I am so very excited. For years, I’ve looked for opportunities to help resource and equip the kidmin community, especially those serving in small churches. The culmination of that knowledge was compiled into a workshop that I taught at the recent AG Kidmin Conference. The nearly one-hour teaching is available for download for just $.99. It would mean so much to me if you would take the time to download and listen to that training and then come back here and leave a comment.
I hope it is a blessing! If it isn’t, I’ll give you a dollar.
Speaking and training is something I hope to do more of in the future, as God opens the doors. Was this beneficial to you? Would you like to hear more from me?
Let’s just get this out there, if you are in a small church like me, you are not alone. Most churches in America are under the 300 mark and many of those run less than 100. Yet, when I look out at the resources presented to churches day after day, they are nearly always marketed to larger churches. So much so, I feel that small churches start to feel overwhelmed and just give up. Don’t do that! Don’t give up!
This was made even more apparent to me recently. I love Orange and have used their curriculum for years. I’m getting close to having used them for a decade. I have not been doing family experiences for that entire time, but have been for a better part of it. I love doing these services. We hold them once a month. But I need to let you in on my dirty little secret. They stink. I mean, our people love them and we do the absolute best we can. I’ve built a pretty good team around them and I’m thankful for what they give each month. They have become a part of our church culture and I’m extremely proud of them. Yet, compared to all of the promotional materials and even head-to-head against other churches, we just can’t measure up. Nowhere is this more evident than our set.
First, let’s take a look at some recent pictures posted on 252 Basics Facebook page. These are sets from around the country.
Now, here’s mine. And this took us four years to get here. It used to be much worse. Seriously, when we first started, we didn’t have a set at all.
OK, now that you’ve seen it. You need to understand. If my church can do a successful family experience, ANY CHURCH CAN DO A SUCCESSFUL FAMILY EXPERIENCE. Yes, your set will not be as high quality as the above churches. Yes, your props will probably not be either. Yes, your actors may not be Broadway quality. Yes, your music may be lacking. Yes, your transitions may be poor. Yes, your lighting may not be ideal. But none of those things have to limit your impact.
Our FX services have had a huge impact on the families in our church. They have allowed us to reach out and also helped parents and kids grow in their faith. Yours can too.
Thinking about starting an FX, but not sure where to start? Let’s talk. Shoot me an email or leave a comment below. Or check out this series about how we do our FX. It probably needs to be updated, but is still a great starting point.
There are few things in this world that excite me more than the potential that is present in any group of kids or teens. When I look out at a group of young people I’m almost always challenged by the fact that these students (regardless of the size of the group) have the potential to change the face of the world.
