GinaMcClain.com

I woke up this morning with a sense of sober fear.  As a children’s pastor I spend much of my mental energy thinking of opportunities and creative ways to equip parents for the journey of teaching their kids how to love & serve Jesus.

But this morning all I could think about is that my oldest is 10 years old.

To many of my readers this might seem like a small thing.  I’m clearly a young mom.  I never define myself otherwise.  But the truth is… the clock is ticking.  I’ve got less time with him before he moves out of my house.  The season where my influence is greater than the influence of his friends is coming to an end fast.

The last 10 years of my life have gone fast.  The pace of the next 10  years will be no different.

Yet as I write this post there is a sense of excitement and hope.  He’s 10 years old.  He can understand things his younger siblings cannot.  He can chew on spiritual truths and internalize them on a deeper level.  That’s exciting to me.

Sometimes I watch him as he processes things like why a homeless man would choose to spend money on alcohol instead of a place to stay.  Why a country would make Christianity illegal.  How a kid on the other side of the country could enjoy life in a home with dirt floors, no toilet and livestock walking around.

I want to have more of these conversations.  I’m praying for more of these interactions.

As a ministry leader I confess that I’ve had my share of moments where the ministry has superseded my role as mom.  Many opportunities for time with my son were lost due to ministry demands or just plain fatigue.  I’ve not done this perfectly.

But my hope is in the Author of great relationships.  And my prayer for the next 10 years is that He would keep my eyes focused on the opportunities ahead.  That I would maximize those opportunities and continue to foster a relationship with my son that is a source of refuge, encouragement, guidance & love.

I want him to love & serve Jesus with more passion than I ever thought possible.

The local church is the hope of the world.

Bill Hybels

I love that statement.  And I believe that more today than when I first heard Bill say it.

Lately a common question I’m asked is, “What do you see as your next step in ministry?” Here is my response.

I want to be a part of the local church.  I want to be an active part of the answer to a question being asked by many kids ministry and student ministry leaders right now.  The question of how to effectively lock arms with parents to inspire, equip, and assist them in their journey to lead their kids into a lifetime pursuit of Jesus.

I don’t believe the answer is found in a great program, outstanding environments or engaging curriculum alone. I believe the answer is found in an entire church strategy.  The approach needs to come from the top down. It’s a church strategy where ministry leaders work in conjunction to reach people of all ages in their community, expose them to the gospel & lead them to engage with Christ.

I don’t believe the answer comes from a senior pastor that releases their Children’s and Student pastors to do whatever they’d like.  The answer comes from the senior pastor that looks to their Children’s pastor, Student pastor, Family pastor, Next Gen pastor… whatever fits… and says, “What do you need?”

I want the opportunity to

• Build a great, fun, engaging kids ministry
• To work closely with the Student pastor to impact students
• To experiment w/ ways to
  • provide shared experiences for parents and kids (physically & online)
  • engage parents in God’s vision for their family
  • challenge parents to the role God designed them for
• To lead families to rally around a single cause knowing that
  • encounters w/ Christ are found when we embrace the marginalized
  • the gifts & talents within the members of one family rallied around a single cause brings amazing generational impact
• Participate in the global conversation among Children & Student ministry leaders through writing, blogging, mentoring & speaking

I believe a solution is at hand.

I believe some of the strongest, most talented ministry minds are working on it.

I believe the work achieved by Children and Student ministry leaders in the past decade have laid a foundation for new leaders to stand upon.

I believe the collaboration among these leaders (young & experienced) is the pathway to building on that foundation.

I believe I have the greatest calling on the planet.

Over the past 4 weeks I’ve visited four different churches.  Each church dramatically different from the other in terms of environment, community, and worship style.  And yet there were consistencies that were very helpful/impactful to my first-time attending family.

Here are some notables from a few of the churches:

• Directional Signage! Once we walked in the building it was obvious where to go to check in kids.  The signage was eye-catching and the check-in space easily accessible.
• Security! It is obvious how much a kids ministry values security when they employ a nametag policy.  Only allowing access to certain areas of the kids space to those wearing parent receipts or volunteer nametags.
• Environments! I’ve seen some spaces that look nothing like school, daycare or home.  I love seeing the many ways creativity is employed to make a space unique for kids.  Don’t forget to get on your knees and look at your space from their perspective.  What would you add… or change?

And a few things to check into:

• Human Signage – In one church the layout was so odd that we walked down a hallway that wraps around the main auditorium.  We walked for a few minutes without encountering a person or open kids room.  I almost thought we were headed the wrong direction.  Some ‘Human Signage’ would have been highly beneficial.  A quick smile, friendly greeting, handshake or just general availability to assure us we’re headed in the right direction.  Many times we can’t do anything about our physical space.  So we find creative ways to accommodate.  Employing some of those volunteers that are natural “huggers and shakers” can go a long way toward resolving the quirky facility challenges.

• Inviting Entries! Wish I could come up with better verbage for this, but it’s late.    It boils down to asking yourself… are my rooms inviting from the threshold?  What entices a kid to want to enter the room?  What tells them that if they don’t cross that threshold, they’re missing something B-I-G?  I think I’m guilty of assuming that the fun things in my elementary space would entice any kid.  I’ve been reminded that if they can’t see it from where they stand on the other side of the door… they may never know what they’re missing.  It doesn’t have to be boisterous, or loud, or obnoxious.  In fact, it’s better if it isn’t.  It just has to be enticing.
• Opportune Moments! One church we visited forced the parents to stand in the lobby while they’re child is called downstairs from the kids space.  Though the process was fairly efficient, they missed an opportunity to communicate in a unique way.  As the parents stood in line a flat screen television hanging on the wall in front of them sat completely blank.  What information regarding your ministry would you love to communicate in that 2-3 minute time frame?  Companies pay big bucks for a 30 second commercial before of a captive audience.  This church had 180 seconds.  Missed opportunity.

One of the best things to do for your ministry is to adjust your lens and view it from a completely different perspective… a new family perspective.  Put it on your calendar and make it a priority at least 2x a year.  Walk through your space… entrance to exit… and ask yourself, “If I were a new family, would I know where to go, what to do, or what to say?”