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

In this episode, I talk with Alison Leamon about preschool ministry. Alison walks through what preschool ministry looks like at her church – from programming, to volunteers and recruiting, to key events they do to partner with parents. She shares the vision and “why” behind what they do, and also shares practical tips on how to mobilize volunteers and help parents be intentional with the youngest members of our churches.

Alison Leamon

Connect with Alison on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Preston Trail Community Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

First Look – Orange's preschool strategy and curriculum

Stop Recruiting, Start Retaining (book) – Christine Kreisher, Darren Kizer, and Steph Whitacre share four strategies that they believe are the secret sauce to retaining volunteers and creating an environment that they don't feel like they have to be in, but that they want to be in

Episode 003: Volunteers: Stop Recruiting, Start Retaining With Christine Kreisher

Onboarding Process

1. Phone interview
2. Test drive
3. In-classroom training
4. Family Ministry orientation
5. Regular training events (Ex: Orange Tour)

Baby Dedication Process

1. Parent orientation (1 month out)
2. Parents write letters to children
3. Baby Dedication program (Saturday morning message and celebration)

Action Items

1. Consider moving to weekly volunteers
2. Evaluate the Large Group/Small Group format of your preschool ministry
3. Think through your Parent Child Dedication, and ask yourself: “What are we doing really well?” and “What could we do better?”

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In this episode, I interview Afton Phillips. Afton is the Director of Small Group Strategies at Orange, and we talk about a training plan that they have developed for small group leaders. She breaks this plan down and walks through what you can be doing yearly, monthly, and weekly to consistently and intentionally train your team. While this training plan is specific to small group leaders, it can be taken and applied across the board in multiple roles.

Afton Phillips

Connect with Afton on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Orange

Links Mentioned in This Episode

LeadSmall.org – Engage, inspire and train small group leaders

Lead Small (book) – The five big ideas every small group leader needs to do

GoWeekly.com – Resourcing ministry leaders to connect with parents and small group leaders each week

3 Questions to Ask When Training Small Group Leaders

1. What am I doing this year to train small group leaders?
2. What am I doing this month to train small group leaders?
3. What am I doing this week to train small group leaders?

Small Group Leader Training Outline

• Yearly: Kick-off event at beginning of the year (incorporate vision and specifics for the year) and end of the year celebration
• Monthly: Monthly spotlight on a Lead Small principle and challenge leaders with small group leader goals
• Weekly: Communicate via social media channels and email

5 Lead Small Principles

1. Be present
2. Create a safe place
3. Partner with parents
4. Make it personal
5. Move them out

Action Items

1. Get Weekly
2. Create your training plan for this coming year

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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!

Next Episode: Alison Leman

In the next episode, we dive into preschool ministry with Alison Leman. Alison walks through what preschool ministry looks like at her church (

In this episode, I talk with Rachel Walker about starting a ministry from scratch. Rachel is the Kids' Director at a church that launched nine weeks ago, and she walks through what building a team, training volunteers, and creating environments has looked like. We also talk about how she has onboarded coaches from the very beginning and formed a volunteer leadership team in order to help create a great experience for families and volunteers.

Rachel Walker

Connect with Rachel on Facebook and Instagram

Email: [email protected]

rachelwalker.org

United Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

YouthminCoaching.com – Terrace Crawford and David Olshine are offering 1-on-1 coaching, live training sessions, access to a private coaching group, and free resources to 15 youth leaders (Jan-Dec of 2018). Click here to apply by the December 11 deadline.

Orange

Think Orange Podcast Episode 001 – Reggie Joiner shares the vision of Orange, and the idea that maximum impact happens when the church and family partner together to influence the next generation

ChurchPlant.com – A business dedicated to helping you launch strong by helping you think through your environment(s) and resourcing you with all the equipment and equipment training you will need

Small group carpets – 8 ft diameter circle carpets

Starting a Ministry: Resources

1. Pre-launch overview – A general to-do list of everything United Kids wanted to accomplish prior to launch. This overview includes links to many of the resources on that list that are now developed, like onboarding documents, first time family communication and registration, and a parent card.
2. Supply list – A list of all the supplies in the United Kids environment, from general environment supplies, to small group and large group resources, to check-in materials, etc.
3. United Kids environment photos – Pictures of the United Kids nursery, preschool, and elementary spaces

Action Items

1. Recruit a coach. Start with one, and then continue to grow the number of coaches you have.
2. Select a few key leaders and invite them to meet with you in the context of a volunteer leadership team.
3. If you are sta

In this episode, I talk with Family Ministry leader, Phil Bell. Phil and I walk through his book, Team Up: The Family Ministry Playbook for Partnering With Parents. Phil shares the partnership strategy his church uses–from how they connect parents with one another, to resources they share with parents, to the milestones and transitions they lean into. He also talks about what he's learned in the last two years leading NextGen, and how he has navigated his first two years in this role.

Phil Bell

Connect with Phil on Facebook and Twitter

Email: [email protected]

Hope Community Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Team Up: The Family Ministry Playbook for Partnering With Parents (book) – Phil shares key questions to ask, and practical steps you can take, to come alongside the families in your church

Family Ministry Field Guide: How Your Church Can Equip Parents to Make Disciples (book) – Timothy Paul Jones shares four models that churches use to equip families–church centered, family based, family equipping, and family centered

Resources For Parents

Talk Now and Later (book) – Brian Dollar shares practical, detailed advice on how to lead kids through life's tough topics. Brian shares more about this book on Episode 22 of the podcast.

MinistryToParents.com – An organization dedicated to providing you with platforms, tools, and resources that will allow you to partner with parents better

ParentCue.org – Orange's app, blog, podcast, and other media that points parents to make the most of each phase in their child's life, and helps cue great conversations about faith at home

HomeWord – An organization committed to strengthening and equipping families

Champion Tribes –A group-based experience giving fathers a plan to raise their middle school sons into men of character. Check out my conversation with co-founder, Jeff Henderson, on Episode 52 of the podcast here.

Rite of Passage Curriculum – An interactive experience for middle school students and their parents to walk through

TheParentHub.net – Hope Community Church's resource hub for parents

In this episode, I talk with Adam Duckworth about volunteers. Adam has co-authored two books with Sue Miller, Not Normal: Seven Quirks of Incredible Volunteers and Leading Not Normal Volunteers. He shares key principles and practices from these, and what it takes to build a culture for not normal volunteers. Adam then dives into what he's learning from coaching and networking with other ministry leaders, and how what he's learning can help you as you lead.

Adam Duckworth

Connect with Adam on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

NotNormalBook.com

Downtown Harbor Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Orange

Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, Episode 092: Start-Up Church…Lessons from the Trenches of Church Planting With Adam Duckworth and John Garippa

Carey Niewhof Leadership Podcast, Episode 160: Dr. Henry Cloud on What All High Performing Leaders Have in Common, Investing in Yourself and Overcoming Dysfunction in Your Church

Not Normal: Seven Quirks of Incredible Volunteers – Helping volunteers lead in a not normal way that will help them grow in their faith and reach more people for Jesus

Leading Not Normal Volunteers – A resource with five practical steps for leaders to help them lead their volunteers to implement the seven quirks

Leading Volunteers Coaching – Apply to be a part of Adam and Sue's next coaching group (Starts Wednesday,  January 17). Check out the schedule of topics below:

1. Recruitment
2. Vision casting
3. Coaching structure
4. Maintaining volunteers
5. Making volunteering fun
6. Wrong fits & what to do
7. Organization & structure
8. Owners & renters
9. Training for volunteers
10. Volunteer stories

Barriers to Volunteering

1. One-service model
2. Lack of vision–leading out of desperation
3. Not asking for what you really need
4. Fear of addressing wrong fits

NextGen Staff Solutions – Work with Jim Wideman to start asking key questions about whether or not you should stay or go, and to help you determine the role and church that would be the best fit for you

Developing Leaders and Building a Coaching Structure (Blog Posts)

How to Str

In this episode, I talk with my friend, Dave Truitt, about creating great family experiences for parents and kids, where they can learn and talk about faith together. He breaks down what goes into each experience, how they prepare for it, and why it is key to their strategy for partnering with parents.

Dave Truitt

Connect with Dave on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Mechanicsburg BIC

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Orange

Family Experience

Family Experience Supplemental Resources – A list of all the supplemental resources Orange provides to help you create a great FX

Family Experience on the Orange Blog – Hear the heart and vision behind FX, how to make it work on a budget, and other thoughts from leaders who are doing FX

Jingle Jam Family Experience

Jingle Jam – Check out this year's Jingle Jam website, complete with the theme, supplemental resources, and other great content designed to help you create an irresistible environment where families and kids can come together to hear the Christmas story

Jingle Jam Wrapped Up EP CD – Music produced specifically for Jingle Jam

Jingle Jam Store – Videos, graphics, scripts, and other Jingle Jam resources and downloads

Jingle Jam on the Orange Blog – Check out key practices for producing a great Jingle Jam and partnering with families during the Christmas season through this special FX

Elements of a Family Experience

1. Worship song (kickoff)
2. Welcome
3. Worship songs
4. Rapid response game
5. Intro sketch (sets up the problem)
6. Teaching
7. Outro sketch (resolution of problem)
8. Theme song
9. Prayer
10. Characters share what they learned
11. Closing

Action Items

1. If you do not currently do FX, ask some key questions to determine whether or not your church should try it
2. If you already do FX,  determine one step you can take to make your FX better–whether that involves shifting the schedule, adding or taking away certain elements, or focusing more closely on partnering with parents

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In this episode, I have a great conversation with Gina McClain and Jessica Bealer about their new book, Don't Quit. Ministry is hard, and this book dives into what it looks like to develop an intentional strategy that will give you practical hope in difficult times.  While the book focuses on the theme of not quitting, it is also a practical field guide for leading in ministry, complete with tools and tips for building and growing your ministry.

Gina McClain

Connect with Gina on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

GinaMcClain.com

Faith Promise Church

Jessica Bealer

Connect with Jessica on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

FamilyMinistry.Church

Orange

Don't Quit Book

Don't Quit – Gina and Jessica explore practical ways you can intentionally build a structure and strategy that gives you hope and resilience in difficult seasons. Be sure to leave a rating and review-this really helps get it in front of other leaders.

Don'tQuitBook.com – Get the book and other free resources and customizable downloads that Jessica and Gina use on a weekly basis in their ministries.

Action Items

1. Get the book here
2. Use it as a guide to work on your ministry
3. Try to walk through 1-2 chapters a week, applying the practical steps they lay out each week

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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 my friend, Children's Pastor, Kathie Phillips. Kathie has taught at the Children's Pastors Conference and the Group Kidmin Conference, and has a lot of great insight to share from her years in ministry. She shares some of her story and talks specifically about four key leadership lessons or principles she has learned in the past few years.

Kathie Phillips

Connect with Kathie on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Kidminspiration.com

Central Presbyterian Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Top 50 Object Lessons (book) – Kathie walks through 50+ practical object lessons, arranged by topic, that you can use in a Children's Ministry, Christian school, or homeschool environment, to teach biblical truths to elementary and preschool age kids

The Best Yes (book)  – Lysa TerKeurst walks through how to say “no,” so you can say”yes” to the best things in a world of endless demands

Don't Quit (book) – Jessica Bealer and Gina McClain tease out the tenacity, vision, plan, and purpose it takes to give you practical hope in difficult seasons

3 Conferences and Opportunities for Networking: Orange Conference | Group Kidmin Conference | Children's Pastors Conference

4 Key Leadership Lessons

1. Prioritize rest
2. Remember that your family is your first ministry
3.  Network and intentionally seek out a group of like-minded people where you can receive and give encouragement, ideas, and prayer
4. Continue to learn and develop yourself

Action Items

1. Think about which of the four leadership lessons you struggle with the most. Ask yourself: What are 2-3 things I can do this month to work on that? 
2. If you serve in a Children's Ministry, Christian school, or homeschool environment where you'd like to incorporate object lessons, check out Kathie's book here

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In this episode, I talk with Children's Pastor Andrae Jones. Andrae works at a church that has a very low ratio of staff to volunteers and kids. We dive into his church and ministry, exploring their structure, how they value leadership development, and what they do to continue to grow their volunteer teams and reach more kids.

Andrae Jones

Connect with Andrae on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

One Community Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Orange – Books, blogs, and other resources for leadership development

GoWeekly – Check out Orange's resources for connecting with and investing in volunteers

Designed to Lead – Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck argue that the church wins when it values and creates a culture of leadership development

Leading Not Normal Volunteers – Sue Miller and Adam Duckworth share the secret sauce to leading your team and showing them the difference they can make

New Kind of Leader – Reggie Joiner talks about how to lead from the belief that the greatest impact happens when the church and family partner together

Leadership Development Ideas (Plus a FREE small group resource based on Craig Groeschel's Chazown) – Ideas for church leaders as they develop volunteers. Check out a step-by-step small group guide, with content from Craig Groeschel's Chazown.

Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry Staffing Ratios – Over 700 churches took this survey to help tease out the question: Are you overstaffed, understaffed, or just right?

Leadership Development at One Community

1. 1-year leadership development college–Participants attend for 2 semesters, meet twice a month, read 7 books, write papers, serve weekly, and learn from other churches
2. 2-week coaching session for kidmin volunteers
3. 5-week leadership course for kidmin volunteers

Action Items

1. Start somewhere–Train one person or invite multiple people to a leadership training group
2. Don't say “no” for someone. Always make the ask, call out their gifts, and invite them into something bigger

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In this episode, I talk with Scott Magdalein of TrainedUp.Church. Scott shares a full volunteer onboarding process, walks through some great free resources, and shares the best way to maximize the number of volunteers who experience training. We also talk specifically about TrainedUp and how you can utilize this online platform for training volunteers in your church.

Scott Magdalein

Connect with Scott on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

TrainedUp.Church

Links Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Ultimate Guide to Volunteer Onboarding – Best practices for volunteer onboarding, action steps, interactive tools, and a free work flow to help you track people through the processVolunteer Engagement Survey – Build a custom volunteer engagement survey for your volunteers, based on information about your church and ministryFirst Serve Sunday Survey – Build your own custom survey to follow up with volunteers after their first Sunday of servingTypeForm – Create online forms, quizzes, and surveys6 Week Follow Up – The questions we ask volunteers in our 6 week follow up conversationVolunteer Onboarding Process

1. Person fills out a signup card or interest form
2. Follow up with a phone call
3. Send them pre-qualified online training or invite them to an orientation meeting
4. Run a background check
5. Have a designated person meet them for their First Serve Sunday
6. Follow up with a phone call or conversation–ask how it went and if they are still interested
7. Send them back to online training for skills and best practices
8. Schedule them to begin serving
9. Send a survey after a month or so to find out how they are doing in their role

How TrainedUp.Church Works:

• Training videos 2-5 minutes long
• Includes a webcam feature where you can record right there or upload videos
• Access to a library of ready-made courses (series of videos with follow up questions)
• Ability to track volunteer progress
• Automated reminder emails to complete courses

Action Items

1. Evaluate your onboarding process. If you do not have one, being to build that.
2. Check out TrainedUp.Church and other online training platforms for volunteers

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