Meet ParentLife, maybe get a free subscription!

We are excited to announce a new addition to what you'll find on centrikidblog.com.  Each month, we will feature a guest post from Parent Life Magazine (found online at http://www.lifeway.com/parentlifeblog).  Don't worry if you aren't a parent ... you work with kids in ministry so I'm pretty sure you'll benefit from the things they share.

In order to kick this off right, we are giving away a subscription to ParentLife magazine to somebody who writes on the CentriKid Facebook page and completes this sentence:  "I'd like to hear from ParentLife about...."   (it can be something funny, serious, ministry-related, kid culture-related ... anything).  We will choose one person to get the subscription from those who comment.  It won't be based solely on "likes" for your comment, but it doesn't hurt to have a lot of "likes" beside your submission.

Here are 3 things you might want to do today as a show of support for our friends at ParentLife Magazine...

1. "Like" ParentLife on Facebook (and jot a note on their wall!) if you want to see their updates in your News Feed.
2. Check out a sample issue of ParentLife Magazine - download it from their main site... lifeway.com/parentlife
3. Bookmark the ParentLife blog so you can check it out from time to time.
4. Try winning the OMC Game Kit they are giving away today over on the ParentLife blog..... we've partnered together today for great giveaways!

Don't forget to finish this sentence:  "I'd like to hear from ParentLife about...."  on the CentriKid Facebook page to try winning a free year-long subscription to ParentLife magazine!

Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid team and is a new parent ... so he will be trying to win that ParentLife subscription today too!  Keep up with JE and Emily's antics with thier sweet little girl Baby Madison through the twitter hashtag #BabyMadison and on JE's twitter.

7 Tech Tools You Can Use in #Kidmin

As a leader, you've got lots of tools in your leadership toolbox.... planning, delegation, recruiting volunteers, people skills, and so on...  How many technical tools are in your toolbox?  You know, those nifty tricks and time-savers that help you get your work done on the computer...

Here are 7 Tech Tools you can use in your kids ministry ... and the best part?  They are pretty easy to learn and implement right away!  These are some of my favorites, you may have others to contribute...if so, share them in the comments, on the CentriKid facebook page, or tweet them to me!

 

DropBox - this is simple solution for sharing files with a collaborative team or for making things easy to download for staff members or church members.  I use Dropbox to share lots of high resolution baby photos with my dad instead of emailing them.  There is free & paid version...and there are lots of ways to get more space in your free Dropbox account, like referring other users. (click here to get started, and you and I both will get extra free space!)

Evernote - my favorite searchable note-taking application...available on your smartphone, PC, or Mac.  This has been a lifesaver when I've needed a specific detail, but can't get to my desk.  The free version has monthly upload limitations, but I haven't ever maxed out the monthly limit.  It handles PDF, emails, photos, and the text in documents, photos, & handwritten notes is searchable (assuming your hand-writing is somewhat legible).  This app is amazing, and they keep making improvements to it.

 Posterous - this is the easist blog to create and maintian.  All you have to be able to do is send an email...and you are a blogger.  With a couple of minutes of setup, you can customize your blog and have it auto-post to all your social media sites.  I host my personal blog CoachEchols.com via Posterous and I love how easy it makes the whole process.  This is an easy way for you to post regular announcements, share information with parents in your ministry, or even create a short-term blog for special events like going to CentriKid so those parents can get all the info they need to prepare for your trip.

Use Multiple Browsers - I wish I thought of doing this years ago... but there are 2 main reasons I always have multiple browsers open on my computer desktop.  (1) Keep work and personal email accounts separated but opened simultaneously.  (2) Access membership sites without being logged in.... like checking a blog post or a link that I'm sharing without being logged in to that site.   I always have Firefox open with my personal email, google docs, facebook, twitter, coachechols.com, etc...   Chrome open with my work email, work google docs, calendar, centrikidblog, etc...  Safari is where I'm not logged in to any accounts and can test a link to see if it works or preview a blog post without being logged in to the editing screen.

Social Media - Not everybody has to be a social media giant.  Just a little bit of effort can make Facebook and Twitter serve as great connection tools for expanding your ministry into the community.  I recently helped my dad setup a blog on Posterous so it will automatically share to all the social media sites he wants.  Facebook is for more than just pictures of babies and Twitter can do more than just tell what you had for dinner.

iMovie - I know you probably just skipped over this one.  Nobody has time to learn how to become a video producer.  This is where I want to challenge you a little bit though.  Everybody seems to be making videos on their phones and iPods, so why not you?  Spruce up your weekly announcements at church or the email newsletter by adding a video.  Just shoot it on your phone, camera, or whatever ... import it into iMovie and play around.  There are lots of short video tutorials online and you can pick up the basics really quickly.  There are Windows PC movie makers too, so give it a try!

Keyboard shortcuts - lots of computer programs have keyboard shortcuts that can really save you a lot of time.  I navigate my Google Calendar primarily by keyboard shortcuts now and it is much quicker.  Almost any computer program saves your current file by hitting "Command-S" or "Control-S" and there are quick ways to close programs when you are done.

These are a few of my favorite tech tools and skills, so I hope they can help you too.  Share some of your favorites with me, I would love to learn from you!

Jeremy Echols leads the camp team and love saving time with shortcuts so he can spend more time with #BabyMadison.  Keep up with them & even share more tech tools with JE via his twitter.

A Pastor shares 3 tips to recruit (and retain) #kidmin volunteers

This guest blog is by Matt Norton, former Crosspoint camp director, currently the senior pastor at First Baptist Church Pine Bluff, Arkansas.  Matt loves to chase storms and is certified by the National Weather Service as an amateur storm spotter.

To recruit (and retain) volunteers for your ministry, use these 3 strategies:

1. Show off the children's ministry to the whole church.  Involve the kids in worship services, have them talk about ministry projects, and let the church see the value of what is happening in the children's department.
2. Recruit volunteers personally.  Be intentional about it and approach them with confidence.  Go to those with gifts that would fit well with children's ministry.  Mass announcements don't work very often.
3. Develop your volunteers.  Have a specific job for them and make it clear what is needed.  People quit volunteering if they feel inadequate or unused.  Your volunteers will give even more if you are giving time and energy to invest in them.

Here's one final thought... Since God has entrusted a great task to you to spiritually nurture children, don’t forget to allow Him to spiritually nurture you.  Take the opportunity to worship.  Allow your pastor to feed you and challenge you to strive for excellence for the glory of God!

See more articles about taking care of your volunteers.

Practical Steps for Change: Part 3 of a 3-Part Series

We have looked at how to know it is time to change and what makes change hard, and today we are going to look at some practical steps in making critical changes in your organization.

• Andy Stanley says, “Look at programs through the lens of mission and vision.”  He goes on to say, “Fall in love with your mission but date your programs”.  I love this one.  Never change what God has called you to do, but be willing to change how you do it.  At CentriKid, we tell staff that their job is to make sure that every single person who comes to camp has a life changing experience with Christ.  We do that through relational ministry.  When it comes to how we do worship, recreation, parties… it is all on the table of change. 
• Acknowledge what is not working and do something about it.  Too often we can’t seem to acknowledge that something is no longer working.  If we can’t do that, then we won’t make changes.
• Talk to your staff and volunteers.  People don’t need to win, but they do need to be heard.   We won’t all agree, and leadership is not a democracy; however, everyone needs to feel valued and heard. They need to know you appreciate them and their ideas.  There is no better way than asking them what they think.
• Get key leaders and critics on your team.  Talk to them in private, and talk to them first. They will influence the feelings and attitudes of others.
• Communicate change clearly, honestly, and often.  Once you have made a decision to change, communicate it as clearly as you can.  Let them know why you are making changes, when change will happen, and how it will affect them.  Be honest with people.  They can tell when you are selling change rather than just being honest with them.  People want you to be transparent with them because transparency is honesty and selling feels dishonest.  Communicate change in as many places and ways as you can.  The more people hear it, the more they understand it and they begin to communicate it.  Once that happens, they begin to own the change as well.  Many times, I have watched my ideas being shared by others and it sounds like it was their idea.  When that happens, you know you have transitioned through change effectively.



5 Reasons Change is Hard

In my last post, I said, “Change is always hard and almost always worth it. Even the change we are excited about is hard.  You purchase a new home and are so excited about moving in, but packing the boxes and moving the furniture is hard.  You want to use a new curriculum at your church, but training and communicating that change will not be easy.”  Here are five fundamental reasons change is hard:

• We get emotionally attached to the way we do ministry.  I tell our team often, “Don’t love what you do too much.”  When you love something too much, you never want to change it.  More importantly, you are blinded to the need for change. 
• You love what you create.  If you created it, you are even more blind to the need for change.  I live in Nashville, and it seems every other person you bump into is a songwriter.  If they wrote a song they love it, even if you don’t.  You just can’t bear to tell them.
• You worry about how change will affect you.  Organizational change almost always means work will look different, and you worry about what that means to you personally.  Will I like my new role?  Will I love the people I work with?  Will I have a job?  These are all questions people ask themselves when change is coming, and it makes change so very difficult for the leader who is leading change.
• Change is hard because it makes people move out of their comfort zones.  We are comfortable with what we know. Your volunteers are comfortable with what they know, and change means you have to help them get comfortable.
• Change is hard because it is hard work.  It is hard work to plan for change, to communicate change, and to train for change.

 What are some other ways that change is hard for you? How do you normally respond?

 Watch for my next post for some practical steps for making changes.

6th Graders

Communicating Your Kids Ministry

This post is from Natalie, who serves as a strategist for LifeWay Kids and CentriKid Camps. She offers some great wisdom on how her work can help you and your ministry!

What comes to mind when you think about communicating your ministry? Who do you communicate it to? How do you do it? And do they get the message? When you have a great ministry you want others to know about it and experience it. It’s not a science, but an art.

Relationships are key. When building relationships with friends, family members, and colleagues, you call them, go to lunch together, drop by for a chat, shoot them an email, or friend them on Facebook. You meet them where they are. You work to build a relationship of respect, trust, and transparency.

It’s more important now than ever to build relationships as you connect with your audience. People want to connect with churches that are authentic. Adults and kids feel connected if they feel known. When they experience for themselves that what you are communicating and providing is authentic, you gain respect and trust. Over time, you gain loyalty.

Use these FOUR TIPS to better communicate what your ministry is all about:

• Know who you want to connect with, and meet them where they are. At CentriKid, we strive to meet our customers where they are through direct mail, Facebook, our blog and best of all—at camp!  If you’ve experienced for yourself that what we communicate about camp is true, then hopefully you’ll want to return to camp. The same is true for families in your church.
• Learn the best vehicle for communicating to kids and parents. Look for ways to spread the word to those who have not yet experienced it themselves.  When communicating CentriKid we stress what you can always expect at our camps: solid biblical content, kid-friendly programming, and ministry through relationships. However, the best advertisement we have is our church leaders who have experienced camp themselves. Many leave camp talking about it, and more people want to experience it as a result. Give your kids and families an experience they can’t help but share with others!
• Spend time listening to your audience. They provide feedback, and you make changes when needed. We discover what kids need and what kids ministers need at CentriKid by asking the source—our church leaders. We build relationships. Then we apply what we learn, and we communicate it to our audience.
• Build relationships. Respect and trust will grow as a result. As you communicate your ministry, your kids and parents are spreading the word too!

Remember, it’s an art! Please share your thoughts on communicating your ministry. Any ideas that work well for you?



Kids Ministry Conference Coming Soon!

If you haven't already heard, LifeWay's Kids Ministry Conference is happening in just a few short weeks! Not only will you find the entire CentriKid Camps team there, but you'll get to hear some amazing speakers like Ed Stetzer, Jon Acuff, and even The Duggars! Combine all of that with great worship, great workshops, one awesome city backdrop (aka Nashville) and you can't get much better than that! A couple of weeks back, Meredith gave 10 reasons you should join us!

All of the details, along with the place to register can be found on the official Kids Ministry Conference website. Be sure to check it out. If you are already coming, tell us what you are most looking forward to. Hope to see you there!

Change: How Do you know it's Time?

I have said many times that change is always hard and almost always worth it.  Even the change we are excited about is hard.  You purchase a new home and are so excited about moving in, but packing the boxes and moving the furniture is hard.  You want to use a new curriculum at your church, but training and communicating that change will not be easy.  Organizational change is hard because it almost always affects people.  It is human nature to worry about change that is coming and how it will affect you.

I love what I call smart change... when you have a problem you are trying to solve or an idea that will change the way you work for the better.  I love dreaming how to be better!  I never want to stay put. I never want to be satisfied, and if that requires hard work and change, then I want to roll up my sleeves and get started. I volunteer for more work if it means trying something new and different.

In the upcoming weeks, we’ll walk through this three part series about change. We will look at how you know it time to change, why change is hard, and some practical steps to take during change. 

How do you know it’s time to change? 

People tell you it needs to change. I spend my summers going from camp to camp talking to children’s ministers, and we make changes from what they tell us.  Simply put they know what they want better than I do so I just ask them. That will work in your ministry, also.  Ask your parents what they like, what you could do better…  Don’t be defensive just ask and listen.

“You have to manufacture energy for it” –Andy Stanley. Manufacturing energy is when you are pretending something is important when it isn’t.  We offered a backpacking track at camp in the past, but we discovered that when it was time for the overnight trip, no one wanted to go.  We dropped backpacking because we had to manufacture energy for it. What do you have to manufacture energy for, either for yourself or others? 

Something is in decline. Too often we wait too long to realize when numbers are dropping.  We are too slow to realize that people vote with their feet, so if fewer and fewer people are coming then it is time to change.

The culture has changed but your program hasn’t.  There was a time when staff was the only thing that mattered at camp.  If staff loved and invested in kids, then people loved camp.  Today, kids are bombarded with visual images 24/7.  From HD TV to iPads, they live in a visual world.  We now spend much more time, energy, and money to produce visually stunning programs, videos, sets, and lights in order for kids and adults to connect visually with the spiritual content we are focusing on throughout the week.  Culture has changed, and so has camp.  

Watch for the second part of this three part post titled “Change is Hard.”



Investment

Every summer of camp is different. Even if you are placed on the same team with the same camp locations, every summer will be different. Why? Because of the people. Because of the relationships. 

Relationships and the people you serve with make camp so much fun. But on the other hand, those same relationships can make camp very much a challenge. And that's not necessarily a bad thing! Being challenged is what makes you a better individual. I've seen both of these scenarios play out. I've been a part of camp teams that placed little value on investing in other people. And you know what? That team had a good summer. God used them in big ways and kids came to know Christ as their personal Savior. What more can you ask for?! Well....I think a lot!

You miss out on so many opportunities when you decide not to invest. How do you think Jesus Christ approached His ministry? Did He merely just try to reach those along his path and not go out of His way? Absolutely not! Jesus took the time to invest, to go out of his way, to truly minister to those who needed Him.

Camp gives us a tangible opportunity to be like Christ in that way. But when you think about it, your job, your hobbies, your marriage, your friends...those are all tangible opportunities to do the same. We just have to decide whether or not we are going to invest in others. Not just those we connect with, not just those people whom we share common interests, but ALL those who Christ has purposefully placed around us.

When you decide you are going to love people for who they are, have a geniune heart to see other people succeed, and love helping people, you will in turn be blessed beyond imagine. God wants to use you in the lives of other people. You just have to say yes and INVEST!