1. Learn the basics. (Or, re-learn the basics.) There are some basics we each need to know, like recruiting and caring for volunteers, effective teaching techniques, how to discipline kids, etc. If you want a good place to start you need to read Jim Wideman’s book, Children’s Ministry Leadership. It’s a classic on the basics of children’s ministry leadership.

2. Choose the course of your ministry carefully. In other words, your curriculum needs to be a win. The root of the word “curriculum” is “course of action.” One of the most important paths you take as a children’s ministry leader is selecting the curriculum that best fits your ministry’s vision and mission.

3. Develop a strong church-parent partnership strategy. God’s plan for discipleship is parents being the primary spiritual leaders at home. What does your church need to do differently or better to equip parents to be the spiritual leaders at home?

4. Move forward as a leader. You can’t coast and go uphill at the same time. If you are coasting, you will either stop or go downhill. This is where good books, podcasts, conferences, and so on play an important role in the life of a leader.

5. Have a great ministry presence. When someone thinks about your ministry, don’t give them any other option but to give an A+. Communicate excellence in your web presence, in your environments, in your marketing, in everything.

6. Provide good security. There’s nothing a parent wants to know more than that their kids are safe. Have a system in place for checking kids in and out of the classrooms, screen your volunteers, and do whatever it takes to make sure they are in a safe environment.

7. Keep calm and Pinterest on. Pinterest is the place to go for a ton of ideas for just about anything. There’s a ton of great stuff out there, including my favorite Pinterest page of all time.

8. Use social media to grow your leadership. Follow people intentionally on Twitter. Develop ministry friendships on Facebook. Get great ideas on Instagram.

9. Invest in your volunteers. Your ministry will only be as strong as those who make it happen. Every month I get detailed statements in the mail reporting on my financial investments. I don’t know what they all mean, but I know this: if I don’t invest today, I will regret it tomorrow. The best investment you can make is in your people.

10. Go get a cup of coffee. While I prefer Dunkin’ Donuts over Starbucks, the coffee itself doesn’t matter. You need to go and get a cup of coffee — and not alone. Take someone with you. Learning to connect and rub shoulders with other like-minded ministers is a game changer.

11. Find inspiration. For some people, it’s found in taking a walk or jog. For others it’s listening to music. Some are inspired by being alone, while others need to be around people. Find your inspiration sweet spot and stay there a while.

12. Pray. Make sure that you are stoking the fire of your relationship with the Lord. Trust Him to lead and direct you. Ask Him to bless all that you put your hands to. Remember, little is much if God is in it.

Now, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!

1. Use hashtags.

The best way to connect with other Instagram users in your church or organization is to add #hashtags to your photos. Come up with a #hashtag for your ministry that people can search to see photos of what’s happening.

(By the way, one of the best ways to get new ideas and to see what other children’s ministry leaders are doing is by searching the #kidmin hashtag.)

2. Take photos of your leaders.

We live in a digital age. Don’t save all of your pictures for an end-of-the-year slideshow. Let people see pictures of your hard-working volunteers on Instagram! Take pictures during church, at special events and other times.

3. Share sneak peek photos.

People love sneak peeks. Use Instagram to let folks take a first look at what you’re working on. This could include a new logo, event prep, a new teaching series, etc.

4. Use behind-the-scenes shots.

Let people see what happens behind the scenes in your ministry. Behind-the-scenes photos help personalize your ministry and create a sense of camaraderie and fun with your followers.

5. Promote special events.

If you are a preparing for VBS, a special meeting, or an event for families, talk it up on Instagram! During and afterward, document your event with fun Instagram pictures.

A good dose of creativity, some thought, and a fun spirit can go a long way to help Instagram become a strong asset to your ministry. Jump right in and don’t be shy. Start now!

1. Preparation (Where do I want to go?)

2. Planning (How am I going to get there?)

3. Perspiration (Am I willing to roll up my sleeves and put in the work?)

4. Prayer (Have I acknowledged that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it? See Psalm 127:1.)

These four P’s added together equal progress. By the way, most great ideas are lost at #3.

1. The theme. Ministry can be hectic. You’ll leave refreshed and better equipped to think and work like a leader.

2. Meeting new friends. I can’t wait to see all the new friendships that will start at the Summit.

3. The small feel. We’re limiting the number of registrations because we don’t want the Summit to feel like a “big” event.

4. The 99 Leadership Plans. Each attendee will develop their own 99 Leadership Plan to help them become better leaders.

5. The book project. We’ll write a book at the Summit that everyone will be proud to have contributed to.

6. The prizes. The Summit swag bags are going to rock.

7. The BBQ dinner. We’ll have a big BBQ in the backyard at KidzMatter on Monday night followed by a corn hole tournament. (It’s an Indiana thing.)

8. It’s cheap. 99 bucks.

9. The worship. We will worship the Lord together through music and prayer.

10. It’s new. This is a brand-new, never-done-before event!

Check out the event website to learn more and to register!

I’m inviting you to my office on April 29-30, 2013, for a 2-day summit where we will drill into excellence in ministry leadership. It’s called The 99 Summit. It’s only $99, and I am limiting the number of registrations to keep the group small.

Here is what we plan to do together during the Summit:

1. There will be worship and learning in an intimate setting.

2. There will be powerful networking opportunities.

3. I will be sharing game-changing insights on leadership in ministry.

4. We will write a book together.

5. Everyone will develop a personalized 99% Leadership Plan.

This event is only 4 weeks away. I hope you can join me and a group of others for this epic event. It will be well worth the investment and will prepare you for an awesome summer and fall of ministry.

For more information, go to the event website and watch the video at the top of this post!

1. The children’s pastor who is happy with a mediocre ministry.
2. The children’s pastor who has no vision for his/her ministry.
3. The children’s pastor who talks behind leadership’s back.
4. The children’s pastor who won’t collaborate.
5. The children’s pastor who won’t walk the talk.
6. The children’s pastor who resists new ideas.
7. The children’s pastor who lacks good people skills.
8. The children’s pastor who refuses to develop others.
9. The children’s pastor who loves big strategies but can’t implement.
10. The children’s pastor who can’t manage him or herself. (If you can’t manage yourself, how can you manage others?)

These poor leadership traits pop up more frequently than not. Avoid them. If you find any of these surfacing in your life, please create a strategy to deal with them! (And carefully choose to follow people who model excellence in leadership.)

If you’d like to win a free Action Bible for yourself, leave a reply below with your name and how many years you have been working in children’s ministry. I will use a random picker program to choose the winner!

In this edition of My Favorite Five, I am going to focus on podcasts. Before I tell you my favorites, let me mention a few things first.

1. I listen to a total of 10 podcasts. I can’t handle more than that. 10 for me is doable. 12 or 15 is unrealistic. The five I am going to share with you are ones that I don’t miss. I listen every time (or pretty darn close to every time) a new episode is released.

2. My list changes frequently. I occasionally add podcasts and subtract podcasts from my listening library. If a podcast gets boring or doesn’t relate to where I’m at, I replace it with something else.

3. Podcasts help me turn potential wasted time into growing time. I don’t listen to them at my desk during the day – I’m too busy doing other stuff. Instead, you’ll find me listening to them on my commute to the office in the morning, or on an airplane, or on a long drive to a meeting.

With no further ado, here are my favorite 5 podcasts (in no particular order).

I listen to this podcast because it contains sermon audio from their pastor, Matt Chandler. I follow Matt and appreciate his approach to teaching and preaching.

I like this podcast because I’ve learned a lot about leadership and communication from Michael Hyatt, who creates each podcast.

The Briefing is a daily podcast featuring Dr. Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I appreciate his perspective on current events and news.

I’m like a sponge with this podcast. Andy “gets” leadership and does an awesome job connecting it to ministry in a local church.

The Catalyst Podcast is cool because you get to hear from so many great communicators and church leaders. I always leave with new ideas and that shot in the arm that we all need now and then.

I’d love to know what your favorite podcasts are. Please share who you listen to in the comments section below.

I started using Prezi a few years ago. You’ve probably seen a prezi before, but maybe didn’t realize it was a prezi. (For example, TED presenters use it frequently.) If you’ve not discovered it, you should watch this one-minute intro video that will show you what it’s all about. In a nutshell, Prezi is an application for presentations and storytelling that uses one blank canvas instead of a series of slides.

The biggest reason I like Prezi is because it’s different. PowerPoint is overrated. (Everyone uses it, right?) Prezis, on the contrary, are unique. They keep people’s attention and are one way to position you as an excellent communicator.

I use Prezi for special presentations. The thing (at least for me) about prezis is they take a good amount of time and thought. So, I don’t use Prezi every week. I create them for big things, like when I am making an important pitch, doing a keynote somewhere, etc. (Click here to see the prezi I made for our board of directors meeting this week.)

So, you are ready to experiment with Prezi. Here are a few pointers I would offer:

1. Look at what other people have done. On this page, you can search Prezi to see what others cool people like yourself have created.

2. Search for reusable prezis. When people create prezis, they have the option of making them reusable. That means you can copy and paste what they have done and use it as a template. I use reusable prezis all the time when I need to create one. When you are searching for prezis on this page, be sure to click “Show only Reusable prezis”.

It’s okay to reinvent the wheel. Remember this: reusable prezis can be reused. (Am I smart or what?) Instead of starting with a blank canvas, take what someone else has done and manipulate it to make it your own.

3. Start small, then get more creative with time. The best way to learn Prezi is to play around with it and get a feel for how it works. Don’t wait until the night before your important speech to build your first one. The more time you spend in Prezi messing around, the more comfortable you will be when it’s time to create one for that next big thing.

Have fun playing with Prezi. It’s a best kept secret for teachers, storytellers and presenters.