Hudson / Smith / Barry If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry

10 Keys from Disney''s Sucess
1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68419-620-3
Verlag: Kidminmouse
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 256 Seiten

10 Keys from Disney's Success that will help you build the children's ministry you've always dreamed about.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hudson, Dale

Smith, Justyn

Barry, Bruce

Leseproben

I love going to Disney World! I only live about 2 hours from the park; so many years my wife and I will get season passes. It truly is a magical place. There are lots of things that make it magical.

The rides make it a magical place. What’s your favorite ride at Disney? One of my favorites is the Pirates of the Caribbean. I especially like the scene where you find yourself right in the middle of an epic battle between the pirates and the fortress they are attacking. I’ve ridden it so many times I can quote the storyline as I travel through it. For those who like fun facts…Pirates of the Caribbean is the most profitable ride Disney has created to date. It has brought in more revenue than any other ride from admissions, movies based on the ride and product sales. Movie sales alone are over $3.73 billion.1

The shows make it a magical place. I always enjoy watching Finding Nemo. The puppetry and music is Broadway quality. My wife loves the Beauty and the Beast musical at Hollywood Studios.

The food makes it a magical place. All of the restaurants at the World Showcase in Epcot have excellent food. One of my favorites is Teppan Edo in Japan. The chefs cook your food on the grill that’s right at your table.

The parades make it a magical place. My favorite is the Main Street Electrical Parade. It captivates me every time I watch it. The colors are amazing. All the bulbs are ordered clear and then hand painted to make sure the colors match perfectly.

The fireworks make it a magical place. I love the llumiNations fireworks show, which takes place each evening at Epcot. The combination of the media inside the giant globe that floats in the middle of the lake and the fireworks that shoot across the water, make it a truly incredible experience.

All of this contributes to the magic, but there is one thing above all else that makes it such a special place for kids and families. It’s the Cast Members…the people who work there…that make Disney World the “happiest place on earth.” Walt Disney knew this. Here’s what he said.

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in

the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.2

He was so right. The cast members fill the park with smiles, answer questions, operate rides, greet families, make characters come alive, cook food, keep the park clean and fill the host of other vital roles that create the magic. Without the cast members, Disney World would be an empty shell. It takes over 62,000 cast members to make the magic happen just at Disney World Resorts. This makes it the largest single-site employer in the country.3

“The most valuable part of any organization is its people.”

You can have the coolest facilities, the most engaging curriculum and the biggest budget…but without people volunteering, your children’s ministry will fall flat. You see…there is no children’s ministry without volunteers.

“The success of your children’s ministry rises and falls on the strength of the volunteer team you construct.”

I often tell children’s ministry leaders if I had to choose one thing to excel at in children’s ministry, it would be building a volunteer team. You can be great with kids, but if you can’t build a volunteer team, you will have a hard time succeeding.

While we know constructing a volunteer team is the most important part of children’s ministry, we also know it can be the most challenging. As I connect with children’s ministries, the number one need I hear echoed over and over is, “We need more volunteers.” If that’s you…don’t worry…you’re not alone. You’re going to always need more volunteers…especially if you’re reaching people and growing.

So let’s dive into how you can construct a dynamic team like Disney. The good news…these tips will work with any size ministry.

The starting point is enlisting the right people. But how do you find them? Is there a magical formula? Can you put something in the church coffee that will cause people to sign up to serve? Place subliminal messages on the screens that will prompt the congregation to volunteer in the nursery? Perhaps a band of angels could descend into the choir loft singing, “Ten Thousand Reasons Why You Should Serve in Children’s Ministry” resulting in all the choir members stepping into children’s ministry roles? While those are obviously not viable options, there are proven tips for enlisting new people for your team. Here’s the first one:

Look what Matthew 28:19 says. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”4

Does it say we are to “go and make volunteers of all nations?” No, it says we are to “go and make DISCIPLES of all nations.”

“You are not called to make volunteers… you are called to make disciples.”

Let’s step back for a moment and see the big picture. We are called to help people grow in their faith…and a big part of spiritual growth happens through serving. When you invite someone to serve, you’re opening doors for that person to grow in their faith. You are living out Matthew 28:19 and helping disciple them. You are helping them become more like Christ who came not to be served…but to serve. This will change your perspective about why you are asking people to serve.

If you feel like you are bothering the person, it’s because you are thinking about what you want from them. But when you change your perspective and see the big picture…it becomes about what you want for them.

“Serving should not be about what you want FROM the person. Serving should be about what you want FOR the person.”

It becomes about much more than just filling an empty spot in a class. It becomes about helping someone grow in their faith through serving others.

Check out Ephesians 4:11-16. This passage tells us the end result…the big picture of equipping people to serve. Notice the words in bold.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up faith the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:11-165

See the common thread in this passage? It’s not about finding someone to be a small group leader for 3rd grade boys… it’s about helping someone mature in their faith through leading a 3rd grade boys’ small group. It’s not about finding someone to hold a door and greet people…it’s about helping someone grow to be more like Christ through serving. It’s not about finding someone to prepare crafts…it’s about helping someone have a healthy and growing relationship with God. Now check out what Ephesians 2:10 says.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:106

You’ve heard the statement that “20% of the church does 80% of the work.” That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. God has called 100% of believers to serve. And you and I get the privilege of being the person to ask them. You can ask people with confidence, standing on the truth that God has called everyone to serve.

Bottom line… when you ask someone to serve you are not bothering them. You are blessing them! Walk in this confidence as you invite people to join your team.

How you invite people to join your team makes the difference. Inviting people to the “why” instead of the “what” is a small tweak that will pay huge dividends. The “what” is simply the tasks of the job while the “why” is the reason behind the tasks of the job. Plain and simple…the “what” is what you do…the “why” is why you do what you do.

Disney knows this and emphasizes this when they are enlisting new cast members. Listen to what Jeff James, Vice President & General Manager of Disney Institute, says about onboarding a new hire at...