You might be wondering, where do I start? How do I build a successful children’s ministry?  It all starts with hiring or appointing the right person.  Here are a few things I look for in an effective children’s pastor.

Children’s Lead Pastor

1. He or she must have a strong call to reach children.
2. He or she must be able to relate well with children, especially from the ages of 4 to 12 years.
3. He or she must understand that the average age of people accepting Christ is 10 years old, therefore a strong Evangelistic ministry thrust is extremely important in all children programs.
4. He or she must demonstrate that they know how to work with the parents and get them involved in the children’s ministry.
5. He or she must understand how to use regular incentives to help children invite their friends to children program’s in the church.
6. He or she uses every opportunity to have activities in the church services so as to invite the children’s family and friends to come and watch their children in these programs and thereby add them to the church family. 
7. He or she teaches the children through creative, age-specific activities, dramas, lessons, that enable the children to MEMORIZE the great stories of the Old and New Testaments, including important verses, books of the Bible and the Gospel.
8. He or she must be able to work with and recruit volunteers.
9. He or she must be able to be a team player with the church staff.
10. He or she must take special care to mingle with the whole church not only the families of children.
11. He or she must understand how to put a budget together for the children’s department that is both frugal and creative, using the resources available to the program.
12. He or she needs to know that they might be required to oversee the nursery.

Never overlook the importance of an effective children’s ministry in your new church plant . Most parents are not willing to sacrifice effective ministry to their children in their search for a good church.

Outstanding children’s ministry is a must.

 Doco

Over the years, one of the delights of my heart has been to support what God is doing on a world-wide basis. I believe God calls us to go into all the world with the Gospel of the Kingdom and help the poor, feed the hungry and preach the gospel to the lost. I believe God willl bless a church that keeps missions as a high priority on their list of ministries.

Here at CPR, we endeavor to practice what we teach by reaching beyond ourselves to help the less fortunate of the world.  We support several outreach ministries, including orphanages to the children of aids victims, the feeding of needy children, and other worthy causes.  One such ministries is Wellspring Ministries, run by my brother in Piet Reteif, South Africa.  My brother, Leonard Weston, has such a passion to help the hurting and it's evident in his outreach in Piet Reteif. I encourage you to look at the short four minute clip of his ministry to the hurting. Wellspring Ministries Short Video (Click Here)

I know that many of you have outreaches that you support and I commend you for doing so. However, if you and your church have yet to commit to a solid work, I highly recommend Wellspring Ministries. For more information visit them at www.wellspring.org.za 

Keep checking back to our site for more church planting information. In the mean time, don't forget to ASK DOCO.

Owen Weston

There are several reasons for this subtle shift in preference, however I believe the main one is the need for most Americans to see something in the church that is different from the other aspects of their everyday life. The unchurched feel  bombarded by a culture that is shaped by market forces and narrow demographic branding strategies. Different is refreshing.

If you would like to understand more about this subtle shift in architectural preference check out the link provided here. (Click Here)  

Let me know what you think the answer is for your church setting-and don't forget to ASK DOCO

blessings,

Doco

Vision is a key element to growth in the local church. However, vision is often confused with mission, indeed some use the terms interchangeably. Keep in mind that ones vision stems from their mission. Your vision is a short, punchy statement of the strategy regarding a particular church’s calling. On the other hand, mission is a philosophic and general statement regarding the key ministry objectives of the body. 

While mission is important, vision is used to identify the church, to market the church, and to set the general tone within the church.  It is also used to guide the staff and committees into what is and what is not consistent with the purposes of the church’s existence.

 Few churches today have either an articulated vision or a written mission statement.  Studies done by Regent University reveal that 80% of the Protestant churches are dying due to a lack of vision - hence, a lack of direction or purpose.  These studies have shown vision to be the most fundamental element in a church’s growth. 

Churches without a vision are floundering around without any direction or purpose and are going absolutely nowhere.  Proverbs 29:18 reminds us that, “Where there is no vision the people perish.”  What is often overlooked is that this Proverb applies equally well to churches. Here are three distinct characteristics of a good church vision:

 1. An effective vision statement should be unique (or specific) to a given body of believers. 

Each local church has been established by God with a distinct job to do within the universal Church. You are not called to emulate the work of another body. Find your vision and it will work. God guarantees it.

 2. A vision should coincide with the giftedness of the people who are in that local body. 

It is an absolute must that the vision statement focuses on the God-given strengths of a congregation.  It should not be considered an accident that a particular church has been an abundance of some gifts and a dearth of others.  God has provided the “tools” for a local church to accomplish the vision God has for that church within its environment or sphere of influence.  The job of the local church is to hear and recognize God’s calling for them.

3.  An effective vision statement should clearly define the church’s target audience group.

This is determined not only by demographics, but also by the history, theological purpose, and strengths of the local body.  Many people are reluctant to define a target audience because they fear they will drive people away.  However, the notion that concentrating on one group will drive away all the other groups has proven to be false.  Most churches do not have the money nor the people resources to concentrate on too many (and too varied) “catch-all” programs.

In Conclusion

An effective vision statement should be stated in one fairly short sentence.  This is important because the vision of the church must be marketed both within the church and within the community served by the church.  As unspiritual as that may sound to some, it is a truth that no matter how good a product is, it will not make an impact on the consumer until they know about it. 

Do you have a vision for your church? Can it be easily articulated by those who attend? Hopefully so. It's time most churches and pastors revisit their vision and retool for greater effectiveness.

Doco