Multi-Site Kids

Willow's Children's Ministry Conference

I'm excited that our team has been invited back this year to participate in Willow's Children's Ministry Conference.  The theme for this year's gathering is "Conspire" and it will take place April 23-25, 2008.  It looks like they have some great speakers lined up for the Main Sessions.  I'll be participating in 3 of the Breakout Sessions. 

CCC's Student Ministry Director, Shawn Williams, and I will lead a breakout on the BIG IDEA.  This breakout will highlight a family ministry approach that aligns adults, students, and kids on one central theme for the week(end).  We've been following the BIG IDEA for years here at CCC and we're looking forward to sharing how it has been working for us.

Our Pilsen Kids' City Director, Tony Escobar, and I will lead a breakout called "Multi-Site Issues for Children's Ministry."  This is the breakout our team presented last year at the conference.  If you missed it, you have a second chance to join us!  We'll look at 5 key issue areas you need to consider in your multi-site endeavor.

I'll also be participating in one of the 3-in-1 sessions on "Leading Change."  This is a session where you get to hear 3 different Children's Ministry Leaders talk on one topic.  I'm sure it will be a fun discussion!

I hope many of you will be able to make this great conference.  I love what Willow has done these past couple years by bringing in churches from all over the country to share best practices at the event.  I'm sure there will be lots to learn there for all of us.  To register, follow this link and I'll see you in April!

New Look

A big thanks to Bret Koontz for helping me redesign the multisitekids.com site!  I love the new header he created.  Thanks, Bret!

Exciting Times

We have some exciting things happening here in Kids' City.  Here are a few things I'm excited about...

1)  We'll be launching our 9th Campus in Plainfield, IL on March 2nd.  There is such great momentum around this coming launch.  We have a core team of over 125 ready to go and hope to see that number double in the next 2 months.  Cathy Cuny, the friend and staff member who I've worked closely with for the past year at our Naperville Yellow Box location, will be leading Kids' City at this new site.  I love sending out great people to start new things!

2)  Early in 2008 we'll have a brand new Preschool curriculum product.  After a long search I am thrilled that we hired Angie Meus as our Preschool Catalyst.  She will be responsible for developing a BIG IDEA Curriculum product for our Toddlers and Preschoolers as well as developing training systems, products, and teams for these age groups.  I love Angie's heart and spirit and the vision she has for this new product.  If you are a NewThing Affiliate or Associate, get ready for some good stuff starting in March of next year!

3)  We are working with Plain Joe Studios and Visioneering on a new logo and environmental design for Kids' City that we can reproduce at all of our campuses.  I'm really excited about this "branding" process.  Kids' City is definitely ready for a makeover and I love that we'll be able to develop some consistency in the look of our ministry across campuses.  I'm all for aligning!

Those are just a few things I'm excited about.  I love that there's never a dull moment around here.

The Recruiting Journey

Eric Metcalf and I had the privilege of spending Tuesday morning with the staff of Westbrook Christian Church in Bolingbrook, IL.  We'll be making a couple visits to their staff meetings to share some things we've learned about reproducing leaders and artists.  During this first visit, I did a skill on recruiting that I thought I'd share some thoughts from.

I think recruiting is normally a process...a relational journey.  Often people need some time to catch the vision and overcome any fears they have about making a commitment.  Here are 5 stages that can help you navigate that process:

1)  Practice "Drive-By" Comments:  Once you identify someone you'd like to recruit, start planting seeds with quick, genuine statements.  Why are they "drive-by" statements?  Because you need to say them and then walk away.  Try saying, "I'd love to have you on our team."  And then walk away.  Or "I could imagine you making a huge difference in this ministry."  Again, walk away.  Give people the room to begin entertaining thoughts of joining your team without feeling any pressure to give an answer in the moment.

2) Go Out to Lunch...or Breakfast...or Dinner: Take some time to get to know the person.  Use this initial meeting to learn their story.  Where have they lived?  What major events outline their life?  What has their spiritual journey been like?  Pray for discernment during this meeting.  If it seems like this person might be a good fit for your team, ask if they would consider learning more about opportunities to serve.

3) Create Opportunities to Taste Leadership: If the person is willing to consider the opportunity, have a "next step" ready that will give them the chance to taste what it would be like to join the team.  Take them on a tour of your Children's Ministry during a service.  Invite them to a Leadership Meeting.  Give them a role in helping you plan an event.  As they experience this "taste," ask them to pay attention to how God might be prompting their heart to serve.

4) Make the Ask: Be specific.  What are you asking the person to do?  Have a role description so they know what will be expected of them.  And make the ask BIG.  Start by asking for the ideal commitment (which in our case is to contribute every week during one service).  I can't tell you the number of times someone has said to me, "When you asked for every week, I was nervous because I didn't know if I'd have the time to commit to every week.  But I did and now I realize I had the time.  In fact, it's a highlight of my week."  Of course if a person can't/won't commit to the big ask, you can always follow up with a smaller ask.  But ask BIG to begin with!

5) Close the Deal: Unless the person gives and immediate "yes" when you make the ask, give them a specific time period to prayerfully consider the opportunity and then follow up with them when you said you would.  Usually 1-2 weeks is enough time.  Making the ask is the hard part.  Don't let that go to waste by not following up for an answer!