3. Jared Kennedy—lead
Sojourn Kids as Pastor of
Families at Sojourn
Community Church—
Midtown in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Blog regularly for
gospelcenteredfamily.com.
Twitter: @jaredskennedy
5. “Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
6. “Leadership is knowing where people
need to go and taking the initiative to
get them there in God’s way and by
God’s power.”
John Piper
7. Wide Reach
“every people, everywhere, every
generation”
Deep Roots
“everything Jesus taught for every
disciple”
12. Welcoming Hospitality
• Ministry Measurement: Is there a regular
prayer huddle that sets the atmosphere for our
time together? Is there a hospitality team? Are
there long lines at check-in? How are we
following-up with new families (e.g. thank you
notes or care packages)? Is there a need for a
special needs team or bi-lingual workers?
• Volunteer Measurement: Have I smiled at
anyone today? Have I asked how they are
doing? Am I clearly identifiable (e.g. t-shirt or
13. Safety
• Ministry Measurement: Are all entrance/exit
doors secure? Is there a security presence at
the main entrance? Is our emergency response
plan up-to-date? Are policies and procedures
being implemented? Are there reports of policy
violations?
• Volunteer Measurement: Am I following the
two person rule? Am I following our ministry
toileting procedures? Am I aware of our
abuse/neglect reporting policy?
14. Showing Value
• Ministry Measurement: Are you providing a
kid-friendly and bright environment? Displaying
adequate signage? Using up-to-date check-in
technology? Hosting attractional family events?
• Volunteer Measurement: Do I know the kids
in my class by name? Do I know their parents
by name? Do I remember their interests and
prayer requests? Do the kids enjoy being
here?
17. “See that you do not despise one of
these little ones. For I tell you that
their angels in heaven always see the
face of my Father in heaven. What do
you think? If a man owns a hundred
sheep, and one of them wanders
away, will he not leave the ninety-nine
on the hills and go to look for the one
that wandered off? And if he finds it,
truly I tell you, he is happier about that
18. that did not wander off. In the same
way your Father in heaven is not
willing that any of these little ones
should perish.”
Matthew 18:10-14
19.
20. Large Group Teaching
• Ministry Measurement: Is there a regular
large group teaching time? Does it include
music? What is the excellence level of the
teaching and singing? Are we regularly giving
feedback to those who teach and sing?
• Volunteer Measurement: Am I well-prepared
to lead when I arrive? Have I practiced ahead
of time? Is the gospel (God—Sin—Christ—
Faith) clear in my teaching and singing?
21. Small Group / Classroom
Lesson
• Ministry Measurement: Are teachers kid-
friendly and engaging? Are classrooms
organized and well-stocked with supplies? Are
lesson materials prepped in advance? Are we
engaging a variety of learning styles? Any
recent stories about engaging kids with the
gospel?
• Volunteer Measurement: Do I understand the
22. Leadership Team
• Ministry Measurement: Do we have one
leader for every 10 volunteers? Are we
consistently meeting classroom ratios
(Nursery, 1:3; Toddler, 1:5; Preschool, 1:7;
Elementary, 1:10)? Did we hold a training for
the ministry team this month? What percentage
of our team has completed basic training?
• Volunteer Measurement: As a leader, am I
regularly meeting with the other leaders and
teachers under my care? Do I know their
23.
24.
25. PAUSE for a moment.
• What emotions are you
experiencing about this self-
evaluation?
• Where do you feel the
weakest?
• Is there one small step of
26. GROW with kids and families
by helping them take next
steps.
27. “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children
come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to
such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
28.
29.
30. Train (Classes)
• Ministry Measurement: Are parents attending
classes? Are the topics the classes cover
engaging the questions that families are
asking? Are the classes organized as a
pathway? How do the differing pathways relate
to one another?
• Volunteer Measurement: : Do I understand
the ministry vision for my classroom (i.e.
following provided lesson schedule and
curriculum)? Have I prepared? Is the gospel
31. Involve (Milestones)
• Ministry Measurement: How many families
participated in the last milestone? How well
was the milestone promoted? How are we
gifting parents or individuals who participate?
How are we encouraging community
celebrations?
32. Equip (Resources)
• Ministry Measurement: Are we providing
weekly take home resources? Are other parent
resources available at the book table or online?
Are we highlighting them? Are we sending a
regular (weekly/monthly) parent e-mail? Are
families using these resources? Are there any
testimonies to report about parents teaching
kids at home?
• Volunteer Measurement: Am I intentional
about engaging parents during the weekly pick-
35. “He decreed statutes for Jacob and
established the law in Israel, which he
commanded our ancestors to to teach
their children, so the next generation
would know them, even the children
yet to be born, and they in turn would
tell their children.”
Psalm 78:5-6
36.
37. Mission
• Ministry Measurement: Does your church
sponsor short-term mission trips where families
can go on mission together? Does your
children’s ministry regularly pray for
missionaries? Do the kids in your ministry
create care packages for missionaries? How
are you doing missions education with the kids
under your care?
38. Service
• Ministry Measurement: Do middle and high
school students have some way to use their
gifts in your church? Can they serve in your
children’s ministry (never without adult
supervision; we don’t leave children with
children)? How are you cultivating a heart for
service or a heart for the poor among the next
generation?
• Volunteer Measurement: Is there someone
younger in the ministry in whom I can invest?
39. Evangelism Training
• Ministry Measurement: Are you regularly
challenging kids to invite their friends to
church? Have you taught kids to share their
faith? Has this been highlighted in the last
month? Have you given them clear resources
to use when sharing their fatih with their
friends?
40.
41. PAUSE for a moment.
• Where do you feel the
weakest?
• Is there one small step of
obedience to which God is
calling you or your ministry?
• Find someone else in the
Back in 2010, key leaders from our student and children’s ministry teams at Sojourn Community Church attended the Orange conference together in Atlanta. One evening… our most memorable and most encouraging of the conference… we skipped the evening session, grabbed some steaks from a grocery store, and grilled out behind our hotel. We huddled around a picnic table, opened our Bibles, and talked vision and strategy. We meditated on passages that focus on preaching the gospel (Col. 1:28) so that the next generation is built up and transformed (Ps. 78; Eph. 4:12) and then sent out on mission (Matt. 28:18-20). That night, our leadership team just talked about our heart for ministry to the next generation. We wanted to have a discussion about why we do what we do so that we’d have deep convictions for the daily grind of ministry.
John Piper says, “Leadership is knowing where people need to go and taking the initiative to get them there in God’s way and by God’s power.” Many Christian leaders have a robust theology. They have clear standards for how ministry should be. The leader may even be able to see how their church or ministry area fails to live up to those standards.
What they don’t have is a creative vision for how to move the people under their care in the direction they should go. They don’t have a strategy for ministry. In order to have a clear ministry vision, it’s important to have deep convictions and also be able to see how they will work out practically. That’s a ministry strategy.
Here is a four-part strategy we use to plan and measure our progress as a family ministry at Sojourn:
CREATE welcoming environments for building relationships with kids and families. Welcoming environments are the front door of our children’s ministry. We show Jesus to children through the way we welcome. We want the atmosphere of our children’s environments to be prayer-filled and dependent on God. We want facilities that are fun and safe. Welcoming environments include exciting kids events like Vacation Bible School and even our website where new families look to check out what we do for kids before they come. Keeping our environments welcoming involves training up excellent hospitality teams—including those who do follow-up and those who serve kids with special needs.
CONNECT kids to Jesus and the church community. After kids have stepped through our front door, we want them to see Jesus. This means preparing creative and application-oriented Bible lessons that connect kids to Jesus and his good news. It also means providing consistent leaders who intentionally shepherd children and other volunteers. We recruit and develop men and women who are willing and gifted for serving and leading in children’s ministry.
GROW alongside kids and families by helping them take next steps. After families have become regular parts of our community, we want to move them into taking the “next step” along their journey of faith. So, we’re intentional about equipping families with classes and resources to help them grow with Jesus. We also lead our families through a series of milestones that include child dedication and the student baptism process.
Send kids and families on mission. Growth for kids and families moves beyond their personal discipleship. Our growth in faith should move us to be ambassadors for Christ who love our neighbors and go with God on mission to the world. We cultivate this in our family ministry by partnering with our church’s international missions and mercy ministries. We also give families opportunities to serve together, and we are intentional about training children in evangelism.