Connect Magazine | May-Jun-Jul 2016

may-jun-jul 2016

The Richer for It

Why intergenerational community is vital

WIRED THAT WAY - David Csinos

Sharing the Vision for your Ministry

Being a Collaborative Leader

the team (09) 526 7958 childrensministry@baptist.org.nz www.bcfm.org.nz

NATIONAL TEAM LEADER

Karen Warner (09) 526 7958 | 021 279 0919 karen.warner@baptist.org.nz

NATIONAL ADMINISTRATOR

Marelize Bester (09) 526 7958 childrensminstry@baptist.org.nz

REGIONAL ASSOCIATION C&F COACHES AND MISSION LEADERS Northern

Wellington

Raewyn Moodie (09) 416 7974 | 021 797427 candrmoodie@gmail.com Elke Keeling 021 623540 elke.keeling@ihug.co.nz

Paul Edlin 027 692 1440 p.edlin@lifeimpactcentre.org.nz

Waikato

Mike Walker (07) 843 5959 | 021 793 431 mike@hamsouth.org.nz Bay of Plenty

Jan Ozanne (07) 576 2523 | 027 733 3298 jan@obc.org.nz

Canterbury/Westland

Donna Reid 027 329 3250 donna.reid.23@outlook.com Otago/Southland

Derek Pyle (03) 448 5177 pyle-dm@ihug.co.nz

editorial

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uckland is finally cooling down enough to sleep at night with the covers on. I know it’s a small pleasure, but sometimes it’s the small things that have a big impact. One of the other small things I have been enjoying this year is re-engaging with children’s ministry as a Storyteller. For me, the joy of sharing Jesus with kids is one of life’s highlights. I love creating an environment where not only are they able to learn about God, but also experience his presence and learn to listen to his voice. I wonder what small things have been bringing you joy lately?

We are thrilled that so many of you now have our new resource, The Foundations of Ministry with Children and Families and are seeking ways to establish ministries that are not only healthy, but fit the context in which God has called you to minister. Those of you who are especially clever, will have noticed that in each issue of Connect we cover the four foundations: 1. Excellence in children’s ministry.

2. A church and home partnership.

3. Intergenerational community.

4. An integrated strategy for faith formation.

So, how are you doing? To which area are you giving your current focus and how are you stretching yourself and your team to greater heights?

Our website is undergoing a revamp so that it revolves around these four foundations. We are making sure that you have the inspiration, equipping and support you need to see your ministry flourish.

Can I encourage you to be both prayerful and intentional in the way that you seek to minister with children and their families: dream big, make plans, develop a vision, ask questions, get advice and believe that God equips where he calls.

Don’t forget the National Team is here to help and only a phone call or email away. Keep an eye out for the new-look website, and if you don’t yet have a copy of the Foundations please let us know.

Blessings,

Karen PS. Don’t forget to sign up for the Children’s Ministry course at Carey Baptist College. We are excited to have Dave Csinos as guest lecturer. See the back cover for details.

children's ministry

Wired that Way DAVID CSINOS

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everal months ago, I traveled to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to speak at a weekend youth retreat. As is typically the case with youth retreats, the final evening was slated to be a social time, and the leaders had planned a coffee house in a room at their church building.

Before the coffee house time, however, the schedule read “spiritual practices.” I asked one of the leaders what this hour-long component of the program would consist of, and she told me that they had transformed their church hall into a space filled with stations where the youth could independently engage in spiritual practices.

I was running a bit late that evening, so when I arrived at the hall, the group was already ten minutes into the spiritual practices session. I peeked inside and noticed that the hall was lit with candles and lamps, and all over the room the teens were quietly moving from station to station. Some were experimenting with prayer postures. Others were listening to music through earbuds. There were teens lighting candles and teens writing prayers.

I was amazed at how these young people—who were gabbing and giggling with each other all weekend—were suddenly immersed in deep spiritual practices. They weren’t talking with each other. They weren’t even looking around the room at what their peers were doing. Each one of them was focused on the practices they chose to engage in. It was indeed a holy moment, one that was so special to these teens that they decided to forgo the coffee house in order to spend more time in this spirituallyinfused space.

The past two decades has seen a surge in research into the spiritual lives of children.

A consensus has emerged that children are

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innately wired with spiritual capacities.

As people of faith, our understandings surrounding children’s spirituality are often couched in theological language. Children are gifts from God, fully human and made in God’s image. They are created in communion with God, already in relationship with the One who made them, even if they are unable to speak about this profound connection. This sense of connection is the essence of spirituality.

However, the inherency of that spiritual spark in children is not a guarantee that it will continue to shine as young people grow into adulthood.

David Hay argues that aspects of western society may actually work to extinguish the flame of spirituality, saying “the adult world into which our children are inducted is more often than not destructive to their spirituality.” The openness and connection of spirituality may be gradually undermined by society’s focus on individualism, intellectualism, and privatisation.

Many of us might argue that this is where the church should play a role. Through their ministries with children, congregations can combat the extinguishing of the spiritual flame.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, but I struggle to see how this is possible through the common ways in which congregations engage in children’s ministry.

I recently spent a year visiting congregations to study how children generate theology in light of the cultural particularities of their faith communities. In one church that I visited, I interviewed a number of the children who seemed to be the Sunday

school superstars. These were the children who attended regularly, were eager to help out, and were always the ones with the right answers to their teachers’ questions.

During my conversations with these children, I was impressed by their ability to articulate theological ideas and recount biblical stories they had learned in Sunday school. Yet when I asked them to tell me about a personal experience they had with God, these children— who, I may remind you, were always the ones ready with the answers to questions—were speechless. They struggled to think of a moment in their lives that they would name as an encounter with God. Common practices of children’s ministry do much to help children learn about God and Scripture. But they are not prone to help children experience God and God’s story. Sadly, ‘Sunday School’ often focuses on intellectualism and individual knowledge at the expense of real relationships—with others, oneself, the world, and God.

We who minister with children need to embrace the renaissance of spiritual practices taking root across the church and integrate it into the very core of what we do with children. For too long we’ve been focused on helping children learn about God, forgetting that what they really need are genuine experiences of God, those moments when the world around us suddenly feels thinner and God’s

Spirit touches our spirits.

By engaging in spiritual practices with children, we can help them have such experiences. And we can encourage them to experiment with and create practices for themselves. As we do so, we can be ever mindful that there is no guarantee that putting out candles, leading meditations, going on a walk in nature, or any other spiritual practice will give children Spirit-to-spirit connections with God. But it can happen. And it does happen. I saw it happen in that church hall in St. John’s. I saw young people connecting with God in ways that go beyond anything that they may have been taught in classes and lessons. I saw young people being lost in the moment, giving into their spiritual capacities as they had first-hand encounters with a God beyond words.

Re-printed with permission from http:// advocateblog.apcenet.org/

______________________ Dave Csinos will be the guest lecturer at the Carey Baptist College Children’s Ministry Course in September. He is the author of several books on children’s ministry and is an Assistant Professor at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Canada.

may-june-july 2016 connect | 5

children's ministry

Sharing the Vision for Your Children’s Ministry GREG BAIRD

Vision matters. Vision is your final destination, your ultimate goal, the one thing you are striving for in your ministry.

“Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.”

- Andy Stanley Without vision, your ministry will, at best, survive. With vision – if it is captured and owned by all – your ministry can thrive and grow into something far beyond what you could ever imagine. And that is why sharing your vision so that people own it is so very critical for you, the leader.

I’ve found the following 6 steps helpful in sharing the vision so that it becomes primary in all we do and, eventually, embeds itself in every conversation, every decision, and in every person in our ministry:

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1. Shape it with memorable images What does your vision look like? If your ministry accomplished everything you envision it accomplishing, what would it look like? How would you describe it? That’s the picture you want to paint as you share your vision with others. Be creative. Find images and descriptions to illustrate the vision and then practice articulating them in a way that paints an irresistible picture for whomever you may share it with, and within whatever context that may be.

4. Use it as the filter for making major decisions I used to work with a ministry that required me to drive a lot. And when I made those drives, everything I did was about getting to the destination. Whether it was stopping to fill the car, eating, the driving itself or choosing a hotel , it was all about making it to my final destination – the “vision” for my trip. It’s the same in your ministry. Everything you do, ultimately, will either move you closer or further away from realising your God-given vision. Make your decisions accordingly.

2. Make it part of your everyday language Every conversation you have about your ministry should drip with vision. Whether you are having coffee with a volunteer, taking a team meeting, or having a conversation with another staff member, everything should be about your vision in some way or another.

Why? Because, while it may seem to be overdone to you, others need to hear it over and over . . . and over . . . again. You live and breath the vision, but they don’t. Of course, you’re not going to regurgitate the vision statement word for word in each of these settings. Rather, you will shape your language around the vision so that it influences everything you say and do.

3. Make it visible everywhere Not only should people hear the vision from you in every conversation, they should also see that vision statement everywhere. Do you send an email newsletter? Put it in there. Do you have a Facebook page or other social media that you use? Make sure it’s there. Personal notecards? Yep, put it on there. Throughout the ministry area and in every classroom? You bet.

Everywhere.

6. Equip others to share the vision 5. Support it with complementary mission, values, goals & environment Here’s an easy way to look at the framework which involves all of these components:

• Vision: what you want to become. The place you want to end up.

• Mission: how you get to your vision. The process involved.

• Values: the non-negotiables framework. The pillars by which you make decisions.

• Goals: the steps taken. The progress you make toward the vision/mission.

• Environment: the appearance and settings.

The presentation of who you are.

Your vision comes first (and is always in alignment with the overall vision of the church). But your mission, values, goals and environment are all important and should be supportive of that vision.

You cannot do the vision thing alone.

You should be surrounded by key leaders you are developing. They should be part of the conversation that defines the vision being pursued and the vision statement that is articulated.

Whether they are with you from the beginning or not you must equip others to share the vision. They must understand it, believe it, and know how to articulate it in a way that paints an inviting picture. And they should infuse every conversation about your ministry with that vision. When this happens, the vision you are pursuing will begin to take hold and grow, eventually embedding itself in the very fabric of your ministry, which is exactly what you need it to do!

Article courtesy of www.childrensministryleader.com may-june-july 2016 connect | 7

church & home

WITH Young Children on the Spiritual Journey We need help to see more than cuteness!

ELKE KEELING C&F NORTHERN COACH

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t is vital for us to pay attention and engage in what God created and science is discovering - the spiritually active and hugely receptive pre-schooler!

God created all people in his image. Psalm 139: 13-14 says: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Science is discovering new facts about young children : “In fact, psychologists and neuroscientists have discovered that babies not only learn more, but imagine more, and experience more than we ever thought possible.

In some ways, young children are actually smarter, more imaginative, more caring, and even more conscious than adults are.”1 The world of a pre-schooler is full of wonder and discovery:

My world is crowded with legs and lots of sounds, I hear words spoken – some I can understand, others I sense the meaning of and some mean nothing to me yet.

I am trying to make sense of this world and where everything fits, what it means, how to communicate in it, how to survive in it.

This world is a place of wonder for me. Everything is new and I am awed at what I see and experience.

I love to hear stories – stories about me, my family, animals and nature… AND especially stories about God – God and me, God and the world. I use all my senses to experience who God is. Please help me to know God, the God I have known from within your womb.

1 Gopnik, Alison. The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love & the Meaning of Life. Vintage Digital, 2011. page 5

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For us to engage on a spiritual journey together WITH pre-schoolers, we need to realise that they learn about God and faith as they interact with their parents and their faith community.

This interaction is almost like a game of “peeka-boo” in the very young child and develops into a game of “hide-and-seek” as they grow older.

They are searching for God, His Story, and how he can be known. It is our role to enter into this interaction with as much seriousness, respect and hope as the young children do.

Research has shown that children play a significant role in initiating faith practices, traditions or routines. Together WITH our young children our faith grows too.

The construction of spiritual meaning making between parents and their preschool child2 Child incorporates a new spiritual truth or practice Child understands more about a spiritual experience Child reinitiates a spiritual experience Child enjoys a spiritual experience Child lives in an evironment of trust

Parents are encouraged in their faith and practice by the child’s experience and response

Parents respond by continuing spiritual practice Parents continue a spiritual practice or forget Parents involve child in spiritual practice Parents want children to develop spirituality

2 Elke Keeling: Research Paper: With Young Children on the Spiritual Journey, Carey Baptist College 2015

The child needs their parents and other significant adults to interact with, but they also need a faith community to be part of. As they see how the faith community worships and relates to each other, they learn the rhythms of grace as people love God and each other. The child’s presence in the faith community is also

Spirituality Awe and wonder Mystery sensing Value Sensing Conscious of relationships

Encountering God

vital as they remind us what it means to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18)

The pre-schooler and their faith community in interaction.3

Lived Faith

And Meaning

Personal relationship with God Understanding own meaning of life

Incorporating religious belief and morals into life

Religion

&Culture

Doctrine and creeds Stories

Rituals and routines

Learned prayers and passages

Knowing about God and Culture

Marwa Dawn expresses it well: “The key is for us, their parents and mentors, to notice God’s goodnesses ourselves and declare them.

Our children already perceive the glories of the cosmos more readily than we. Once they have learned the language of grace from us, they

will no doubt name its various manifestations eagerly and inspire our faith while deepening their own.”4

3 Ratcliffe D., Experiencing God and spiritual growth with your child. 2005. www. childspirituality.org

4 Dawn, Marva J. “‘Until Christ Is Formed in You’ : Nurturing the Spirituality of Children.” Theology Today 56, no. 1 (1999): 73–85. Page 77

Let’s enter into the Christian spiritual journey WITH our young children, TOGETHER!

FURTHER RESOURCES:

• The Beginners Bible

• Child Spirituality, Rebecca Nye

• Jesus Storybook Bible

• Godly Play Story Resources, Godly Play NZ facebook page, www.godlyplay.org.au

• Children’s Ministry in the �ay of Jesus, Ivy Beckwith and David Csinos may-june-july 2016 connect | 9

church & home

What are Parents Saying About your Ministry?

MARGARET SPICER CROSSWAY BAPTIST | MELBOURNE

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s ministry leaders we dream, plan and implement experiences that impact young people. We have a clear purpose and strategy, a plan with an end in mind. The reality is, whilst we spend all week thinking in this zone, our families don’t. Their lives are busy with competing activities vying for attention. What we desire for our families and what they actually do can be very different. The reality is we are not the only carriers of the narrative around our ministry. Even though parents won’t spend all week thinking about what is coming up they do have a story around how our ministry impacts their family.

Our challenge as leaders is to hear and then understand what our parents are saying about our ministry. This is valuable information that will influence our leadership choices. In the end it is not what we do FOR a family that makes a difference its what we do WITH them that has impact. Parents are vital stakeholders in every ministry involving their children. They will have truths that we need to access if we are to be effective.

On a Sunday I position myself in the hallways and welcome area at church so parents know that I am predictably available. I will often have conversations about kids settling into small groups, hear stories about conversations at home or answer questions.

The feedback I get here is incidental rather than intentional. As leaders we need to develop a pathway for intentional feedback that will help shape our strategy. I am not a fan of an anonymous survey, or open meetings. I prefer to strategically select parents and invite them to be part of a ‘one off’ focus group. You want people who are onside with what you do, but will care enough to be truthful. It’s important to cast a clear compelling vision as to the impact their involvement will bring: why have you asked them specifically?

Partnering with parents means more than just 10 |connect may-june-july 2016

telling them what we want them to do. It means hearing from parents, giving them opportunity to speak into the strategy of our ministry. We call these Parent Focus Groups. They are groups of no more than 10 people (a mixture of married couples and individuals) plus yourself. I have another team member there specifically to observe and to take note of action points. They also keep me accountable. We invite parents to a café and over coffee create a discussion opportunity. Because these are focused sessions we keep them to 90 minutes. Not all parents will know each other so we take a moment to talk about something we have in common - our kids! In transitioning the discussion I remind parents how much we value them and also the value we place on partnership – church and family working together. I set expectations around the discussion: “We are not going to make any ministry decisions here but your thoughts and opinions are valuable and we will consider everything that you say. We value truth and honestly delivered with grace. We want to honour God and help our kids discover their own faith story.”

A great starting point is to ask, ”What is one thing about our ministry that you value as a parent?” And at the end we ask, “Is there one thing we can do differently to become more effective?

Where the discussion goes in the middle totally depends on what you want to know and why. As a leader you need to be very clear about the purpose and then guide the discussion (otherwise you can chase all sorts of ideas around and not get the information and insights you want and need).

A carefully crafted question can create conversation that unlocks truth that would otherwise remain buried.

We make ourselves vulnerable when we open these

S Questiome to Con ons sider

sorts of discussions. After all we put our heart and soul into what we do. Be mindful of feedback traps that will shut down a conversation.

• Your identity is not your ministry – don’t take it personally.

• Don’t blame or justify - we judge ourselves by our intentions while others judge us by our impact on them. When we hear something that is a negative, our instinct is to defend our position

- How we a their famre adding value t o ily?

- What do would dothey wish the chur ch to support them?

- What ar their pareethe next steps in nting pha se?

- When it childrenc,omes to their worried a what are they bout?

- What ac home? tually happens at - Are we c mmunica you in aom eaningftuing to l way?

• Don’t dismiss/shut down ideas - “We’ve tried that before.” Sometimes parents will want to use the ideas that they have seen work in the past. Thank them for their ideas and insights. If it’s clearly unworkable, then help them see the ‘why’ behind your choice of the ‘what’.

• Every problem doesn’t need to be solved – sometimes it’s a tension that needs to be managed. Is this a one off situation or is it a repeating pattern? Look for a common thread rather than get caught up in an individual case.

• Don’t decide or promise anything. It’s a focus group not a leadership meeting.

• Articulate next steps - will you have another

meeting 6 months from now? What happens next? You don’t want parents walking way not knowing if their time mattered.

Focus groups allow parents to share insights, leaders to cast vision and outline strategy and everyone around the table to listen, understand and discern how to be more effective in influencing a generation. When we partner with parents they become owners of our ministry.

They invest more and carry the message of what we are achieving together. It’s worth it! may-june-july 2016 connect | 11

intergenerational community

The Richer For It. ANNETTE OSBORNE SCRIPTURE UNION

According to Rich Melheim of Faith Incubators, “America in the late 20th Century became the most age-segregated society in the history of the world… We have removed ourselves from the wisdom of the elder, and deprived the elder from the wonder of the child, the teaching role to the teens, and the advisor role to the rest.”

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hese words ring true for us here in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We too live in a culture that has segregated the ages, and we are the poorer for it. However, there is growing awareness that we need to do something about this. We realise that we are richer when we are together. In church circles this development is called ‘intergenerational church’. It seeks to bring together the generations in all of our church life, not simply Sunday morning. An intergenerational church model recognises that we can all learn and grow together. Intergenerational church declares that we all have something to contribute for the good of the whole. We are members of the body of Christ as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, regardless of age.

An intergenerational model of church life can be daunting for a church to consider. However, there is much being written on this topic, and a growing amount of research and practical ideas to help. I want to highlight just three areas that can form a good starting point.

An intergenerational church model takes seriously the inclusion of all in the body of Christ. We are all made in the image of God. That means that we value each other; through our presence and through our contribution. We begin with the understanding that our faith is shaped by those younger and older than us. This means that all are welcome. We anticipate that God will speak to us through the community of faith, not just its adult members.

Following on from this, a significant role for the church to take up is to work on closing the gap.

Age-segregation is destroying relationships. We have lost the art of being together. The gap that exists between the generations has allowed the

maintenance of the myth that youth are all rude and ungrateful. It allows us to view children as noisy and disruptive, our adults as self-sufficient and the older generation as close-minded and irritable. The best way to overturn these misunderstandings is to create opportunities for the generations to be together. It is hard to label a young person ‘rude and ungrateful’ over a cup of tea and cake. We need to close the gap.

We can bring the generations together in a host of different ways. Here are few ideas to consider. What would happen if you extended an invitation to an older member of the church to head along to a youth group event to share a story of faith from their own experience? If there is an issue your church or community is facing, invite all ages to pray together. Get everyone together to pack food parcels or to do baking to deliver to new mums. Deliver these together in families or groups of all ages. The possibilities are endless! Take a look at the opportunities that already exist in your church and consider how you could use them to bring the generations together in creative ways.

And finally, we must be ready to let go. If we want our church to be an intergenerational family then it will be a challenge. It will require compromise and sacrifice. But the benefits will outweigh the challenges. On one of their less-than-best days on the job, the disciples tried to stop the children getting to Jesus. But Jesus knew that children belonged at his side, alongside the more grown up disciples. Peter and the others walked away from that day with a greater understanding of the Kingdom of God. They were richer for this experience and so too will we be. Let us open up the circle and invite all generations to gather at Jesus’ side. may-june-july 2016 connect | 13

Integrated Strategy

Becoming a Collaborative Leader JIM LADOUX

Article courtesy of www.vibrantfaith.org

Effective leaders understand that they can’t do it alone, and find ways to get things done through others. Collaborative leaders bring out God’s best in others and in the organisations they serve in pursuit of shared goals.

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hey seek out individuals, teams and organisations who can fill their gaps in knowledge, skills and wisdom and are willing to share what they have with others.

They operate from an abundance mindset, celebrating the gifts and assets that are found in people and places in and beyond their congregation. Leaders who are moving towards a collaborative mindset often go through the following stages.

STAGE 1: THEY MOVE BEYOND A “SILO” MINDSET.

Collaborative leaders are as passionate about the church’s overall health and vitality as they are about the ministries they oversee.

Collaborative leaders know as much about what’s happening in other facets of 14 |connect may-june-july 2016

congregational life as their own. They know as much about their colleagues’ roles and responsibilities as their own. They move from: • Telling others about what’s going on in their ministry to asking colleagues about their ministries.

• Using the “I” and “my” statements to “our” and “we” phrases.

• Setting goals for their individual ministries to connecting them to the church’s mission, vision and values.

• Helping other team members only when asked to offering assistance on a regular basis.

• Asking, “How does this impact my area?” to raising questions such as, “How does this impact us as a whole?”

STAGE 2: THEY EMBRACE AND SHARE THE BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES, INCLUDING: • Bringing people together from across functional and organisational lines to accomplish shared outcomes.

• Gathering the collective knowledge and wisdom of all stakeholders to make better decisions.

• Mobilising people’s gifts and passions toward goals that could not be realised independently.

STAGE 5: THEY DEVELOP HABITS AND PRACTICES THAT SUSTAIN COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, INCLUDING:

• Raising up new leadership to address complex issues now and in the future.

• Establishing group norms around meetings, communication and follow through.

• Increasing buy-in, trust and synergy among stakeholders.

STAGE 3: THEY SELECT PARTNERS WHO KNOW HOW TO “PLAY WELL TOGETHER,” ALIGNING THEIR EFFORTS WITH PEOPLE WHO: • Are passionate about the vision that’s shared, making it a priority for themselves and their organisation.

• Model mutual trust and respect.

• Are willing to share control related to decision-making, information and execution.

• Are willing to take risks, learn from failure and try new approaches.

• Plan in advance to provide appropriate lead times for all parties.

• �ave a bias for action and a mindset for creating excellence in all facets of ministry.

• �ave a willingness to address problems as they arise in transparent, grace-filled ways.

STAGE 4: THEY VIEW COLLABORATION AS AN INTENTIONAL PROCESS THAT INVOLVES SPECIFIC STEPS, INCLUDING:

• Inspiring a shared goal that has buy-in from all parties.

• Identifying key players that will serve as the glue for holding together the collaboration.

• Listing each party’s needs and potential contributions related to the shared goal.

• Establishing clear roles, responsibilities and expectations for all parties; create written plans, listing key milestones.

• Developing and monitoring communication channels and protocols to ensure ongoing engagement of stakeholders.

• Framing conversations in ways that allow everyone to be heard.

• Building trust among team members; teaching leaders how to play well and have fun together.

• Working behind the scenes to ensure that progress is being made between meetings.

• Clarifying expectations, addressing issues as they arise, and mediating conflict.

• Soliciting people’s opinions and perspectives about past, present and future projects.

• Framing decision-making in ways that address the most pressing issues and give voice to people’s concerns.

• Gathering ongoing feedback needed to make course corrections and adjustments to plans and projects.

Three questions to consider when taking steps towards having a greater level of collaboration and integration:

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1. WHA MINISTRY WOUT AREAS OF LD BENEFIT FROM INCREASE COLL ABORATIO D N? 2. WHO DO YOU NEED TO COLL AB MORE INTENTIOORATE NALLY WITH (STAFF MINISTRY TEAM, ELDERS, S, LOCAL CHUR GOVERNMENT, CHES, LOCAL COMMUNIT Y ORGANISATIONS ETC.)?

3. WHAT STAGES AN D ST EPS DO YOU NEED TO ADDR TO BECOME A ESS MORE COLL ABORATIV E LEADER?

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resources Leading a Special Needs Ministry – Amy Fenton Lee

This book gives great insight into the situations that anyone working with children with special needs may face. There’s an outstanding section that is especially insightful called “Loving Families”. In this chapter Fenton discusses the right things to say and do to accept and love families where a child has been diagnosed whether at birth, pre-school or intermediate age. From there the author presents the challenges and situations that can be faced. For such a small book the detail is in-depth, even covering statistics, terms, training, recruiting, safety, as well as many other subjects. Overall, this is an excellent handbook that should be in every church library and used as a training tool for special needs ministry. It is also very insightful for the parents of children with special needs. It answers questions and concerns, especially what to look for when placing a child in a church ministry.

So whether you are a parent or in a special needs ministry (or looking to start one) this book is an absolute must read.

Lift-the-Flap Prayer Cards When it comes to little ones it’s hard to beat lift-the-flap books. For what it’s worth, I think most grownups like them too!! What better way to teach your young ones how to pray than with these great liftthe-flap prayer cards.

The cards are designed for children aged 2 years up. Being thankful or saying “thank you” is one of the first things babies learn, so it’s something they identify with early on. Each card has the words “Thank you Jesus” at the top and when they “lift the flap” (in this case open the door) it contains a picture of something or someone the child knows well, learning that God provides all things.

This great resource is available on the Baptist Children and Family Ministry website (www.bcfm.org.nz). You’ll find a printable template with instructions on how to put the cards together. This resource is great for Take it Home or other parent events.

Seeds Family Worship Website Have a look at this great site, www.seedsfamilyworship.com. It’s jam packed with music resources as well as memory cards, books, online clips and even puzzles. Some are free and others can be bought online. Great for inspiration as well.

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editor's top picks Youth Alpha Alpha - Youth is a contemporary exploration of the Christian Faith that is being used to help young people from ages 11 – 18, explore the character and claims of Jesus. The course can be done over 8, 9 or 10 weeks. It’s a more informal version of the original Alpha using the same teaching content but adapted in a way to better engage with young people. Alpha - Youth shares the same important elements as any Alpha – food, a talk, and small group discussions (except with a lot more fun and many more games!).

Alpha Youth also provides a film series. It was filmed all over the world in cities like London, New York, Vancouver, and Jerusalem.

It’s Alpha for a new generation. Every episode has breaks for discussion, and shows a variety of youth and young adults from around the world speaking their minds about faith and God.

We’ve been told that the programme is suitable for Intermediates and is available for free download!

The Story of God’s Love For You

The Story of God’s Love for You by Sally Lloyd-Jones is the retelling of the same stories found in The Jesus Storybook Bible but aimed at youth and adults. The author has taken this adaptation of her recently published work and made it exclusively for older hearts and minds to embark on the same journey our younger children may have experienced when reading The Jesus Story Book Bible.

It gives the Bible reference that it covers so you can read or study more on the subject of that day. It is also a great family devotional book with the opportunity for discussions after each story.

Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus

If church leaders and children’s ministry practitioners only ever read one book on children’s ministry, Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus would be a great choice. In this book Dave and Ivy have captured the current picture of children’s ministry in the West, succinctly set that picture within recent history and used their collective wisdom, experience and knowledge to purposefully provide the settings for an alternative future in children’s work-a future not solely focused on educative or entertaining programmes and children’s cognitive ability but a much more holistic approach.

One that is more intentionally nurturing and formational to children as spiritual beings, theologians, disciples of Jesus and worshipers of God within, of course, a church community-a community that is intergenerational, humble and willing to journey with them as fellow travelers and co-learners as we all seek to grow in the way of Jesus day by day.

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resources

Are You Safe?

KAREN WARNER

S

afety is one of those words that can often cause people to either duck for cover or look the other way.

Unfortunately, the new Health and Safety legislation that came into effect on April 1 requires that all of us no longer hide our heads in the sand when it comes to safety. So, how safe is your ministry and your church? It may be report card time!

In 2013 we produced a resource for churches titled, Safety First. This easy to use manual is designed to help you develop a Safety Management System (SMS) for your children’s ministry. There are easy to use templates, downloadable forms and all the information you need to make safety a priority in your church.

We have done a lot of the work for you so all you need to do is personalise the documents to fit your ministry and church.

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Of course, all our Baptist churches have jumped enthusiastically at the opportunity to keep their kids and leaders safe…………. Hmm, if I was a cynic I might say that was a Tui Billboard! But, don’t worry we won’t tell and if you still haven’t put an SMS in place it’s not too late. We will be running a second series of workshops around the country both for those churches that missed out last time and for those who would like a refresher and a reminder of what to do next.

The time for ‘getting to this later’ has passed.

Pastors and elders will be held personally liable if something serious happens on your property and you don’t have an SMS in place.

Let’s make sure we are showing our communities that we hold the safety of children as a priority. If you would like a copy of the Safety First manual or to know more about workshops in your area please email us on: childrensministry@baptist.org.nz

pin these dates

8

may

14

28

3-6

11

jun

may

may

jun

Way2Go Conference

Way2Go Conference

Way2Go Conference

Auckland

Dunedin

Wellington

BYM QB16 weekend

Mother’s Day

Living Well Church Rotorua www.qb.bym.org.nz

See website for details

8

jun

20

aug

20-22

27-29

jun

jun

BAPTIST

LEAD CONFERENCE

2016

27-29 June | Hutt City Baptist

CM workshops New Plymouth.

10 – 2.30. Email: diana@strandz. org.nz

25

Grow Training and Spark Plus

Godly Play training

Baptist Lead Conference

Carey Baptist, 7-9pm. Two events at one time! Training tailored for both teen leaders and C&F leaders. Bring your whole team.

Auckland www.bcfm.org.nz

baptist.org.nz/ lead-conference

6

Equip Empower Engage

DOING MINISTRY IN A KIWI WAY

Key Speakers:

Nick Fields

13

27

1

jul

aug

aug

aug

sep

C&F Networking Evening,

Messy Church Resourcing Day, Auckland.

Special to God: Meeting the needs of Special Kids course www.cbm.org.nz

Messy Church Resourcing Day - Nelson

Random Act of Kindness Day

St Johns in the City, Wellington. Email diana@strandz.org.nz

4

messychurch.org.nz

5-9

messychurch.org.nz

13

14

17

sep

sep

sep

Father’s Day

Children's ministry Block Course

Way2Go Conference

Way2Go Conference

Way2Go Conference

Blenheim – Elim Church 6-9pm

Nelson Salvation Army, 6-9pm

Greymouth – Holy Trinity Anglican– 9.30 – 3.30pm

Auckland

sep

sep

See website for details

may-june-july 2016 connect | 19

Children’s Ministry Course with Dave Csinos Equip yourself to be more effective in your Children’s Ministry

BLOCK COURSE

5-9 September

Carey Baptist College 473 Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland

9.30am – 4.45pm each day

The Children’s Ministry Course is a challenging course that explores biblical and theological foundations, current trends, and relevant issues in ministry to children and their families within a local church context.

Whether you are new to ministry or an “old hand”, you will receive teaching that will grow and challenge you while spending a week networking with, and learning from, like-minded others.

Dave Csinos is assistant professor at Atlantic School of Theology where he teaches in the areas of practical theology and ministry studies. He also serves as founder and president of Faith Forward, an ecumenical organisation for innovation in ministry with children and youth.

Attend the Block Course for personal interest or study for the full semester as part of the Certificate in Child and Family Leadership or towards other Applied Theology qualifications.

For more information www.carey.ac.nz

COST

0800 773 776 Rachel.roche@carey.ac.nz

Credit $765 (full Semester - working towards qualification)

25th July – 18th November Audit $340

(personal interest – no assignments – 20attendance |connect may-june-july 2016 just of the block course)

90 years Anniversary 1926-2016

Spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment