JOHN REDDY OnLine

Youth Ministry Transition - 10 Priorities

As many folks know, our Assistant Pastor Ryan Howell was called to serve as Senior Pastor at Curtis Lake Community Church in Sanford, ME beginning in January 2008.  As part of that transition, our leadership team took the time to assess, reflect, and plan for the future of ministry to teenagers and their families.  This assessment was a natural time to stop and reflect.  It included lots of debriefing coffees with Pastor Ryan, multiple meetings with our Youth Ministry Team, a special night of parental feedback, and sessions with our Elders and other Ministerial leaders.  There was great interest and participation.  In fact, we gathered over 300 distinct comments - written and oral.  And...  we were really really proud of the passion, the thoughtfulness, and the clarity that folks brought to this endeavor.

From these discussions, we identified key strengths emerging from Pastor Ryan's and the Youth Ministry's efforts, opportunities to improve even more, and some fresh thoughts and ideas.  This feedback provided a platform for articulating 10 key priorities over the next 3 years of ministry.  Approved by the Body of Elders and shared with the church at a quarterly Church Life Update meeting on 4/20/08, these priorities are:

1)      Integrate the Youth Ministry into the fuller life of the church:

a)      Change the core values and culture

b)     Synchronize with the rhythm of the church; including Sunday morning experiences, church calendar imperatives, and other leadership priorities.

c)      Align with core church processes – administrative and logistical.

d)     Coordinate across ministry lines – transition from Children’s Ministry; transition to Adult Ministry; co-sponsored ministry planning and efforts.

e)      Leverage Youth Ministry strengths to the benefit of the rest of the church

2)      Commit partnering efforts in the establishment of parents as primarily responsible for the discipling of their teenagers.

a)      Improve communication channels and feedback

b)     Calendar functions and activities with Family Life clearly in mind

c)      Create and invite family-centric, Youth activities including Teen-friendly Family Service Projects or Local Mission initiatives

d)     Institute a series of Parent Training Initiatives; Issue-specific (ie, How to speak to your Teen about Purity)

3)      Create environments that understand and respect the developmental levels of teenagers

a)      Segment Grade 6 to Elementary; Middle School as 7-8; + Senior High (9-10; 11-12)

b)     Balance activities done best as:

i)        Individuals – personal devotions

ii)      Small Groups – Life Together

iii)    Moderate Groups – Service Projects

iv)    Large Groups – All-Nighters; Social events

v)      Huge Groups – Congregational Worship

4)      Develop a 6 year core curriculum Scope & Sequence that addresses:

a)      Age-appropriateness

b)     Biblical literacy

c)      Discipleship training from Foundations through Leadership Development

d)     Relevant life issues including relationships & purity, substance abuse, career planning

e)      Integration with the church and family scope & sequences

5)      Design a complementary series of achievements or “Rites of Passage” that are predictable and well understood by the teen, the family, the Youth Ministry, and the church as a whole.

6)      Champion a commitment of service-to-others including:

a)      Within their families as members of their household

b)     Within the church through the Youth Ministry Program

c)      Within the church as individuals expressing their S.H.A.P.E. in other ministries

d)     Within the community through intentional work projects

e)      Harnessing school-based community service requirements

7)      Maintain an engaging calendar of Youth Activities while reducing the overall out-of-pocket annual expenses to the typical family.

8)      Create a Leadership culture within the Youth Ministry through training, mentoring, and inviting mature leaders into commitment.  Training emphasis to begin with:

a)      The Life Development of Teens – emotionally, socially, physically, spiritually

b)     The discipleship of teens through the family, the volunteer, and the church

c)      The role of respect, authority, and friendship

d)     Personal ministry & mentoring of teens (issue specific)

9)      Identify and improve the barriers to effective service to teens within the organization, structure, and processes with particular emphasis on:

a)      Planning – Calendar, Events, Curriculum, Budgeting, Evaluation

b)     Volunteer Assimilation

c)      Safety, Security, and Risk Management

10)  Redesign the culture and ministry of TEC Youth Ministry while developing campus initiatives in fulfillment of The Imagine Campaign through a cooperative Children & Student Leadership Team effort.

Now I'm really excited about these priorities for two main reasons. 

First,  I really believe that they represent the heart of God of our preferred future here at Trinity Evangelical Church.  I'm struck by the process by which God begins to reveal his will for a group of people.  We gathered, we considered, we prayed, and we arrived at a consensus as a church.

Second, the Body of Elders invited me to lead us through this process.  Beginning immediately, I have been asked to be responsible for students and their families, beginning at Birth and extending through the end of Grade 12.  I am humbled by the offer, nervous about the workload, and excited about the challenge.

Over the next two months, I'll be sharing in detail about this transition.

In the meantime, please pray that all of us will use our God-given S.H.A.P.E. in cooperation with each other and in the power of the Holy Spirit to see His Kingdom advance in Greater North Reading.

The General Store - An Incentive Program

 

                      [The General Store - External View]

As a child-centered ministry, Children’s Ministry has developed the use of a General Store available immediately after our various programs meet.  Our General Store Team has enthusiastically developed a plethora of items designed to appeal to children.  We have intentionally designed this program with sound biblical principles in mind.  To date, our leadership, our parents, our staff, and especially our children have found this incentive worthwhile.  We have summarized the basic guidelines so you can feel greater familiarity with our program.

Principles of Usage#1 – Create Goal Incentives: 

We will use this program to provide goal incentives to motivate actions by your child associated with morally-neutral actions or skills.  Points will be awarded as follows:

FaithWeavers Sunday School (Elementary Division only):

• 1 Pt - Attends class on time.  (By 9:00am sharp or by 11:00am sharp)
• 1 Pt - Brings their Bible.  (Any version will do... although our lessons use NIV)
• 3 Pt - Brings the prior week's HomeConnect Take Home Work back to Small Group on the following Sunday.  It should be signed by a parent who attests that the student made an age-appropriate good faith effort with the family to review that week's lesson.  We suggest that a dinner conversation or just before bed is an ideal opportunity.

FW Friends MidWeek Club (4 years – Grade 5):

• 1 Pt - Attends meetings on time.  (By 6:30pm sharp)
• 1 Pt - Wears their Club TShirt (Any year's color is acceptable)
• 1 Pt - Participates in Small Group Discussion time as indicated by a good faith effort to complete their Journal Activities during Circle of Friend time.

First Time Guests:

In addition, we will encourage your child to bring new friends.  When they do, both the child and their friend will have a special award of ten points apiece.  (We’ll also give our new friend a Children’s Ministry Welcome Gift BackPack).  Not only do we hope to encourage your child to be bold with their invitations but we desire to have their friend’s first experience be a child-centered memorable experience.

Principle of Usage#2 – Provide Random Rewards: 

We will also use this program to provide rewards to motivate behavior - but not necessarily to stimulate behavior.  Rewards are random recognitions of morally superior decision-making choices.  There is a difference between this and our outlined goal incentives.  Know that we will not bribe (a reward held out in advance) for morally superior decision-making.  [I’ve posted our rationale – see xxxx].

This year, a child may be given random points on random occasions in order to recognize and support the development of good moral choices.  Each teacher and teacher assistant has been given 50 points per quarter to distribute as rewards.  They will pace their recognition and giving in accordance with their observations and insight.

How does the Program Work?

1. Items within the General Store are given a point value determined by the cost or value of the item by the General Store Team.
2. Each time a Children's Ministry program meets, small group leaders will take attendance and award points on their personal GS CARD as appropriate.
3. On Sunday, the General Store will be open from 10:10am-10:25am and 12:10pm-12:25pm.  On Wednesdays, the hours will run from 8:00pm-8:10pm.  In addition, on special occasions or by special appointments with individual classes, the General Store will be open.
4. In the event that a child earns points but wishes to save them for future use, they may be turned into the General Store Bank and a balance will be maintained for the child.  All accounts will return to zero at the end of the year.  We encourage younger students attending both Sunday and Wednesday to save on Wednesday and spend on Sunday.  This gets them home a little earlier on Wednesday night.
5. No currency is accepted for store items.  Items are "purchased" solely by tickets earned through our Children's Ministry programs.
6. We do not offer "layaway".  We discourage students from "borrowing" points routinely from another student.  Both options reduce the goal of creating incentives for the individual student.  Occasional exceptions at the discretion of the General Store Team may be made.

How Can I Help?

1. Know the goal incentives and help your child to successfully achieve them.  After all, we believe that the goals identified for this year are goals that you share for your child with us.  Resist doing their tasks for them but you can certainly encourage them to bring home their Sunday HomeConnect Take Home Work and review it with you over dinner or before bed some evening.  Your signature is required for the child to receive credit.  Please, please, please don’t cheapen the experience for your child by signing their work if a good faith effort at considering that week’s Main Point hasn’t occurred.  We want to incentivize carrying Sunday through the week; we do not want to incentivize dishonesty.
2. Talk with your child about their Children’s Ministry experiences.  If you discover that they’ve been randomly rewarded, discuss why and praise their experience.  We are in this together.
3. Serve as a General Store Clerk.  While we have a dedicated core of volunteers routinely covering, we do have opportunities for parents to volunteer on occasion.  Frankly, as this program has grown, we could use the help.  Speak with our General Store Coordinator, Teresa Reddy (BlessTess@aol.com).  You will receive a simple orientation and be conveniently scheduled as needed.
4. Donate items for our General Store.  We do set aside a budget to acquire interesting items for the children.  However, we are always looking for interesting stuff – new or recycled.  For instance, you may find that during housecleaning you’ve built up a supply of interesting trinkets, toys, literature, or other item no longer used by your child but that may be appealing to another child in our program.  If so, bring them to our General Store Coordinator.  We’ll make certain that they are suitable, assign a ticket value, and recycle your item.  If you wish to donate something, simply bring it in at any time, mark your donation “General Store”, and leave it on the counter in the General Store.

Again, we encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have.  Our desire is to create a great learning experience for you child.

Sundays at TEC - Children & Families

I want mornings at TEC to be a special experience for children and families that will draw them closer to God.  The following information is shared with families hoping that this experience is easier and more enjoyable.

1)       First Time Guests

a)       All first time guests should anticipate completing Registration Information for each child prior to joining our programs.  Appropriate forms and instructions can be obtained at the child’s destination.

b)       All first time guests should anticipate receiving a Welcome Gift at the conclusion of their first experience with us as a token of our pleasure in meeting you.

c)       While we do assign children to small groups by age and grade, we do recognize that first time guests often feel more comfortable accompanying a friend who brought them.  Temporary assignments are an acceptable way of easing a child through a first time experience.  Parents are welcome to join their child in transition as well.

2)       If your child is Birth through 36 months, you should bring them to PromiseLand 1.

a)       PromiseLand 1 can be located through the Main Foyer, past the Office/Library, and on your left.

b)       PromiseLand 1 is open for dropoff 15 minutes before the main Worship Service begins each Sunday.  We respectfully request a timely pickup once the service is over.

c)       Because of the special needs of our youngest children, a detailed Information Sheet should be completed and submitted prior to receiving your child into our care.

d)       We do have OnCall beepers available for families to use each Sunday.

e)       PromiseLand 1 does have a special Nursing Mothers Room with video hookup to the main Worship Service.

f)        We do request that your child’s belongings – diaper bag, drink cups – be clearly labeled.

3)       If your child is 3 years old through Kindergarten, you should bring them to PromiseLand 2.

a)       PromiseLand 2 is located through the Main Foyer, past the Office/Library to the end of the hall, take a left, go down the stairs, and the special child-friendly entrance is at the bottom of the stairs.

b)       PromiseLand 2 is open for dropff 15 minutes before the main Worship Service begins each Sunday.  We respectfully request a timely pickup once the service is over.

c)       As a child approaches 36 months, our team will assess the timing of your child’s transfer to PromiseLand 2.

4)       If your child is Grade 1 through Grade 5, they will participate in our Elementary Division.

a)       Children’s Hall is located from the Main Foyer, down the stairs, take your left, and enter the Children’s Hall where our staff will assist your child’s placement.

b)       Students, Grades 1-5 should attend the opening segment of the main Worship Service with their family each Sunday.  Approximately 15 minutes after this shared worship experience begins, students will be dismissed as alerted by a scrolling announcement on the video screen.  They will be directed to their assigned classrooms.

c)       Students should be picked up from the Children’s Hall at the conclusion of the main Worship Service.  As an indication of their growing maturity, students in Grades 4 & 5 can be dismissed from our programs to seek their parents elsewhere in the building.  If you prefer otherwise, simply communicate to our staff.

5)       Special Note – Dismissal & PickUp:

a)       As a safety precaution, children will only be dismissed to individuals clearly identified on the Registration Form.  We will not dismiss children to their siblings unless clearly discussed with the Leadership Team, in advance.

We look forward to serving you and your family.  We eagerly welcome your questions and comments.  More information can be obtained from our WebSite at www.trinityevangelical.org/children.  Check it out or feel free to drop me a line and introduce yourself.