Over the next few days while my wife and I are on a wonderful beach getaway I want to share some thoughts with you hoping that you might be able to suggest a fix or a solution.
So here we go.
I am in the middle of this right now…
How can you break through the noise of apathy? See we want to latch ahold of parents ears and let them know that they need to care and command their child’s spiritual walk.
The problem isn’t the parents who care however, it’s the parents that don’t that causes the problem.
How can you change apathetic parents into passionate parents? Is it a program, is it a campaign, is it a handout? I literally have no idea.
What makes an apathetic parent stop and say wow, that’s me? I need to make a change.
I’m praying that the Holy Spirit wakes up some parents but is there something that we can do to change the apathetic mindset?
Ok now back to the beach 
It’s one of the weirdest things that I have seen this year and last year at Centri-Kid Camp in Ridgecrest, NC. It’s hot chocolate and the kids in a complete frenzy for it. But it fits right in with something that I’ve been thinking about a ton.
What is out there that no one else does in Children’s Ministry?
I’m talking with environments, graphics, video, sets, curriculum, relationship building techniques, teaching methods, etc.
Hot Chocolate as the pic suggests is considered something for a holiday so why in the world do the kids go absolutely nuts for it at Summer Camp (which by the way, earlier this week was about 92 degrees)? Part of me says duh, it’s liquid chocolate but the other part of me screams because their parents would never go for it at home. But I wonder home many times that big kid marketing giants Disney and Nickolodeon asked the question what can we give kids that they can’t get at home.
We’ve been going over a ton of ideas like this at BrookwoodKiDs lately and it’s really awesome that we are thinking this question:
What can we offer kids that they can’t get anywhere else?
I don’t know the answer to alot of those questions. But we are thinking them and that is a big, big thing to start doing. Never know, BrookwoodKiDs might come up with the next Hot Chocolate at Summer Camp idea for #kidmin who knows.
One thing I do know is that we need to continue to ask the question.
OK so I love fun cheap stuff. It’s builds memories, anybody can pull it off, and it’s something that you can do again and again. I am totally stealing this one from Lifeway but, it’s too awesome not to tell you. Basically tons of hairspray and temporary hair color and charge $1. It all goes to missions, it’s awesome and unbelievable how much the kids enjoy it of course the leaders need to get their do done as well, but it’s worth it. Builds tons of memories and is super fun for Cheap!
got any Children’s Ministry or #kidmin fun cheap ideas?
When I worked at UPS as a part time supervisor we had a job motto:
“70% of your time you should be training your employees and the other 30% you should be figuring out a way to better train your employees.”
Training was a value that we spent our times perfecting. We had a person whose sole purpose was to train new people. As a result we were the best or second best hub in the region for awhile.
I am a trainer it’s what I do best. My gift is teaching people. So this was right in my sweet spot.
But I wonder how many times in “church world” do we get caught up more in managing than training?
Our job is to develop people and push them to grow in Christ. Or as Paul says “equip the saints” Ephesians 4:12
Too often especially in Children’s Ministry, we get roped into managing or spot filling. I pray alot that all over the world on Sundays, #kidmin peeps would pour into their volunteers instead of being only concerned about them being there.
But I want to know, what are you training your volunteers to do? What are a few must have skills of your volunteers? If you’re in a higher position of leadership, what are you pouring into your staff? What are you teaching others?
So I’m at camp and on barf control right now cuz one of the kids is throwing up. Feel bad for the kids but he’s being a trooper.
Couple things I’ve learned:
* I’m terrible at barf control. I don’t know what to say or do.
* I remember my mom telling me to drink a sprite.
* I remember when I had serious stomach issues to sit up and don’t lay down.
* I asked other people what to do.
Totally on another world with this one. But it seems that too often I can’t or don’t know how is followed up by that’s ok or quitting.
Use what your given instead of given up.
By the way, didn’t mean to get Jesus up in here but He rooted His way into my thinking as I wrote this post.
I love Jesus
I'm the Elem. Prod. Director at Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, SC. I love Jesus, my wife, technology, sports, and kidmin 
