogs, chips and drinks for everyone. However, my favorite part was seeing the CROWDS of people hoarding around the kids activities. Everything we did was a HUGE success and it was all incredibly SIMPLE.
So here is a list of what we did:-
As you can see there was NOTHING groundbreaking! Everything I needed fit into a car and really once you have a base of supplies the cost of maintenance is pretty minimal.
With just a 10 volunteers we were able to bring TONS of smiles to kids faces! Iām learning more and more that Childrenās ministry isnāt rocket science and that simplicity carried out with a high standard is often the key to success.
I believe without the free meals or the free backpacks I could still go out with gazeboes, tables and all these activities to any local busy park and draw a crowd!
After all what parent would deny their child free face painting or a free balloon animal?
So what simple things do you do to reach out to your neighborhood?
Check out our awesome recap video from our days events!
On The Journey Together
Because kids ministry is so much more
Theology, Life, Leadership
Wisdom is knowing what to do next
Come and get learned
My Daughter's Issues
Trying to be strategic.