On this episode we talk to Kerri-Ann Hayes about ministering to children with special needs including how to make your ministry more accessible even if you have zero budget and no extra space.

With 1 in 10 kids facing a hidden challenge like autism, ADHD, or anxiety, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Learn more about the Accessible Church coaching cohort.

Full Show Notes Here

We'll cover a wide range of do's and don'ts as well as some common myths about the best way to get new volunteers to join your team.

Learn more about the Volunteer Accelerator here.

Click here for the full show notes.

On this week's episode, we tackle the tough questions that every church is facing as Easter approaches:

• What's the best way to maximize the ministry impact of Easter week?
• Is it possible for that momentum to multiply even after your final service ends?

Click here for a Easter follow-up summary guide based on the ideas in this episode.

Learn more about the Volunteer Accelerator here.

• Easter - Is what happens before or after more important?
• 4:24 - Minecraft Easter egg hunt to walk through the story of Jesus.
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/sun-grove-church-minecraft-easter-egg-hunt/
  • https://sungrove.org/minecraft/
  • https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Easter-egg-hunt-to-happen-on-Minecraft-15193785.php
  • https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/children-respond-to-gospel-through-minecraft-easter-egg-hunt/
  • https://www.mycrossroadschurch.com/minecraft-easter-egg-hunt.html
• 6:41 - Use the pandemic to pause and ask valuable questions about how your church approaches Easter. What are you doing? Why? For whom?
• 9:27 - Is it possible to create a hybrid Easter experience that appeals and applies to both outsiders and insiders?
  • Creating a hybrid often leads to doing neither one well.
• 12:03 - Using Easter as an opportunity to engage young families who have not yet returned to church post-COVID.
• 14:04 - Using Saturday "fun" events as a stepping stone to building relationships with people. Consider reaching people as a marathon, not a sprint. Invite people to come back on Sunday for Easter service, but be OK if they don't come back right away.
  • Then measure the results and impact of that event on attendance long-term.
• 15:54 - Churches doing a primarily "fun" event should look and feel a little different from other fun events (e.g., PTA events). They should know us by our love. It should be extraordinary and attractive to people.
• 16:35 - What are we aiming for people to experience when they come on Easter?
  • Visualize it like a storyboard through someone's journey: the face of the parking team, the welcome team's interactions, the connection center with a free coffee card, etc.
• 19:12 - Baptism on Easter Sunday vs baptism on the weekend after Easter
• 22:17 - How do you equip and train your people to be at their best on days like Easter when people show up who might only come to church once or twice per year?
• 27:01 - How do you follow up with people after Easter?
  • At least one contact point within 24 hours of someone filling out a connection card.
  • For Easter, enlist a few extra volunteers into the standard process for follow up to help with the extra influx of people.
  • Suggestions for actions steps to suggest to people when following up.
• 29:32 - The importance of keeping your connect card simple so as not to overwhelm people. Name, phone, email, and ability to subscribe to the newsletter.
• 30:00 - Logistical considerations leading up to Easter, for example, reorder connect cards so you have enough! Then equip your ushers to replace and replenish them between services.
• 30:50 - The personal experience of attending a church for 2 years without being contacted by that church even after filling out many connection cards. Contrasted with a different church where, within 24 hours of visiting had a call from the associate pastor just wanted to connect and hear more about them and their family.
• 35:14 - Do the people your serving feel known, cared for, and recognized? This can be the thing that makes the difference in your ministry!
  • Remember that a connection card is a person that you worked and prayed for! Not just a number. We need to be good stewards of the people God blesses us with.
  • Many people are shocked if a pastor reaches out to them.
  • The care for people must be genuine or people will be able to tell.
• 37:15 - Application Question: Look at your church staff and ask, "How does the time, energy, and effort that we're pouring into preparation for Easter similar to the time and effort we spend following up with people after Easter? How will carry that momentum forward?"
• 38:09 - Everything in a church's budget can be boiled down to an in-reach (grow) and an outreach (reach) bucket. Many times there is a disproportionate ratio in how much people will spend on outreach.
  • Easter might be a good moment to pause and explore how you are working with people and developing them even after they are connected with your church.
• Email Trabelus: [email protected]
  • Check out Trabelus' church: VBCoastal.com
  • Raiderz of the Lost: https://www.reverbnation.com/raiderzofthelost
• Email Melissa: [email protected]
• Email Bryant: [email protected]

New year, new leadership - and where are those rainbows coming from? On this week's episode, the team interviews the new President of Ministry Architects, Trey Wince, to talk about his vision for moving the church forward.

We know it can be scary, but you've got to figure out where you've been before you can figure out where you need to go. On this week's episode, the team talks about the importance of structured evaluations for assessing what's working, what's not, and what needs to happen next.

How can we move away from a model of ministry that treats giving to others as a way to get something from them, and instead toward an understanding that giving does more to the giver themselves? On this week's episode, the team discusses gratitude, generosity, and the ways our ministries benefit when we put the focus on giving rather than transactional relationships.

Many churches have pivoted online during the pandemic - but is it important to stay online? On this week's episode, the team talks about what it means to do ministry and worship both onsite and online and what it might mean for your community.

When people ask you why your church exists, what do you tell them? On this week's episode, the team talks about the importance of a well-written, well-cast vision, one that helps people focus on what God is calling your church to do.

Once you've got your volunteer team, getting them engaged, equipped, and excited for the year ahead is an important step! On this week's episode, the team talks about the importance of getting your volunteers invested in your kickoff volunteer trainings.