December 2017

Goal-Setting Guide

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Studies have shown that when you write down your goals, you are 42% more likely to achieve them because it engages both the creative and logical parts of your brain. So when was the last time you wrote down specific goals for your ministry? Setting goals for the year can be overwhelming and intimidating, so I hope this free download helps make that process more manageable and successful. I’ll be praying Psalm 20:4 over you as you work through this guide to map out the year ahead. The children and families we serve are too important not to take the time to intentionally look to their futures.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Help me set goals this year! " color="sky" align="center" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct%2Fministry-goal-setting-guide%2F||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text]The Deeper...
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Making New Year’s Resolutions You (and your kids) Can Actually Keep

The new year means new goals, and every January brings packed-out gyms, drops in candy sales, and extra reminders on our phones not to procrastinate. No matter the category, there is always room for improvement in our lives as individuals, but have you ever tried making new year's resolutions as a family? Children can learn a lot about self-discipline and the value of setting goals, and having family resolutions will help you all be "like-minded" throughout the year. Try making New Year's Resolutions a family activity this year. Sit down for a meal together sometime in January and reflect on the past year. Ask questions like "What are you proud of this year?" "What have you accomplished this year?" "What is something that didn't work well this past year?" "What are some things you want to continue doing, and what are some things you'd like to...
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Think Big, Start Small, Keep Moving

The best piece of advice I've ever heard for making and reaching goals (in life or in ministry) was from some random speaker at a Catalyst conference. He said: Think big, start small, keep moving. Think Big: As you set goals for yourself and your ministry, think big. If nothing was holding you back (not even a lack of budget or volunteers), what would you want to see happen this year? We serve a God who specializes in doing the impossible, so dream big! Maybe your dreams are so big that you'll need more than just this year to complete some of your goals. That's OK! What 3 or 5-year goals do you have for your ministry? Start small:  Now that you've got your grand plans, look for the specific, next steps that will help you accomplish each goal. You can't jump from point A to point D without going through steps B and C first. And if you were...
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7 Steps for Setting – And Achieving – Ministry Goals

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The start of the new year is a great time to set goals and resolutions for the months ahead, but where and how do you start? Setting goals can seem overwhelming, so here's my process for setting - and achieving - my ministry goals. You can also download my interactive Goal Setting Guide to walk you through this process.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] 1) Start with prayer. This really should be a given in our line of work. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 2) Keep the vision in mind. I use my ministry vision statement like a colander or pasta strainer and run all new ideas, events, and activities through that filter. 100% of the ideas and suggestions I get may be good ideas, but if they don’t fit within the overall vision of my ministry, then they aren’t...
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Candy Cane Poem Printable

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text]Looking for a last-minute gift for the children in your ministry or want to include a stocking stuffer that reminds kids about the real reason for the season? Use our Candy Cane Poem Printable from the A Praise in a Manger 4-week Christmas series! I can't claim rights to this poem because it's all over the internet, but I formatted the poem in a cute and modern printable that's easy and fun. Just print, cut, and slap on a candy cane for an instant Christmas gift![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Give me a printable to help share the real reason for the season!" color="sky" align="center" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F12%2FCandy-Cane-Poem-Printable-from-Deeper-KidMin.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text 0=""]What you need: cardstock & printer candy...
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Christmas Eve Bingo

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Want a fun and easy way to engage kids during a family Christmas Eve service? Make it a game! I like to give Christmas Eve bingo cards out to kids as part of their Praise Packs, and this Christmas-themed one is perfect for the Christmas Eve service. The idea is that as kids participate in the service or listen for certain words in the sermon, they get to cross out a box on their Bingo board. When they show me their completed board at the end of the service, they earn a Christmas treat! The download even includes a non-reader-friendly version so even your littlest members can still participate. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_btn title="Give me a download to help kids engage!" color="sky" align="center"...
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Praise Packs – Christmas Eve Edition

Anytime we have an intergenerational service where children attend with their families, I like to hand out Praise Packs – a goody bag with activities that help kids engage and participate in the service. These are great ways to help alleviate stress for parents who are worried about their child making it through the whole service, but more importantly, they help teach kids that “big church” is for them too. Praise Packs are more than just coloring sheets to keep kids distracted long enough for the service to be over. They are tools to help invite kids to participate in the whole service, not just the children’s moment designed for them. The key is to pick items that will help the kids listen for certain words or actions going on in the service – but they can’t make noise! No jingling, rattling, or squelching (I made the mistake...
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Change the Name, Change the Game

At our Christmas Eve service and at other intergenerational services throughout the year where children attend the service with their parents, I have always created a “Busy Bar” with coloring pages, crayons, and small, quiet toys that kids can pick up to use during the service. But after studying family ministry in a seminary course on reaching families in the 21st century, I realized that my good intentions to promote intergenerational worship were encouraging an opposite mentality. Diana Garland, a family ministry expert, warns against providing distracting materials for intergenerational services because it unconsciously tells children that they will be bored and encourages them to disengage. While I do my best to relate the toys and activities to the main sermon points, even calling these items a “busy bar” encourages distraction...
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Instant Christmas Pageant (Just Add Kids)

[vc_row][vc_column 0=""][vc_column_text]Last Christmas (no, I didn’t give you my heart) but I went out on a limb for our Christmas Eve service and tried an instant Christmas pageant with our children. No practice. No rehearsals. Lots of cuteness. Basically, I read the Christmas story from Luke and kids acted out the scene on-stage with nativity masks. Our Christmas Eve services are family services, so children ages 4 and above attend with their parents and we try to include more interactive elements in the service than usual. The instant Christmas pageant turned out to be the best (and funniest) Christmas Eve element we ever did! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_btn title="Click Here to Download the Instant Christmas Pageant Plan" align="center"...
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Pursue Peace in the Chaos of Christmas

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text 0=""]"Peace on earth" is the mantra of the season and is what Jesus brings, but sometimes it can feel like Christmas is the least peaceful time of the year. With the shopping, wrapping, decorating, wish lists, tacky sweaters, the Christmas treats you have to make (and eat), and the numerous Christmas parties at school, with friends, with family, and with church, peace is often crowded out by the chaos of the Christmas season. The American Psychological Association did a study on holiday stress and found that the holiday season has "psychological consequences" for many people and that more people reported that their stress increases, rather than decreases, around the holidays. The APA reports that "holiday stress has a particular impact on women, who take charge of many of the holiday celebrations,...
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