Nick Blevins Family Ministry Podcast: Children | Youth | Students | NextGen

In this episode, I talk with Jim Wideman about the importance of thinking differently. We all have ways of doing ministry that have become routine–typically because we are busy and want to be able to focus on people, as God has called us to do. But, we still need to make time to pray, lean into the wisdom of others, ask questions, and understand the new things God is calling us to in each season. Jim shares the importance of making the time to rethink your ministry, practical tips for doing that, and his own personal experience.

Jim Wideman

Connect with Jim on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

JimWideman.com

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Episode 004: Jim Wideman on Staffing, Hiring, and Deciding If You Should Stay or Go

NextGen Staff Solutions – An organization dedicated to helping church leaders find the best people to lead their ministries

Orange – An organization all about helping the church and family partner together to reach the next generation

Beat the Clock (book) – Jim Wideman shares his top strategies for effective time management

Good to Great (book) – Jim Collins explores what is behind companies that make the leap from good to great

Action Items

1. Make time to evaluate and rethink your ministry
2. Make time to evaluate and rethink your ministry with other people
3. After something has been executed twice, ask others this question as you attempt it a third time: Is there a better way for a better outcome?

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Leave a rating and a comment in iTunes to let me know how this podcast is helping you and your ministry. Also, let me know how we can make it better!

In this episode, I talk with Louie Lovoy. Louie helps lead, coach, and resource the student ministry leaders in North Point's network and strategic partner churches. We have a great conversation about what North Point's student ministry looks like and how that translates in partner churches of all sizes, all over the country. From teaching content, to planning trips and retreats, to creating a great small group culture,  Louie highlights the key parts of their strategy and why they matter.

Louie Lovoy

Connect with Louie on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

North Point Ministries

Links Mentioned in This Episode

North Point Partners – Learn more about North Point's network and strategic partner churches

InsideNorthPoint.org – An overview of how North Point does ministry

Drive Conference – A conference hosted by North Point every two years to help church leaders go further, faster by encouraging, envisioning, and resourcing them

ReGroup Conference – A conference hosted by North Point every two years designed to help church leaders build a vibrant groups culture

The Seven Checkpoints for Student Leaders (book) – Andy Stanley, Stuart Hall, and Louie Giglio share the seven key things student leaders should focus on as they communicate with students throughout middle and high school

Lead Small (book) – The five things every small group leader needs to know

Orange XP3 Curriculum – Orange's curriculum for middle and high school students

Double Dog Dare-A-Thon – A series North Point does every year with students to help them learn about investing in and inviting their friends.

Tony Morgan & The Unstuck Group – Tony Morgan and his team help churches get unstuck, uncover the barriers they are facing, and create a strategic plan for growth. You can take their church life cycle assessment here.

North Point's Student Ministry Camp Rhythm

1. Fall – Bootcamp (6th grade, vertical trip)
2. Fall – Frequency (7th & 8th grade, vertical trip)
3. Fall –

In this episode, I talk with Jana Magruder, author of Nothing Less. Nothing Less is a book based on research with 2000 Protestant parents, that asks the questions: What were the things that influenced your child’s faith the most? and What mattered most in helping them follow Jesus? Jana walks through the top indicators, and also shares a few surprising things that didn’t make the list and why.

Jana Magruder

Connect with Jana on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Lifeway Christian Resources

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Nothing Less (book) – Jana Magruder shares the top 15 things that influence the faith of a child

Research Reveals the 5 Biggest Influencers on Your Child’s Spiritual Health (article) – Eric Geiger unpacks the top 5 things from Nothing Less that influence the faith of the next generation

ETCH Family Ministry Conference – A conference that exists to bring family ministry leaders and families together, helping them work together to disciple children birth through high school Register for the 2018 conference here.

Foundations for Kids (book) – A 260-day Bible reading plan for kids by Robby and Kandi Gallaty

Top 5 Things That Influence the Faith of the Next Generation

1. Child regularly reads his/her Bible
2. Child regularly spends time in prayer
3. Child regularly serves in church
4. Child listens primarily to Christian music
5. Child participates in church mission trips and projects

Equipping Parents to Lean into the Top 5 Things

1. Encourage parents to choose age appropriate Bibles, model reading the Bible, and read the Bible with their kids
2. Evaluate your ministry and what you are pointing parents and kids to prioritize
3. Train your leaders to focus on the Bible and Bible skills
4. Communicate with parents and provide resources (whether that's through an app, social media, and/or weekly email)
5. Host a parent conference, seminar, or conversation where you share the top 5 things with parents

Action Items

1. Share the research from Nothing Less with your staff and volunteers
2. Share the top 5 indicators with the parents in your ministry
3. If you are a parent, ask: How can I apply this with my kids?

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In this episode, I talk with the author of Spiritual Parenting, Dr. Michelle Anthony. We walk through some of the principles in her book, and then break down what family ministry looks like at her church. She shares the groups, events, resources, and other unique components of their plan for equipping parents to be the primary spiritual leaders in their kids' lives.

Dr. Michelle Anthony

Connect with Dr. Anthony on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

MichelleAnthony.org

New Life Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Becoming a Spiritually Healthy Family (book) – Dr. Michelle Anthony explores how to avoid the six dysfunctional parenting styles and lead your child into the abundant life Jesus has for them

Spiritual Parenting (book) – Dr. Michelle Anthony shares practical examples and biblical insight on the spiritual role of parenting

7 Family Ministry Essentials (book) – Dr. Michelle Anthony and Megan Marshman explore the seven things that are essential for leaders who are equipping parents and coming alongside them as they lead their kids into a growing relationship with Jesus

RightNow Media – Equip your families with video content to help them grow. Check out the video series for Spiritual Parenting here.

HomeFrontMag.com – A resource for churches to share with parents to help them create fun, spiritually forming times in their homes

Episode 080: A Strategic Plan for Partnering With Parents With Phil Bell

Episode 086: Chris Sasser on The Parent Network

First Time Family Process

1. A family registers with their basic information
2. Families receive a card inviting them to the next parent orientation
3. They receive a follow up email that introduces them to the ministry, welcomes them, and invites them to share about their family
4. Parents complete the follow up intake form that asks them questions about the structure of their family and invites them to share any specialized needs

Elements of a Parent Orie

In this episode, I talk with Ashley Bohinc, Director of Middle School Strategy at Orange. Ashley and I have a great conversation about engaging middle school students in large group and small group settings. She shares practical tools for inviting them into conversations, and affirming the way they think and interact with others during this unique phase. And, she unpacks what it looks like to connect and build relationships with these students in order to have maximum impact on the next generation and their faith.

Ashley Bohinc

Connect with Ashley on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

AshleyBohinc.com

Orange

Volunteer Playbook Group – Registration closes Friday, February 5th

The Volunteer Playbook Group is a 10-week challenge where you'll spend time each week diving into teaching, working on projects, and sharing resources to help you grow your volunteer team. Learn more about the Volunteer Playbook Group and register at VolunteerPlaybook.com.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Episode 027: Tom Shechunas on Volunteer Coaches and Metrics in Ministry

XP3 Curriculum – Orange's curriculum and resources for middle and high school students

Think Orange Podcast – A podcast designed to equip ministry leaders as they seek to serve families and reach the next generation for Jesus

Rethinking Youth Ministry Podcast – A podcast for youth ministry leaders, volunteers, and others seeking to reach the next generation and help students own their own faith

8 Hacks to Managing a Roomful of Teenagers (blog post) – Eight practical tips for communicating with and engaging middle and high school students

Lead Small (book) – The five things every small group leader should know

The Art of Group Talk (books) – How to Lead Better Conversations with Kids; How to Lead Better Conversations with Teenage Guys

In this episode, I talk with Director of Kids' Club and Student Ministry, Kim Botto, about what her church has done to serve kids and families that are hurting, have experienced trauma, have difficult backgrounds, or are facing other challenges. She shares about the space and time she and her team create to pray and listen for God's direction in their ministry, and how they went about pursuing this specific call–from how they talk to parents, to the environments they create, to how they train volunteers.

Kim Botto

Connect with Kim on Twitter

Email:  [email protected]

Crossroads Community Church

FREE Webinar: 5 Hidden Barriers to Volunteer Recruitment

Join us for a FREE webinar THIS Thursday, January 25 at 12pm EST, and explore the five hidden barriers to volunteer recruitment.  Click here to sign up for the webinar. 

Volunteer Playbook Group

If you want to dive deeper into these five barriers, and spend time on your volunteer structure and culture, check out the Volunteer Playbook Group. Registration closes Friday, February 2nd.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Children's Pastors Conference – An opportunity for children’s and family ministry leaders to come together, share ideas, be encouraged, and learn from one another

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (book) – Child psychiatrist, Bruce Perry, shares the stories of children he has treated for trauma and the transformations they have experienced

The Connected Child (book) – Karyn B. Purvis, David R. Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine help parents build trust with their adopted children, effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders, and discipline with love

Kids' Club Poster – A poster that hangs in all Kids' Club rooms to remind volunteers how to serve all kids like they are made in the image of God

Kids' Club Youtube Channel – Check out volunteer training videos

Myths We Believe About Kids:

1. Children are resilient
2. They are wounded and hurt, and things have long term effects on them
3. Out-of-control kids are the result of bad parenting
4. Telling kids to change their behavior is enough

Tips for Volunteers Leading Kids With ADHD

1. Rather than telling them to settle down, say something positive
2. Invite them to get up and choose an activity
3. Understand how many negative interactions they’ve

In this episode, I talk with Erin English. Erin is the Early Childhood Pastor at Westside Family Church. Erin shares the principles and practical steps that helped grow her volunteer team from 250 to 400 in just two years. We then have a great conversation about goal setting and evaluations, digging into the importance of using these tools to help you pursue what God has in store for you and your ministry this year.

Erin English

Connect with Erin on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Westside Family Church

FREE Webinar: 5 Hidden Barriers to Volunteer Recruitment

Join us for a FREE webinar, Thursday, January 25 at 12pm EST and explore the five hidden barriers to volunteer recruitment.  Click here to sign up for the webinar. 

If you want to dive deeper and push through those barriers, registration opens for the next round of the Volunteer Playbook Group next week.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Episode 044: Core Values for Family Ministry Leadership with John Huber

Episode 084: Alston Causey on Creating a Remarkable Volunteer Culture

Shape Assessment – A spiritual gifts test to help people discover how God has uniquely gifted them to serve his kingdom

First Look Orientation Invite Card – The invite card Westside Family hands out to invite people to their monthly volunteer orientation

5 Step Process for New Volunteers – An onboarding process for new volunteers

New Year Evaluation and Goals – The questions Westside Family asks staff members to walk through as they reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one

SMART Goal Worksheet – Set smart, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals

SMART Goal Worksheet (Volunteer Recruitment) – Check out Erin's SMART goal sheet for her volunteer recruitment goal

5 T

In this episode, I talk with Family Pastor Chris Sasser, of Port City Community Church. Chris shares how he and his team are partnering with parents in their church through The Parent Network. The Parent Network is a 4-part initiative they started two years ago. Chris walks us through how they launched The Parent Network, shares the four parts of their strategy, and gives the inside scoop on how their church shifted from a ministry-centric mindset to a parent-centric mindset for partnering with parents.

Chris Sasser

Connect with Chris on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Follow The Parent Network on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Port City Community Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Ministry Architects – A team of church leaders who want to help you develop a clear plan for your ministry (One of the ways they do this is by helping you facilitate focus groups in your church)

Orange – An organization dedicated to helping the next generation know Jesus by bringing the church and family together for maximum impact

The Phase Project – A project dedicated to helping parents understand and leverage each phase of their child’s life

The Parent Network – A hub for all the parents of Port City Community Church who have plugged into The Parent Network. This is the primary place where resources for parents are shared. Some content is original, and other content is pulled from sites like Orange, D6Family.com, and AllProDad.com.

Parent Network Podcast – A podcast that the Family Ministry of Port City Community Church started for the parents and families in their church

4 Components of The Parent Network

1. Events for parents (2 big events/year and a few topical seminars)
2. Events for parents and kids (4/year)
3. Resources (Shared on the church's website)

In this episode, I welcome my friend, Bill Hegedus, back to the podcast. Bill shared with us in Episode 018 about preteen ministry and partnering with parents.  This time, we have a great conversation about what he's been up to this past year since stepping into a new position, and how he's changed the way his church serves preteens and their families.

Bill Hegedus

Connect with Bill on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Bethlehem Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Children's Pastor's Conference – An opportunity for children's and family ministry leaders to come together, share ideas, be encouraged, and learn from one another. Register for the 2018 conference here, happening January 16-18.

Grapple – Curriculum for preteen ministry from Group that is primarily question based

252 Preteen – Orange's curriculum for preteen ministry

Bethlehem Church's Preteen House Party: Details/Ideas

1. Food
2. Obstacle course
3. Laser tag
4. Build your own light saber area
5. Video game arcade
6. Virtual reality flight simulator
7. Glow in the dark nails
8. Dance  party
9. Building an android

Action Items

1. Evaluate what you do for preteen kids at your church
2. Test run an event or camp for that age group at your church
3. Check out curriculum specific to preteens

Subscribe | Share | Rate | Comment

To make sure you never miss a post, hit the subscribe button in iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or Tune In radio. Keep your friends and co-workers up-to-date as well by sharing it with them via email or social media.

Leave a rating and a comment in iTunes to let me know how this podcast is helping you and your ministry. Also, let me know how we can make it better!

In this episode, I talk with Alston Causey, the UpStreet Director at Gwinnett Church, about what his church is doing to create a remarkable volunteer culture. Alston shares the huge role that vision plays in this, and why leading with the “why” is so important. He also walks through the practical things they do to be intentional about creating a great volunteer culture, and gives us an inside look at something new his team tried this year called the Remarkable Experiment.

Alston Causey

Connect with Alston on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Gwinnett UpStreet Facebook | Gwinnett UpStreet Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Gwinnett Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

7 Practices of Effective Ministry (book) – Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones walk through seven key things you can do to help your ministry win

Making Vision Stick (book) – Andy Stanley shares the three reasons why vision leaks, and the three things you can do to help vision stick

Volunteer Win Statements – Check out the win statements, or one-sentence job descriptions, for Gwinnett UpStreet production volunteers

Volunteer Survey – The volunteer survey the Gwinnett UpStreet team sent to all of their volunteer leaders to learn what would make serving in UpStreet a more remarkable experience

Creating an Irresistible Volunteer Culture

1. Limit the span of care to a reasonable number
2. Ask leaders to commit more to less things
3. Hold very few meetings
4. Pay their way to all camps and events
5. Host a VIP room for them every Sunday
6. Give them strategic Sundays off
7. Shower them with free t-shirts and swag

Onboarding in UpStreetDid you know that in the corporate world, 69% of people are more likely to stay for 3+ years if they have a good onboarding experience?

1. Orientation—Vision and overview of Upstreet
2. Interview–Get to know them on a personal level
3. Training – Train them in the specific role, and have them shadow another leader
4. Plug them in!

Action Items

1. Examine your communication with volunteers and look at it through a “for vs. from” filter. Ask yourself: How much am I asking from them, and how much am I doing for them?
2. Try doing the Remarkable Experiment for a month or a couple of months with your volunteers
3. Send out a survey to your volunteers to help you learn what would make serving a remarkable experience for them
4. Evaluate your win statements, or begin crafting a few for your different volunteer roles