Imagine putting in a full Sunday, two of us traveling three hours to meet two more, a Buccee’s stop, rescuing four more off the Florida turnpike when Auto Zone tells us an alternator is going out, another one helps pick up three, while four wait an hour later for AAA to arrive in a min-van, then meeting five more at an AirBnB. It was CPC week and we were ready for anything.

CPC is Children’s Pastors Conference sponsored by INCM (International Network of Children Ministers). Each January kidmin friends from all over North Georgia and one from Ohio gather to celebrate God’s goodness in worship, learn of His equipping saints in breakouts, participate in coaching, spend hours in the resource center, debrief over tables and in the hallways, along with hundreds of others around the globe who love littles and their bigs to Jesus. Several of us have been discipling and sharing life for decades.

What comes from the stage is for us as disciples. What comes from breakouts is for us as disciple-makers. What comes from the prayer stations is between us and our great God. What comes from waiting in line and a character breakfast on Monday before registration is the sharing of faith formation experiences we’ve all done in the last year: what worked, what didn’t, what happened, what’s the fruit, what can we share with one another, the goals, and if we would do it again. What comes from joining focus groups for new resources is new friends and time to explore upcoming resources for our families. What comes from being in the company of these amazing disciple-makers is the desire to stay.

As Beth Guckenberger shared this language from the stage, these kidmin warriors are my favorite stayers. We gather to set upright our spines of steel. We gather to remind one another of the rock from which we were hewn. We glean from one another to fill one another’s tank of hudzpah: extreme self-confidence and audacity for Jesus.

Hudzpah in the trenches of the local church He’s called each of us to serve. Telling littles and their bigs that God made them, Jesus loves them, and the Holy Spirit is their constant, present, helper when they say YES to Jesus.

As a fellow trainer, I so appreciate the breakout presenters who have prayed and gathered and prepared their very best to pour into us as if their words are a drink offering unto the Lord. The breakouts I attended focused on spiritual warfare, unique family ministry events that are true ‘all-skates’, relationship-driven large group tips, the guest experience for all, ministry with less than thirty kids, and setting the stage for families to celebrate Jesus through family rituals and traditions. All were fantastic and exactly what they said they’d be, but the ‘ministry with less than thirty kids’ brought me to tears and still chokes me up when I talk about it.

In the resource center, this year we were on the lookout for apologetic curricula resources for both elementary and preschool. For the next three months we’ll be test driving a different one each month until we decide which is best for our theology and developmentally appropriateness.

I had conversations with my housemates, one who just graduated from seminary, about the differences between a program and a ministry debriefing a breakout she attended. Another table discussion was about transitioning the goals of traditional VBS to multiple more effective models of programming to better suit the current trend of limited volunteers and the rhythm of a family’s seasonal schedule. Yet another was a conversation with kidmin around the country navigating the tension between content (the immediate; the basis on which we’re evaluated) and relationships (over time; what we may not see until we arrive in Glory).

The theme was UNCOMMON. The Lord continues drawing me to the word PECULIAR. CPC24 proved again to be the catalyst for more effective training, authentic relationships, shared vocabulary, creative inspiration, and beginning a year of peculiar and uncommon faith formation experiences for littles and bigs so they learn and choose to follow Jesus with their whole heart for their whole lives. I’m here for it. All day. Every day. I’ve already gotten my ticket for next year. Have you?

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Nothing can stir up spiritual warfare like building and growing a spirit-filled body of believers who will make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. Having been in the trenches of fruitful ministry, spiritual warfare is a guarantee. I know what it looks like, smells like, feels like, tastes like, and acts like. It’s godly people doing, saying, and responding in ungodly ways.

Beth Guckenburger shared at a 2024 CPC breakout that we don’t have to wait around for the enemy to make his move. We can indeed throw the first punch. Those first punches look like being wrapped in God’s word, fellowship with grounded believers, rest (anyone else respond badly when exhausted, or is it just me?), passionate worship in community, and especially prayer in the name of Jesus.

In prayer we make our declarations of what we know to be true and in prayer we can declare the enemy has no authority here. 

We are throwing the first punch and I’m bringing my Jesus guys and gals with me by creating a team of Prayer Partners among the new church I serve for the season of January through the end of June. We began inviting ladies high school age and older to be partnered with another lady for prayer. The men asked to be included. We have high schoolers through senior saints.

This is the email sent with expectations along with the prayer partners names and contact info:

Thank you for joining the Macland Community Church Prayer Partner Team and committing through the end of June to:
(1)    Pray with one another weekly by phone call, text, email, or in person, and
(2)    Pray for Macland Community Church (prayer prompts will be emailed each week), and
(3)    Agree at some point in the next six months to serve alongside one another at some event/opportunity sponsored by or representing our new church. Ex: We have several prayer team members serving this week as judges for a local elementary school’s writing fair and science fair.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

The weekly prayer prompts will be inspired by Rachel Jones’ 5 Things To Pray For Your Church: Prayers That Change Things For The Life Of Your Church published by The Good Book Company. The Good Book Company has a wonderful selection of little books to equip God’s people to pray for a suffering friend, your spouse, your parents, your city and so much more. I also love their children’s resources as they are filled with multi-cultural illustrations and simply written doctrine. 

Our pastors also suggested several phone-ready digital resources:

The Wake Up Call podcast/email – for this gal who listens to podcasts at a speed of 1.6, this is perfect to listen to while taking care of morning stuff. J.D.Walt even sings to you.

Lectio 365 app – this one offers a slower pace for both a morning and an evening time praying the scriptures.

A new church plant with many relationships just starting out, the Lord will most certainly grow these amazing folks closer to Him and closer to one another in the next six months through prayer. This is a high expectation ask and folks knew when they signed up the commitment they were making. Also this week: the first Faith Milestone: I Can Pray for families with 1st and 2nd graders. All this prayer….because we are in an old story and what we do right now will make a difference in 100 years. (Beth Guckenberger)

I remember receiving a note from a Jesus gal I admired when we served alongside one another for a season on a Walk to Emmaus many years ago. ‘May you be ruined for the mediocre things in life.’ 

Just ruined.

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Luke 10:17-20

My Georgia home church planted two new churches. The sending church trained each one’s leadership for a year, then sent them to the north end of the county which, at the time, was the fastest growing county in the state. I’ve been part of the training team, but this is my first time on the planting team. 

It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done as a disciple-maker. The momentum is at Mach 10, the expectation for shiny is low, the grace is super high, and the YES of the congregation is highly contagious.

We can’t be all things to all people right off the bat, but we can be good listeners to the Holy Spirit guiding us to prioritize how we can love our neighbors and one another well. The Lord has provided trustworthy disciples with graces and skills to lead us well with integrity. 

So what are some of the first thirty days’ priorities that I’ve been invited to actively support? 

1. Invest in the core group. We’ve set many tables to gather often. Lots of tables filled with eager disciples to pray with and chat around logistics and set clear goals throughout the week. When I read in Acts of the early church they met often. Within the first six weeks we met in familiar ways though in new spaces. New spaces which were in homes (more intimate settings) and in public (being a good neighbor). Hospitality was extreme and frequent.
2. Free up servants. We released most of our kidmin servant leaders to spend time building relationships with new and familiar families in true fellowship. I have a powerful and consistent team of servant leaders who have agreed to be the ‘face of’ for littles and bigs. With a few subs ready in the wings, our small team can build consistency in schedule, routine, and focus as we explore various curricula to best suit our theology because they are rockstars no matter the space with whatever is in their hands. I feel like the servant leaders we freed up are missionaries in their small groups of other adults building their relationships like the Jesus gal and guy connectors they are. 
3. Combine elementary grades to build a familiarity for littles. We separated a large space in half with the left side quiet for lessons and activities; the right side with child-directed floor games and tools encouraging conversations and even some competition with magna-tiles, jumbo checker games, lots of solo cups (perfect for less loud games in a space with thin walls yet great competition), jumbo UNO cards, and sticker books. We finish with a read-aloud time of a book complementing the teaching which gives us time to clean up and prepare the space to be transformed into a praygound/overflow seating for the worship service. When picked up, every little gets a snack (organic gummies) and an oil roll-on blessing on the back of each little hand. I’m so excited that live music begins next week with sign language!
4. Pivot to a family worship model. Multigenerational all the way. Greeters prepared before and after the service for families who come in on two wheels but have time to linger after the services are complete. Prayground space for overflow and families with littles in the front. Multiple large visual elements prepared with high intention. The order of worship is flexible with music you’d find familiar from a hymnal AND what you’d hear on the radio with elements of energy, hope, compassion, and anticipation. 
5. Consistently and regularly teach what we believe. Whether it is in small groups or worship, we must be teachers of what we believe, using common language, giving space for multigenerational voices, and transparently answering questions. Each working team meeting begins with a discussion of our mission, eight core values, and seven outcomes. If whatever we’re talking about doesn’t align, this is not the time to attach ourselves to it.

Andy Kirk was the last speaker from the stage at Children’s Pastors Conference 2024. “If we really want God to do a new thing, we need…”

(1) New thinking – As we think, we become. Proverbs 4:5 Nothing like a new culture to adopt new thinking.
(2) New emotions – Out of the abundance of our heart, we speak. James 1:22  Nothing like a new culture to practice the emotions of thriving.
(3) New relationships – The people around us matter. Proverbs 12:26  – Nothing like a new culture to make some new friends-in-the-Lord with a common mission and work ethic.
(4) New dreams – God acts on the desires of our hearts. 1 Chronicles 29:18 – Nothing like a new culture to dream well, with high intention, as we build this plane while we’re flying it.

Lord, give me fresh traction under my feet. Let me walk in a whole new level of effectiveness. Burn in my bones the gospel of Jesus. In His sparkly name I pray, Amen.

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7

As the head of the Spiritual Growth Council, as a lay person/volunteer at my home church years ago, I got into trouble. I got into trouble for asking folks to self-impose a 7-year jubilee as well as asking the entire church to study one thing all at the same time. I learned a lot about prayerfully staying the course while surfing pushback and the Lord blessed our socks off.

The 7-year jubilee asked the leaders to properly mentor, coach, then effectively hand-off from year 4 through 6 their area of leadership. Why? (1) to properly apprentice others in leadership, (2) to learn that leadership is stewardship, (3) to grow into other opportunities of service the church will need in the future, (4) to expect and anticipate spiritual growth. One success story came from a great adult class teacher who stepped away from his class in year 7 to begin playing guitar in the modern worship praise band. Another success story was a team of new, trained small group leaders ready to take on the multiple small groups necessary to intentionally offer spaces for new disciples.

The fruit of everyone taking the same study, to the exclusion of every other study for those 40 days, was incredible: (1) common language which became culture language, (2) no silos, (3) blended high school youth with adults in small groups (intentional multigenerational relationships), and (4) opened so many spaces for new folks since everyone was on the same page for the same period of time.

The new church plant I serve is taking the plunge and started the new year with Sunday morning small groups (Sunday school) with Dr. Kevin Watson’s The Class Meeting. As a new Global Methodist Church start, it’s the most Wesleyan thing we can do moving into the new year as a new church plant. I’m beyond excited!

The Class Meeting invites us to intentionally move to transformational small groups which are different from informational or affinity small groups for a season. I believe it’s a gift that will keep on giving to our new clergy leadership team who will begin serving at the same time, the community we serve, and disciples of Jesus jumping into the deep end of commitment to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The resources abound for adults through Seedbed (pdf of the book, the book, DVD of 8-10 minute cliff notes of each chapter by Dr. Kevin Watson, and even a live-streaming option). I had picked up several used copies from Thriftbooks.com to pass around early last summer. I had no idea how the Lord would use those copies to begin setting the table with leadership for this new adventure.

Other good YouTubes about The Class Meeting include https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcC2xzA3JGA and a conversation specific to youth ministry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39J8Ls-pufs 

The first wave of Class Meetings began the first Sunday in January and will finish the last weekend in February. Come the end of February, some groups may continue as class meetings at other times and other locations throughout the week opening the tables to even more new disciples outside the walls of the church and in the community as folks meet in homes (more intimate settings; deeper relationships) and businesses (witness boldly; be a good neighbor). Come that time our congregation will have learned common language with the new pastoral team leading the way. Come that time our high schoolers will have bravely stepped into the awkward of sharing their voices and questions in spaces and places which align with their heritage as they build a plane while it’s flying. Come that time the high school youth can choose to continue in the merged/multigenerational class, return to youth Sunday school, or begin a new high school youth class meeting with spaces to invite friends. Class meetings, affinity groups, study small groups, Sunday school. All-and.

We started last week. Two adult classes were already large, so invited their friends. Three adult classes graciously agreed to take any new adults looking for a small group while three other adult classes enthusiastically agreed to merge with three groups of high schoolers. Sunday small group attendance more than doubled in size among the eight resulting groups. Lots of questions yet a great deal of trust while stepping into the awkward. But frankly, we’ve already done the most awkward thing ever by following and trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit to do this new thing.

I covet your prayers and I’ll keep you posted. You can follow our journey at Facebook, Instagram, and on my personal Facebook and Instagram. To God be the glory, GREAT things He is doing among His people.

“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word.” Psalm 119:17

There are some amazing restaurants in our area with lots of space and natural sunlight for the winter. We learned alot about local commercial spaces at the Lent and Summer Dine-Outs. One such indoor space was the local Panera in a commercial shopping area with lots of parking. 

My first day at my new church, I stopped by to speak with the store manager asking what was her slowest day of the week in December. Monday. Now I knew when to plan a ladies event and where I could ‘office’ in public (great Wifi) and gather in small groups while being a good neighbor in the community. 

I made arrangements with the fabulous store manager two weeks ahead of time, reminded her the day before, and the day of the event to be sure the bread, soup, and staff were plentiful. The Ladies’ Cup Exchange was a go.

Ladies’ Cup Exchange Goals:

1. Gather ladies of all ages and stages within the first month of new church
2. Table life of sharing food in multigenerational setting
3. Women can bless one another with ‘what’s already in their cabinet’
4. One-on-one conversations to share recruiting clipboards for 2024

Schedule:
6pm Arrive for dinner (folks began arriving at 5pm which was great)
6:30 Clipboard time (4 fabulous ladies took a clipboard and went table to table)
6:45 Devotion (Psalm 23 my cup runneth over – what’s in your hand you can offer to your new church)
7pm Cup exchange (right/left game of nativity story in large group)

Wins:

• Multigenerational new friends-in-the-Lord
• Easily invitational event to bring a friend or family member (so many did!)
• Encouragement from a Titus 2 Jesus gal via the devotional
• A large group of high schoolers in attendance by sticking with only an hour so they could get back to studying for finals
• Witness boldly in the community by being a good neighbor/customer/shared spaces with other customers
• Four clipboards with names and contact info for…

1. Serve with the littles? Joyfully willing to be the “11am nursery-plus-1 or 2” for Safe Sanctuary/Ministry Safe guidelines; spend time to minister to and with the two college-age women who serve weekly; opening opportunity to meet with littles and their parent/grandparent beginning a new multigenerational relationship with a young parent/grandparent. This would be a rotation and ‘sub as needed’ opportunity.
2. What is a skill you can offer to your new church? Joyfully willing to arrive early/stay late to set up/take down while at our temporary location, greet and direct inside the door, usher folks to small group at 9:30am, usher folks to chapel for worship services, play an instrument, sing, medical, notary, bookkeeping, medical, driver, chaperone, phone calls to gather info, researcher, counter, resting smiling face to greet and usher, make a meal for someone who needs, good print handwriting to address postcards for first time guests and birthday postcards, run errands, price items, can organize people on a team, etc. 
3. Prayer Partnership? Would you be interested in partnering with another guy/guy or lady/lady as a 6-month prayer partner Jan-June to (1) text/call once each week to pray for and with one another (no longer than an hour) AND (2) pray for our church by name AND (3) at some point in those 6 months both of you would serve together as partners in some way at a Macland Community Church event/Sunday.
4. What’s in your hand? tables, chairs, clubhouse rental info, host a small group once/weekly/monthly, baker, van to drive youth/children to an event, firepit, backyard, pool, garden, back porch, mission opportunity, etc.

The mission of our church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and WITNESS BOLDLY. As we plan for the new year, we’ll be sure to ‘be a good neighbor’ in the community not asking what they can do for us, but rather asking, “How can our church be a blessing to you and your team?”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17