by Gina | Apr 14, 2020 | Blog, Ministry, Volunteers
What if it’s more about your offline conversations?
Over the past few weeks we’ve exprienced a myriad of changes few of us ever anticipated.
Adjusting to working from home. Homeschooling kids. Shopping from sparse grocery shelves. Restaraunts with curbside service only. Netflix and baking binges that make a personal trainer blush.
There is no question. This pandemic has turned our worlds upside down.
Reading through social media, we see a common theme building within the Kids and Student ministry space. We’re asking the same question. Is providing online content enough? How do we know it’s helping? Do clicks, likes and comments give us a clear picture of how we are helping kids, students and parents?
I think we’re asking the right questions. And I think the answers are within reach. But I believe it lies beyond the online experiences we create. Beyond the Facebook groups we launch. Beyond the thought-provoking devotionals we provide.
I believe it lies in a space off-line. In personal phone calls. Periodic facetime chats. Regular text messages. Interactions that give us insight into specific needs a family is experiencing verses general needs we assume they encounter.
Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. What I’m not saying is that what we are currently doing is bad. No… it’s actually really good. But if we’re honest just for a moment, there’s a question hovering in the back of our mind wondering…
- What are my single parents with limited income navigating today?
- What are my parents with special needs kids facing this week?
- Who’s dealing with furlough or job loss?
- Who’s leading their student through the loss of a family member? The loss of their school year?
[bctt tweet=”Some of our families will engage in the online platforms we use. But not all. In fact, most won’t. And suddenly disconnection becomes our greatest enemy.” username=”gina_mcclain”]
How do we create connection in a season when disconnection is the gravitational pull?
But here’s the rub.
As a ministry leader, the volume of calls I need to make in order to know the specific needs of families in my church is simply overwhelming. Even if I devoted ALL of my shelter-at-home time to these conversations, I wouldn’t get through that list.
And that would be a single conversation.
In a season where many of our family’s realities are changing one week to the next, a single phone call from the church staff simply isn’t enough. It doesn’t scale.
You need help.
And the great new is… you can get it. In fact, you can build a team of people that can…
…create listening posts so you KNOW what your families are facing.
…help a parent feel seen, known and supported by your church.
…connect families to each other and help them meet each others needs.
It all comes down to creating a scalable, sustainable system to reach and connect your families. The Leader’s Guide to a Connected Ministry is a 5-step process to help you connect with the kids, students and parents in your ministry.
[bctt tweet=”Stop wondering if your online game-plan is working. Start building a framework that turns the tide on disconnection in your church.” username=”gina_mcclain”]
by Gina | Apr 8, 2020 | Blog, Leadership, Ministry, Multi-Site, Podcast, Volunteers
I LOVED this conversation with Nan Britt as we learned more about how to create environments for kids with all types of needs. Nan’s heart for kids with special needs surfaces immediately in our conversation. Not only does she offer inspiration, but she has some incredibly practical solutions to the common challenges kids ministry leaders face when trying to offer inclusive environments for all kids.
You don’t want to miss this one.
Listen or read the show notes here.
by Gina | Apr 2, 2020 | Blog, Ministry, Team Building, Volunteers
One thing we’ve experienced so far… Covid-19 has changed the game.
One day we’re focused on recruiting volunteers, planning programming and crafting an experience that engages kids and students each week.
Today many of us are living in varying degrees of “shelter in place”. Our idea of student and children’s programming is suddenly framed within online platforms.
- Attendance is measured in clicks, likes and comments.
- Videos and hashtag challenges replace live teaching & crowd games.
- Eye contact & smiles are replaced by emojis & gifs.
It seems like the entire ministry game has changed. And how we measure the win seems slow to come into focus.
[bctt tweet=”In light of this unusual season, it’s tempting to just brace for it and focus predominantly on our online platforms. But what if there is more?” username=”gina_mcclain”]
But what if the impact of this pandemic affords an opportunity we’ve never had?
What if there are steps we can take today that build a wave of momentum for tomorrow?
Big or Small – Size Doesn’t Matter
Whether you lead a ministry of 50 or 5000, the one space we find common ground is our belief that a personal connection with a kid or student is the greatest way to help them discover a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father.
The question we face today is… in light of these circumstances, what can we do to continue to create opportunities to put a leader in the life of every kid or student?
Don’t Set It Aside
I don’t believe that question is on hold simply because we are riding out this pandemic. In fact, I believe it’s time to turn up the dial on this question.
And though the mountain may feel insurmountable, I don’t believe it is. Because the best way to climb a mountain is one step at a time.
Our Mountain is Personal Connection
In our case, our ‘mountain’ is personal connection. Personal connection with volunteers and families. In light of our “shelter in place” lifestyle, how do we create personal connection for our church?
If people’s lives are changing week by week… whether its a family member battling the virus, the loss of a job, or simply stir-crazy from being confined to their home… we don’t know what is happening, but we’ll never know unless we have a way to listen.
And our volunteer team can be our conduit of listening, hearing, praying and connecting.
Recently I shared some ideas as to why volunteer coaches are more critical today than they’ve ever been. You can read about that here. I also shared ways you can build a team of volunteer coaches if you find you need to increase yours. You can read about that here.
I’ve never been more excited for the Church and what we can learn from this season. The best truly is yet to come.
Cheering you on!
In fact, I want to help. Contact me here and let’s have a conversation.
by Gina | Apr 1, 2020 | Blog, Ministry, Parenting, Podcast
In light of the current pandemic, parents are facing a lot today. Things that weren’t part of their daily norm, are suddenly a reality they face. Anything from figuring out how to:
Homeschool their kid because schools have closed down.
Work from home because the office has shut down.
Entertain their family within the confines of their home.
And yet, in the midst of this, there are greater challenges parents face. Conversations they could be navigating as they fight to understand, process and appropriately communicate the implications of a world wide pandemic.
Storms like this cause a parent to worry.
Storms like this cause a kid to worry.
How can we come alongside parents today to help them as they lead through these conversations?
Though this podcast with Sissy Goff was recorded months before the idea of “Shelter in Place” was our reality, there is SO MUCH in this conversation that can help a parent today. Take a listen and share.
If you like what you’ve heard and want to hear more, click subscribe. You won’t miss an episode.
by Gina | Mar 30, 2020 | Blog, My Life
I identify too much with the mom in Guilmore Girls.
I was a young mom when the series first came out. Didn’t invest the time in watching it then. Now is a different story. So I find myself binge watching with my 17 year old and discovering way too many similarities between this mom/daughter pair and our own dynamic.
Puzzles are a life saver.
It seems I need something for my busy mind. Something that helps me focus my thoughts in a season when everything feels like it’s flipped upside down. Puzzles are today’s vice. (Though secretly I have a fear this could lead to something more reclusive… like clipping coupons in a Beautiful Mind kind of way.)
Dogs eat puzzle pieces.
My last puzzle was missing four by the time it was all said and done. Given that I’d already recovered one chewed up in her mouth, one can only assume the other four are making their way through her digestive track. (And no… I’m not planning to confirm my theory as nature takes it’s course.)
Hiking is good for my soul.
Kyle and I have gone on long hikes nearly every day. Middle Tennessee is beautiful.
Sitting on our front porch has taken on new meaning.
We’ve got a great neighborhood. And part of the reason we bought this house is for the front porch. It’s big and inviting. So we hang out and talk to neighbors in an appropriately social distancing kind of way.
My family likes to bake.
Everyone except me, that is. Currently we have homemade bread, focaccia, cookies and cake. And my yoga pants give me way too much grace for this kind of temptation. Thus the need for hiking referenced above.
I like reading books together.
When our kids were younger we read through book series together. Percy Jackson, The Heroes of Olympus… pretty much anything by Rick Riordan we were into. We’d take turns reading chapters together on the back porch or huddled in the family room. Now, our kids are too old for it. Just not into. But Kyle and I have rediscovered that we really enjoy it. So, we’ve started another book together.
I love resourcing leaders.
Despite my recent job transition, I still love figuring out how to equip and resource ministry leaders. So, as I continue to follow the crazy effects of the pandemic, I’m also fighting for creative solutions to our new “shelter in place” dynamic. You can read here, here and here for ideas and tools to help connect with volunteers and families as you lead in this season.
FaceTime is not the same as face-to-face.
But it’s a great second. In the past few years I’ve opted for FaceTime over anything else. I love it. I want to see the white’s of your eyes. In this season, I crave FaceTime from my people. So, if you’re reading this… and you’re my people… FT me!!!
Limitations are the catalyst for Creativity.
This isn’t new. In fact, Jessica Bealer and I talk about it in our book, Don’t Quit. But I think ministry leaders are embracing it in a new way today. We don’t have the option of doing ministry the way we’ve always done it. This pandemic has forced us to rethink some things and come up with different approaches. I love watching as leaders collaborate across the nation fighting to resource and encourage each other. Friends… this is the Church.
