Since we’re talking about timeliness, I figured I’d breach this topic since we’re all thinking it.

So, how do you get your volunteers to show up on time? No really, how do you get your volunteers to show up on time?

Every church I’ve been at I’ve experienced difficulty in this area. We’d have volunteers show up just minutes before the kids… or sometimes several minutes after the kids. It frustrates the staff and key/committed volunteers like crazy. So, how do you get them there on time?

This is an issue that I think has a deeper root. It’s actually something that I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about, especially in my role here at Gateway. I don’t think the real question is "how do I get my volunteers to show up on time?" I think the real question is, "why don’t my volunteers truly value their role in the children’s ministry?" Honestly, I believe that we show up on time for the things that we value. Even for me, getting to the movies on time to see the previews is a value. So I’m there on time.

Yes, I think it’s inconsiderate that volunteers show up 10 minutes late when they’ve committed to being there on time. However, I’m not convinced that they are the ones to blame. No, really! I think the solution lies with us. Too many of our volunteers are serving because in their mind they’re doing us a favor. They signed up because we needed help and the fact that they’re even showing up is a huge "blessing" for the children’s ministry (this also points to the ineffective recruiting strategies we use at times as well). I don’t think they show up on time because they don’t value their serving in the children’s ministry enough to show up on time. Whether they say it or not, every volunteer is asking the "what am I going to get out of this?’ question in relationship to serving. Right now, my best answer to that question is "to make a difference in the lives of kids." For many volunteers, that is enough. For others, it’s not enough to make them get their on time. The thing that is challenging me right now (and maybe something for you to think about) is to further develop answers to the "what am I going to get out of this?" question. What if I could honestly answer that question with the following answers:

• You get to make a tangible difference in the lives of kids
• You’ll develop deep and meaningful friendships with other adults on your serving teams
• You’ll be challenged to grow spiritually and given the tools to take the next step in your faith
• You’ll feel like a part of a community you didn’t know existed

I don’t know, but I just think that if I could provide these experiences for my volunteers, they may just value their role enough to show up on time. What do you think?

So, we’ve been talking about timeliness. As I’m hearing from others, it’s an issue everyone faces. On the weekend people show up late. So here is the big question or questions:

Do you have a "too late to check in" policy? If so, how late is too late?

Some of us have to close rooms because they get too full or there aren’t enough volunteers. I’m not talking about that though. I’m talking about closing rooms because service is halfway over. As children’s ministers, we know why we close the rooms:

• Letting kids in half-way through the service is distracting to the other 17 kids in the room.
• Kids coming in half-way through the service won’t get the full experience possible.
• Emergency/Evacuation rosters are already printed and kids coming in this late might not make it on the roster.

I know some of these excuses sound lame, but to those working so hard to make the weekend a quality experience, it’s frustrating to have kids coming in so late. However, there are several reason why we don’t want to "not" check in a kid so late.

• It could be a visitor and we don’t want to turn away a person who’s coming to check things out (I know, it’s not usually the visitors who are late, but do we really want to be the gestapo who determines who we do and do not let in?).
• Do we really want to keep the kids away as it’s not their fault?

Currently at Gateway, we do not turn anyone away. Our program is such that someone could come in late and it’s not going to be that big of a deal. However I’ve been at churches where it was a very big deal. I talked about it with leadership and they were never interested in going there… so we didn’t. Yes, it does bother me that people come late. It’s annoying and I feel bad that the kids are only getting half the experience that they could, but for me I don’t know that it’s worth doing it.

What about you? What is your policy and why do you do what you do?

The other day I wrote a post about timeliness here. Some of the comments added to the post in a way that I thought I’d write a little more. Interestingly enough, I wrote about this issue specifically about 14 months ago. Timeliness. It’s something we all struggle with. Kids are late. Volunteers are late. Parents are late. What do we do?

“I’m going to train my parents to be on time.”

Yeah, I’ve said that. Have you?

Unfortunately, I don’t think its necessarily right to think of it that way. It’s not my job to get parents to sign up for stuff on time. However, we all understand the value of timeliness. If we only get an hour a week with these kids, we want the full hour, right? Or when we’re planning camp, it totally throws us off when 40 registrations come in a few days before we leave for camp. So, it’s not really about “training our parents” but more about setting policies for the purpose of creating ministry excellence. Here are some examples:

Late registration price increases. A lot of times I’ll do this for camps. Initially I did this as motivation for parents to sign up their kids on time. However, I found that it really didn’t help that much. However, late registrations often cost more money. I’ll usually order t-shirts by the time registration closes. I always order extra shirts because you know someone else always signs up and I’d feel horrible if 140 kids got a t-shirt and one didn’t. So I order enough to handle late registrations and the price increase pays for the extra shirt. Sometimes extra supplies are needed at the last minute and we have to pay extra to get it on time, so price increases help with this.

Registration closure. At some times you have to just pull the plug. When I would do a lock-in with a couple hundred kids (and my last few lock-ins traveled a little as well), it was imperative that I had enough help and I knew exactly what kids were in what groups. So, I’d intentionally close registration 3-4 days before the lock-in so I could organize groups and be ready for the big night. Yes, I’d have parents get upset with me. However, most (if not all) of those parents signed their kids up early the next year.

Programming great stuff early. Sam mentioned this in my post. He creates the kinds of things kids really don’t want to miss at the beginning of the service. Honestly, if I don’t get to a theatre in time for the previews, I feel like I’m missed half of the experience. I do everything I can to be there on time! Certainly the local theatre doesn’t care what time you come as long as you pay, but what are things you can plan for the first 10 minutes of your program that the kids absolutely don’t want to miss?

I think that if we create these experiences and put these policies in place… and then stick to our guns, we’ll see a difference. There will be less stress and we’ll get more time with the kids.

Okay, I think that was a good start. I’ll hit room closures tomorrow followed by getting volunteers to be on time the next day.

I’d like to say that they never worked, but as a kid I was a big fan of Psalty the Singing Songbook and Charity the Church Mouse. I had the records and cassette tapes with the kiddie-dopey illustrations… and I think I loved it. Children’s Pastors take notice… it’s not the 80’s anymore!

Always having been a young Children’s Pastor, I’ve tired my best to create an elementary ministry that related to the kids we were trying to reach. What seemed to work for me as a 5th grader did not work for me. I remember being so frustrated with music options 8-10 years ago. I couldn’t find worship songs that didn’t sound like the music was recorded with toy instruments. We wore out Big House as it was the only song that I wasn’t embarrassed to do with my 4th and 5th graders.

Over the years, I always tried to push the envelope on what music we’d play as kids were hanging out. In the early years of ministry, DC Talk (those kids loved Jesus Freak) and Five Iron Frenzy were winners. The WOW music videos were usually pretty good, but even in recent years I felt the need to even grab some of the edgier that really grabbed those older boys. The boy band and girl groups had nothing on the power chords of a spiky haired rock band. On occasion I’d have a parent complain that the music was a little mature. At least I knew I was pushing the envelope.

Well, I think all of this is true of the images we use as well. Whether it be a logo, a flyer or our web site. Fact is, dopey graphics don’t cut it anymore. A few years ago I created a new logo for my summer camp (called Camp Extreme). It was pretty fun. Then last summer I told the graphic artist that I wanted him to make it edgy. I wanted it ripped and scraped and beat up. The result was the coolest camp graphic we’ve ever had… and the kids loved it. No more dopey camp shirts.

I was pleased to see the camp logo that my friend Sam Luce is using for his summer camp. It’s modern, fun and reflects what is popular right now… holding to the retro look. I love it. That set me out to find what other people were using as their camp graphics. I was impressed by so many.

However, there were a few that seem to be stuck in the 80’s. For the love of reaching kids, stop it. Update yourself. Get a new image. It’s not as hard as you would think. Even if you have no budget for this kind of stuff, I bet there’s a 15 year old in your church that could create something really cool. See what you can do!

The Good Ones:

The Bad Ones:

Okay, I’m going to wrap up my series of Twitter posts with this one, sharing one more resource and a cool story.

I noticed that a lot of the bloggers I follow on twitter have installed and application that sends a twitter feed when they write a blog. It’s a great add-on. Now for most of these people, I already subscribe to their blog feed, so I’m going to read their post at some point. This application though provided another way for me to get to their post. However, there are many people on Twitter that I don’t subscribe to their feed. Through this little application, I’ve found some new blogs that I now follow. So it’s a great tool. Using Google I found this great post here. It has the 10 best twitter tools for wordpress blogs. I’m sure you can find the same tools for type pad, blogger or whatever blogging service you use. I installed the Twitter Updater which does what I just said. I also tried the "Twit This" application but I couldn’t get it to work. Because my Twitter feed update my facebook status, people who only follow me on facebook are more likely to follow or even discover my blog. You can’t tell me this isn’t great stuff.

Oh, and now for my story. I’ve actually heard a few people complain about linking your twitter feed to your facebook feed because it just looks kind of silly. True, I won’t argue with that at all. However, I know many people who don’t update their facebook status very often, so they either have an out of date status or no status at all. Those who twitter are more likely to update more often, so people following them on facebook see their update more often. *** I did notice that if you start your twitter with @someone’stwitterID (a personal note to someone), facebook will not bring that update into the status. ***

But here is what is cool. I was driving to camp last Sunday and made a snide remark on twitter about driving through East Texas in the dark. A friend who I haven’t seen in over 10 years and recently became a friend on facebook contacted me the next day and said, "you’re in East Texas… we should meet up." Three days later I had a little reunion at Cracker Barrel for breakfast as I drove back home. Because Twitter, facebook and this blog are all interconnected, I have a greater possibility to communicate to the most people possible. Isn’t that what technological advancement is all about, merging services and devices to where they all talk and work together.

I just read this article about a church that used twitter during a church service. You really should read it, absolutely amazing! In case you’re just skimming, I’ll give you the gist. The church planned ahead and let people know that a particular Sunday was going to be Twitter Sunday. So, people walked into the service with their iPhones and laptops. They had over 70 people following the church feed. There were big screens all over the auditorium displaying the feed as people interacted with all parts of the service. How amazing is this?

They said that there was humorous banter going on in the early part of the service, which kind of eased people into the feeling of community. Later on there were great moments of reflection and agreement and solid points displaying during the service. The end result? About half of the team loved it. The other have hated it. They didn’t say, but I’d be willing to guess the age/personality temperament of those who hated it.

Here’s what I love about this. Have you recently watched a teenager on the computer? With facebook, myspace and whatever chat clients they have going on, they have all of them open on their desktop and they are doing 3 things at once while actively participating in at least two separate conversations. It’s crazy. I’m not saying this is healthy, but it is the reality of the generation entering the adult church population. Why not create this type of experience in a worship setting? Why should a church service be totally passive for the hundreds or thousands sitting in their chairs. The lead teacher/communicator doesn’t have to “interact” with the feed, but it could happen in conjunction with the service. Here is his follow-up post about the hurdles they had to overcome to make this happen. What do you think? Would you find this a positive experience or terribly distracting?

Technorati Tags: Twitter,iPhone,Worship,Church

Over the past few months I’ve been highlighting different blog posts, articles and web pages that have unique takes on Twitter. Here are some links for you to follow if you’re interested.

Searching/Networking on Twitter: Pudge talks about searching on Twitter using Summize. Very cool!

The Spiritual Discipline of Twitter: Interesting take on using Twitter to help you become a better person. Yeah, I can buy it.

What would Jesus Twitter: If Jesus had a Twitter account, is this what you’d see in his feed?

What would Peter Twitter: Actually, Perry Noble wrote this one before CMS wrote the WWJT above. I like it!

How to Update Multiple Twitter Accounts: For the Twitter Rock Star that you are!

Using Twitter for Missions, Church and Ministry: Some ideas for Twitter use.

Enjoy the Twitter links. I hope you find them as helpful as I did!

I met with my Kids staff today. We had a very interesting discussion on volunteer recruiting. Interestingly enough, the discussion we had was very similar to what Pudge blogged today.

We were talking about the methods we’ll be recruiting new volunteers over the summer. We’ve got several plans in the oven as we plan to saturate people with the opportunity to plug in.

One of my staff then asked about how we get our existing volunteers to recruit for us. Her thought was that if they are currently serving, they would be the best recruiters. Although we have many volunteers and leaders who LOVE serving in Kids Quest, few volunteers recruit help. We discussed it further and there is a need for training and equipping volunteers who love the ministry to recruit more help.

However, I had a few thoughts. First of all, I’ve talked with my staff from two other churches about getting volunteers to recruit other volunteers. We’ve even talked about great contests where the volunteer who recruited the most would win a big prize. However, I’ve never been anywhere where volunteers were a strong recruiting force. I went on to tell my staff. When I got to a restaurant that I love, I tell a lot of people. When I see a great movie, I tell a lot of people. When I get a new product/gadget that I love, I become quite the evangelist. Very important point here. The volunteers of our children’s ministry do not recruit others to volunteer (or very little happens). What does that say about the quality of our ministry? Ouch!

Let me take a step back. I’m not going to make a blanket statement here. Just because our volunteers do not recruit others naturally does not mean my program stinks. Not at all. There is more to it. However, this does lead me to think about the important elements.

• Are the programs in the ministry exciting and engaging?
• Is it a fun place to be?
• Do our leaders feel connected?
• Do our leaders feel equipped?
• Do our leaders feel loved?
• Do my volunteers have some ownership of the program? (Added byDonna Terrell)

I’m not 100% sure, but I have a feeling that if we get these few things right, we may see our volunteers bring in other volunteers. I know, many don’t think of themselves as volunteer recruiters. However, if I communicated to all my volunteers that I wanted each of them to recruit 2-3 of their friends/peers to the children’s ministry right now, what would they feel?

• Totally stoked that they can invite someone to the awesome opportunity that they’ve been blessed to have!
• Uncomfortable, like their trying to sell their friends something through Amway?

What about you? Does this resonate with anyone? Do your volunteers recruit others? If so, what’s the secret?

Technorati Tags: Volunteers

I took one class at college in hermeneutics. I actually really enjoyed the class. I knew that it wasn’t likely that I’d be using my new hermeneutical skills on a regular basis when preparing preschool lessons, but I saw great application for my own personal knowledge and development. One of the key skills taught in hermeneutics is studying the verse in context. When looking at a particular passage, we would have to outline in detail the entire chapter in addition to a less detailed outline of the entire book. The context of the book, the chapter and surrounding verses can have a profound impact on the passage being studied.

Like I said yesterday, we’ve been looking at The Great Commission in our staff meetings. Usually people quote this passage using only verse 19 or sometimes 19 and 20. It also isn’t’ unusual for people to begin their quote starting with verse 18.

However, keeping the rules of hermeneutics in play, the passage of “The Great Commission” actually begins in verse 16. I’ve read the book of Matthew at least dozens of times, but two weeks ago I noticed something I’ve never noticed before. It’s in verse 17. I’ll quote both 16 and 17.

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Do you see it? What the heck? Who doubted? Was it Thomas again? There must have been someone else as well if it says that “some doubted.”

It amazes me. These 11 men saw miracles performed by this man. These 11 performed miracles in his name. They witnessed his brutal crucifixion. Then they witnessed his resurrection. And here we are several weeks later and some doubted??? I don’t get it.

I seem to recall that this isn’t a first time occurrence. How often did the Israelites complain against God after they saw him smite (I love using that word) the mighty nation of Egypt. Moses went up the mountain for a little while and his people turned toward worshiping idols in his absence. How does this happen?

Here’s what I’m coming to realize. We’re a stiff-necked people! If I had been one of the 11, I might have been a doubter. Maybe you would too. Don’t deny it, look what happened to Peter when he denied similar accusations. I’ve encountered grace so amazing and have experience the power and love of the God who created the universe, yet why don’t I love him more? Why do I find it so difficult to spend time with him? Why don’t I love others more? Does this put me in the same camp as the doubters? Maybe.

Just something to chew on today…

Technorati Tags: Great Commission, Doubt

This is one of the things I really love about my church, Gateway Community Church.

We’re in a series called “Dialed In: Conversations with the World.” Actually, it’s a series about other world religions. I’m sure many people would ask, why would you devote an entire series to other religions? Isn’t that something you’d teach in a small group or special extra-curricular class? Yeah, I think we actually do that as well. But you may not know our audience. Although Texas is a good ‘ol conservative/right-winged/republican state, Austin is not. Austin is an odd city with a weird vibe. It’s definitely Texas to the core, but with a liberal twist. A significant number of our church came to Christ at Gateway and a significant number of those who came to Christ were not your “grew up in the church but never made a decision” type of people. There are many people sitting in our audience every week wondering if this route is any different or better than the alternatives.

So, this last weekend was supposed to be about Hinudism and Buddhism. I think that both a Hindu and a Buddhist were either going to be interviewed or maybe it was just an expert in these religions. Unfortunately, our pastor, John Burke, called in sick. It was the first time in the 10 years of Gateway. Becasue he was out, we watched a video of a message recorded a few years ago that tied into the message from last week. It was still very good.

But what was really cool was the worship set. There was a very small set of standard instruments. Added to this was a little Indian (No, I don’t mean Native American) band. One guy was playing a very tribal looking set of hand drums. Another guy was playing the Sitar and another guy playing a Veena (I’m pretty sure). How cool is this? And these were not some local musicians who are versed in all kinds of instruments. These guys looked like the real deal. What a great experience. Totally Austin.

Excuse the quality of my photos. I was sitting at the very back and the room was dark.

Technorati Tags: Hinduism, Buddhism, Austin