Welcome to the Kidmin1124.com Volunteer Champion of the Week. There are thousands and thousands of volunteers who turn out each weekend and selflessly serve children in churches around the globe. They do not do what they do for recognition or accolades, but at Kidmin1124 we would like to shine a light on some of these volunteers as a way to say “Thank You!” So, each week we recognize one volunteer from the world of kidmin who goes above and beyond in their service to God’s kids. Our hope is that this segment will provide some well deserved recognition to individual volunteers. More importantly though, we have asked these Volunteer Champions to share some of their insights and experiences with us so that we can all learn from their wisdom.

This week’s recipients, based on a nomination from Julie Snyder, is (drum roll please):

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So many people who work in children’s ministry are not in either staff or volunteer leadership positions.  They are the ones who show up week-in and week-out, work directly with kids, run the tech booth, perform worship, and so so much more.  Oftentimes though, there people are not amongst the core leadership team for the children’s ministry as a whole.  Unfortunately, these people are sometimes forgotten when it comes to planning upcoming events, casting vision and communicating upcoming changes.

If you find yourself in such in a position, this article is for you.  I want to talk about eight very specific things you can do to lead from non-leadership position.

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Way back in the day, Kidmin1124 was born out of a vision that started with a facebook page.  These days, we are promoting the facebook page related to this site, and we hope you will take just a minute to “like” our facebook page by visiting it and clicking on the LIKE button or clicking the LIKE button on the upper hand portion of this page. 

Here is why we are shamelessly promoting this page!

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Welcome to a brand new feature here on Kidmin1124.com. Starting next Sunday, we will be introducing “Sunday Afternoon Tea.” In this feature, we hope you will join one of authors each week for a lazy Sunday afternoon conversation. Whether you enjoy hot tea or good old-fashioned southern ice tea, pour yourself a cup and come find out a little bit more about our authors.

What drives them? Why do they work in children’s ministry? Who were the shaping influences in their life? We will ask a series of questions each week of one of our authors. Some will be light-hearted and others more hard hitting. Our questions will run the gamut from their childhoods through their work in children’s ministry. Some questions will require very short answers and other longer more in depth answers, but that’s part of the fun!

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Welcome to the Kidmin1124.com Volunteer Champion of the Week. There are thousands and thousands of volunteers who turn out each weekend and selflessly serve children in churches around the globe. They do not do what they do for recognition or accolades, but at Kidmin1124 we would like to shine a light on some of these volunteers as a way to say “Thank You!” So, each week we recognize one volunteer from the world of kidmin who goes above and beyond in their service to God’s kids. Our hope is that this segment will provide some well deserved recognition to individual volunteers. More importantly though, we have asked these Volunteer Champions to share some of their insights and experiences with us so that we can all learn from their wisdom.

This week’s recipients, based on a nomination from our very own Tonya Langdon, is (drum roll please):

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Working in children’s ministry is a great privilege and a great responsibility.  While it is important to have enough volunteers to maintain the safety of the children, it is also important that volunteers meet certain minimum characteristics in order to serve in children’s ministry.  While the individual qualifications may vary by church, the following are some basic requirements which apply to all children’s ministries.

The Non-Negotiable Requirements

There are certain requirements which should be made of all volunteers.  These are not dependent on your needs, or your church, or your lead pastor, or anything else.  These requirements are fundamental to having a safe and effective children’s ministry.

1. You must be a professing believer in Christ and strive to live your life as such.

Being a Christian is a key to working in children’s ministry.  The spiritual nourishment of God’s children is at stake, and it would be negligent to allow people who do not know Christ to fill that role.  There are many other volunteer positions in a church that non-believers can fill should they desire.  Children’s ministry should not be.

2. You must have a clean criminal record and good references.

The safety of our children must be a primary concern.  Accordingly, everyone who works in children’s ministry should have a clean background check and good references.  Screening, along with a personal interview, should be a fundamental step in accepting any volunteer application.

3. A Volunteer must continue to attend services and tend to their own spiritual growth.

In any ministry, and particularly in children’s ministry, we minister out of our own overflow.  Regularly attending service (or listening to recordings of services if multiple services are not available) is one key to continuing your own spiritual growth.  Things like regular time in the Bible, being involved in community and regular prayer time are also fundamental.  In order to minister to kids you have to make sure that you are being filled regularly and consistently.

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If you work in children’s ministry, your ultimate goal is to teach kids about Christ and help to point them to him.  In order to do this, it is important to understand the different ways that kids learn.  In general, kids can be classified as one of three types of learners:

1. Auditory
2. Visual
3. Kinesthetic

In order to reach the kids you are leading, it is important that you plan your lesson to reach kids in all three groups.  So, let’s take just a minute to define each type then we will look at some tips for reaching kids which each type of learning style.

Definition of Learning Styles

• Auditory Learners are kids who learn best by listening to the spoken word.  This type of learner makes up about 30% of the general population.
• Visual Learners are those kids who learn best by what they see.  This represents about 60% of the general population.
• Kinesthetic Learners learn by doing.  They are, what you would call, hands on learners.  They represent only 10% of the general population.

While kids will tend towards one of these three styles, that does not mean that they can not learn from the other styles.  A child’s primary learning style simply represents the way that they learn best.

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Here at Kidmin1124, we are devoted to volunteers and those who lead them.  Today, we are starting a new series here on Kidmin1124 called “Volunteer Training Nuggets.”  Our team of writers will tackle a variety of issues that come up when training volunteers.  These issues will run the gamut of information volunteers need.  They will include articles on teaching techniques, policies and procedures, leading a small group, building relationships, discipline, resources, running a nursery and many many more.

Our hope is that these Nuggets of training will help two distinct groups.  First, and foremost, these nuggets are meant for volunteers.  If you volunteer in children’s ministry, you know that in order to lead kids you have to be a constant learner.  We must constantly strive to be better at reaching kids for God’s Kingdom.  We hope that these articles will help you to continue to grow and learn when it comes to working in children’s ministry.  Whether you learn something new from these article or your memory is refreshed by something you read, we hope that you, as a children’s ministry volunteer, will be edified by these articles.

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Welcome to the Kidmin1124.com Volunteer Champion of the Week. Thanks to a rush of nominations, we are happy to have this weekly feature back here on Kidmin1124.com. There are thousands and thousands of volunteers who turn out each weekend and selflessly serve children in churches around the globe. They do not do what they do for recognition or accolades, but at Kidmin1124 we would like to shine a light on some of these volunteers as a way to say “Thank You!” So, each week we recognize one volunteer from the world of kidmin who goes above and beyond in their service to God’s kids. Our hope is that this segment will provide some well deserved recognition to individual volunteers. More importantly though, we have asked these Volunteer Champions to share some of their insights and experiences with us so that we can all learn from their wisdom. This week’s recipients, based on a nomination from our very own Wendy Douglas, is (drum roll please):

Adam Farragut

Here is some background information on Adam:

1. What is your full name?

Adam Farragut

2. Where do you live (city, state, country)?

Pigeon Forge, TN, USA

3. What church do you attend and serve at (please feel free to include the web address of your church)?

The Gathering in Sevierville, TN

4. How long have you been involved in children’s ministry?

I’ve coached Upward basketball since 2009, and I’ve been involved in the children’s ministry at my church since Feb. 2010

5. What position(s) do you volunteer at in your children’s ministry?

Coach-Upward basketball (2009-present) and Audio/Visual Tech & Small Group Leader (1-3 grade boys)-The Gathering

6. Tell us about your family (spouse, kids, etc.)

I’m only 22 so I don’t have a wife or kids yet. I’ve got great parents though. I also have a brother who’s 25.

7. Any links you would like to share (blog, twitter, facebook, cmconnect, etc.)

• http://www.genewolfenbarger.com
• http://www.thelordschild.com
• http://www.prayerrevival.tv

We also asked Adam to share some thoughts and wisdom on some selected questions. Here is what he had to say:

1. What is the single greatest lesson God has taught you through your volunteering in children’s ministry?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned is to have the faith like children. It’s no mistake that Jesus said "Let the little children come to me." I’ve been inspired and awestruck by the children’s innocent faith. It’s also very humbling to know that I better teach the kids THE TRUTH so that the kids do not grow up believing a lie.

2. What have you learned about leadership as a volunteer?

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Last Thursday, we did our second Kidmin Volunteer Radio show and talked about volunteer resources.  There were so many that the show actually ran 20 minutes long and we still didn’t get to everything.  Here are the resources mentioned in the show with links where appropriate (I will add links as time permits, but I wanted to get the list out as soon as possible).  How about you?  What resources would you add to this list?  Do you have any comments on the resources included?  Let’s keep this conversation going!

Books About Children

• Come Ye Children, Charles Spurgeon

Books About Children’s Ministry

• Collaborate Family + Church, Michael Chanley plus 35
• What Matter’s Now in Children’s Ministry
• Think Orange, Reggie Joiner
• Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School, Aaron Reynolds
• Shift, What It Takes To Finally Reach Families Today, Brian Haynes
• Transforming Children in Spiritual Champions, George Barna
• Turbo Charged, Dale Hudson & Scott Werner
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