CMX: My Children’s Ministry Expo Experience

So, I got up this morning, dropped off my kids and stole my wife away for a 7 hour drive to Lexington, KY…for a 1 1/2 day event…coming back tomorrow…and High Seas VBS starts next week. My friend Tim Cressman calls it a bold decision. Others may call it dumb or ignorant. I like bold, but I may also call it a driving force to develop as a minister to kids in the name of Jesus even at personal or residual-effect cost. Too long? How about just crazy then?

You see, I’m at what they’re calling CMX or Children’s Ministry Expo. I love it! It’s an event filled with booths from children’s ministry people from all over the place with all kinds of different niches.

Read on for good links and thoughts about worship, volunteer training without meetings and family ministry.

Here are some links you may want to check out that I thought were kind of interesting:

www.iknowhope.com A website for the orphan, hungry and homeless. Daph and I bought two bags made out of the burlap sacks used to carry coffee beans in foreign countries. Kids look for a giveaway sometime soon!

www.goodseed.com An equipping organization for evangelism and discipleship. What impressed me was their emphasis on the sacrificial system and its profound symbolism that teaches even children the gospel. Consider their book called The Lamb for short stories to explain it or their model tabernacle looking at all the parts of the place where God dwelt among the Israelites in the dessert.

www.warrior316.com A website still in development so it may not work right yet. Paul gave Daph and I a walk through of this social network site for kids teaching them about the Bible with games as a reward. I’ve never seen anything like this before and it could be a very good tool to raise Biblical literacy in kids.

www.amberskyrecords.com and www.yancynotnancy.com Two Christian children’s musicians and worship leaders. Great music for your kids! I think you can order it from itunes as well. Yancy talked about how some of the top searches of kids ages 8-12 are for musicians (ie. Hannah Montana and Miley Cryus). Good music is a powerful tool for helping kids worship God!

I’ll get some more links tomorrow!

Here are some other things I learned from presenters there:

Michelle Romain on volunteer training without meetings:

• Newsletters: be consistent, contains training, info, reminders, encouragement or challenges.
• Recordings: audio or visual, podcast or youtube.
• Coaches: set up coaches that oversee smaller groups of volunteers.
• Peer to peer support system
• Face to face
• Teacher resource room
• Questionnaires
• Incentives
• A great word picture (I love word pictures) she used was that doctors save lives, lawyers save would be prisoners and children’s ministers see souls saved.

Yancy (not Nancy) on leading kids worship:

• A great passage:

Psalm 8:1-2

1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;

toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

• We (leaders and parents) should be teaching kids about what worship is and the different forms it takes and what it looks like.
• She recommended a good book by Darlene Zschech called Extravagent Worship.
• Be like a fitness trainer to move kids in worship. Say things like, “You can do it” or “Sing loud” or “Clap your hands.”

Michael Chanley on family ministry:

• Books: Collaborate by multiple authors, Shift by Brian Haynes.
• Link: www.mensfraternity.com
• A big theme that stood out to me was capture the man. The father is the absolute biggest influence on children’s spiritual decisions yet most of them are checked out.
• A successful family ministry is carried out by a church team (led by the pastor) committed to the cause through prayer, vision and consistent implementation.
• I’m thinking of this idea: kids only come to VBS if accompanied by their parents. Hmmm. Not this year I guess.
• Pray for the men. Meet with men. Regularly urge men to action (ie. to lead their families spiritually).
• Make meaningful connections at all the milestones of a child’s life (ie. birth, toddlerhood, off to school, etc.). Meet specific needs (including relational needs).
• Prioritize spousal time. Don’t wait for the kids to be out of the home. Don’t forget wedding vows and the person you made them to. You married your spouse not your kids!

Loved my night! Glad to share it with my wife and partner in ministry. Gonna wind down and get ready for tomorrow.

Click here for part 2.