[Kid Inspiration]

So here’s the thing. I have tried to film at least 5 different new leaders training videos over the last few years. But seriously it seems like every time we try something happens. We have hard drives fail, lost footage, evil clowns steal tape (not really).

It felt like there was a spiritual battle going on for the soul of our new leaders and powers beyond my understanding were working against me to stop this video from being created – (“what do you mean exaggeration???”)

But instead of deterring me, my resolve only got more resolved, and my gumption got more gumptionfied - I cast out the demons of fear and loss and tried again

How you start something is very important and I want to give our new team members the best start possible.

I believe that in our multi campus Church that including this video with all of our new leaders applications will really help give them that great start. This is one part of getting new team involved.

Here is the video:

Hillsong Kids New Leaders Training

I have met over the last few years a large number of incredibly faithful kids pastors and leaders. A large percentage of the people who lead children’s ministries in Australia are volunteers and give a large chunk of their time to their local Church to see the ministry to children move forward.

I think these leaders have a HUGE amount to say to everyone involved in ministering to children. I am fascinated with the different forms that our little world of ministry takes on. Just last year a network that had seemingly languished here in NSW was resurrected and is finding it’s feet again. I have been able to be a part of a few of the gatherings and it has been such a blessing just to connect with leaders from other denominations across the spectrum of ministry in Australia. The Salvation Army people, Anglicans, Baptists and representatives from World Vision.

Now I don’t travel around very much except perhaps to the Kidshaper conference each year. But mainly I get to invite hundreds of pastors to the kids stream at our annual Hillsong Conference. So for me the net is a vital connection to leaders around this sunburnt land.

Maybe it’s the Tall Poppy thing in our culture – but my experience is that very few leaders in Australia a good at telling their own story.

There is so much God stuff going on with our kids in Australia I want to read some more about this, I want to hear more about this.

The most significant thing we have done in the last few years is start a preteen ministry. I wrote about it here: Re: Ideas for Children’s Ministry and have spoken about it everywhere I get the chance. What a WASTE if I had never shared the experience of starting this program and the blessing that it has been (I think I should talk more about it actually), and simply kept it to ourselves.

Right now someone is sitting on a story that will inspire me (or anyone) to greater effectiveness and new vision but they choose the path of least resistance and keep it to themselves. That’s not humble, that’s irresponsible.

<And Breathe…>

Here are some people telling the story of what God is doing in Aus:

Rob Bradbury is the Godfather Children’s ministry in Australia of has a new blog.

Children’s Ministry 1234 – The Planetshakers kids team

Brendon and Cathie Clancy – Kids worship leaders and pastors

Chris Neal – Keep writing Chris

Nathan Mclean – On Hillsong Kids staff at our Hills Campus!

Andrew Shepherd – 25 years in ministry and passionate as the day is long!

Funny Man Dan – My very own muffin of mirth keeping you smiling since 1984

Kathryn Macdowall – Hillsong Kids staff and the worlds greatest curriculum writer

Uniting Church – News from the Uniting Church in Australia

This was a pretty quick list and far too small. I am sure it needs to grow. If you know of others please leave a comment below and I will edit this post!

P.S. This is kinda like a part two of my last post Blogging Matters.

I feel bad.

Someone asked one of our awesome team (Kathryn Macdowall) to  send them an organisation chart for Hillsong Kids, and she had to write one down from memory because we don’t really have a up to date one.

It’s like one of the first rules of ministry.

Especially if doing multi campus Church!

It’s so important, you have to submit it before entering kidmin heaven along with your child safety policy.

But I didn’t have one.

You need clarity in your communication, which is usually found in the writing of something, but so many job descriptions and charts lie around gathering dust. Having something in the hearts and minds of your team is so much more important than having it just on paper.

What’s the most important document you have that no one has read?

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children. (I almost pulled this off! Just missed yesterday through being a ‘little’ tired after Kidshaper Conference).

Z… zebra, zoology, zenith…

Z is for Zeta – A small room or closet in a church.

This might be a little heavy to finish this list on, but the final word for the A-Z of Ministry to Children is about safety and protection. The most pressing need of your Church is to safeguard your children!

The bottom line at Hillsong Church for our leaders is simply this: ‘never be alone with a child.’

Our toileting procedures is always in pairs (or groups), we don’t change nappies (diapers) and our new leader process is pretty blunt – you need to ask the hard questions up front.

There should be no Zeta’s in your church. No secret places, and no secretive volunteers (or pastors).

Our culture and society has seen enough abuse of children (rightly so). So your job is to avoid even the appearance of evil. Be diligent, be militant and proactive about the safety and care of your kids!

The next post will be a recap of this series. If you have enjoyed it or found it insightful or even remotely helpful then please push the retweet button on the side of the next post, or the facebook ‘like’ button at the bottom. Feel free to blog about it, tell your neighbours and your enemies, which of course you don’t, for you love all humanity and would want them to read this blog.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

Q… quit, queen, Qantas, quacksalver…

Q is for Question – Your kids have questions. Lots of them probably. They will ask the most random question at the most random times. I know that when I am with one of our KDG’s (Kids Discipleship Groups – small groups), and talking I can see certain kids brains veering wildly out of control on a tangent which inevitably leads to a question like “If God is my Father, then is Jesus my brother?”.

I talked in E is for Encouragement about this topic a little. Whatever happens, you do want to encourage questions because they show thought and intiative both things that kids have control over.

So I want to talk about the questions you ask as a leader and follower.

Asking questions shows:

1. That you are eager to learn
2. You care about other peoples worlds
3. You want to improve
4. You are aware of what is going on around you
5. That you are interested
6. You don’t think you have all the answers
7. You want to involve others in the answers

As a leader you need to ask the most questions in the room. There is so much that goes unsaid in a team, assumptions, traditions, the way that we do things that are never articulated. Even if you feel like everyone in the room has heard it all before, say it!

Beginner stand-up comedians will work on new jokes until they have a solid ‘five minutes‘ of material they know is funny. They may keep using those jokes for years and years as they develop. Jerry Seinfeld in the movie/documentary comedian restarts his stand-up career after TV by writing all new material, and it is painful to watch at times as he goes through the growing pains.

Say what you have to say as a leader and then say it again. It will make your whole team laser focussed and avoid all the questions you don’t want to hear.

The questions you hear reveal your weaknesses, and the questions you ask reveal your heart.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

P… Passion, people, pimples, palladiumizing…

P is for Paradigm – Here’s what you need, a shift in your paradigms. I hear you protest – “But I just had my paradigms rotated last month”, “these paradigms were meant to be good for at least 3,000 miles”.

I love the old school. But only when it is truly recognised as old school.

In fact if you are still rockin’ old school like it’s new school then you are not old school at all you are instead a roadblock to the purpose of God.

…

A little strong Dave?

- Tell that to Peter and his paradigm shifting food experience which paved the way for the salvation of Gentiles (Acts 10:9-23)

- Tell that to the children of Israel who walked the desert for a few years longer than they had to because they couldn’t quite get their heads around this God who provided for them everything they needed.

- Tell that to your senior Pastor when you suddenly become a pain in the butt, dragging your inability to change around like a wet blanket when a change in direction calls for all leaders to stand up and say, “Ah, we’re going this way… let’s go!”

Some of the questions, some of the methods, some of the answers that were relevant in your old paradigm are completely irrelevant now.

Deal with it, or get out of the way for someone who can.

P.S. Working with children and young people takes the MOST flexible leadership in the Church. Hope it’s you

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

N… Naughty, nice, nothing, nautilus, numbers…

N is for New -  Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth (Ps 96:1). It has been said the the only constant thing in life is change, and the reality of the time we live in is that change is speeding up.

The thing that drives a lot of this rapid change comes down to the bottom line… money. It’s capitalism all the way down.

Fashion is a great way to gauge how fast society has changed. It wasn’t really until the 1900′s that fashion trends began to emerge more rapidly, so now we see trends that might have lasted for years have a cycle of a single season.

I often (well once, when shopping with my wife) wonder if a few hundred years ago a dressmaker could make the same style of dress her whole life and still be trendsetting?

We don’t have the same pressures on us in Church life, so what is driving us to change and innovate the most important institution on earth?

For me the answer is leadership.

Leaders with vision and foresight. Leaders who see the call of God as too important to ever settle and coast alone. Leaders who hate the status quo and dream of ways to move beyond it. Just like stand-up comedians who consider a show wasted unless they at least try out a few new jokes in their set, ensure you are trying new things every event and ministry opportunity.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

M… monkey, miracle, mountain, miffed, moro…

M is for Mystery – The universe is pretty big, and with all that science has figured out I wonder if we have even scratched the surface of our ability to understand reality. So “I don’t know”, is a perfectly good answer for a lot of questions. Obviously not for “Where is the bathroom?”, or “How do I get Tommy out of the roof?”. But for many questions in life there are no answers, only more questions.

God has revealed a few secrets to us: “This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory” (Col 1:26,27).

But some things God keeps to himself: Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD…”

My wife watched Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing as a young teenager and then watching years later (I can neither confirm or deny if I watched it as well) suddenly realised she had completely missed the story line involving abortion the first time around. It was there right in front of her face, but she missed it hidden in plain view.

Our kids are certainly not ready to explore every mystery, there is a maturity and understanding that will grow with them. I love a mystery along with every human on earth and I truly believe that some of the mysteries and unanswered questions only help strengthen our faith not weaken it.

In this culture and time, make sure you pass on to your kids the mystery that God has revealed – Christ lives in you. But also the mysteries that make this life of faith an adventure that may forever be unexplained.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

K… kindness, kids, karate, King Kong…

K is for Kidology – Kidology is the study of kids! The Apostle Paul said he became all things to all men so that they might be reached. If you know the work of Karl Bastian, aka “The Kidologist” you know what I’m talking about. Karl founded Kidology.org and blogs at Kidologist.com and I am going to borrow his phrase for this entry.

Studying human behaviour is a fascinating insight for all pastors and leaders who want to understand just what makes people tick. What helps them to change and grow beyond their current circumstance. You don’t need to be a counsellor to use information like this to help others. A lot can be accomplished in a single conversation if you know what you’re doing.

You and I are immigrants into the world of kids. We are strangers in a foreign land seeking to understand the natives.

Have a sit down with your kids sometime and ask them about their world, find out what their interests are and what their accomplishments are… you will be surprised. When you bring toys to Church, bring your own. Buy a Nintendo DS for yourself, not your kids. Swap Wii games, trade football cards, give away your old stuffed toys. In short, kids love to see that you are interested in what they are interested in.

I am pretty comfortable conversing with a 7 year old, it no longer terrifies me, but there was a time where it seemed we spoke different languages. I needed to study this strange creature in its natural habitat, I needed to understand its strange ways and in time it grew to trust me.

Become a student of children and remember… you used to be one.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

H… hope, happiness, Harry, highjinks…

H is for House – There are two ‘houses’ in our lives, the ‘house’ of God and our own family. In a NT theology the house of God is the gathering of the Church, and there is always a tension between promoting a works based religion and a relationship with our saviour. Church attendance does not equal salvation, just like living in a garage doesn’t make you a car, just like eating a hamburger doesn’t make you Ronald MacDonald.

But then I began to see how little time we get with our kids as the Church and all the competing activities there are in the life of a family.

Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).

All of the examples I want to follow when it comes to family life just have so much in common, they are passionate about passing faith on to their kids AND live a life of service to their local Church.

If a family would simply model a life of dedicated service, our calling as pastors to children would be infinitely easier and far more powerful, impacting, fruitful and significant!

Just watch this very recent video of Benny Hinn talking about how he neglected his family. The home and the family NEED to work together.

If I lose my family in my pursuit of ‘ministry’, I have lost everything!

A Special Message from Pastor Benny Hinn

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

E… Education, entertainment, Eric, eternal, effervescant…

E is for Encouragement – (I recently wrote a post at the official Hillsong Blog ‘Collected’ about this topic – have a read, but I want to talk about it here as it relates to kids).

I firmly believe that one word of encouragement to a child can literally set in motion the call of God on their life. I still remember the words both positive and negative that we spoken to me as a child about what I was capable of. You as a leader occupy an important place in the mind of a child, you’re not as present as a parent but you are around enough to have a big influence on the kids you minister to, in short, you can be a hero or a zero. Take the opportunity to speak words of life over their future every chance you get.

Research written about in the book NurtureShock has shown that some forms of praise can actually hold children back. Avoid praising children about their natural talent and giftings. eg. “You’re so brainy”, rather praise and encourage their efforts and hard work.

Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control,” she explains. “They come to see themselves as in control of their success. (Location 376 Kindle Edition)

There is a lot more to be said on this topic, but try it this weekend in your services at Church – watch how many times you encourage kids about innate ability rather than the attempt they have made.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

D… Doctrine, dynamic, Donald Duck, delusion, darts…

D is for Delegate – I have seen it over and over in our team and in myself. You find yourself with a new volunteer who has a lot of potential to carry great responsibility. But after a few weeks they have faded into the background and either settled or possibly disappeared. Not every leader is going to hop on your ‘bus’, but I find to often brilliant leaders are sitting in the back row when they could be helping you navigate!

The missing ingredient is often authority. You have been great in delegating responsibility, but like a lot of leaders cling onto the authority either because you like to ‘be the boss’ or you don’t trust anyone to ‘do it’ as good as you!

Hey – it used to be that you weren’t as good as you are now and the only reason you are where you are today is because someone took a chance on you.

Heres a simple little procedure to help someone reach their maximum potential:

1. Give them a simple task (very time specific) and follow up on it extremely diligently knowing that in the future you won’t have to be so thorough
2. Thank the person in a big way and ask if there is any way they think we (the team) could do it better.
3. Repeat a few times adding in the important ingredient - authority.
4. If they rise to the challenge they become a leader – simple as that.

(There is a lot more to it than this but you get the idea… simple right?)

Final thoughts from Jim Wideman and his blog series Delegate or die:

Delegation is not an option for those who want to succeed in ministry. But to succeed you must take inventory of where you are. Start small and go from there. I try to recruit my team one worker at a time. Ask yourself and your volunteers, “What do I need to do differently?” What volunteers do you see potential in? Commit to coach volunteers and let them learn by doing. What are you waiting on? Delegate or Die!

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

C… Christ, cooking, craft, cookies, camping…

C is for Culture – Whether we want to accept it, ignore it, or use it–the reality is that our kids are growing up under the influence of a media-saturated culture.

If we refuse to engage young people in biblical discussions about what they’re watching and hearing, we make it easy for them to compartmentalize their faith and put it aside when they move beyond the church walls.

Through discussions that reveal either the gospel’s presence or absence in popular culture, we help young people develop a biblical filter that shines the light of Jesus’ truth on media messages, encourages them to live authentically at school and church, and engages the Holy Spirit’s discernment in their lives.

Knowledge of kids’ culture also enhances our efforts as missionaries within that culture.

I like to USE culture, when you use something you have power over it, you take away fear. I certainly don’t want my kids to be afraid of any forms of media. Book burnings should be left in the past lest they turn into iPad burnings!

Now in an effort to drum up comments… Harry Potter – discuss

(please don’t)

P.S. Hillsong Church now has an official Blog! VIsit Hillsong Collected and read my first post at the site - The Dispenser of Enthusiasm.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

B… bread, bridge, bands, beginning, Barnabas, Beyonce…

B is for Bible - The potential for an image to convey emotion is very powerful. If I wrote on a wall – “The boy is sad”, any number of images could spring to mind but you probably won’t be overtly moved. If I instead place an image of a African child in despair over the famine he is experiencing… that ‘sad boy’ is far more powerful emotionally.

We need to be aware that it just might be the case that this current generation value images more than the written word, abstract more than the concrete. That’s scary for us logical, linear ‘oldies’ who grew up with ‘books’… but here is the awesome part… Jesus had it all covered way back in the first Century, he taught in pictures, in images, in metaphor. He took the prevalent culture and used it to bring understanding.

In a Image Based culture one of our highest callings is to develop children who love learning, not just kids who are learned. The way WE treat the Bible can have a big impact on that outcome.

The Bible is not a book! That’s JUST the way we have been reading the word of God for a few hundred years. In fact a Bible is useless unless the words have left the book and made their way into the hearts and minds of people. I am not bothered how my son chooses to interact with the BIble… in digital or paper versions it doesn’t really matter, my concern is that he chooses to.

I have given myself a challenge for the next 26 days – post the complete A-Z of Ministry to Children.

This will be neither comprehensive nor incomprehensible… it should fall somewhere in the middle I hope. So let’s start at the very beginning… a very good place to start.

A is for Adults: George Barna’s research has shown that at a typical Protestant church, more than four out of every ten people ministered to during the week are children, yet seven out of every eight ministry dollars are spent on adults. My own research has shown that every 9 out of 10 nagging children will get what they want from a toy store 2 out of every 3 times*. Whatever the stats are, the reality is that without parents… without adults both to volunteer/lead/train/inspire we cannot reach our kids.

If you see adults as the solution, they can become the solution. If you see them as the problem, then they can only become bigger problems.

Family Pastor (usually an adult) is currently the fastest growing new ministry title in the U.S. and this will continue into the next decade, as churches strive to equip and empower parents and work together to reach a generation.

*(Not really, more like 3 out of 4).

Why did I write about ‘US’ for the really cool ebook “What Matters Now?” (download free) released last month.

Why did I choose the word US?

The US I refer to is the Church.

I think that history, as told by God would be very different to history, as told by historians. The Bible doesn’t get too much into the politics of the day, it focuses on what really matters in God’s story. The fact is not everyone is called to be in politics, but everyone is called to be in ‘the Church’.

Compared to a lot of cultures around the world our ‘Western’ culture is massively individualistic. The problem is that strong families do not make for good reality shows or sitcoms, they do not serve up laughs at others expense or the drama of conflict.

Do you make jokes about ‘large’ families? You know, like ‘hey you guys ever heard of television?’.

If children are a blessing from God (they are), Then it follows that they are more blessed than you, right?

Anyway, that’s just one way our cocoon of individuality manifests itself (albeit a subtle one).

I love big families… it’s all so rebellious and counter-cultural!

Ha. We don’t burn bras anymore, we buy minivans!

So don’t just give lip-service to your cries for community, you will probably have to be different (different even to Church folks) to really nail the US thing… and that’s tough for adults… we’ve spent years trying to fit in!

Here is the chapter from the book:

South African Apartheid was not stopped by Nelson Mandela standing alone.

Segregation in the South of the United States was not extinguished by one speech from Martin Luther King, Jr.

It took a lot of passionate people building up a tidal wave of justice to overthrow inequality and prejudice. It’s true that one person can make a difference. discount viagra sale In fact, more than ever in history one person can be heard.

Our children need to realize that their individual voices have the potential to be louder than ever before… but volume has never guaranteed influence. When enough voices unite together, a moment happens, a tipping point occurs and a movement emerges. The conversation turns from a lone voice in the wilderness to a crowd in the town square.

A Super Bowl ad is not going redeem a culture that desperately needs God. It will take a generation whose faith is not only personal but grounded in community. Their prayers should be filled with “WE” and “OUR” not just “I” and “MINE”.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. (Margaret Mead)