“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Failure is the inevitable companion of a large vision. No one can take on a significant and difficult challenge without stumbling a few times. The important thing is how we respond. The goal is not a fail-safe record but a pattern of increasing effectiveness."

- Billy Graham

We all hate to fail. I know that I do. And yet when I look at the great people in history, such as the inventor Thomas Edison, or the great leader Abraham Lincoln - their paths to greatness were checkered with failure. In fact, many failures.

We will never get to the glorious places in ministry and in life if we just play it safe. We must risk. And where there is risk, there inevitably will be failure.

In your church and ministry, encourage risk. Applaud faith. And give people the freedom to fail. When you allow and cultivate a culture of risk, great things will happen.

Labels: Humor, Ministry_Philosophy, Quotes

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(ht: Paul Peterson)

Labels: Leadership, Ministry_Philosophy

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Perhaps you don't need any convincing of the benefits of children ministry, but perhaps your volunteers who are in the trenches week after week need to be reminded of just how important their investment of time and energy is. Here is a great list of reasons by Tony Kummer.

As you'll tell, this is something that Tony's passionate about. Here are Tony's 68 reasons why children’s ministry matters. They're split into categories to make them easier to read.

Top 68 Benefits of Children’s Ministry for the Children:

• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kids
  
• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Families
  
• 24 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps The Church
  
• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Everyone
  
• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kid’s Learn
  

Here is a sampling from some of the ways children's ministry benefits the children:

1. It promotes their eternal happiness. I want my kids to find indestructible joy in Christ.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Constantly work to introduce them to Jesus. Make the good news plain in everything you do. We have a mural in our children’s worship room that summarizes the story of Jesus.
2. It helps them make sense out of life. Only understanding who made the world, what went wrong and God’s plan to fix it can explain this world we all experience.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Teach a Gospel-centered worldview with specific applications that will help them interpret life.
3. It’s their best change to accept Christ. Research has proven that kids tend to be more receptive to the Gospel than any other age group. I want my children to have every opportunity to believe in Jesus.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Present the good news in age-appropriate ways all throughout childhood. I have different booklets that I give to different age groups to better target their comprehension level.
4. It helps avoid some negative outcomes of sin. Only God’s grace can change our hearts, but knowing the consequences of disobeying God is often a wake up call. When children understand the great price that Jesus paid for their salvation, they are more likely to stay on the way of the righteous.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Be careful to teach both God’s law and God’s love, one doesn’t make sense without the other.
5. It can help counter balance worldly influences. Everyone knows the harmful influences present in our society. Kids need positive influences to tip the scale.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Help them see where God’s values conflict with worldly values. For example, God say love other people and the world says “look out for yourself.”
6. It can help them learn to love others. The 2nd greatest commandment is to love your neighbor. We must teach this as a way of life, because it doesn’t comes naturally.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Provide real life experiences for them to love other people. Some examples are mission trips, prayer partners, and ministry projects.
7. It is something fun to do. Do you know who invented fun? God did. Do you know why? For his own glory. While entertainment and fun seeking can become an idol, we should not thing God is against fun.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: As a leader, your should be having fun too. Let the children know that you love ministering to them.
8. It helps kids want to come to church. There is nothing wrong with having a program that appeals to the interests of children, especially when it brings more children to hear the Gospel.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Make a list of the needs, interests and motivations of kids. Use these to inform (not dictate) how you will present God’s truth.
9. It helps them make new friends. Some of the best ones children will ever make is in the church.
   – Children’s Ministry Tip: Allow time for group activities and relationship building in your programs.
10. It helps discover and intervene in abusive home situations. This is something we rarely address. But the church is often one of the few safe places on Earth for abused children.
    – Children’s Ministry Tip: Pay attention to what kids are saying about their home life. Try to get to know every family. If you suspect abuse, you are legally (and morally) obligated to report it.
11. It helps children get to know their pastors. One of the best ways for ministers to connect with younger families is by working in the children’s programs.
    – Children’s Ministry Tip: Draft pastors and staff ministers to serve VBS or other ministry programs.
12. It gives kids meaningful keepsakes. Those VBS and Sunday school crafts often become prized possessions. The Bible verses on their keepsakes will remind them of what they have learned for years to come.
    – Children’s Ministry Tip Plan high value crafts that are worthy of keeping.
13. It gives children special memories. Think back to when you were a child in Sunday school. Can you remember a special teacher or event?
    – Children’s Ministry Tip Take photos, make videos, or encourage kids to journal their memories.
14. It allows them to make friends with adult volunteers in safe context. In our culture child safety is a constant concern, and rightly so. But there is still great value in kids finding adult mentors in the church.
    – Children’s Ministry Tip Design adult led small groups into our ministry times.
    
    

Also, if you were interested in this post, you may be interested in the Top Uth Sites on the Web.

Labels: Children, Ministry_Philosophy

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From the 37signals blog:

From time to time during conference Q&A sessions I’m asked “How did you create the culture at 37signals?” or “What do you recommend we do to set up an open, sharing company culture like yours?”

My answer: You don’t create a culture. Culture happens. It’s the by-product of consistent behavior. If you encourage people to share, and you give them the freedom to share, then sharing will be built into your culture. If you reward trust then trust will be built into your culture.

Artificial

Artificial cultures are instant. They’re big bangs made of mission statements, declarations, and rules. They are obvious, ugly, and plastic. Artificial culture is paint.

Real

Real cultures are built over time. They’re the result of action, reaction, and truth. They are nuanced, beautiful, and authentic. Real culture is patina.

Don’t think about how to create a culture, just do the right things for you, your customers, and your team and it’ll happen.

(ht: 37signals)

I hear what 37signals (an internet company) is saying. You can't will or proclaim "culture". Rather you have to cultivate culture by living it out, day in and day out. And this is especially true for the leaders within the church. The culture of a church will follow the behavior and model of it's leaders.

For instance, Big Creek Church has a culture that lives out in an environment of grace. The big reason this is true is because the leaders live it out in their own lives and among others.

Labels: Ministry_Philosophy

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Do you dream about your ministry being the "next" big thing? Do you read those "Top/Most Influential/Most Innovative" church lists that seem to come out every week? What do you RUN after?

Although this post from 37 Signals relates specifically to the Web2.0 and technology world, I believe that it has implications for your church and ministry. Read this excerpt and think of how it may apply to you and your church.

"There is stupidity of trying to cast promising start-ups as The Next Google, The Next Microsoft, or The Next Whatever.

The true giants, like IBM, Microsoft, and Google, come to life so rarely that the chances of random company X being one of them is slim to the point that we might as well try to guess who’s going to be struck by lightning tomorrow or win the lottery.

But even more importantly, the real nexts are never repeats of the last next. That’s what makes them nexts! Thus the comparison is irrelevant.

Nobody is likely going to be the next Microsoft in much of anything that makes Microsoft the company it is: the Windows/Office power-punch. Google has been billed as such many times, but its entire being has nothing to do with the defining characteristics of Microsoft."

(HT: 37 Signals)

The same temptation is true in the church world. When Willow Creek was the "it" church, everyone wanted to be the next Willow Creek. When Saddleback was the "it" church, everyone RAN to be the "next" Purpose Driven Saddleback Church. Maybe your "it" church is Northpoint, Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, Mars Hill or whatever.

The real "next" churches are never repeats of the last church or movement. They are unique movements of God. Don't try to be chasing after the phantom of the "next" but rather be the unique church God has called you to be within your unique community and cultural context.

If you have any doubts that this is true, read:

Blue Ocean Strategy or the The Long Tail

Labels: Ministry_Philosophy

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