And here you are, just trying to share Jesus with the 10 faithful kids you have coming through the door every week. You know you’re working as hard as you can, but all those flashbacks from church members make you feel as if you’re not measuring up. It’s a discouraging dialogue day in and day out.

So, what do you do? First of all, know this:

God sees and knows what you’re doing. He knows how hard you’re working, all the late nights, the one-on-one’s you’ve had with students. Keep tuned into God’s direction and He will lead you home.
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Secondly, understand and sympathize with where the “glory days” members are coming from; it makes it all easier. Longtime church members are fearful: they see that their church isn’t what it once was, numbers are declining, families are leaving or just not coming. They’ve loved the church for so long and deep down inside. They want their church to still be there at the end when they reach their final days on this side of eternity. Understanding that the anxious statements of past “glory days” comes from their place of fear (and love) really does make it easier, doesn’t it?

Third, here are a few practical tips to keep the unhelpful comparisons minimized:

1. Plant cheerleaders of your ministry into those members circles. Periodically share positive stories and God sightings from your ministry to those cheerleaders so that they’re re-telling the stories within those circles. The good news will spread.
2. Be sure that you’re helping change negative narratives by utilizing the communications forms these members read. True, your students don’t read the church bulletin or newsletter… but long-time members do. Keep giving them the good news of what your students are doing in communication forms that meets their “read only” needs. It’s worth it, I guarantee it.
3. Find ways to weave your children or students into the places where older members are. The occasional presentation by youth to an older Sunday school class or Bible study will go a LONG way towards equipping them with new stories of encouragement, filling their hearts with love for what’s happening now, not just what happened “way back then.”

The surprising benefit from a little intentional story-telling-sharing will be that youth and children (and you!) will make Christ-like relational connections with people you’d never expected – a “great cloud of witnesses.”
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The post When A Smaller Church Is Stuck In The “Glory Days” appeared first on Ministry Architects.

So why is it a smart idea to start planning for fall ministries now? Because the summer will be crazy, time will pass quickly, Fall will be here, and how the Fall Kick-off goes – so goes our next school year of ministry. When by the Fall Kick-off, a thorough smattering of what everyone in your church needs to know for full participation in the next school year’s ministries is available, it makes for a smoother, happier experience for everyone.

If planning the details for a fabulous and informative fall are delayed till the start of the school year, the ministry year can often feel like it’s perpetually running behind trying to catch up.
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I know, I know. Your team (staff and/or volunteers) are tired and not excited about starting work projects for next year now. They’re ready for a little ministry breather. I get it and volunteers deserve a break, a change of pace.

Here’s an idea I recommend: have an end-of-the-year volunteer “thank you” gathering. Serve a little meal or fun snacks, have a few little tokens of appreciation, and while you’re celebrating the volunteers, pick their brains with debriefing questions. People feel valued when their thoughts are asked for and appreciated. Here’s a list of questions you can ask:

• What celebration stories can we tell from this past year’s ministry?
• What worked really well in the ministry?
• What ministry pieces do we want to keep?
• What didn’t work as well?
• How can we fix those “less than optimal” pieces?
• What new initiatives would be good for next year?

As your people give you input and ideas, observe who has what passion for tweaks and changes in next year’s ministry. Ask them if they would, while still enjoying a breather over the summer, think through a game plan for that piece of the fall ministry puzzle. They don’t have to have any meetings, they don’t have to implement the details; you’re just asking them to think through the steps of what that ministry piece might look like. Be sure and take good notes of everyone’s input and who said they’d think through what. (Email me at stephanie.caro@ministryarchitects.com for a great game plan template you can email them.)

Before everyone says goodbye and heads home, set a date for gathering back in early August to share the game plans each person thought through over the summer. When you meet again, just think how great it will be that so much planning is already done and you, the leader, didn’t have to do it all.

Here’s a final little secret: those people who pondered over game plans for the new school year? Most of them will now have an ownership in their idea plan and I bet they’ll take on a little more leadership of getting it accomplished.

The post Spring Into Your Fall! appeared first on Ministry Architects.

When planning your Vacation Bible School, be sure to map out what the weeks following the big event can look like, too. This part of the VBS puzzle is easy to leave off the priorities list, but it holds so much potential, when planned intentionally.

Like a speeding train you couldn’t stop if you wanted to, it’s almost here! The moment many churches wait for all year: Vacation Bible School! Funny title, right? There’s nothing “vacation” about it, at least not for all the dedicated leaders who pull it off every year. There’s “tired” and then there’s “VBS tired.” But every moment is SO worth it. When the sounds of children echo the halls in real time, there’s no more joyful noise. Between the children we see every week and those we see only once a year, whenever God’s name (Love) is demonstrated – it’s worth every single body ache and ounce of fatigue.

From my years of consulting with churches, I’ve found there’s not much to improve upon during the actual week itself. You’ve got this! But where I’ve seen many churches miss the mark is in the follow-up after the big week is over. We FINALLY get guests and infrequent attenders through our doors…and then drop them like a hot potato till the next summer. Not good; they need your church and more of that VBS love!

So, I’ve created a quick game plan you can use for maximizing the outreach long after the markers have been capped and the glue has dried. Enjoy!

VBS Follow-up Game Plan

Training Community

• Train everyone on the VBS team about the follow-up process and why it’s important.
• Make sure all VBS Leaders are prepared to provide a welcoming climate for guests and are especially on the lookout for those new-to-your-church parents.

Data Collection

• Get their data! Information is the golden ticket to follow-up.
• Ensure that online and paper registration forms have some way to indicate to you and your team when a family is a “guest family.”
• Give the key VBS leaders the follow-up info for families so they can send cards, texts, emails, post on social media, etc. You’re not in this connection work alone.
  

Intentional Connection

Immediately

• Within three days after VBS, send a letter to all guest families, mailing it before a week has passed. Personal connection goes a long way in someone’s potential return.
• Work with the data management person at your church to ensure that guest contact info is put into the larger church system, too. Community connection goes a long way in someone’s potential return.

Before Fall

• Plan a fun “VBS Reunion” event where all the kids can return for a fun, energetic 2-hour program.
  • You can invite families to this on the last day of VBS, as well as make it a part of the “guest family” mailing.
  • In this way, adults can plan ahead and kids are able to attend.
  • This event can include a video/slide show recap from VBS (kids love seeing their faces and remembering the fun), a look at the fall CM ministry (what a great way to preview and invite!), a craft to take home (and remember their connection), and, of course, game time, snacks, and the songs they loved from VBS.

Throughout the School Year

• Make VBS guest info available for all Sunday school teachers, children’s ministry volunteers, and other weekly school year CM program leaders so they can extend impromptu invitations to new families, too.
• Be sure to invite your VBS guests to special annual events like Back-to-School bashes, Trunk-or-Treat, Christmas and Easter parties, and, in the new year, the next VBS, of course!

I can’t wait to hear how you use these ideas in your unique setting.
And if a thought partner would be helpful along the way, I’m just a click away.

Stephanie Caro

stephanie.caro@ministryarchitects.com

Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth, and adults in the local church (both large and small) since…a long time ago. Her humorous, straightforward style keeps her busy presenting and coaching at conferences, training events, camps, mission trips, retreats, churches, etc. She is a Veteran Lead Consultant (since 2008!) and Small Church Specialist, drawing on her years of experience to help churches assess, vision, and formulate their ministry game plans. All her books, blogs, articles, videos, and other printed/digital resources support small church leaders and ministries. She, her hubby (Steve), and their two dogs live in Katy, TX.

The post A VBS Gift appeared first on Ministry Architects.

Oh the drama trauma! Gossip, parking lot conversations, and flying texts – it never seems to stop. All a part of working with high schoolers, you say? No, high school drama I can take. It’s why we were hired, after all. The person I’m talking about is the dreaded dramatist of doom: the toxic volunteer.

See if any of this sounds familiar:

• They sap all the energy out of every meeting.
• Nothing is ever positive; it’s all doom and gloom.
• You spend more time putting out fires lit by volunteer than you do on any student.
• He/she never comes to you directly with any complaints.
• Their comments come flying from all sources, often catching you by surprise.
• You find yourself reviewing the rules with them more than the students.
• They’re the reason a “Communication Covenant” was created.

Any of this sound familiar? You just may have some toxicity on your team…and it’s never easy to resolve because he/she is ALWAYS related to the pastor, a key church family, or someone on the personnel committee. All you-know-what will break loose when the inevitable conversation has to happen and you don’t want to be the one caught in the crosshairs.

Here are tips for how to handle a toxic volunteer while minimizing the political fall-out:

• Have all volunteers sign a covenant of communication and expectations; in other words, give each volunteer everything they need to succeed. This will put the toxic volunteer on notice and eliminate some weapons of mass destruction.
• Trace back any “he/she said” stuff directly back to the person who supposedly said it.
• Face the toxicity sooner than later. The longer it goes the more damage is done.
• Remember that a healthy environment for your children and youth comes first and foremost. A toxic volunteer is a severe threat to a safe environment.
• When talking with an unhealthy volunteer, just state the facts and not anything subjective. Be sure to have someone else with you when face-to-face and always cc your boss when emailing about any problems. Its lays an accountability blanket of protection for you both.
• If the toxicity continues, ask them to step away from the program for three months, find them another non-children’s/youth ministry spot to use their gifts…and then hurry and replace their spot on your team with someone else.
• Don’t recruit them in the first place. Its why volunteer applications, covenants, and background checks are a healthy, responsible choice.
  

Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth, and adults in the local church (both large and small) since…a long time ago. Her humorous, straightforward style keeps her busy presenting and coaching at conferences, training events, camps, mission trips, retreats, churches, etc. She is now Senior Consultant for Ministry Architects, which allows her to help churches assess, vision, and formulate their ministry game plans.

The post The Toxic Volunteer appeared first on Ministry Architects.

I’d spent almost a year with the questioner, teaching her and 50 others in a small church cohort. And this question comes up now with just a month to go? Yikes! I was frustrated, but not at her. At myself! I had made some big ol’ leaping assumptions. I figured everyone knew what a typical youth group meeting was like. So, it wasn’t in my cohort teaching scope and sequence.

But I learned my lesson and have since added it to our denomination cohort classes. I never want to make that mistake again. So, just in case you were wondering as well… here’s my game plan for what happens at a typical weekly youth group gathering and how you can get one going.

How to start a youth group:

Step 1: Set a start date and be ready to stick with it.

Don’t let others’ busy schedules deter you. You’ll never find a date and time that meets everyone’s needs. Shoot for majority. Pay attention to a time during the week that makes the most sense for most of your families. Sunday and Wednesday nights are the most common meeting nights. Sunday afternoon or evening, there’s generally less competition for students’ time from other places. Many churches have other Wednesday night programming so that makes sense, too.

Step 2: Gather every possible name and address you can for your initial invite database.

Check church records or have a report run for the birth years of the students you want to reach, Sunday school, VBS registrations from the last few years, previous events, etc. Now, go advertise and invite!

Step 3: Line up your volunteer needs for each time you meet:

• Check-in desk person: For taking attendance, getting updated info, gathering permission slips, etc.
• Food: Asking different groups in the church to sponsor the snacks/meals is a great way of integrating the young with the maybe old.
• Games: (I hate leading games so I always find someone to do it.)
• Adults who like students: They hang out and talk to students, lead small groups and keep an eye on things. Can be combined with the other people needed.
• Setup/cleanup: Maybe all your adult leaders. While you get ready and put away, you could be talking about the night’s plans.

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Step 4: Set Your Schedule

TYPICAL YOUTH GROUP SCHEDULE:

• (:30>:00)      (Before) Set up and pray; be ready when the first students walk in.
• :00-:15           Gathering: students and adult check-in, hang out, chat, play, etc.
• :15-:45           Food: meal/snack, announcements, and other quick projects
• :45-1:15         Game Time: 1 high energy game followed by a low energy game.
  (Helps quiet down quiet down and transition into the lesson time. Doesn’t hurt if the 2^nd game fits what the lesson is about.)
• 1:15-1:45       Worship/Lesson with small group time
• 1:45-2:00       Closing prayer activity.

Step 4: Clean Up and Follow Up Afterward

• Clean up anything that would make other groups or leaders mad.
• If you borrowed something, put it back.
• Take the check-in data and send it wherever it needs to go.
• See who was missing and make sure 3-4 people check on that student.
• See who was new and make sure 3-4 people follow up on that student.
• Go home and thank God for the great night.

Looking for more resources to get you started? Check out these other great blogs:

“Best of Ministry Architects: Youth Ministry Resources FREE”– Ministry Architects
“How to Start a Youth Ministry in a Small Church”– ChurchLeaders
“6 Ways to Cast Your 2021 Ministry Vision for Youth Ministry”– YM360

Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth, and adults in the local church (both large and small) for a long, long time (35+ years). She is now a Senior Consultant for Ministry Architects, which allows her to help churches assess, vision, and formulate their ministry game plans. Check out Stephanie’s blogs at youthministry.com, youthspecialties.com, Princeton Theological Seminary, or email her today for more tips of the trade!

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