Your November Resources Are Here!

When it comes to the way you lead in children’s ministry, where are you placing your focus? Do you believe that the curriculum you choose has the most significant impact? Does your programming plan or ministry calendar win the day? What about your metrics or church growth models? Maybe it’s the books you’re reading, podcasts you’re following, or what the bigger children’s ministry down the street is doing that you’re trying to imitate. Have you ever taken the time to pause long enough to ask/answer the question—what do I believe matters most or feel has the most lasting impact when it comes to effectively discipling this generation of kids? If you haven’t asked/answered that question yet, then you probably haven’t asked/answered the one that follows—what do the parents of the kids who are in my ministry need the most as they seek to lead and foster spiritual growth at home? However you answer those questions for this season or for your particular ministry context, an important truth you might discover along the way is that one of the best gifts that you can give a parent is the influence of other significant, caring, godly adults in the life of their child.

As kids are growing up, learning to navigate the world around them, and wrestling with their many doubts and questions, they need lots of support, encouragement, and even some accountability along the way. Obviously, their parents need to be leading in this area, but many parents also understand the need to surround their kids with other adult mentors who can speak into their lives and spiritual development. For most, they are going to have some adults around them (teachers, administrators, maybe coaches, neighbors, extended family) influencing them in some direction, but not all of these adult influencers speak the same language that parents are speaking or when it comes to life and faith. But what if we, as children’s ministry leaders, could help parents understand the untapped potential of surrounding their kids with godly adult voices who are hearing and saying the same things that they are hearing and saying as parents? What if we could equip parents with the tools they need to access the areas in which their kids need additional influence? What if our children’s ministries became places where every adult leader understood relational ministry and viewed their primary role as a caring adult who invests themselves in life-on-life discipleship with kids, not just a teacher of Bible information?

This month’s M2P resources were created to equip, encourage, and even challenge you, the leaders who serve alongside you, and the parents in your ministry context to consider the power of a relational ministry mindset. The Online Parenting Class Videos paint a picture for parents of what having key adults in the lives of their kids can do for them. The Coaching Video will provide you and those who serve alongside you with some thoughts and ideas as you seek to invite leaders into the children’s ministry and train them to lead well. The Toolbox Resource, entitled Mentoring Assessment, will equip parents with a way to evaluate whether their kids have the adult influences they need to grow deeper in their faith. Our Blog Articles and the latest episode of the M2P Podcast will help you drive this mindset home and offer great insights into this idea. Relational mentoring matters when it comes to the discipleship and faith development of kids.

Your children’s ministry can be a trusted place for providing parents with faithful, influential, godly adults to invest in and walk alongside their kids. If you focus on this area of ministry and do it well, you will multiply the impact your children’s ministry has, kids will grow in their faith, and parents will be thankful.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. – 3 John 1:4 ESV

The M2P Team

In this month’s Toolbox Resource, entitled Mentoring Assessment, we hope to help parents better assess and discern whether their child has Christian mentors who are supporting and encouraging them in their faith journey. There are specific and intentional decisions that parents can make in order to surround their children with the voices they need to help them process the doubts, questions, and issues they are facing. This month’s Toolbox Resource provides parents with a practical assessment they can use to determine the steps they can take to help their children have the godly mentors they need.

HOW TO USE IT

• Download the Mentoring Assessment. and post it on your website.
• Email parents a copy of the resource and encourage parents to set aside some time to go through it.
• Print copies of the resources for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick them up.

To view or download, click HERE.

Relational ministry happens when adults who have genuine faith in Jesus spend time with kids, building relationships with them and sharing the good news of the Gospel through natural relationships. It goes beyond just being teachers and wanting to share content; it’s adults choosing to become spiritual mentors and life-on-life disciplers. It’s what Jesus did with His disciples, and it’s the model of ministry we see all through Scripture. So, as children’s ministry leaders, a big part of our role is to build a ministry where discipleship happens, not primarily through what takes place in a classroom or on a stage, but what takes place as adults pour into kids and they live life together in biblical community and accountability. And you have the opportunity to make this happen in your church because the kids in your care need significant adults who will love and encourage them as they grow in their lives and faith.

In this month’s coaching videos, we will spend some time together unpacking that idea and providing you with some ideas you and your adult leaders can use to help parents lead at home.

To view, click HERE.

As they seek to raise their kids in the faith, parents need lots of help. They may not recognize it, but one of the best things that the church can do for them is build a team of goldy adult teachers and leaders who can model what it means to have an authentic faith and be adults worth imitating. Spiritual mentors can serve as living testimonies, embodying the values and teachings of the faith, and play a pivotal role in shaping the spiritual journey of the next generation. This month’s Online Parenting Class helps parents see the value of having these mentors in the lives of their kids. It will also provide them with practical ideas on how to make this happen. When the church and the home are working together to influence kids, deeper discipleship happens, and the kingdom of God grows.

To view, click HERE.

New blog posts coming this month:

• For Kids’ Ministry Leaders: “Volunteers as Mentors” by Amy Diller
• For Kids’ Ministry Parents: “Finding Mentors for Your Child” by Amy Diller
• For Youth Ministry Leaders: “Teaching Your Teens That Mentors Matter” by Chris Sasser
• For Youth Ministry Parents: “Encouraging Mentoring Relationships” by Chris Sasser

To view, click HERE. 

Your October Resources Are Here!

As you look across the landscape of life, our current culture, and how those things are impacting the ones who you have been called to lead, equip, and shepherd through your children’s ministry’s span of care, you know that it’s no cakewalk out there. Our families are struggling (to put it mildly). So many of the families in our churches are being distracted, derailed, discombobulated, and are left holding on by a thread as they attempt to navigate a myriad of difficult situations, challenges, and circumstances. You don’t have to look hard to be able to see that the parents of the kids we have the privilege of ministering to weekly are drowning—being hit by wave after wave of yet another crisis to navigate, fire to put out, or difficult situation to manage. And it’s not just the parents; the children whom we are trying to reach, disciple, and point toward Jesus are themselves dogpaddling like crazy just to keep their heads above water. Through it all, parents are often at a loss for what to do, where to help, and how to engage. This growing sense of confusion, anxiety, overwhelmedness, and inadequacy causes the parents in our children’s ministries to freeze up, act out, give up/in, or check out, leaving their children to navigate life and spiritual growth on their own. As children’s ministry leaders, part of our role and calling necessitates that we come down off the lifeguard stand, jump in the deep, choppy waters, and do everything we can to come alongside parents and provide them with the help, support, and resources they need to lead their families well.

This month’s M2P resources have been specifically designed to help you and the leaders who serve along with you in children’s ministry to dive into this sea of difficult issues and offer parents some much-needed flotation devices so that they can keep from drowning as they swim amongst the waves of difficult issues that will invariably come their family’s way.

Our Blog Articles and Coaching Video will provide you and your leaders with thoughtful insights, creative ideas, and practical steps that you and your ministry can offer families who are (or at some point will be) trying to navigate choppy waters. Our Online Parenting Class Video and this month’s Toolbox Resource entitled Hope In The Midst Of Trouble will provide parents with a practical tool they can use to start (and stay) in the personal and spiritual conversations they need to be in with their kids at home.

And don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of the M2P Podcast with Brian Haynes—a widely recognized pastor, speaker, author, and thought leader in the areas of family ministry and parenting well through the mountaintop moments as well as the difficult times.  Check it all out, and let us know how we can better serve you as you seek to serve the parents in your church.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. – Psalm 46:1-3 ESV

The M2P Team

As we wade into the overwhelming and often paralyzing waters of navigating challenging issues that our families are facing, we want to do everything we can to come alongside parents and provide them with the help, support, and resources they need to lead their families well. To accomplish that goal, this month, we are providing you as a children’s ministry leader with a specific, age-appropriate resource that you can offer to parents to use to start (and stay) in the personal and spiritual conversations they need to be in with their kids.

This Toolbox Resource for the parents of K through 5th-grade children is entitled Hope In The Midst Of Trouble and is designed to help parents provide their children with reminders of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and His promises. It’s a helpful resource parents can use to open ongoing conversations with their kids—reminding them of God’s character, the hope He offers, and that even if they feel that God is far away, the truth of His Word is everlasting.

HOW TO USE IT

• Download Hope In The Midst Of Trouble Devotion and post it on your website.
• Email parents a copy of the Toolbox Resource and encourage them to set aside some time to prayerfully and thoughtfully work through it as a family.
• Print copies of the Toolbox Resource for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick it up.

To view or download, click HERE.

As children’s ministry leaders, there are many things that we can (and often do) have strong opinions about when it comes to “best practices” of shepherding those whom the Lord has placed within our span of care. Be it programming decisions, worship styles, snack choices (to Goldfish or not to Goldfish, that is the question), or teaching methods, there are just some things where it’s okay to agree to disagree (in a Christ-honoring way). But a few things that every children’s ministry leader can agree upon is that the world is a crazy place, our culture is heading in the wrong direction, life is filled with difficult seasons, and the families inside and outside the walls of our churches are struggling mightily. There are just so many difficult and complex issues that our families are facing today. As we all work to live out our calling and honor the Lord through ministering to the people in our churches who are navigating these difficult issues of life, there are certain things that we need to remember and pay attention to. This month’s coaching video gives you and those who serve alongside you some practical ideas and steps to take as you both lead in children’s ministry and support parents. The craziness of the world and the complexity of issues are not going away—until King Jesus returns—but until that glorious day, let’s all agree to glorify the Lord by doing everything we can to help parents navigate it all in a healthy way that will strengthen their faith and give their kids the spiritual foundation they need to stand on solid ground.

To view, click HERE.

When it comes to helping a child think through and deal with the difficult issues of life, there are some practical things that their parents can do to help develop the solid foundation that we all want them to have. Much of what parents can do revolves around building real relationships, having open/honest conversations, and spending time in prayer. This can take a lot of work and can even be a little intimidating for many, but it’s so worth it because just these simple steps can have more of an impact than most parents realize. In this month’s Online Parenting Class, we talk about some specific things that parents can do as they seek to lead their kids through difficult seasons, circumstances, or crises and into a healthy place. It’s not always about teaching and instructing. It’s often more about connecting, listening, being present, and pointing them to the One who created them and loves them deeply.

To view, click HERE.

New blog posts coming this month:

• For Kids’ Ministry Leaders: “Families in Crisis – Sharing the Burden” by Amy Diller
• For Kids’ Ministry Parents: “Heartache and Hope” by Amy Diller
• For Youth Ministry Leaders: “Helping Parents Survive Difficult Circumstances with Their Teens” by Karin Sasser
• For Youth Ministry Parents: “Freak Out, But Stay Calm” by Karin Sasser

To view, click HERE. 

Your September Resources Are Here!

Several times a year, we head into a new “season,” if you will. I’m not talking about a change in the weather, but I am talking about new seasons of sports that crank up with our kids. Even if you and your family aren’t really that much into sports yourselves, you will no doubt feel the impact of sports on your church and the children’s ministry that you lead. People may not be as present at your ministry events or services as we would like them to be due to all of the practices, games, tournaments, and travel-ball schedules. Parents are often overwhelmed and seem absent-minded as they attempt to juggle their entire family’s calendar, which includes a myriad of work deadlines, school functions, doctor appointments, family-specific events, birthday parties, social commitments, sports, and church. There is so much going on that it’s hard for most parents to keep up, much less try to “keep the main thing, the main thing” for themselves and their families. Our hopes and prayers are that faith and gathering to worship will be at the top of their list, but often it just isn’t. That’s why part of our job as children’s ministry leaders in the church is to come alongside these parents and families to support and encourage them as they try to navigate it all. However, if we’re completely honest, we can often have a pretty negative outlook and attitude when the families who are part of our churches make decisions to prioritize sports. Our first thought is often scoffing and judging, then it is supporting and encouraging.

This month’s M2P resources are designed to equip and maybe even challenge you a little, as a children’s ministry leader, to explore a different approach when it comes to helping families navigate the tension they (and you) feel between church and sports. Instead of setting up a church vs. sports mentality, we, as children’s ministry leaders, have to figure out how to work with and minister to families that are heavily involved in sports. We’re here to help you do just that.

Our Blog Articles and  Coaching Video will provide you with thoughtful insights, creative ideas, and practical steps you and your children’s ministry can take to lead families well in the midst of all that they have vying for their time and attention. Our Online Parenting Class Video and this month’s Toolbox Resource entitled Huddle Up will give parents an opportunity to have a little fun with their kids as they talk together about the role sports play in their family’s life, how faith can integrate with sports, and encourage their kids to grow in their faith through sports while also living out that faith on the field of competition.

And don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of the M2P Podcast with Stuart Hall—a widely recognized speaker, author, and thought leader in the areas of youth ministry, children’s ministry, and family ministry. Check it all out, and let us know how we can better serve you as you seek to serve the parents in your church.

The M2P Team

As we tackle this conversation about faith and sports (see what we did there?), it’s time to ask parents to “huddle up” with their families (too much?) and have a conversation. This month’s Toolbox Resource entitled Huddle Up will give parents an opportunity to have a little fun with their kids as they talk together about the role sports play in their family’s life. Parents will also be able to talk about how faith can integrate with sports and encourage their kids to pay attention to both how they are growing in their faith through sports and living out that faith on the field of competition.

HOW TO USE IT

• Download Huddle Up and post it on your website.
• Email parents a copy of the Toolbox Resource and encourage them to set aside some time to prayerfully and thoughtfully work through it as a family.
• Print copies of the Toolbox Resource for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick it up.

To view or download, click HERE.

If we’re honest, there are more times than not when we encounter families who have placed sports as a high priority in the rhythm of their family, and it really gets under our skin. You may have even grimaced a bit just reading that sentence. We get it—the time those kids and families are spending at practices, games, and traveling is taking them away from a lot of good things that you have worked hard to plan and offer them at church (and they just aren’t around very much). That being said, if we aren’t careful, we can subtly (or maybe even directly) find ourselves in a “church versus sports” state of mind and attitude. As children’s ministry leaders, we can’t let that state of mind or that attitude take root. Even though we may struggle with how we can best engage these families who are not as physically present as we would like for them to be, our focus should be answering the same ministry question we are always asking: How do we best come alongside, support, and minister to these kids and families who the Lord has placed under our care? How can we influence and support kids and parents to follow Jesus and live for His glory (yes, even the ones who have placed a high priority on athletics)? It can be a real tension within our own minds as well as within the walls of our churches. That’s why in this month’s coaching video, we want to give you and those who serve alongside you some practical ideas on how you can maybe shift your focus (maybe even your church’s focus) to support, encourage, and disciple the kids and families who have made sports a central part of their lives.

To view, click HERE.

Lots of parents are trying to help their kids grow, develop, and mature by getting them involved in sports. Almost all of us would agree that sports are a way for kids to get some exercise, learn how to work hard/navigate obstacles, meet some new friends, learn teamwork, build community, and maybe have some success. There are a lot of benefits to sports, and many parents have experienced those benefits themselves. But if we’re not careful, we, as parents, can quickly cross a very dangerous and thin line where sports become a place of unrealistic expectations, unnecessary pressures, misplaced identity, and living out our own dreams/perceived shortcomings through our kids. Our kids’ sports and sports schedules can also quickly begin to dominate the family calendar. Our job as parents is NOT to push our kids to be the best they can be in sports but to use sports as a vehicle to help them become the men or women God has created them to be. It can be a heck of a journey, but if we keep it all in perspective, sports can be a place where our kids grow in their faith and live that faith out in incredible ways.

This month’s Online Parenting Class will help parents think through how they can navigate sports, especially in relation to the church and faith.

To view, click HERE.

New blog posts coming this month:

• For Kids’ Ministry Leaders: “Sports: Not the Enemy We’ve Made Them Out to Be” by Amy Diller
• For Kids’ Ministry Parents: “Church and Sports: Finding Balance” by Amy Diller
• For Youth Ministry Leaders: “Partnering with Parents Through Church and Sports” by Karin Sasser
• For Youth Ministry Parents: “Navigating Teens and Sports” by Karin Sasser

To view, click HERE.