Ministry-to-Children.com » Children’s Ministry Links

Social Media Report Card for Kidmin Publishers

Tony Kummer — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:44:41 +0000

We’re living in an exciting times. Some people are even calling it the Communication Revolution. To be sure, technology is adding new ways for all of us to exchange ideas.

This has been a big win for people like us in kids ministry. For the first time we have immediate access to the companies that produce our curriculum. We can give instant feedback and they can quickly make adjustments. Churches can easily share ideas with other churches using the same products. Publishers can even invite end users into the development loop.

Extra Credit: I offered this for the first marketing/social media person for any of these publishers, to leave me a comment below. This is because monitoring brand reputation is another angle on social media. Congrats to RBP. Just say how you found this post and I’ll give you extra credit for keeping up with your brand reputation. I’ll only let my automated syndication happen until I get the first response.

With all these new communication channels, some companies are adapting faster than others. In this post I will evaluate a few of the companies and show you how they are getting it right. For this post I’m only looking at the traditional big name curriculum publishers. My grades are mainly based on their support for children’s ministry products.

LifeWay Comments: They are clearly the head of class in social media. Overall Grade = A
Facebook	A	LifeWay Kids, LifeWay VBS, and CentriKid Camp all have active followings.
Twitter	A	You can follow LifeWayKids, CentriKidsCamp, LifeWayVBS or dozens of employees like @ThomRainer.
Forums	A	They replaced the old forums with a social network site just for VBS. No forum support for Sunday School products.
Blogs	A	Several topical blogs, most updated frequently. VBS, Kids Ministry, Kids Camp, Girls Ministry, parents, etc.
YouTube	A	Lifewayvbs uploads VBS tips, content previews, and behind the scenes videos. Very strong on VBS, need more related to their other products.
Website	B	Also allows comments on articles. Good content and acceptable navigation.
Homework: Get the Sunday School division involved with the same level of community available for VBS. Stay focused on putting community ahead of marketing.

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Group Publishing Comments: Group is well above average, but still room to improve. Overall Grade = B
Facebook	A	Strong community around the magazine and VBS, not much for support for other products.
Twitter	C	@ChristineYJones is active but mostly persoanl reflections. @jboanischultz, @ThomSchultz, can be reached on Twitter, but they’re not very active.
Forums	B	Well established, but most active is limited to VBS.
Blogs	C	Only one blog. Christine Yount Jones posts about once a week. Why not have a VBS blog or Sunday School blog?
YouTube	B	4groupmedia and groupvbs upload product promos and VBS tips
Website	B	Allows comments on articles. Great content, but hard to navigate and a cluttered presentation.
Homework: Draft a social media strategy that encourages customer interaction across all product lines, not just VBS. Use the magazine site as a home base for other social media outposts.

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Regular Baptist Press Comments: RBP has done well on Facebook even with a smaller following. Overall Grade = C+
Facebook	B	Decent interaction for the smaller following. VBS page and company page.
Twitter	C	Very few followers on Twitter, but regular updates. @rbpvbs
Forums	B	They’ve also built a Social Network site instead of traditional forums.
Blogs	D	Their Children’s Ministry site is running on a blog platform, but it’s not being used.
YouTube	C	They upload to YouTube, but this could be more consistent.
Website	C	Another bookstore & brochure type website. I did find links to their social media channels.
Homework: With their emphasis on puppets, they have an easy path to create some helpful YouTube content. Consider VBS training videos where the puppets teach churches how to use their products.

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Cokesbury Comments: Building their presence, but still struggles in some areas Overall Grade = B
Facebook	B	They are building up a strong community on their VBS and Kids pages.
Twitter	C	@CokesburyVBS is their only account active on Twitter, but fairly active
Forums	D	Only for VBS and last year’s is already gone. Not much activity for next year yet.
Blogs	C	They have integrated Facebook into their site for updates. This works but is more limited than a blog.
YouTube	B	You can find new content on Vimeo and older content on YouTube. VBS videos and promos.
Website	C	Their main website is basically a bookstore. It needs more links to their social media channels. The VBS site does better. Not much free content.
Homework: Leverage existing content, such as their printed VBS directors manual, to add free articles to the website. Invite other departments, besides marketing, to be involved in social media.

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Gospel Light Comments: They are heavy into the hosted sites (Facebook & Twitter) but their own domains seem neglected. Overall Grade = C
Facebook	B	Their VBS page is asking smart questions and getting good interaction.
Twitter	B	Single company account @Gospel_Light plus some great quotes from @HenriettaMears and @TozerAW
Forums	C	They offer forums, but not much activity from users.
Blogs	F	I couldn’t find any blogs on their main or VBS websites.
YouTube	C	They upload to YouTube, but not that often.
Website	C	Another bookstore & brochure type website. I did find links to their social media channels.
Homework: Study the other publishers and start making steps for more community beyond the Facebook page.

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Standard Publishing Comments: Standard Publishing may need a parent/teacher conference. Overall Grade = C
Facebook	C	One Facebook page, but not much interaction there.
Twitter	C	Only one account, @standardpub offers regular updates.
Forums	C	VBS forums, but clearly not too much community interaction.
Blogs	C	They publish a blog about VBS, but it’s out of date.
YouTube	C	They have a presence on YouTube, but new videos are infrequent.
Website	C	Great design and clearly directs to the Social Media pages. Still mostly a bookstore.
Comments: They just don’t seem focus on socail media, maybe consider a tutor.

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Augsburg Fortress Comments: I can see improvement, especially with the Spark curriculum. Overall Grade = C
Facebook	B	The bright spot here is the page for the Spark curriculum.
Twitter	B	Main company account @Augsburgfortres and several region reps also on Twitter. Another account for Spark.
Forums	B	They have a social network site to support their VBS products.
Blogs	C	Their marketing coordinator blogs, but not really about Augsburg. They also have content directly on the Sparkhosue division’s website.
YouTube	C	YouTube account for Spark Sunday School curriculum and Augsburg Fortress. Only occasional uploads.
Website	C	Standard information about the company & products.
Homework: Consider adding a blog with helpful information and an inside look on curriculum development. (See comment below.)

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David C. Cook Comments: They may not realize they still publish kids curriculum. Overall Grade = C
Facebook	C	Company page on Facebook, more marketing than community.
Twitter	C	Company @David_C_Cookaccount is active
Forums	F	I couldn’t find any
Blogs	B	Their blog features videos and podcasts about products.
YouTube	B	Regular uploads, but few related to Kids Ministry.
Website	C	Standard information about the company & products.
Homework: Start with some Facebook pages for the kids product lines, especially VBS.

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This was more challenging that I first though. None of these companies had a central place linking to all their social media channels. So if I’ve missed something, leave a comment to let me know.

Here is how I’m thinking about grades. FYI, I’m not a fan of grade inflation.

F means no presence (that I could find)
D means an account but long dormant
C means at least one active account with average activity
B means active, helpful, and more than just marketing
A means industry leader actually bringing users into the product development loop

Does Security Really Matter in Your Children’s Ministry?

Tony Kummer — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:24:28 +0000

Here is a video clip from the news sent to me by Dale Hudson. Check it out and let me know what you think. What are you doing to keep kids safe at your church? Leave a comment to respond.

In the video, you’ll hear the story of how an adult male tried to kidnap a 9 year-old girl during church services. The tragedy was avoided thanks to a church volunteer and the girls quick thinking. HT

This raises again the importance of having a solid check-in procedure and making kids safety a top priority at your church.

This Week in Children’s Ministry for 7/27/2010

Tony Kummer — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:41:16 +0000

Around midweek, I gather up some of the most interesting posts from our Big List of Children’s Ministry blogs to share with you. There should be a little something for everyone in kids ministry. I’ve limited the list to fit my attention span, but you can always read more on our big list. Enjoy!

Helpful Ministry Links

VBS can be a major undertaking for some churches, but small churches can also have a big impact. Read about all the benefits of having a minimalist VBS.

Here is a budget friendly idea for VBS or kids ministry. Learn how to make your own Plaster of Paris and get some ideas for how you can use it.

Was your VBS a success? Before you answer, read this insightful post. Sometimes what really matters is different than we think.

Sam Luce has posted a children’s Bible lesson based on the book of Judges called “Heroes.”

Recruiting can be a drag, especially in the summer when there are so few workers to be found. Why not try this 2,000 year old recruiting secret?

Speaking of ministry helpers. Wayne lists 10 things your kids ministry volunteers want.

Bad Parenting or Autism? Read this article from the Inclusive Church blog to find out.

Video: Looking Forward to the LifeWay Conference

Tony Kummer — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:34:20 +0000

I just mailed off my contract to come and speak at the 2010 LifeWay Kids Ministry Conference. The dates are October 11-13, 2010 in Birmingham, Alabama. One of the ladies at LifeWay asked me to make a short video clip talking about the conference. You can watch that below. Check out their official website for more information.

I have two different workshops scheduled, both on topics our readers will recognize. Both are issues that I think I can cover well.

Kidmin Networking in an Information Age
Surviving Children’s Ministry in a Shrinking Church

I always feel a little intimidated when I think about doing a workshop at these big conferences. After all, I’ve only been working in kids ministry for 5 years and I’m at a very small church compared to all the usual experts. If it wasn’t for this website, nobody at LifeWay would know my name.

All the same, I’m looking forward to the conference and promise you’ll get something relevant and helpful in my breakout sessions. I will enjoy meeting online friends and making new friends all at the same time.

Are You Going?

Leave a comment below if plan to attend. I’d love to meet any readers face-to-face, and I might even bring a special prize

This Week in Children’s Ministry for 7/21/2010

Tony Kummer — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:19:45 +0000

This post is my midweek round up of interesting and helpful links about Children’s Ministry. I’ve limited this list to 10 to keep things manageable. You can find many more like this in our big list of kidmin blogs. Enjoy!

The Scripture Lady sent this game out in her email this week. It’s called “You’re in the Hot Seat!” and it’s a fun icebreaker/get to know you game. It could work for kids or ministry leaders meetings.

You have to check out these statistics about children with special needs. I was surprised by some of them. This would be handy to print off for your ministry leaders or families facing a special needs diagnosis.

Julie Cantrell has posted some helpful tips on creativity and art for children. She talks about some the developmental value of art and lists 5 tips for stimulating childhood creativity.

Kidology training may be coming to a town near you (or even your church). They are sending one of their top teachers on a 2 year road trip to equip and encourage kids ministry leader. Read this announcement from Karl’s blog to learn more. You can also check out the website.

Are you stressing about finding volunteers? Here is a super practical strategy from Pudge Huckaby called Grown By One.

Here’s a powerful and encouraging reminder that you can change a child’s direction in life.

Here is a helpful list of Bible memory verses that each have a specific action mentioned. So kids can memorize scriptures along with some activity. Fun idea!

Roger Fields posted a fun wrap up video from the Children’s Ministry Expo. It didn’t have Amy & Gina thumb wrestling, but his music is cool.

Check out this free paging system for your church that works through text messaging parents.

Here is a cool idea for promoting your VBS next summer. You can build a float and enter it in your town’s summer parade. Plus you’ll have a cool sign to park in front of your church.

Same Luce has posted a quick explanation of Bible Bucks 2.0 – a creative & modern way to use a reward system in your children’s ministry. FYI, this idea was honored for it’s creativity at the CMXPO.

Why are kids always bored? Not just in church but all the time they say “I’m bored.” Read one bloggers discussion of this problem.

Here’s something a little different. PBS posted this clip from Video Games Live. It’s the theme song from Civilization IV (my favorite game for the last 3 years). The cool part is the lyrics, this song is based on a Swahili adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer. The vocal part starts around 2:10 on the video timeline. I love it and my hair sticks up just listening along.

Video & Recap from Children’s Ministry Expo

Tony Kummer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:20:49 +0000

I’ve spent the last few days in Lexington, KY participating in the CMXPO. It’s a different kind of conference for kids ministry. The focus is really put on networking and seeing what products are out there for kidmin. Here are a few things I enjoyed about my experience.

Readers: It was awesome to meet so many readers from our website. Each one had a different story about how our site has served their ministry. Hearing from them has been a great reminder of why we keep growing this website.

Other Bloggers: Wayne Stocks, Commander Bill, Gina McClain, Amy Fenton Lee, Tamara Kraft, Roger Fields, Jim Wideman and Matt McKee were all hanging around. A few of them even made some mischief on camera. See the last 30 seconds in the video below.

Website Sponsors: I was glad to finally meet Bob Singleton from God’s Kids Worship and the people from Kidz Matter. They have been generous supporters of this site and I loved seeing their products up-close. They both had really awesome booths.

Speaking Experience: I gave two short presentations at the expo. The format was a little challenging because so much was going on, but I had fun anyway. I get to preach in big church about 4 times each year, but this was my first time at a kids ministry conference. I really loved the interaction and learned so much from the after talk conversations with people.

New Friends: I loved the chance to get to know so many new people. I was glad to meet the people from Seeds Family Worship, Kidology, D6 Family Ministry, Coach D, Ask Me Whooo, Advancing Native Missions, CPC Conference, Yancy, R04R and Jesus Film for Kids. You can see their booths in my video below.

Exhibit Booth: The conference gave me a spot to set-up as an exhibitor. This was a little weird, since all our content is 100% free. It was nice to have a home base, but most conference attendees didn’t really get what we were about. I did get some insight into what Christian publishers have to do when getting the word out about their products.

Update: Other are writing about the EXPO. Wayne is posting about his favorite part of the conference. Steven Bourque posed a recap of the event. You can also read Commander Bill’s highlights too.

Here is my highlight video from the event. This is only a small number of the total booths, but I tried to catch most of the companies I like or friends with Kidmin blogs.

This Week in Children’s Ministry for 7/14/2010

Tony Kummer — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:48:07 +0000

It’s time for my midweek round-up of interesting links and news from the world of kids ministry. I trust you will find something helpful in this list to improve the ministry in your church. Once again, I’ve limited the number of items to make it more readable. Enjoy!

Keeping kids safe in the Internet is an important issues. Sam Luce has just posted 10 Commandments of Online Safety for Kids. Check it out. It might be good to handout to parents in your church.

The recent interest in family ministry is continuing. In the big picture this is nothing new, only new to our generation. Protestants have long valued family worship and the religious life of the home. Here is a helpful reminder that the Home is Church Too.

Charging a fee for VBS is still controversial in some congregations. There are pros and cons to the Vacation Bible School registration costs. JC has a helpful post on this discussion, “Why do you charge families to attend VBS?”

Living out the fruit of the Spirit is important for all believers. I ran across this helpful game that will help kids memorize them. It’s from the Scripture Ladies’ blog and titled “Fruit of the Spirit Pie.”

Some health experts are recommending all kids be tested for cholesterol. Read about this news story on the NPR blog.

Do kids belong in big church? Are they essential to the faith community or just a distraction for parents? The Forming Faith blog asks Children in worship … or not.

Lin from Effective Children’s Ministry asks the question, “What does fun means?” Speaking of fun, check out these cartoons about Sunday School.

Divorce is a big problem for kids. It shakes up their whole world and leaves them powerless & confused. The CentriKid blog just posted a helpful article on how we can respond. It’s titled Ministering to Kids in Divorce.

VBS is making the news in many areas. Here is a story from Dayton, OH on how some churches are putting a new spin on Vacation Bible School.

Brittany Sky has posted some lesson outlines about caring for God’s creation. Here is the first one about recycling and the second about water preservation.

Read this tips about taking photos at VBS. This is great advice whenever you want to capture moments from your children’s ministry.

This Week in Children’s Ministry for 7/6/2010

Tony Kummer — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:24:45 +0000

Are you looking for some fresh kidmin ideas this week? Then check out these interesting or newsworthy links from our big list of Children’s Ministry blogs. I’ve mixed some practical resources with some links from the news related to ministry with kids. I’ve kept this list down to 12 to make it more readable. Enjoy.

Links from the News

Practical Help for Children’s Ministry

6 Tips for Great Storytelling from Sojourn Kids
Don’t Be Discouraged by Inadequate Facilities
Starting a Special Needs Ministry at Your Church
Preschool Activity: Praising God with Your Hands
What are the Non-Negotiables in Children’s Ministry
Preschool Day Camp – Outline for “Garden Camp”
More Minute to Win It Game for Kidmin
Bible Lessons from Leviticus from Sam Luce
Learning Leadership from John Wooden
Here’s a creative website for craft ideas

Want More Kidmin Blogs? Then browse all the latest posts from our BIG list of Children’s Ministry blogs. You can also check out the most popular kidmin blogs from 2010.

Ten Internet Tools for Children’s Ministry

Wayne Stocks — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:02:55 +0000

You’ve already found one of my favorite sites when you stumbled upon Ministry-to-Children to being with. So, we will leave ourselves off the list. Here are 10 more great internet resources that should know about if you work in children’s ministry:

1. Kidology.org

Kidology is one of the premium children’s ministry sites on the internet. and it is certainly one of the oldest. At Kidology, you will find resources, articles, reviews, forums and much much more. If you are in children’s ministry and not part of Kidology, you’ll want to join as soon as possible. Membership is free, but there are so many additional resources available to premium members that you will want to pay the small price to upgrade.

2. LifeChurch.tv

LifeChurch has a great site for kids, and open.lifechurch.tv/kids gives you free access to all of LifeChurch.tv’s content including curriculum, video, take home packets and more. This is high quality stuff provided for free. The site includes additional resources for all ages including worship music, youth resources, small group activities, and more.

3. CMConnect.org

Call it Facebook for children’s ministers if you will, CMConnect is an online social networking tool devoted to those in children’s ministry. Network with other people who share your passion for kids, join groups of people who share your interests and join in discussion groups to get answers to your questions and discuss issues important to children’s ministry all in one place. Speaking of Facebook, CMConnect can now interact with your Facebook account. If you want to network and get connected with other children’s ministers, this is the place to start.

4. YouVersion

YouVersion is a great resource provided free of charge by LifeChurch.tv. It allows you to read from several different versions of the Bible, keep track of your study notes, annotate the Bible with links and information relevant to you, and read other people’s notes and annotations (if they’ve marked them for public consumption). It’s a great resource for your daily Bible study and for doing preparation for your weekend lesson.

5. Mind Meister

Mind Meister is a online program for preparing mind maps. Mind maps are a free flowing alternative to traditional outlining. I started mind mapping lessons several months ago, and Mind Meister has proven itself a great asset. I also use it for a number of the articles I write on this site and others (Dad in the Middle and Kidmin1124 if case you were asking ). You can retain a certain number of mind maps on the site for free. Beyond that, there is a small charge for the premium version which allows you to retain an unlimited number of mind maps.

6. Stock.Xchng Photos

If you ever need free pictures for a PowerPoint presentation or other visual aids, this is the site for you. This site is chocked full of royalty free photos that you are invited to use. They do offer a number of premium photos you can purchase as well, but there are more than enough free photos to meet your needs.

7. Bible Gateway

Bible gateway is searchable online Bible with access to a large number of different Bible translations. You can search for a particular Bible passage or by keyword. This is a great site for finding that passage you don’t quite have memorized and for doing word studies.

8. Twitter

If you’re in children’s ministry, you ought to join Twitter. It is a social networking site that limits your updates to 140 characters. There is a thriving community of children’s ministry leaders on Twitter who share their wisdom and insight. If you join, search for the hashtag #kidmin for posts related to children’s ministry. You can find me on twitter at @stocksohio. For me, it is an invaluable resource for asking questions and networking.

9. YouTube

Most of you have likely heard of YouTube, and you may be wondering why it makes this list. YouTube is a sight that allows people to upload videos for the world to see. Granted there are a ton of videos on YouTube which serve no useful purpose, but sprinkled within that morass is a wealth of useful stuff for children’s ministry. You can find videos to use in your lessons, children’s worship music, testimonies and a whole lot more.

10. Facebook

It’s not just about keeping up with your friends. You can connect with others in children’s ministry and even your favorite Christian Education publishers. Just avoid all the silly games and you’ll be in great shape.

There you have it! There are hundreds of great resources out there for children’s ministry. This is just the top of the iceberg, but I hope you find them useful.

Need More Internet Resources? Then check out the BIG list of Children’s Ministry Blogs or see the top kidmin blogs of 2010.

Fourth of July Ideas for Sunday School & Kids Church

Tony Kummer — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:42:45 +0000

The 4th of July is a major holiday in the United Sates. It’s officially called Independence Day. The celebration relates to our freedom as a nation. The Fourth ties in themes of patriotism, loyalty, thankfulness, and the belief that freedom is a gift from God.

Some churches make a big deal out of the holiday and others let it pass by with little notice. But this year the 4th of July falls on Sunday. This means lower church attendance and also an opportunity to teach about God & Country. The bad part is our website has very little (actually zero) content built around Patriotic themes. But here are a few links to other websites that might help you.

Fourth of July Craft Ideas

Fourth of July Crafts from Danielle’s Place website
Flag & Patriotic Crafts from Bible Kids Fun Zone webite (the items with red links are free)

4th of July Children’s Sermons

Freedom in Christ Children’s Sermon from our website
Proud To Be A Christian from Sermons 4 Kids website
Freedom Isn’t Free from Sermons 4 Kids website
Red, White, and Blue from Sermons 4 Kids website

More Ideas for the 4th

Check out the Patriotic Zone on Kidology. The materials there require a membership, but the resources are excellent.
Use the Wordless Book to teach kids about freedom from sin through Jesus Christ.

You could modify our lesson on Thankfulness to highlight the blessings of living in a strong, secure, and free nation like America. We also have a lesson on the Passover that deals with themes of national freedom. I know those are long shots, but someone might find them useful.

Make It About God

One danger of doing patriotic crafts in church is losing focus on God. Be sure to explain that our country is a gift from God. Not all believers live in a secure and free nation like America. At the same time, America is a nation for all people even those who do not know Jesus. Offer prayers to God giving thanks and also pray for other nations who do not enjoy freedom. Don’t let the kids mistake patriotism for piety.

More Ideas from our FaceBook Page

I asked readers to give me their best 4th of July Ideas and here is how they responded.

Sherry Maycock: If its about indepencence and freedom you could relate it to how we have our freedom from sin and eternal life because of Jesus death on the cross.Does that help at all?Regards Australia.C.R.C.

Lin Pearson: Tony, you are right “I never want to teach kids that patriotism = piety.” Thinking about patriotism, it can so easily descend into triumphalism, what we in the UK call jingoism ( a beligerent attitude), into empire building and a “we are the best in the world”, forgetting that every blessing our lands have is a gift from God, by his grace.
I agree wuith Sherry that the 4th is a day to remember real freedom and the One who bought it for us at such a cost.

Kerry Tastinger: You could also talk about Moses and the exodus.

Sherry Maycock MAYBE YOU COULD TEACH THEM ABOUT HOW THEY WERE RESCUED BY THERE INDEPENDECE THE SAME AS GOD Rescued us.Games teach them about rescuing by using the blow up rings you float in swimming,having one pretending to be in the water and the other throwing the ring over them to rescue.Hope that this is of some assistance.Sorry about the typing its very late here 12:12am at night.Regards AustraliaC.R.C.