One of the delightful finds in this summer’s reading is a resource for families to grow their faith at home together, Grow At Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Family Discipleship by Winfield Bevins, published by Seedbed. 

This small, green, 110-page little paperback book is filled with practical places to start and even continue loving families to Jesus ‘as they go.’ (Deuteronomy 6) This book goes beyond Christian parenting and jumps into the deep end of real, true, family discipleship. I’ve never come across a book that packs such a punch (1) without being overwhelming, and (2) written in family-friendly language.

Dr. Winfield Bevins serves as the director of Asbury Seminary’s Church Planting Initiative, yet his primary ministry is being a devoted husband and father. This book turns upside down the expectation that local church involvement alone will spark a fire for a robust, defendable faith in Christ Jesus. The local church is absolutely necessary (don’t forsake gathering together) but not enough. Prayers before bed and at meals are a great place to start with your preschooler, but hardly enough for your preteen who is ready for more than a Bible story.

“We have produced a generation of consumeristic, and not radically committed, disciples of Jesus Christ. Consumeristic Christianity sees the church as a place that is all about me, my wants, and my needs; a place of goods and services, instead of being a place where we are challenged to grow, serve, give, and go back into the world in mission.” p. 4

When I see my own church families committed to the Saturday recreation department, the weekday preschool, scouts, and parents-morning-out, I struggle with the model that we have become more service-providers and less disciple-makers. When church is more about where we go for Christian services and less about where we grow in Christian community, I see the need to help our families along the way so mom and dad are the primary disciple-makers providing non-overwhelming ideas for incorporating faith formation into their daily routines of the home.

This book introduces and makes handy the holy practices of …

Family Worship – ‘Your home is like a little church.’ Family Worship (worthship) is simply coming together as a family and worshiping God in the home. This chapter has just enough examples and ideas without overwhelming the reader.

Reading the Bible as a Family – The Bible was always meant to be read in community. 

Teaching Children Truths through Catechism – Catechisms are basic summaries of the church’s teachings to ensure that all members of the church understand the essentials of the faith for themselves using a question-and-answer format…an invitation to learn the doctrines of grace. The book provides 40 such Q&As along with two Christian creeds to teach/learn together. Bible stories are good, but not enough to put into words the foundational basics of the Christian faith in Jesus.

Cultivating Character through the Fruit of the Spirit – Joy is a deep gladness that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Learning to Pray the Lord’s Prayer – Jesus reminds us that prayer begins with God, His kingdom, and His ways with a breakdown of each section’s meaning in a kid-friendly way.

Becoming a Missional Family – Sharing our faith in Jesus is the duty of every believer, both young and old…partner with others who are already doing ministry in your church and community.

Following Jesus Through the Church Year – The seasons of the Christian year have been a wonderful discipleship tool that the church has historically used to celebrate the major events of the life of Jesus and the kingdom of God for centuries.

Introducing Your Children to Jesus – Y’all! This was worth the price of the book AND my very favorite chapter.

The book on its own is fabulous, but there’s more. I discovered there is a 9-week DVD with 4-5 minute introductions for each chapter to take this to the small group level. I also discovered five used books on Thriftbooks. If the book is too expensive, purchasing the PDF of the book and printing might be the best resource for a small group. I’m looking at offering this as a generational small group with kids and parents/caregivers taking the class together, if even for a short-term Sunday school class.

I loved this little book and the huge impact it can make. It is a perfect addition to the family resource wall alongside with the family resource we share from Discipleship Begins At Home: A Blueprint from the fabulous folks at Women in Apologetics until I can get it on the roster for adult small groups.

What is a resource you offer for family discipleship at home.

“Our family is our first church.” Grow At Home, pg. x 

Six years ago this week, I accepted a full-time staff position in ministry with children kindergarten through fifth-grade at a local church. The church was new to me on the ‘day to day’, but I had long known their generosity, their heart for service, and their spirit of YES for more than 15 years from those who served within the Walk to Emmaus community there. Good people, indeed!

The senior pastor asked me this very question the first time I met with him and a representative from the Staff Parish Relations Committee. One of our challenges as local church staff is to guard and prepare for ourselves that which we encourage for the congregation we serve. We have to creatively prepare for opportunities to engage in worship, corporate worship, in community. As followers of Christ, we, too, are called to follow the directive by the author of Hebrews to ‘not forsake gathering together.’

“Then I (the apostle John) looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand (THAT’s community!). They encircled the throne and the living creature and the elders (serving a God of order.) In a loud voice they sang (singing is still part): Worthy is the Lamb (Jesus) who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:11-12 NIV

This was revealed to the apostle John of how Jesus will be worshiped in Heaven. I am SO visual, it gives me a great picture of what it means to worship our great God here on earth.

How can we worship Him today in power? With power over my emotions, my disposition, and setting my own priorities. I have the power to set aside one day a week as my Sabbath. Fridays are my Sabbath. My Sabbath is set apart for me to gather with other Christians who remind me that God is good, and I am His.

How can I worship Him today in wealth? With my money. Returning to Him which was His in the first place is an act of trust and obedience. Giving is the act of returning a tithe (10% of my increase). Since I am no longer in services when the plate is passed, I have it up for my bank to issue and mail the tithe.

How can I worship Him today in wisdom? With my mind. Romans 12:2 reads, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Jesus understood that any authentic transformation will happen for all of us in our minds first. When I am regularly in The Word, learning the language and vocabulary of God, in Bible study in community, transformation takes place. This one is seriously on me. If I claim I am not hearing from God…If I state that ‘I don’t get fed at church’… If I hold on to the idea that my personal preferences for Sunday morning worship determines if I worship or not… I am SO out of sync with what God intended worship to be.

How can I worship Him today in strength? With my body. I KNOW my triggers. Peanut M&Ms are my Judas sin…you know, that sin that comes at you looking like a friend, kissing you on the cheek, then turning on you. I may not be able to scale a 10 foot wall, but taking care of my body is worship. Thank you, Lose It! app and a personal health coach, for the accountability.

How can I worship Him today in honor? With my deeds. I honor our great God when I bake and deliver a cake, write a note, make a phone call, send an encouraging text, share a casserole (this is how we really share love in the south, right?), bring a flower, go above and beyond in my work, drop off a 24-pack of toilet paper when my neighbor has house guests due to a funeral or a wedding. How and when I serve should bring Him honor.

How can I worship Him today in glory? With expressions of hope, encouragement, and forgiving well.  Glory has a weight to it, a leaning-in quality. Ephesians 4:32 reads, “Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.” So I give Him glory when I extend the same forgiveness and grace He gives me. This is when worship doesn’t come easy. Yet He invites us to ‘lean in’ through power in prayer.

How can I worship Him today in praise? With my words and my speech. My words can heal or hurt, my countenance when sharing those words can help or hinder. My heart is heard by my words and how they are shared. A critical spirit does nothing for my testimony. I will praise Him through my simple storms drawing on the praise raised by others who have tread and persevered through more than I. My discomfort, disappointment, and storms are put in perspective when I regularly study the lives of the saints and missionaries who have gone before us.

Worship is not where I go or the type of songs sung, it is how sold-out Christians are to live. Not once a week, but every single day. I can listen to sermons by podcast, sing to my favorite worship songs on my cellphone at the top of my lungs and in sign, attend other worship services which take place other than on Sunday mornings, and give online to the local church I serve. I can take bible study in small group, share life and accept accountability in an Emmaus Reunion Group, and have my personal ‘quiet time’ (which is sometimes FAR from quiet) with the LORD each morning. Oh, and in my new position, I sing and dance before the LORD with little people every Sunday morning. How wonderful that our Great God has offered us the tools to serve AND the tools to worship the One and Only whose abundant love has ruined me for the typical, the ordinary, the mediocre.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2

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There were several favorite faith formation events which were set aside to focus on Campfire Christmas (a family worship experience NOT on Christmas Eve, but rather Christmas Adam) and a Live Nativity to welcome the West Cobb county community to a Bethlehem experience. Both events happened the week before Christmas and after school let out. Those were the priorities of last December in addition to Sunday mornings, and were the best investments of people and resources successfully meeting their goals.

Yet our littles were disappointed we weren’t able to Christmas carol our church saints. Our littles really enjoy any multi-generational opportunity to serve those who have gone before them. 

This was the inspiration for Christmas in July.

We scheduled a Christmas carolling event to sing three songs at each location. Phone calls to the church saints were made and church buses reserved. A generous family hosted us mid-event for a pizza dinner, water and potty break. With a new senior pastor and his wife having just moved into the parsonage, they graciously agreed to be our last stop and it was fabulously over-the-top with a Christmas tree, displayed nativities, garland hanging from the railings, and inflatable table trees. A Christmas in July porch party! Inflatable pink flamingos with water were gifted at each stop. Jingle bell bracelets made with beads, bells, and pipe cleaners added so much to the songs sung. 

The best parts of Christmas caroling in July: daylight until 9pm, short-sleeves and flip flops, inflatable flamingos, and watermelon!

The typical Tall Small Paint Party will be of Christmas trees. Lots of green paint has been ordered with a devotion to be shared about how Christians are Christmas and Easter people.

A photo station with snowmen, Christmas trees, and flamingos was prepared and the giggles from the senior saints’ Sunday school classes who meet in our hallway were worth every bit of deep diving into the holiday storage closet.

National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on the third Sunday each July, so an ice cream truck arrived to give free ice cream treats to all who attended worship services. Each ministry lead was given different colored carnival tickets to hand over in exchange for an ice cream treat. I pay the total bill at the end with a tip (God’s people are generous) then prorate the expense to each area based on their number of colored tickets used for payment. We paused our regular Sunday morning programming to use Deeper Kidmin’s special event which was perfect.

Sunday morning programming include Christmas songs in large group and various Christmas visuals placed here and there to keep the theme rolling. Even the Children’s Moment is Christmas in July themed with ‘we serve a God of celebration’ from Deuteronomy, singing Joy to the World (songs remind bigs of Jesus’ story and teach littles the truth of our faith); singing Go Tell It On The Mountain (shepherds were the first to go tell/our marching orders today); and Christmas foods help us remember to ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good,’ (Psalm 34:8) which coincides with National Ice Cream Day.

Celebrating Christmas in July has been a surprise and delight for many in our church, unexpected, joyful, and smiles are all around. We’ll definitely do this again.

In the words of our new Senior Pastor’s lovely wife, “Jesus is the reason for every season!”

“Go tell it on the mountain. Over the hill and every where. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.”

The Study Talk is one of fifteen talks shared on a Walk to Emmaus. The Walk to Emmaus is a three-day event for church leaders who have already committed their lives to following Jesus. The Study Talk is presented by a lay person with experiences in the holy habit of study.

One of the suggestions for study by a faithful Christian living a life of grace is to study church history. I’m fascinated by the colorful history of Christianity.

Last year I took Brandi Diamond’s online class entitled Off With Their Heads. I was glued to my screen every single week learning about the start of the Anglican church, the revolt of King Henry VIII against the Catholic Church, and the bloodied history which led to the very first amendment to our U.S. Constitution prohibiting the government from establishing a religion. The goal was to keep the government out of the church, not the church out of the government. Now I have an idea why.

Another suggestion is to study the gospel. Have you ever studied the gospel?

If the marching orders of a Christian is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, we must know the gospel.

Every five years I study the gospel. I need the reminder, the refresher, because I can get bogged down in the minutia of church staff life and forget the WHY of it all.

The first year I studied and practiced sharing the good news of God’s salvation with The Wordless Book offered through Child Evangelism Fellowship.

This year I came across a great resource which I’ve used to study the gospel: The Gospel Course and Brand New, both by Brian Clark and available from Amazon.

These two small less than 25-page paperback books keep the main thing, the main thing. The premise for The Gospel Course is that Christians may know the gospel, but are typically unable to articulate the gospel confidently. “The Gospel Course was written as a tool to help you walk someone through the saving message of the gospel in a way that is clear, complete and compelling.” Clark uses the parable of the Prodigal Son and plenty of scripture to show the greatness of God.

Brand New is the followup to The Gospel Course. The goal of Brand New is to “see from scripture that new life in Christ is meant to be full of joy, excitement, and purpose, not just a list of tasks to check off.” This small book packs a big punch regarding the perspective of learning how to enjoy our great God. Clark embraces a righteous life to jumping in with both feet to enjoy our Savior, like the cake and not the broccoli. Like marriage, this relationship is exclusive. Like running a race, this relationship requires discipline and training. Like putting the puzzle of a righteous life together by completely starting over rather than making pieces fit that belong to other puzzles no longer meant for a Christian. This little book blessed my socks off, but would have meant nothing had I not studied the The Gospel Course.

How do you study the gospel?

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

It’s time to prepare the upcoming school year calendar to be shared by mid July with the families I serve. As much as I’d love to fill the calendar with lots of great and holy things, a reasonable rhythm of WHAT and WHY is the filter for the big picture. A reasonable rhythm requires consideration of the community schedule of families we serve, the leadership who chooses a kidmin director’s ‘time’, and the staff we serve alongside who set the priorities of spaces available.

When I was hired full time, it was much easier to just throw myself into all that we could offer: typical Sunday and midweek programming and special events just about every month, sometimes every other week. Trying new things happened often.  But a part-time position in ministry requires a rhythm.

When church leadership decides a position as Sunday only, 1/4 time, 1/2 time, or 3/4 time, there are some expectations they have determined.  One reasonable expectation being that this part time staff person can not do everything the larger church down the street can do.  Setting priorities offers a reasonable rhythm.

Balance is an elusive target because balance is based on a subjective perspective: whoever you are asking. But a rhythm, being measurable, is much more manageable when the goal is healthy Children’s Ministry.

If we use the five pillars of a healthy Children’s Ministry, worship-grow-belong-service-tell, and the entire calendar year as the canvas, finding a rhythm works to develop a reasonable rhythm.

For excellent regular programming, it takes an average of 2.5 hours for every 1 hour of programming. Any special event or peak moment requires a whole lot more. Think VBS: 4-5 months+whole lot of lay servants+$$=10 – 15 hours of programming.  That may explain why so many churches are stepping away from offering a week of VBS and looking for more bang for their buck.  Perhaps offering a summer VBS program over a summer of Sundays (or Thursdays) and promoting the daylights out of it.

Even part time (half-time = 20 hour) KidMin Directors can effectively and realistically take on weekly Sunday am, Sunday pm OR Wednesday/Midweek pm, and 4-5 peak moments through the year, if you include Christmas and Easter in the 4-5 peak moments. Then you are working on one peak moment quarterly and that is much more manageable and a reasonable expectation.

Periodically our Children’s Council (those who make up the hands and feet of the ministry) writes on individual index cards everything involving ministry with children over the course of the year.  All traditions and even new things: Trunk-or-Treat, Sunday School, CLUB345, Children’s Christmas program, etc.  As a team, they then determine what four items are the most important: asking, “If we did nothing but these 4 things next year, what would they be?”  Once they haggle…er, decide which 4 (which takes a bit of time), they then choose 2 more (which takes no time, because the discussions have already taken place.)  As a Council, we have now chosen what we will throw ourselves into.  Where and when will we be ‘all in’, for the next year.  Of course, other special events take place over the course of the year, but there must be two champions for those special events where I can serve as the resource, cheerleader, and/or promoter for those things.  But me ‘taking the point’ on them has now been decided by the Children’s Council to not be a priority for me this next year.

So where will you throw your resources, your servants, your finances, your space, your over-the-top-best? Break out a clean calendar for the next 12-18 months because a reasonable rhythm takes into consideration the big picture for a true discipleship pathway for both littles and bigs.

“Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23

Edited from the original post of March 2014. Don’t miss any new weekly posts by subscribing above.

In full disclosure, I like change. Change is evidence of the movement of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is moving, I want to be in the middle of it.

I also like learning new things. The best way for learning new things is to check it out and try new things alongside other disciples who are trying new things.

At last Thursday night’s Family VBS we enjoyed the company of three kidmin leaders from a local church over an hour away who wanted to see what it looked like. They travelled together, arrived early, listened to me rattle on about loving our kids to Jesus and the spaghetti we throw at the wall to help Christian discipleship stick with our families ‘as they go’ (Deuteronomy 6) choosing deep over wide. They helped stage the event and chatted with our volunteer team before, during, and after. They praised and danced before the Lord with our families. They even stayed for the dine-out that followed to further debrief and enjoy some amazing fried okra.

Around that BBQ table we asked lots of questions of one another about what both churches were doing and family trends we were both discovering. There is nothing like the glowing countenance of kidmin leaders sharing how their team is knocking it out of the park. I’ll be heading their way for one of their family events with my team this fall.

I can read about stuff and even hear about stuff others are doing. And I do. I’m a visual learner and fascinated with logistics, timing, and church family dynamics. I see that best in-person, arriving early, staying late, and with other Jesus gals/guys who understand the WHY we do what we do as disciple-makers and not event planners.

I’ve served at other church’s VBSs after my own was ‘in the books’. We would meet at our monthly network lunch and make the summer tour to one another’s churches. It sharpened me as a disciple-maker, inspired me to think of other best practices, and the kidmin champion who led each church didn’t have to recruit for the area where I served because I was just as much over the top for her kids as I was with mine…and I was experienced. We didn’t share just resources and VBS backdrops. WE were the best shared resource for one another.

Christians are meant for community. Community connections inside and outside our own house, er church, make for better disciple-makers. Disciple-makers are meant for even a greater community of disciple-makers and we have to get out to make the most of it.

Get out. Make the connections. Take someone up on the invite to ‘come see’. Don’t wait for a conference. Just ask, “May I come see?” Get out of your own house and check out what others are doing. Arrive early. Stay late. Be fully-present. Learn all you can. Bring back what excites you. Be a blessing to one another with your ministry of presence. Be inspired by the most amazing Jesus guys and gals in their house and come home with ideas to edit your own stuff to excellence.

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” Luke 8:16

Ambassadors is the leadership team of 4th & 5th graders who serve in our local church. I offer training each August for new and experienced ambassadors. This was the jumping-off point for the Ambassador Road Trip.

The Ambassador Road Trip is a spring retreat for 4th & 5th graders born out of a faithful group of children’s ministry leaders’ desire to prepare students for future youth retreats and connect them to a greater Body of Christ than their own local church. Frankly, a middle schooler leaving unmentionables in the public bath house is devastating. For a 4th grader, it’s no big deal and just like home. There are so many life skills to learn when kids go on retreat for a night or two. 

The Ambassador Road Trip is held at Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla, Georgia. We arrive on Friday night, stopping for dinner on the way. We are housed in huge cabins and share several buildings on campus secure from other areas of the park.

Music and a large group gets the party started in the dining hall, well-lit to begin the habit of taking notes in the prepared handbook. We bring our own kitchen team and rotate serving and cleanup among the churches and students in attendance. Students discover what we’re eating at each meal by searching the scriptures on their own time as part of the handbook which makes for some interesting group time in the cabins before bed. Early to bed because sleep matters.

Saturday is filled with large group #2, workshops (worship art, group games, Bible study), lunch, discovery time, large group #3 to finish the night with sticks and s’mores and outdoor games like 4-square-in-the-air, etc. Sunday morning is breakfast, large group #4, cleanup, and dismissal before noon which gets my kids home by the time church lets out.

The Ambassador Road Trip is inexpensive at $100 person for two nights (covers all expenses with enough to make the State Park deposit for the following year) and the content is on a two-year cycle since it includes only two grade levels. I charge a little more to cover chaperones, gas, and Friday night dinner along the way.

Year #1 – AMBASSADOR acrostic

• Ambassadors based on 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are Christ’s ambassadors.” We spread the letters over the four large groups, review before going on, look up every scripture, take notes in our handbooks.
• Workshops: Bible Ninja Skills, Worship (Lord’s Prayer/Gloria Patri focus learning sign language), Outdoor games, Worship Art (each workshop is designed by and presented by two kidmin leaders collaborating from different churches)
• Two hour discovery time (puttputt, hill climbing, walking, playing ball on the lawn, unstructured but planned) right after lunch.

Large group: What does an ambassador of Christ look like; practices we live out? Handbook fillins….
2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are Christ’s ambassadors.”
A – Arrive 30 minutes early to assignments (plenty of time to be ready) Luke 21:38
M – Mature/Can be trusted (dependable, punctual, enthusiastic without craziness, positive attitude/no complaining) Philippians 2:14
B – Bible readers (we pour out what we take in; are you reading your Bible regularly and attending weekly Sunday school?) 2 Timothy 3:16-17
A – Assist by practicing hospitality (kindness to a stranger) (Hi!, hand outs at end of services) Romans 12:13
S – Smile (lets others know you want to be here; makes the best impression on guests and those having a hard time) Philippians 4:4
S – Set up on Sundays, Tour of the Nativities, Christmas Eve readers and lit candle processionals, wherever I’m invited to help Luke 12:35
A – Assist the littles in the K5 & 1st grade Sunday school classrooms and special events Luke 18:16
D – Dress appropriately for the event (flip flops vs sneakers; awards ceremony/representatives; brush your teeth, no gum chewing; clean) 2 Corinthians 6:3
O – Open the doors…of conversation, of encouragement, and the real doors, too. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
R – Respond quickly with kindness; be aware of your surroundings and others 1 Peter 3:15

Year #2 -DISCIPLES based on Acts 11:26 “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Christians = little Christs; Christians = Disciples = Christians

• We spread the letters over the four large groups, review before going on, look up every scripture, take notes in our handbooks.
• Workshops: Creed (Apostle’s Creed and learning sign language), Group games, Worship Art, Bible Ninja skills
• Two hour discovery time (puttputt, hill climbing, walking, playing ball on the lawn, unstructured but planned) right after lunch

Large group: What does a Christian disciple look like; practices we live out? Handbook fillins….
D – Declare Jesus Lord (in charge) of your life* – 1 Timothy 4:12
I – Invest your time in godly training – 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
S – Super willing to learn – 1 Timothy 3:14-15
C – Creative – Genesis 1:26-27
I – Involved in a gathering of believers – Hebrews 10:25
P – Prayerful in all things – Philippians 4:6-7
L – Leading others to become disciples – 2 Timothy 2:2
E – Establish your heart and mind in the words of God – Psalm 119:11
S – Serve others – Galatians 5:13 

*G= God created us to be w/Him (Gen 1)
O= Our own way; Our sins separate us from a holy, perfect God (Gen 3)
S= Sins can not be removed by good deeds (Gen 4; Mal 4)
P= Paying the price for sin, God’s only son Jesus died and rose again (Matt-Luke)
E= Everyone who trusts in Jesus alone has eternal life (John 3:16)
L= Life with Jesus starts now here on earth and lasts forever aka Kingdom of Heaven (Acts-Rev)

The Ambassador Road Trip is perfect for multiple small churches taking on specific elements to stage together; meet up in a district or local camp/park spot. The 2024 Ambassador Road Trip is scheduled for April due to Easter being celebrated at the end of March and is sponsored by various children’s ministry champions who serve multiple churches and editing to excellence cycle #1 – Ambassadors. Want to be part of the 2024 Ambassador Road Trip team? Contact me directly at dedereilly@comcast.net or our team leader Kate Morris at morriskt@bellsouth.net.

What does a developmentally appropriate retreat life look like for your pre-teens?

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“Taking people away from their regular life for a few days, and offering them a season of activity, intense focus without distractions, peer-to-peer interaction and Bible influence is perhaps one of the greatest investments in people’s lives.” – Henrietta Mears from “Teacher: The Henrietta Mears Story”

Each June and July, we offer a summer jubilee to our regular, weekend, and weekday servant leaders because (1) everyone needs a Sabbath season, (2) a summer jubilee invites our regulars to re-connect with an adult Sunday small group, (3) it invites new servant leaders to test the waters or serve a short season with great intentionality in ministry with children.

Jubilee = a season of emancipation, celebration, and restoration.

Our numbers are typically a bit smaller, but more than what one-room Sunday school can offer if relationship building (with Jesus and one another) is always the goal of Sunday mornings.

What do we do?

I begin asking questions in January/February and listening for what folks in our church are individually working on and invite them to share what they are learning with our littles in June and July. What are they talking about when I ask, “Hey! What are your doing right now that brings you joy?”

Large group is led by me and includes another group game and/or another song along with the Bible study part extending our time from 20-30 minutes. This summer, students are then dismissed to two classes for 30 minutes:

#1 – Building with power tools for 3rd-5th graders
A fabulous general contractor comes with power tools and several projects to build over the summer. I reimburse his supply expenses. The first year/season, I recruited his ‘assistants’. This year I asked him to invite some of his buddies to join him as his ‘assistants.’ With safety goggles, aprons (I provided) and nail gun and table saw (he provided) students learn and practice safety and more with his four (FOUR!) assistants. And by golly, he made sure everyone had gone through Safe Sanctuary training, arrived early, and staged his Sunday classroom on Saturday. First year, do the task. Second year, invite others to join the journey and build a team.

#2 – Building our communication skills with sign language for Kindergarten-2nd graders
As part of our 10-hour intern’s winter/spring semester at college, she began taking several sign language classes in the evening. She will teach fingerspelling and songs to our littles to present in three children’s moments this summer. We recruited her ‘assistants’ at the Bring Your Parents to Sunday School and several youth/adults stepped up to learn alongside the littles by seeing the summer class promoted in the bulletin the month before.

Other than the two class leaders, everyone else is a first-time or second-time servant in children’s ministry. The skills they learn will be ones they can use to serve their church.

At the first parenting workshop at my home church a long time ago, the presenter shared: Choose your kid’s extracurricular activities so that your child(ren) can use them to serve/share in the Body of Christ. She continued: If your family is going to invest a ton of time, money, and relationships in an extracurricular that will be a priority for your family, be sure your kids see it as a tool for growing their discipleship. Our experience: music, marching band, and drumming for #1 Son; theatre, travel, and communication for Baby Girl. This filter for which extracurriculars we were sold-out-for was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians directed the apostles, teachers, prophets, and church leaders to ‘equip the saints for good works to build up the Body of Christ.’ Oh we’re building alright. And the saints come in all shapes and sizes, all stages and ages.

What does Sunday morning summer programming look like for you?

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15

Last week was the North Georgia United Methodist Church’s Annual Conference meeting in Athens, Georgia. I served as an at-large lay delegate for my district. I’ve been an at-large district lay delegate for many years. Why? (1) To bring back to the local church I serve information and resources available to help them fulfill the mission of ‘making disciples of Jesus Christ’. Resources available and funded by their apportionment dollars. (2) To cast my one vote to represent the laity serving in the trenches of the local church in ministry with littles and bigs in the decisions and movements of my conference.

As an at-large lay delegate for my district, I’m ‘in the room where it happens.’

There is a resource and vendor space with great information (ex: Discipleship Ministries) and multiple opportunities (ex: Camp Collinswood special needs camp). When the ‘room where it happens’ is on break (lunch, bathroom, etc.), it is in the hallways and the Atrium where people gather, chat, catch up, and make connections. Just like church!

Much like the church, rows facilitate receiving information and content. It is around tables and hallway chats where ideas are shared and families are celebrated. This is why children’s and family ministry champions around North Georgia make the trek to Athens to set up and serve at The Pop-up Kid’s Table. We pop-up in the Atrium near the main hallway for greater visibility and accessibility to people passing by. If there is a kid in the room (or a youth delegate) they come and sit-a-spell. These kidmin and family ministry champions didn’t have to be there; it was their day off. OH, how I love the kidmin tribe!

The Kid’s Table has games, books, and people (the church’s greatest resource!) available and accessible. Three champions were wearing t-shirts which read (1) Ask me about Training, (2) Ask me about Safe Sanctuary, (3) Ask me about Family Ministry. Other champions were wearing t-shirts from their children’s ministry and various shared children’s events.

The Kid’s Table also had that sacred and holy of all church snacks: Goldfish. With 150 snack bags in hand, we travelled in twos with Goldfish for an afternoon snack asking “Would You Rather: Bible Edition” questions from table to table AND even at the bottom of the escalator for those coming back from enjoying lunch offsite. Jesus never sent His disciples out one at a time, but rather in twos, threes, and up to seventy.

“I know your tummies are full from lunch, but around 3pm, you are going to wish you had a little snack to get ya to dinner. Will you answer a quick question for an afternoon snack?”

We laughed our heads off and met so many people sharing the joy of the Lord and the gathering of His people. Trivia questions would’ve been stressful and intimating, but asking someone, “Would you rather be in the stable when Jesus was born OR be in the tomb when Jesus was resurrected?” made for thoughtful responses. No right or wrong answer, just thoughtful. Then a Goldfish snack bag for just stopping and giving us thirty seconds.  At a time when folks are super serious, laughter and joy is healthy and contagious.

Last Sunday our church set the table for a celebration of ministry luncheon for our retiring senior pastor and his wife. The line for lunch was long. Really long. Crazy long. Some folks were chatting, but many were in line alone or not chatting. Just waiting; frequently checking to see if the line had moved. So I pulled out those Would You Rather questions and worked my way through the line. I didn’t interrupt those who were chatting, but asked folks questions like “Would you rather have been at the Last Supper or on the hill when Jesus fed the 5,000?” to offer respite, a distraction, and a chance to laugh. All of a sudden, the line didn’t seem so long.

“Would you rather have been a shepherd when Jesus’ birth was announced OR one of the magi who visited Jesus at Mary’s house?”

On what and where can we focus our learning to take us to the next level of professionalism and success AND build our perseverance muscles? When we begin our seasons of local church ministry, we only know what we know. It’s what we DON’T know that can take our legs out from under us and leave us paddling for our ministry lives. Another theme for Advent and a reading plan for Lent will not cut it.

“Ministry leaders are more likely to survive when they know what they are getting into and how to navigate the challenges.” p. 138 from When Women Lead: Embrace Your Authority, Move Beyond Barriers, and Find Joy in Leading Others.

Once you get to the point of lifting your head from the calendar and demands of ‘Sunday’s always coming’, a professional will realize the skills that got them the job will not lead them to a place of health and thriving without some additional skills. What else do we need to know?

In chapter 8 of When Women Lead, Rev. Dr. Carolyn Moore suggests an emphasis on focused, professional training in at least four major areas. I wrote of the first two in part 1 of this 2-part series which can be found here.

Here are two other areas of skill-building I totally agree with:

Vocational Development – training in identifying the right situation for each skill set, identifying coaches and mentors, and in networking. 

Resources:
Lead Like A Shepherd by Larry Osborne
Podcasts: Kids Ministry 101 by Lifeway, Lead Podcast by Josh Denhart, Small Groups in the Wesleyan Way by Discipleship Ministries
Fusion by Nelson Searcy
Connect by Nelson Searcy
Sustainable Children’s Ministry by Ministry Architects
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase

One thing I did because of what I learned…

Before social media, the only local network of leaders I could get to was for lunch at quarterly CEF meetings (Christian Educators Fellowship) and the monthly tri-county Preschool Directors networking groups. I would attend with a legal pad of questions. While the participants stood in line for food, I’d go down the line and chat with folks to get answers to the most pressing questions because these were the professional Christian educators in the trenches and they were all in one place. Sometimes I actually ate lunch, but mostly not.

One thing I still do today because of what I learned…

Intentionally build relationships with new and experienced staff hired from the pew from across North Georgia. I make it a priority of gathering and collaborating with others in the trenches of the local church leading littles and bigs to Jesus. I make it a priority to schedule and drive to wherever my peers will gather in small groups to discover who has amazing skills in budgeting, staffing, volunteering, negotiating, special events, hospitality, church development, research, curriculum, resources, holy habits, child development, social media, and communication. I connect people for ministry in community.

I’m contacted almost weekly by healthy, great churches looking to build their team for ministry with children and families. Frankly, the pickings are slim because most folks won’t take the time to network and build relationships outside their current local church. As more churches re-org the organizational chart in the next 3-5 years, those who fail to build relationships through face-to-face networking, even occasionally, will regret it. We all need mentors, coaches, and door openers. Building relationships through face-to-face networking makes having all three so much easier and costs us nothing, but prioritizing the time to attend every opportunity that arises.

I’m also contacted almost monthly by hurt, broken, blindsided kidmin champions who never thought they’d be looking for a new position. Building relationships outside our own houses is a necessary priority. How can I help?

“Here’s a cold, hard fact: no one is going to advocate for you, your gifts, or your circumstances quite like  you will advocate for yourself, your gifts, and your circumstances.” When Women Lead, p. 149

Personal Development – training in time management and life rhythms

Resources:
Creating a Healthier Church by Ronald Richardson (this one kept me in ministry)
The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker
Ministry Chick by Melissa Mashburn (I met the author because of a bodacious ask!)
Good to Great by Jim Collins (I’m quoting and living by this one almost every day)
Stride by Ken Willard (purposeful generational discipleship)
Attended and participated in the Walk to Emmaus movement (the recipe for living a life of grace)

One thing I did because of what I learned…

Schedule balcony time to set goals twice each year and unofficially edit my job description of the local church I’m serving each January. Setting goals go along with an overall discipleship pathway for an extended period of time and edit that to excellence. Editing my job description reminds me what I’m being evaluated on (the original job description for which I was hired) and what do I need to set aside that I’ve mysteriously inherited over the last year which is not my lane. This guards my heart and my head to spend my best time and creative energies to meet my priorities and take spiritual authority over my call to ministry for the next season.

One thing I still do today because of what I learned…all of the above.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” 2 Peter 3:18