I don’t know about you, but I get really annoyed by DVDs when I can’t skip straight to the menu. I’m not really interested in all the trailers and commercials and FBI warnings and Interpol warnings and cutesy little animations for every single production company involved with the movie. What’s even worse, now, is that you can’t even fast forward through a lot of that stuff! You go to all the trouble of buying the DVD instead of downloading it, and you can’t just pop it in and watch the movie. Now, if I simply downloaded the movie, I could watch sans all the junk. Not that I’m legitimizing piracy… just want the FBI and Interpol to know that… because I’m not. :) But, seriously, those who are honest and legal and pay end up being the ones who are penalized.
I couldn’t help but think of how we define what it means to be a Christ-follower. How much of our definitions are simply non-essential annoyances that cause people to seek out a pirated version of God… something seemingly easier? Or even worse, are we giving children a bloated view of what it means to follow God? They accept what we give them because they are trusting and concrete and will believe just about anything we tell them. Then when they are challenged to critically evaluate their belief systems, they realize that there is a lot of unnecessary junk and they, too, go for the pirated versions of God.
I’m not saying that becoming a committed Christ-follower is obstacle free. There is a surrendering of the will that must happen. What I am saying is that we need to help people take steps of faith towards God rather than creating stifling systems that hinder them from encountering God.
I’m usually on the ball with Lent. This year, though, there’s been a lot of things going on and it snuck up on me!
In previous years I’ve given up things like TV or pop (or for those of you who say it wrong… soda, coke, or soft drinks). Since Lent appeared out of nowhere for me, I haven’t really had time to reflect on what would be something meaningful that I could give up as a physical way of being reminded to prepare myself to identify with Christ’s suffering come Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter). I’m also at a loss of what to do to inspire kids and families to observe Lent…
What are you all doing? Personally? In your ministries?
I’m will be going through 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight with my family. I’m just not sure what to “give up” for Lent.
Orange is a secondary color, created when you combine two primary colors—red and yellow.
Orange is what red and yellow can do when they combine efforts. If you paint only with red, you will get what only red can do. If you paint only with yellow, you will get what only yellow can do. But when you paint with red and yellow, you’ll get new possibilities, fresh solutions, vibrant outcomes.
We believe the warm heart of the family can be represented by the color red, and the bright light of the church can be represented by the color yellow. When these two entities combine their efforts for the sake of the spiritual growth of the next generation, the result is Orange.
This is something that has evolved over the past few years. I remember reading about what Reggie Joiner and his team were doing over at NorthPoint in a Children’s Ministry Magazine article about nine years ago and then hearing more about it at a conference he spoke at a year after that. It’s been neat seeing this movement gain momentum in the children’s ministry world and working it’s way into student ministries. I have a great appreciation for what Reggie is doing, now through ReThink.
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to take a look at the following blogs and read about the Orange strategy and how some churches are working through it and implementing it. These strategies may not completely fit with your context, but the principle that church and family need to work together to raise children who will stick with their faith into adulthood is one that more churches need to think through and take seriously.
BTW, ReThink hosts The Orange Conference at the end of April where they talk about how to become more Orange at your church. You can register for the conference by clicking here. I’ll be there! Let me know if you are coming. It’d be great to meet you!
I am fascinated by stories. I love picking up a book and entering a whole new world. I love sitting down and listening to exciting adventures (whether real or fictional). There is nothing I like more than entering into a story: walking down new paths, smelling the air, meeting characters… The better the story, the more vivid my imagination paints a picture for me.
Recently, I’ve run into a number of blog posts and tweets from a variety of people who, rightly so, have been concerned about the Bible being overly fictionalized. Much of the conversation has been centered around the use of the word “story” when referring to people and events in the Bible. While I understand the concerns, I think we need to be careful not to so quickly toss out the word “story” from our vocabulary when communicating the Bible with children. Story has the unique ability to capture our attentions and our imaginations. When we identify with a story, that story sticks with us and becomes real to us. Isn’t that what we want to do with the Bible? Don’t we want kids to grab onto the Bible and have it “stick” in them?
Amy Dolan recently wrote an article for Children’s Ministry Magazine about helping children enter into the stories of the Bible. Her article is based on Michael Novelli’s book Shaped by the Story, which explores the art of storying–drawing people into a story by engaging their imaginations and hearts by helping them become part of the story. Amy also takes a look at a church that has taken Novelli’s concepts and applied it to its children’s ministry. You can download Amy’s article here. (Children’s Ministry Magazine was generous enough to let me post the PDF of the article. You can subscribe to this amazing resource by clicking here.) You can also check out her blog post about the article.
What are your thoughts on “storying?”
How have you helped children engage and become part of the stories in the Bible?
Is there a way to help children see the Bible as story and fact?
BTW, Novelli has another book with seven experiences for student ministries to take their students through storying called Enter the Story.
Well, I saved the most important point of this series for last. I wish that I could say that this point is obvious or “goes without saying,” but it isn’t and doesn’t.
It is so easy for us to get caught up in the doing of children’s ministry that we forget that the source for our strength and power is the Holy Spirit. We try and keep up with trends and being dynamic on our own… or we keep doing what we’re doing on our own. We don’t take time to make time for the Holy Spirit.
All of the previous points in this series will only get you so far when it comes to being dynamic. At some point you will burn out or run out of ideas. If you tap into the power source… the source of all creativity… then you can do nothing but stay dynamic.
The trick is that connecting with God takes time. We have to intentionally set aside time to speak with God and hear from God. It can’t be rushed. As you spend time with God, communing with him, you will be infused with supernatural creative power. Does that mean you will have hundreds of children flocking to your children’s ministry? Does it mean that you will be turning away volunteers because there are just too many wanting to be involved? No. What it does mean is that you will be doing all that God is calling you to do? What it means is that staying dynamic in children’s ministry won’t be a drain on you because you will be connected to a source of power greater than your own.
Go forth, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Be creative! Be dynamic! Make God real in the lives of kids, families and everyone you come in contact with!
It’s not even about children’s ministry… or the kids, really. We get so caught up in what we are doing that we develop tunnel vision. When that happens, we shut down all that is available to us to stay dynamic. We become blind to all that is around us. We create a bubble of our own reality and, in essence, create a CM-osphere (that’s a cross between a bioshpere and children’s ministry). OK, that’s a bit cheesy and maybe even geeky, but you get the picture.
In order to stay dynamic, you have to realize that children’s ministry isn’t a creature unto itself. It is affected by everything around it. It’s so easy for us to focus on what we are doing and champion only what we are doing and demand resources for only what we are doing. While what we do is important, children’s ministry is only a microcosm of what God is doing in the world. If we become self-centerd and selfish, then we stop being dynamic.
We need to expand our idea of children’s ministry beyond anything we’ve imagined. We need to see children’s ministry as more than just ministry to kids. It’s even more than just ministry to families and the volunteers in our ministry. Children’s ministry involves the entire church… it is part of the entire church. Children’s ministry needs to serve other staff members. Children’s ministry needs to serve the community. As we broaden our view of children’s ministry, then it opens up opportunities and ideas that we would have never imagined on our own had we circled the wagons and listen only to others in children’s ministry.
What are some ways that you have stepped outside of “children’s ministry” and interacted with areas not directly related to children’s ministry? How has seeing children’s ministry as more than just children’s ministry kept what you do dynamic?
One of my favorite shows for a while was Whose Line Is It Anyway? You remember? It was orginally a British show but like all good shows was co-opted by US networks. (Since living in Canada, I’ve found that many US shows were once BBC shows.) Drew Carey would host a group of special guest contestants on this improvisational acting game show. They created characters, scenes and songs on the spot. One of my favorite games was props. The contestants were given a box of props and had to come up with mini-scenes/uses for that used the props. The challenge was that the props were mostly ridiculous items that had no real use to them, and the actors made up uses for them rather humorously.
Here’s an example of the game… watch and enjoy!
Too many times we stay static and do not change or adapt because we “need something we don’t have” in order to move forward or change. We look around us and are discouraged by the lack of that one tool or volunteer or, let’s be honest, toy that we don’t have that will make it possible for us to go to the next level.
Then there are other times where we hesitate on trying something new or ridiculous or “impossible” because it is… impossible. Again, we don’t have the right tools, people, or enough money or the qualifications to do “that.”
We are asked to or want to or dream about making grape juice, yet when we look around us all we see is lemons. We get focused on what we don’t have. The key to staying dynamic in these situations is simple to take those lemons, make grape juice, and let the world wonder at how you did it.
How do we make grape juice from lemons? Well, it’s easier than you think. You simply need to be OK with failing.
WHAT?!? DID I HEAR YOU RIGHT? BE OK WITH FAILING?
Yes. Be OK with failing. By that, I mean you need to take on the attitude of an experimenter. (OK, experimenter isn’t really a word in your world, but in mine it is!) When scientists formulate experiments, they formulate them to fail. Experimenting isn’t about proving something right; it’s about trying to prove something wrong. I know that might mess with what you’ve assumed about experimentation, but it’s true. I digress, though… When you take on the attitude of an experimenter, you take a look at what you do have rather than at what you don’t have. You try and see how what you have can be used to reach your desired outcome. You also try and see how what you have can be used to accomplish something even better than your desired outcome. Then, you go out and try it: you experiment! If you fail, that is OK. You simply go back and retool, repurpose and retry. You keep trying until you discover something that does work.
In doing all of this, it is crucial to get input and assistance from others. Build a network of people who can cheer you on, resource you, and give you constructive feedback as you strive to be dynamic.
Lemons don’t turn into grape juice instantly. It takes some finagling, a lot of failures and a bit of luck. If you keep at it, you might even make something better than grape juice (I hate grape juice anyway). You could make a chocolate cheesecake… now, that would be heavenly.
What are some ways you’ve created something new with “limited resources?” What are strategies you’ve used to prevent the “I-can’t-do-it-because-I-don’t-have-the-resources” attitude?
One way to stay dynamic in children’s ministry is to futurecast. “What is futurecasting?” you might ask. Well, I’m glad you asked! To futurecast is to predict what something might look like based on trends, culture and bit of intuition. “Why not just use the term ‘forecast?’” you might now be asking. I like how futurecast sounds…
Anyway, how do you futurecast children’s ministry? This is a bit tricky because you can’t know for certain if you are correct or not. Some ways to gather the needed information to predict where children’s ministry might be going is to read what people like Barna, Andy Crouch, and Ed Stetzer are saying about ministry and culture. Also take a look at sites like TrendWatching.com and Kidscreen.com. Also keep an eye on movies, TV shows, books and magazines that are coming out for kids.
As you take a look at these resources, take the following into account:
Recurring Themes – If you see certain themes or topics showing up multiple times, this may point to topics that are relevant or may become relevant to address.
Communication Methods – What are prevalent ways messages are being communicated? What mediums are being used? What images or slogans are being used? How are messages being communicated? The answers to these questions hint at how information is being processed and how we might need to adapt the medium of our message so that children can hear and understand it.
Social Models – How are families portrayed? How are friendships portrayed? What social themes are being used for different age groups? This can give you a glimpse into the social dynamics of children and families.
Communicated Values – What values are being highlighted? What values are being ignored? How are these values examples of Biblical values? How are they not?
The more you do this, the better you get at it.
What are some ways you futurecast? What resources do you use?
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of Henry Zonio. Redwood Park Church is not in any way responsible or necessarily endorsing the opinions expressed on this website.
(Image taken from TechXav)
