The End…of the Beginning

The construction work is complete, and now the important work begins. The Kids Theatre and classroom expansion was fun to track, but the ultimate goal is to see hundreds of children every week learning and applying biblical truths. This building is just a tool that can be used in the right way to come alongside families in the discipleship of their preschoolers and grade school children.

For our last post, enjoy a video tour from Pastor Jeff of First McKinney!

What’s a Family Ministry? pt.2

Last weekend, we began Why Weekends, exploring the 5 W’s of Family Ministry and Family Theater.  If you haven’t read that entry, check it out first.

In Kids House, the first expression of Family Ministry is KidStuf. 

KidStuf 
   
The Family Theater will host the KidStuf program.  Over 600 members and guests have discovered the KidStuf program, and how it can open the door to life-changing discussions in their family.  The Children’s Ministry is providing KidStuf as that tool for families in the McKinney area.
 
KidStuf is a one hour experience, usually once a month on Sunday mornings.  We save the best seats for the kids (Kinder thru 5th grade) while parents have comfortable seating in back.  High-energy songs and engaging stage acts bring a powerful and entertaining experience.  Together, families are introduced to the biblical virtue that your child will continue learning about all month long.  Plus, to bring the experience home with you, we offer a FamilyTimes pack:  a monthly resource to help you rediscover family time. Included are: MorningTime note cards, MealTime cards for family discussions, a DriveTime CD with fun for kids, music and practical parenting advice and BedTime cards with Bible stories to share with your children.

NorthPoint Church, the creators of KidStuf, say this on their KidStuf Website:

KidStuf is:
Value Driven - where character and faith are taught by emphasizing a monthly value

User Friendly - where your friends will thank you for bringing them

Creatively Wired- where video, lights, sound, and drama are used to make a lasting impression

Family Centered - where parents and kids spend quality time together

Kid Focused - where learning is fun and relevant for elementary age kids

Volunteer Fueled - where everyone can participate and get connected

KidStuf is …
A 45-minute weekly program that uses music, drama, and storytelling to entertain and inspire.

What’s a Family Ministry? pt.1

As construction goes, there will be little action to report on the weekends. So today will kick off Why Weekends, where I’ll explore the 5 W’s of Family Ministry and Family Theater: Who, What, Where, Why and When (for you school teachers, yes, I know there is a How in there, but that’s what Monday thru Friday are for).

So the elementary question of it all: What is a Family Ministry? There is not a real easy answer here; even when a bunch of seminary-trained ministers tried to get in a room and describe it, we all had trouble (come to think of it, maybe that was the problem…) From my point of view (which is what most blogs consist of), a Family Ministry includes the following aspects:

• It is not a traditional Children’s Ministry. What does that mean? The classic model of Children’s Ministry is that it operates like the Dry Cleaners. You swing in, drop off your precious personals into the hands of a stranger, get a little impatient if it takes too long, and pick up your items all “fixed.” In a world of drop-off children’s activities, many Children’s Ministries have followed suit. You drop off your kids at school, athletics, tutoring, etc., so why not drop off your children for their spiritual education at the local church?
• It is a partnership. A few groups now have used the yellow-red illustration (including an excellent sermon or two by our Pastor) If the family is red (and there is lots of red, as it has been estimated that you have 3000 discretionary hours per year with your child); and the church is yellow (and has some legitimate influence, although it is limited to perhaps 40 hours of time to provide direction and instruction); then Family Ministry is orange. Reggie Joiner first brought national attention to this concept; in fact, he now hosts a conference loosely defined by the Orange Concept (The Orange Conference).
• The idea of Family Ministry is that the church utilizes some of its 40 hours of influence to partner with the parents, so that both may present a united influence in the life of a child. For our church specifically, it means that to some extent Preschool, Children, Youth, and Adult Ministries will exert effort, in some form or fashion, into helping parents be the spiritual leaders in their families.

So there is an intro to family ministry. Stop by Easter weekend for a continuation of exploring the 5 W’s of Family Ministry and the Family Theater.

It Has Begun

Over the past four years we dreamed, talked, imagined, planned, failed, proposed, rewrote, and jumped into the idea of Family Ministry, within the body we call First Baptist Church in McKinney, Texas. The genesis came when a prospective Children’s Minister and a Pastor talked in the parking lot about the idea of reaching parents with programs for children. A milestone in the journey came when the first KidStuf program met on a Sunday night with about 130 people. A new foundation, figuratively and literally, will be laid as we expand our facilities to include what I am herein calling the Family Theater. Maybe the name will stick.

This blog is designed to share the what’s and why’s of this expansion.

-alan