I experienced something not to terribly long ago. I came across some pretty incredible talent. Actually, it was down right amazing. It was the kind of talent that when you see it, your mouth drops open. Wow. Then I experienced something that felt like I was punched in the gut. This talented person has not been able to use the talent they had been given.

Actually, this kind of thing happens all the time. Sometimes people above you don’t see the talent. Sometimes there isn’t an opportunity. That’s just the way of life.

Some of this is based on assumption, but what I understand about this situation is that this talented person’s gifts were known. But either because of pride or control, the talents were suppressed. That may be a little harsh. Maybe that wasn’t the case, but that is how it appeared.

Regardless, this is what I’ve unpacked:

• Lord, allow me to recognize gifts and talents of those serving with me
• Lord, never let my pride get in the way of letting someone else SHINE
• Lord, let me see my limitations and not be afraid to surround myself with others who are BETTER than me

That’s about it.

I’m very excited about going to the Orange Conference. Last year I missed my conference opportunity. I was taking my staff to the Purpose Driven Children’s Ministry Conference until it was canceled. I was so disappointed. I ended up taking my staff on a retreat instead which was good, but I really missed going to a big conference.

I hadn’t heard of Orange until it was too late to sign up, so I began making plans to attend in 2008. I didn’t know much about Orange other than it seemed to be a conference for Student and Children’s Ministry. What the heck was up with that name?

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I’m not an overly emotional guy. I think I was a little more sensitive when I was younger than I am now… I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. I have been known to cry on occasion. I cried on my wedding day, I cried when my son was born and I absolutely will cry overtime I watch Homeward Bound (I know, it’s my burden). I’ve also found that since being in full time ministry, I typically have a “break down and cry moment” once a year.

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I’ve been anxious to write this series. The title seems more harsh than it really is. Essentially, there are many things I’ve learned over the past several months that I’m going to write about. Some of them I’ve learned simply because I’ve been out of the ministry. The beautiful part of all of this is that God is always talking, both during the good times and during the hard times. As inconvenient as “unemployment” has been for me and my family, I’m grateful for some of the experiences I’ve had, connections I’ve made and things I’ve learned.

Now, on to the first lesson:

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It’s funny how God works. Okay, sometimes it really isn’t. I guess it’s one of those things that become funny after some time goes by… sometimes a lot of time.

I’ve had a draft of this post saved for over a month now. Over the past several years, I’ve had to let go of many volunteers for one  reason or another… something that is easier said than done. I’ve also let go of some part-time staff, sometimes because of restructuring and other times because of performance. This summer I had to let go of two staff members. One was a full time team member and another was a part-time person. Both of them are phenomenal people and it was so incredibly hard to do. But that’s not what this post is going to be about today. Maybe a little later I’ll write about the lessons I learned from letting staff go. This post is quite a bit more personal as just 6 days ago I found myself at the other end the table. Continue reading »

Unfortunately, as a Children’s Minister, criticism comes with the job. I learned a great lesson early in my career about handling criticism that has helped me through many tough times.

I like to think that there are two types of criticism. Criticism that comes from source we value and criticism that comes from a source we don’t. So in reality, criticism is the same, it just the source that makes the difference. Let me explain. I might go to a friend or parent I respect and ask for their advice on some aspect of ministry. Whatever criticism I receive I consider constructive and helpful since I value them as a source. There are times when a parent who isn’t invested in the ministry or church pull me aside to chew me out for one reason or another. This too is criticism, even though I certainly didn’t like the way I’m getting it. Continue reading »

Well, every time I’ve had to hire and fill a full-time children’s ministry position, God has opened up the door and provided just the right person… and usually in just the right time. The two children’s pastors I hired last year were already attending our church. The elementary coordinator I just hired I actually found on a website. So, let me share with you where I looked and what tools I used. I’ll wrap up this post with a personal opinion and kick it back to you for your thoughts. Continue reading »

When I was interviewing for the church that brought me down to Texas, they sent me a list of questions to answer. It was an incredible survey that did two things. For one, it asked me the right questions to better communicate who I was and what my vision/mission/strategy was for Children’s Ministry. On the other side, it gave those asking the questions a good thorough look into who I was. Continue reading »

Here’s my second installment of my series on getting a job in Children’s Ministry. As I said before, I just hired an Elementary Director and have just gone through the process of posting the job, reviewing resumes, interviewing, making an offer and all the things in-between. It was about 3 years ago that I went through this process as well, so it this part is still fresh on my mind as well.

In this post I’m going to talk about the resume. For most job applicants, this is what will determine what will stop the process immediately or get you to the next level, which for me was an email or a phone conversation. Continue reading »

Welcome to my pet peeves.

Desperately seek any job available 
I am a Children’s Pastor who absolutely loves kids and those who minister to kids. When I’m looking to fill staff positions, I’m going to look for others that have a passion and calling for kids. Continue reading »