Now on the day-to-day aspects of Next Gen ministry. You may be wondering how you can possibly add more to your overflowing plate of responsibilities. Although NextGen ministry requires some upfront planning, it ultimately offers a simplified version of Christian education-with everyone moving in the same direction. Use the following tips to make NextGen ministry a reality at your church.
Be intentional. As a generational team, set aside time to dream, plan, and pray. Regular meetings allow everyone to learn how to work together. What NextGen ministry can look like at your church. Study what other churches have done, and, if possible, meet with them in person or by phone. Read up on the needs and desires of today's children, young people, and parents.
Be a team player. "I now care about what preschool is talking about because I want to make sure elementary kids are prepared," says Dan Scott, director of elementary at Ada Bible Church in Ada, Mich. "I care about junior high because I do not want the investment I've made in the kids to disappear."
Gina McClain, children's ministry director at Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, bridges ministry gaps by helping her church's young-adult and small-group pastors increase their effectiveness. "Most frustrations those pastors experience can be tracked back to spiritual maturity ... or lack thereof," McClain says. "Allow those leaders to help determine core competencies so you're working together and unifying your goals and your message to families."
Rethink the schedule. Study the programming calendar from a family's perspective. Camps, social events, outreach projects, and so on should be coordinated so parents and children are not stressed out by all the opportunities available. Schedule events that bridge age groups; For example, all of our church's ministries for fifth through 12th grades (preteens, junior high, and high school) meet on Wednesday nights. They all have separate meeting areas and age-specific teaching, but we've aligned the general scope of the lessons. All of these kids take home the same "bottom line" each week. Plus, once a month, we bring the groups together and invite parents to join us for worship.
Develop a mentoring program. It is essential to recruit and train older kids to invest in younger children. Create opportunities for college students to serve in the high school ministry, for high schoolers to assist with junior highers, for junior highers to help out in the elementary ministry, and for preteens to volunteer in the preschool ministry.
Do not compete for volunteers. Discuss recruiting strategies so you're all working together to seek out potential helpers and leaders. At our church, a staff person handles volunteer assimilation, asking interested people what a group they would like to work with. Volunteers are encouraged to try out each group to find the best fit.
Celebrate ministry transitions. When children move from one program to another within NextGen ministry, it's a big deal to them-and it should be a big deal to us, too. Last August, we collaborated on something called "Elevate Week." For an entire week, we had parties for each transitioning age group. We concluded each event with a short parent meeting to share our vision and expectations for the year ahead.
Create experiences for the whole family. When one family's children are in three different age-specific ministries, it's hard to participate in every scheduled event or activity. So create opportunities for the whole family to worship, learn, and serve together. It's a win-win situation for everyone.
Equip parents. Parents want to know that our ministries are working together and that each area is doing its part. Keep parents informed of your common end goal-and help them make it their own, as well. Spanning all ages and stages; That way, parents can be their children's primary spiritual influence, no matter where they are in the parenting journey.
Capitalize on every encounter with families. Cross-promote within the various areas of your NextGen ministry so families know what's happening and can get involved, if they'd like. This communicates what each ministry area knows about and believes in what other areas are doing. The children's ministry newsletter, for example, can include information about the high schoolers' food drive. E-newsletters or tweets can alert teenagers and their parents about volunteer needs in the younger grades.
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