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The Difference Between Good and Great Childrens

Ministry Leaders
"Years ago I stopped worrying about how to grow our church
and instead focused on growing me. As I grew me, our
church grew."
-Rick Warren
If had 6 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the
first 4 sharpening my axe.
-Abraham Lincoln
Can tell you about your leadership within 15 minutes of
being at your church. You set the toneyou set the
cultureyou are the thermostat not the thermometer
You teach what you know, but you reproduce what you are!
How can we become better? How can we get to the next
level as a cm leader?
Lifelong journey always want to get better - be growing
Good childrens ministry leaders bring challenges.
Great childrens ministry leaders bring challenges and
solutions.
Become known as a FIXER

 Whiners bring challenges winners bring challenges

and solutions.
Good childrens ministry leaders are motivated by
others.
Great childrens ministry leaders are self-motivated.
Become a self motivator
Good childrens ministry leaders have others who serve
them.
Great childrens ministry leaders serve others.
After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house,
Jesus asked his disciples, What were you discussing out on
the road? 34 But they didnt answer, because they had been
arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat
down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said,
Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the
servant of everyone else. Mark 9
Towel leadership
Not how many people serve you but how many people you
serve.
Good childrens ministry leaders know how much they
know.
Great childrens ministry leaders know how much they
dont know.

 Growing leaders are always in school.

When think arrived you have but thats where you will
stay
Ask more questions than you give answers
Ask for feedback.
o SEE IT AS A GIFT
o Focus groups
o Feedback from guests
o Mystery shopper
Stay teachable so you can stay usuable.
Everyone says they are teachable until there is a lesson
to be learned.
Good childrens ministry leaders reach kids.
Great childrens ministry leaders reach families.
When you reach a child you change a life.
When you reach a childs parents you change the
whole family.

Good childrens ministry leaders are good with kids.

Great childrens ministry leaders are good with kids &
adults.

 Irony of cm is you work with adults as much as kids

Not what you can do its what you can empower others
to do.
DOER VS. EQUIPPER THATS WHAT YOU ARE CALLED
TO DO
BUILD UP LEADERS OF LEADERS
Work yourself out of a job
Replace yourself
Good childrens ministry leaders disciple kids.
Great childrens ministry leaders equip parents to
disciple their kids.
No one has more influence in a chlds life than his or her
parents.
167 vs. 1
Equipping parents

Good childrens ministry leaders maintain a lot of

mediocre programs.
Great childrens ministry leaders focus on doing a few
things with excellence.
Natural pull toward complexity
Thats been one of my mantras focus and simplicity.
Simple can be harder than complex:
You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to
make it simple. But its worth it in the end because once
you get there, you can move mountains.
-Steve Jobs
Less is more
Learn to say no
"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got
to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means
saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.
You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things
we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is
saying no to 1,000 things."
Steve Jobs
Stop doing list what you dont do is just as important as
what you do.

Say no to something good so something great can live!

Good Thing vs. God Thing
Good childrens ministry leaders make sure everything
is comfortable.
Great childrens ministry leaders make sure everything
is constantly being evaluated and improved.
Constantly be striving to get better
Questions after each weekend and event
o
o
o
o
o

What is going well?

What is broken or stuck?
What is missing?
What is confusing?
What is one thing we can do to improve?

Improve 1 thing a week

Walk the building
Bring in fresh eyes
Be a tweak head
Your next level is at the end of your comfort zone

 Nothing grows inside the comfort zone

Biggest threat is complacency longer in ministry and more
successful you are start talking about the past more than
the future what you did than what you are doing.
Good childrens ministry leaders impact the childrens
ministry.
Great childrens ministry leaders impact the entire
church.
Growth
God wants to you use your cm to influence the entire
church