How to Send your Kids To Camp: Part 3
Going to camp may be one of the best trips you can take in your ministry. I love Mark Batterson's quote: a change of place plus a change of pace equals a change in perspective.
Taking your kids to camp, away from screens, distractions, and the indoors, changes how they see their lives and, hopefully, their relationship with God.
How to Send Your Kids to Camp: Part 2 — Volunteers
My first summer as a full-time kids' pastor, my pastor told me I needed to take my kids to camp. I'd never been as a leader and had only attended once as a kid. I had no idea what I was getting into.
I did manage to get 12 kids signed up, paid in full, and transportation arranged. Then on a rainy Sunday morning I climbed onto the bus, and one of the parents called out, "Wait, is no one going with him?"
How to Send Your Kids to Camp: Part 1
There is one summer event that helps kids grow spiritually and make memories that last a lifetime. That event is Kids Camp.
4 Christmas Songs for your Kidmin
It’s almost Christmas time! While the world is ready for Mariah Carey to defrost, we in the kidmin world are busy getting ready for the season. One of the big questions for Christmas prep is what songs to sing.
Fall Festival Planning: 3 Steps to Success (Part 2)
Fall Festivals are an incredible opportunity to reach out to your families in your community. Many families are looking for a safe place for their kids to trick or treat. You can provide that with your church.
But if you want your guests to come back to your church, you need to have a well-organized event, a solid contact information collection plan, and great follow-up.
Fall Festival Planning: 4 Essential Steps Before the Big Day (Part 1)
One of the big three events almost every kidmin leader leads is a Fall Festival. While this event can be a lot of work, it’s never been as difficult as putting together a VBS. Planning a one night 3-hour event is far easier than a 5, three hour events in sequence.
5 Steps to Easy VBS Dismissal
You’ve had an awesome night of VBS. You had a ton of kids. More than you originally planned. Now all their parents are outside, and you need to get those kids to their parents safely, quickly, and efficiently.
Good luck!
3 Events to Transition Your Kidmin to the Next Grade
With the end of the school year upon us, so many kids pastors are asking the questions, “when should we move up our kids? What should we do to make it special?”
7 Steps to Resource Your VBS Volunteers for Success Part 2
In my previous post, I talked about the importance of having a strong volunteer team for your VBS. In order to have a strong team you have to work hard and fast to get them ready. You only have weeks, not months to get them ready.
7 Steps to Resource Your VBS Volunteers for Success Part 1
One of the biggest indicators of a successful VBS is the strength of your volunteer team. You can’t do this big event on your own. I’ve led many VBSs with hundreds of kids in attendance, and it’s my team that made it all happen.
3 Summer Priorities for Pastors
t was my first summer as a full-time kids’ pastor. I was so excited to have time and the budget to do all the things I’d been dreaming about but couldn’t do. I took my Junior Bible Quiz team to Nationals in Orlando (with a stop at Disney), then took my kids to camp for a week. Then, I spent a week getting ready for VBS. Followed by a week of VBS. Oh, and a Father’s Day Car Show in between.
By the time June was over I was exhausted.
An Egg Hunt Devotional: The ABC's of Salvation
You’ve planned your Egg Hunt, you have the whole schedule put together. You know people are coming and you want to tell them about Jesus. But you only have a limited space to tell them because of time constraints and attention span.
So how do you present the Gospel in a compelling way in just a few minutes?
Your Complete Egg Hunt Service Schedule
Egg Hunts can be so much more than just grab some eggs and go home. In fact, if that is all your event is, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to reach your community. I’ve run egg hunts for years. In They became family traditions for the whole neighborhood.
VBS Planning Calendar: 9 Steps to Success
If you’re in kidmin, Vacation Bible School can be one of the biggest events of the year. It takes a lot planning, organizing, recruiting, vision casting, prayer and so much more.
A 6-Step Event Follow Up Plan
Looking back, I realized that part of my problem was follow up. When learning to hit a ball, one of the main things you lean is to follow through. It’s the same with any outreach event. Once your event is over, you’re not done. You have to follow up with everyone who came, especially guests.
The Essential Kidmin Events Calendar
Whether you’re just starting out in kidmin, or you’ve been in it for a while, you know there are events and a lot of them. But which ones should you be doing? Is there something you’re missing? What can you do that’s fun and impactful for your ministry?
Every church is unique and has its own set of events that works well for their community. That said, there are patterns we can follow.
5 Guidelines for Trunk or Treat Volunteers
Trunk or Treats are one of the most popular Fall outreaches. They’re quick, easy to set up, and easy to clean up. They can be a ton of fun or total drag. The deciding factor for the success of your event is the trunks. Your trunks are the main attraction. You can and should include inflatables, hayrides, food trucks and more. But that’s not what’s going to keep your neighborhood coming back year after year.
3 Fall Festival Ideas to Reach Your Community
It’s time to work on your Fall Outreach. It’s what I call part of the big three, Egg Hunt, VBS, Fall Festival. In the kidmin world it’s one of the biggest outreaches of the year.
4 Summer Outreaches that Aren’t VBS
With the end of the summer, we start to look at all the things we did and ask if they were effective. One of the biggest questions I see this time of year is “What are churches doing other than VBS?”
4 Follow-Up Ideas for VBS Success
One of the biggest questions I hear for VBS is “How do you get the kids to come back?” I had this same question myself. Actually, the first person to ask me was my pastor.
