By jimwideman on 7/25/2010 11:38 PM

 #7. Identify the things that you are doing that others can do and commit to do the tasks and functions that only you can do. (v. 22-23) Remember all believers can do ministry. They won’t be able to do it as good as you can at first but you weren’t that fabulous yourself when you started. You grew and got better and you need to return the favor. Doing the things that someone else can do for you keeps you from being totally effective.

#8. The proof that you heard is that you do what needs to be done (v. 24)  James 1:22-25  tells us “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it --he will be blessed in what he does. Obedience is always best! Thus saith the Lord always works, it’s so much better than thus saith the seminar speaker or the children’s minister blogger. 

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By jimwideman on 7/24/2010 11:35 PM

 #5. Teach and model procedures and policies (v.20b) There are two questions that every volunteers need to know. What do you want me to do and how do you want me to do it? (Policy and Procedure Manuals are important!)

Here are the steps to follow to make sure you are staffing for excellence. Identify all positions. If people were no problem where could you use a worker. Make job descriptions. Everyone does better when they know what to do. Write all policies based on your desired action. I give everyone each other’s job descriptions and duties so everyone knows what everyone else should be doing.

Be sure and operate by policies, don’t make exceptions on a regular basis, if the policy needs changing, then change the policy.

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By jimwideman on 7/23/2010 11:30 PM

  What a story he came, he listened, he watched, he coached, he taught, then he left. Here are 10 Steps that I got from these verses to enlarge the abilities of your volunteers.

#1. Learn to be a listener. (v.8-10) Listening to others is one of the smartest thing a leader can do. Who do you listen to? Staff, coordinators, teachers, helpers and parents. In other words listen to anyone who will talk children’s ministry with you. Listen to experts and the voice of experience. Listen to learn.  Experience is the best teacher but it doesn’t have to be your experience that you learn from. 

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By jim wideman on 7/23/2010 12:28 AM

 Over the years I have learned things are never as good as we think they are. I’ve also learned that things are never as bad they are somewhere in between. Seeing things without the opinion or viewpoint of others help you to see the real root of the problem. The problem wasn’t just Moses not spending enough time at home or that he was doing the job alone the problem was he was not training, equipping and enlarging the abilities of those he was leading.

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By jimwideman on 7/21/2010 11:25 PM

 The answer is to get to the heart of the matter and dive into what I call the excellence model. Let’s set up the story. Moses was doing what a lot of people in the ministry do he was doing the job alone. He was seeing a measure of success but it was not the best for his ministry or his family. You see what got Mr. Excellence (that’s what Jethro’s name means…) to pay Moses a visit is because Moses’ wife took the kids, left Moses and went home to daddy. In Exodus 18:6-10 we pick up the story…” Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."  So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them. Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians.

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By jimwideman on 7/20/2010 11:59 PM

 I am not the same leader today as I was when I started. I hope I’m not the same leader I was last month. I want to be a constant learner. I hear people say all the time Jim I wish I knew the things you’re teaching years ago. The truth is I do too. I learn something everyday if I want to and guess what I want to! I wish at times I could go back to the first three churches that I worked at and show them that I’m not as dumb as I used to be. My dreams are bigger, my thinking is better and my abilities have been enlarged. How has all this come about? Believe me it wasn’t by accident and it just didn’t happen on it’s own. It came about through intentional actions and steps.

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By jimwideman on 7/12/2010 11:54 PM

 This week on July 15th and 16th a Children's Ministry historical event will be taking place, the 1st ever Children's Ministry Expo (also known as CMX) will take place in Lexington, KY. I'm planning on attending and will have a booth along with my daughter Yancy and my son-in-law Cory. I'm excited about seeing hundreds of vendors all in one place offering huge summer discounts. So in honor of this event I thought I would blog about my top 10 reasons why I'm excited about CMX...

1. I'm looking forward to being a part of a different approach to a Kidmin training event.

2. I'm excited about meeting some Kidmin folks from online live in person.

3. I'm looking forward to hanging with Roger Fields and family.

4. It's all in one room!

5. I'm excited about offering free coaching and help to anyone who wants to hang out in my booth. (Come join me on my sofa!)

6. I'm bringing my cute wife with me.

7. Friday is Yancy's 30th Birthday so I get to be with her!

8. They have Graeter's ice cream (Thursday night we are throwing Yancy a party at one, stop by the booth for info if you want to attend.)

9. I going to sell all my resources for only 2 prices. Every items will be either $15 or $5 so you can take a copy to everyone on your team!

10. I believe Jesus is going to show up and bless a lot of kidmin folks and I'm honored to be a part of this.

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By jimwideman on 7/8/2010 11:44 PM

 10. Always set the pace, be the leader.  Be the kind of person you would like to work for.  Dare to lead no matter what.  Give your volunteers an example to follow and a model worth imitating. 

 Delegation is not an option for those who want to succeed in ministry.  But to succeed you must take inventory of where you are.  Start small and go from there.  I try to recruit my team one worker at a time.  Ask yourself and your volunteers, “What do I need to do differently?” What volunteers do you see potential in?  Commit to coach volunteers and let them learn by doing and you’ll have depth to win championships!

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By jimwideman on 7/7/2010 11:41 PM

 8. Support and encourage those who help you.  It is imperative that you build a support structure around your volunteers. Our job is not to do all the work in Children’s Ministry but to train up others and prepare them for works of service.  In the same way we must lead others by encouragement.  This is not as hard as you may think.  Here are five sure fired ways to encourage your volunteers. #1. Say thank you constantly. #2. Catch people doing things right.  Complement your volunteers in a job well done.  #3. Take the calls of your volunteers. #4. Check on your volunteers and see how they are doing.  Use your M.B.W.A. degree. Management by walking around. #5.  Help others be better at what they do, every chance you get.

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By jimwideman on 7/5/2010 11:39 PM

 5. Train and teach those you recruit. Exodus 18:20 tells us to “Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.  You must model to others how you want it done.  Classes are good, but hands on training is better.  Christians are the only people group I know that confuse the word training with verbal instruction.  Every secular job that offers training does so by verbal communication in addition to the hands on training and mentoring.  You don’t have to be the only model.  I use my staff, master teachers and coordinators to help me train and equip others.  Everyone  should be helping in the training and equipping process.

6. Push authority down!  It is extremely important that you always delegate authority along with responsibility.  One of the dumbest sayings I know is “The buck stops here.” There are many places for the buck to stop when you give authority to others.  Those you delegate to can mot carry out the tasks that you desire without the  authority.

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