It’s that time of year again- everyone in ministry is on the hunt for the perfect (and cheap and easy) way to appreciate their amazing volunteers! A few years ago, we took pictures of our kids and their leaders, had them printed in sepia and then put them in holiday photo cards. That was a hit, but Northpoint -like usual- has come up with even more ways to take loving on those that serve so faithfully to new levels. Not only did they take the picture with every child in the room wearing a Christmas hat, they’ve even put Christmas socks on the babies’ feet!

Here’s just a few of the fun and creative ideas they shared for our Friday Favs- to read them all, just click here.

*Do you have some talented musicians with a single or a CD you could give away and that your volunteers would know personally? (Or how about an artist in your church that might design you a special card front that you can send?)

*They invite their volunteers to a progressive dinner/potluck held in the hall or area of where they serve. Every volunteer team provides a certain type of food and sets up their room. Then all of the volunteers travel room to room to eat. They even eat at the little tables and chair.

*The favorite thing they do that everyone wants again and again is on the last Sunday before Christmas, each staff or key team person makes four or five batches of their favorite or signature homemade treat. Then they put them out at breakfast on Christmas plates with a little sign that says “From the Kitchen of…..” and what it is.

*They’ve brought in Cinnabons and set up a coffee “barista” station with a bunch of different creamers to mix it up. Or how about a gingerbread house-making competition?

*This year they are having a “date” night themed party. Northpoint staff will give volunteers a few questions to talk about (mostly about favorite Christmas memories) on the drive to the party. Once they get there, we will take their picture — because everyone is going to be dressed up as their favorite couple — Mr. and Mrs. Clause, Ketchup and Mustard, etc. They will be served popcorn and a soda,then watch Elf together.

So… what would you add to this list? Share your ideas or plans here.

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart! It’s something that we’ve done for many years at North Point Community Church. We’ve watched Baby Dedication morph and grow into an event that now serves an even greater purpose in our ministry to families.

Baby Dedication is more than a great party where you celebrate the birth of a new baby. Baby Dedication is a strategic step in your partnership with parents. It’s your opportunity to give new parents a message that will challenge them to look a little further down the road as they lead their family. It’s your chance to help them begin with the end in mind!

I’m excited to tell you about a new product that you will see next week at the Orange Conference! This tool is designed to help you create the kind of event that will not only allow you to celebrate the birth of new baby with your families, but will also give you a great BEGINNING to the partnership that you will have with these parents as they raise their kids.

Here’s what you can expect to find in this product:

Step 1: Parents get information about Baby Dedication Celebration.
Includes: Promotional pieces and ideas.

Step 2: Parents listen to the talks and do the homework.
Includes: Recording of the parenting talks, homework pieces, and scripts of the parenting talks.

Step 3: Parents sign up to attend a Parent Orientation.
Includes: Orientation invitation, RSVP tracking suggestions, and speaking outline.

Step 4: Parents attend a Baby Dedication Celebration event!
Includes: Invitation to the event, production order, programming ideas, and speaking outline.

Nobody should feel like they are parenting alone. The moms and dads in your church need you to step up and offer to walk with them as they show their kids what it looks like to follow their Heavenly Father.

That’s what Baby Dedication Celebration is all about. It’s a chance for us, the church, to reach out to new parents and let them know that we are here. I’m leading a breakout on this topic at this year’s Orange Conference. Hope to see you in Atlanta next week!

One of our favorite Orange leaders and bloggers is Kendra Fleming. During our last webcast, there was a lot of chatter about knowing our own strengths (and our weaknesses). Here’s part of a very honest post Kendra wrote on this subject– click here to read more.

Are you paying attention to your blind spots? Here are a few things about blind spots:

• You can’t see them! Seems obvious, but YOU aren’t in the best position to see your blind spots or to know how they are affecting the team.
• Your greatest strengths can also do damage to your team dynamics.
• You tend to think that everyone values the same things you value and that everyone is good at the same thing that we are good at. Not true!

I want share one of my strengths and a blind spot. I hope this discussion will encourage you to become more aware of your own. I’ll give you a brief description of the strength, but if you want more information, I recommend that you buy the Strength Finder’s book. It’s a great tool to have on your shelf.

#1 Maximizer
This basically means that I always see how something could be improved. When I look at something or experience an environment, I’m thinking about how it could be done better.

The Blind Spot: When I asked my teammates where they saw this blind spot show up, they told me that it can be discouraging to work so hard on an event and have me move too quickly to evaluation and problem-solving instead of taking a moment to let everyone celebrate and relax from a job well done.

What are some of your strengths and the blind spots that go with them?  If you’re not sure, who could you ask for some real input?

Here are a few more tips from Kendra Fleming on how to keep your large group environment running as smooth as silk. See part 1 here and part 2 here.

• Take time for a quick run-through.

Schedule your volunteers to arrive early so you can walk through every aspect of the production. This helps everyone get a big picture of the morning and see how their parts fit together with the morning’s other pieces. This also allows you to explain anything that is a little more complicated and gives the team a chance to ask questions and get clarity.

• Give feedback and praise.

One of the greatest ways to improve the quality of your large group environment is to praise the good things you see and give feedback. Create systems where feedback and praise are a regular part of your communication with your production team. One way we do this is to record every large group communicator, make a copy of everyone who told the same story from each service onto one CD, and give it to the whole team. It’s amazing how much you improve when you listen to yourself and to others communicating the same script. Another thing we do is have a debrief meeting every Monday with our staff and then communicate with our volunteer teams a few days later, sharing feedback and praise.

What else are you doing to prepare for your large group environment?

We’re continuing a series of posts by Kendra Fleming with tips on how to keep your large group environments running as smooth as silk. See part 1 here.

• Give volunteers plenty of time to prepare.

Make sure that your communicators, producers, and technical support have at least a week to prepare for Sunday. We send all of our content out a month in advance and then follow it up with a weekly reminder. Last-minute preparation means that your communicators and production team are not as confident or well-rehearsed.

What a shame to go to all the trouble to write and edit the content, gather all your lighting and sound cues, purchase props, load computers, and then your main communicator has to pull a rabbit out of his or her hat at the last minute.

• Provide everything your volunteers need.

Be sure all costumes, props, music, a Bible, and a even a bottle of water are ready for your volunteers. Print a hard copy of the script and production order for all of your volunteers.

Nothing throws the production off more quickly than trying to ad lib without the things you need. If you know you are going to be changing some of the suggested items from the original script, make sure you change it in the editing process so you minimize the confusion on Sunday.

Still more tips tomorrow!

If you use 252 Basics like we do, then every Sunday you unpack the Bible Story and lead your kids to worship in your Large Group environment. This is your big chance to communicate the truth of God’s word in such a way that it engages the kids and sticks with them!

You and I both know that you can have the most amazing content and any number of things can still go wrong. And nothing is more frustrating than to know that you missed your mark with the kids due to distractions in the production or small mistakes.

Here are a few things that have helped us run a large group environment that’s as smooth as silk:

• Read and edit all content in advance.

One of the greatest things about 252 Basics is that you can edit it! I recommend you read it with a team as soon as it is posted and make any small tweaks that will help the production fit your space, your communicators, and your technical abilities.

• Make stage directions clear and simple.

We schedule different communicators every week and try to keep things interesting by having storytellers enter from different locations, changing up lighting, or having hosts open with different high-energy interactions. Don’t get complicated!

• Thoroughly prepare all computers, lighting cues, music, sound effects, props, etc. in advance.

If you save some of this for Sunday morning then you are just asking for trouble. Doing this in advance means that you know all the pieces of the puzzle and you are in the best position to walk your volunteers through the many parts of the production.

Come back for more tips tomorrow!

There several things we look for when recruiting small group leaders in our ministry, but these are five of the most important. See part 1 here and 2 here.

4. They connect.
Relationships take effort. And the responsibility for reaching out and building that relationship with our kids belongs to the small group leader.

A leader who really makes a difference in the life of a child is a leader who is intentional about calling, writing notes, and talking to each individual child about the things that interest them. Amazing leaders find ways to connect.

5. They are fun!
This might be the most important point! Kids are drawn to a place that is fun. They want to be in a group that is fun.

It’s simple and yet so many of our leaders think that learning and fun can’t possibly go together. The opposite is true.

Learning about the God of the universe should be FUN!

What other qualities are you looking for in the leaders you recruit?

There several things we look for when recruiting small group leaders in our ministry, but these are five of the most important. See part 1 here.

2. They listen.
Kids know when you’re really listening and when you are sincerely interested in what they’re saying. By listening, this leader gives value and understanding to what is going on in the lives of the kids in his group.

Great leaders draw kids out and make sure their group is a safe place to share. Kids have a lot to process these days; they need leaders who are willing to take the time to listen.

3. They prepare.
This leader walks in the door with her heart and her mind ready to help kids understand the bottom line for the day. They already know where we’re going so they can turn all of their focus to the kids.

You and I both know the leader who arrives and picks up the material for the first time is no where near as relational or as engaging as the leader who is prepared to lead.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve just spent the summer recruiting and training new small group leaders for the fall. As we’re interviewing and talking to these leaders there are always a few things that we’re looking for. In the next few days, I’ll be explaining the five qualities I think are most important. If you’ve been doing this for a while, then you know ‘em when you see ‘em!

1. They care.

I’m not talking about someone who is tenderhearted or hugs a lot. I’m talking about someone who genuinely feels compassion for the kids in their group. Someone who is praying for them, and someone who believes on a personal level that we have a powerful message to share. These leaders want to see their kids grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ.

You never have to worry about motivating this kind of leader. They get it.

More tomorrow!

Yesterday, Kendra Fleming shared some ideas on how to help parents with their children’s promotion to a new grade level. Parents are uniquely positioned to ensure the process is seamless with respect to the preparation they provide their children. See the first two tips here, and read the rest below.

1. Introduce parents to new relationships. Parents feel uneasy when they are unsure about who will be with their kids. Create opportunities for leaders and parents to connect.

   Encourage small group leaders to call the parents and introduce themselves. Take pictures of leaders and create a bio to give parents so they can connect a name with a face. Get creative! There are many ways to do this.

2. Connect parents to the vision. Change is a perfect opportunity to cast vision for what God wants to do in the lives of their kids. Parenting can be overwhelming, and you have an opportunity to cast vision for the new year and the plan you have to partner with them.

   Paint a great picture of your plan and inspire parents to participate with you!

How are you helping parents get ready for the fall? Share some tips from your own organizations!