Category Archives: Planning

Project Management For Children’s Pastors: List Your Steps

Posted on June 16, 2010 | 1 Comment

Once you’ve defined the objective of your project, examined your resources, and built a project team, the next step is to list the step you need to complete your project on time.

List the Big Steps First: What are the major components of the project? Make a to do list with those components. It’s good to list these in chronological order, but it’s not necessary. You can always change the order later.

List the Smaller Steps: Make a to do list under each of the Big Steps. These are the things you need to do to make a big step happen. I’ll give an example. A big step for VBS would be to recruit workers. Smaller steps might include what workers you need and how you intend to recruit them.

Develope A Timeline:  Once you have your to do lists ready, make a timeline of when each large step should be done. Then add the smaller steps to the timeline. A wall calendar is a good way to make your preliminary timeline. After the timeline is complete, move each date back two weeks. No matter how great our planning, life interrupts our schedule. Unforseen events can wreck havoc on deadlines if we don’t allow enough time for interruptions.

Revise Timeline: You and your project team should revise the timeline often to make sure you’re on track and to revise or tweek anything that might need more time.

  1. Develop a Preliminary Plan
    Assemble all your steps into a plan. What happens first? What is the next step? Which steps can go on at the same time with different resources? Who is going to do each step? How long will it take? There are many excellent software packages available that can automate a lot of this detail for you. Ask others in similar positions what they use.

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Posted in Leadership, Planning, Project Management Series

Project Management For Children’s Pastors: Resources and Team Building

Posted on June 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Two of the most important parts of project management for children’s pastors are determining your available resources and building your team.

Resources:

Money:

The first resource you’ll want to look at is how much money has been budgeted for your project. Usually the amount of money is beyond your control. Pastors and councils usually set up the budget. But it helps to work closely with your pastor and communicate how much you need to accomplish your project and which items can be taken off the wish list if need be. If you do that, your pastor will be more likely to work with you in establishing a great program.

Once you know how much the church will provide, look at your budget creatively. Are there items that can be donated by people or businesses? Do you want to fundraise to get extra money? Will you take an offering to defray expenses. Sometimes there are easy ways to cut expenses. For instance, to use the VBS example, you could buy craft materials at a discount craft store to make crafts rather than use the expensive kits most VBS’s provide. Or you could eliminate the student books and substitute activities.

Calendar:

Your church calendar is a resource you can’t afford to overlook. Don’t just find an empty date on the calendar. Check what’s going on with other ministries in the church. If you use teens for your event and the teens are going on a youth retreat, you might not want to schedule you event for the same week-end. If you do, you’ll find yourself scrambling for workers.

Workers:

Determine how many workers you’ll need and write short job descriptions for each role your workers will play. Also have a wish list of extra jobs in case you have more workers than you thought you would. You might also want to schedule different people for clean up and follow up after the event. Sometimes after an event, your workers will be tired and want to go home rather than tear down. If you have another crew ready to come in, it will make things that much easier.

Team Building:

Team building is an important part of project management. Assemble people who can help you plan and execute your event. Divide your event into compartments such as food, games, music, promotion, etc., then have one person who is in charge of each of these areas.

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Posted in Children's Events, Leadership, Planning, Project Management Series

Project Management For Children’s Pastors: Introduction and Scope

Posted on June 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

Every Children’s Pastor should know the basics of project management. Project management is a system to handle the many facets of a project including scope, time, resources, and cost. Some major projects a children’s pastor might have throughout the year that project management skills might help with are Vacation Bible School, benevolence projects, missions projects, Christmas program, fun and evangelistic events, and other major projects. Unfortunately most Children’s Pastors try to manage these major projects with to do lists and time management systems meant for every day occurrences.  As essential as project management is, most children’s pastors have never been trained in it and have no clue what to do.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll post about some of the essentials in project management and how you can use them in managing your children’s ministry events. Today I’ll cover scope.

Scope is a term used by project management to define what a project’s objective is. Basically you’re are stating your vision for the project. I’ll give you an example.

Vacation Bible School: What is the main goal or objective for Vacation Bible School. There may be more than one. Is it to excite children in your church about God? Is the main goal to see children saved? Is discipleship and missions a big part of your VBS? Is your main goal to get children to attend your church?

None of these goals are good or bad, but one goal should be the main goal you’re working toward. Once you know your main goal, it will influence everything else about how you manage your project.

For instance, if your main goal is to see children saved at your VBS, you’ll want to pick a curriculum that is strong in emphasizing that. You probably won’t want to emphasis mission giving as much. You’ll want to advertize outside of the church, and you’ll encourage children to bring their unsaved friends.

If discipleship with a missions emphasis is your main goal, you’ll advertise mainly inside the church. You’ll want a curriculum that emphasizes discipleship and missions. You might want to encourage children to save or do fundraisers for the offerings taken. And the emphasis will affect your curriculum choice.

It your goal is to increase your church attendance, you might want to reach out to the entire family, maybe have a class or fellowship group for parents while their children are in VBS. Follow-up will be one of your most important tools for this goal. And you’ll want to make sure every parent receives information about what happens normally in the children’s ministry and other ministries in the church.

Scope or defining vision and objectives will help you focus your project in a way to make it more effective. If you have too many targets to aim at, you probably won’t hit any of them.

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Posted in Leadership, Planning, Project Management Series

What To Do When You Have Too Much To Do

Posted on June 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

At some point in every overworked children’s pastor’s life, he or she will become overwhelmed with a number of major issues and projects at one time. Some of the following advise isn’t for normal times. This works when you’re overloaded. Here’s what to do when the pressure of your to do list bears down on you.

1. Make A To Do List: Write down everything you need to do no matter how small or large. Just having it written down in black and white will relieve some of the pressure because you don’t have to remember everything.

2. Pray Over The List: Before you start tackling your to do list, lay hands on it and pray for God’s wisdom and guidance. This is a must.

3. Cross Off Unimportant Items: Look through the list. Cross off anything that doesn’t have to be done. You may want to color code your puppets and alphabetize your object lessons, but you don’t need to do that. Say no to the perfectionist within you. But don’t stop there. Any projects, events, or meetings that aren’t essential should also be crossed off.

4. Procrastinate: Write a new to do list of items that can wait until this crisis period is over. There are things that need to be done but can wait. During crunch time, only do what you have to do now. After making your procrastination list, file it. Then write on your calendar the date you’ll pull the wait to do list back out.

5. Delegate: This is the time to rally the troops. Check every item that can be done by someone other than you. Then call in your family, friends, and children’s ministry team and be brutally honest. Tell them you’re in over your head and need their help during this short-lived busy season.

6. Prioritize: Look at the list you have left. Group like jobs together to make them easier. Then number the list in order of importance.

7. Limit Interruptions: Tell friends and co-workers you’ll be unavailable except during certain times. This will give you large chunks of time to get busy on the to do list.

8. Have Fun: After tackling some of the jobs, take a break and do something relaxing and fun. When you get back to work, you’ll be relaxed and better able to handle the stress.

9. Take Care of Yourself: Exercise and healthy eating help you keep down your stress levels which will help you work faster and be more productive.

10. Unwind: After the crisis period, take a little time to yourself to unwind before tackling the jobs you put off. It you don’t allow yourself downtime, you may find yourself burning out.

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Posted in Encouragement For Children's Ministers, Leadership, Planning

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A Children’s Pastor Is A Leader

Posted on April 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Exodus 32:34 (NCV) So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my angel will lead you.

As a leader, there are certain principles to remember.

Leaders are servants.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

You are called to serve God by serving others. This is true of leaders even more so. Christ led by serving. We are to do the same. 

Leaders have a vision and communicate it.

Habakkuk 2:2 Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that reads it.

Leaders have team under them who help them plan ministry. But the vision comes from the person God has called to lead. You, as a children’s pastor, are responsible for receiving a vision from God for the children’s ministry that fit with your senior pastor’s vision for the church. Once you receive that vision, communicate it with your leaders, so you can all be on the same page.

Leaders are examples to follow.

As a leader, you have a responsibility to be an example of integrity and character. Be an example others can follow.

Ephesians 4:1 (NKJV) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Leaders have a team.

John Maxwell says “If you think your leading and nobody’s following, you’re not leading. You’re taking a walk.” Develop a team under you. As your ministry grows, your team should grow. Plan with your team, equip your team for ministry, give them the resources they need, then release them.

Leaders plan, set goals, and organize their time.

Philippians 3:14 (NKJV) I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Luke 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

There are no shortcuts to this. A leader has to learn time management and the art of setting manageable goals. If you don’t do this, you’ll only be able to grow to a certain level. Here’s a link to help you develop a planning system. Jim Wideman also has a lot of great resources on how to do this at this link.

Leaders overcome struggles.

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

If you are a leader, you will have struggles. Teachers will cancel at the last minute. There will never be enough workers, resources, or money to do the things you want to do. You’ll be misunderstood. Some people will lie about you or will try to turn others against you. Many times you’ll feel all alone. Welcome to Leadership 101. Expect it so it won’t capture you unaware. But when this happens, remember you’re not alone. God will go through the struggles with you. Lean on His strength.

Leaders grow.

Guard against the attitude that you know how to do this, that you’ve got it together. Unfortunately this type of attitude is what has caused children’s ministries to be stuck in the past. Most children’s ministries are an average of twenty years behind the times.

Leaders never stop growing. Read books, go to conferences, check out other leaders’ ministry blogs, and find out what children today are into. Also never be afraid of change. Allow yourself to consider new possibilities and methods of doing things. Do this, and your ministry to children will stay relevant.

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