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- 2. Jared Kennedy— husband to Megan and father to three girls—Rachael (11), Lucy (9), and Elisabeth (7)
- 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
- 4. Create, Connect, Grow, Go A Tool for Assessing Your Church’s Family Ministry
- 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”
- 9. CREATE welcoming environments for building relationships with kids and families.
- 10. “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:5
- 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?
- 16. CONNECT kids to Jesus and the church community.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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-
- 34. GO—Send kids and families on mission.
- 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
- 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?
- 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
- 42. Leadership Mosaic: 5 Leadership Principles for Ministry & Everyday Life by Daniel Montgomery with Jared Kennedy (Crossway, 2016)
Editor's Notes
- 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.