Excerpt from “Showing Up for Children’s Ministry”
Kurt Goble
Once in a while, you will hear a basketball commentator remark that a certain player didn’t “show up” for the game. He was there. He was wearing his uniform. He was on the court during game time, running around and passing the ball. He showed up physically, but that was about all there was to his performance. Sports correspondents will say this player just didn’t bring it.
What Is It?
So what is it? It is the set of talents, skills, abilities, and aptitudes that make this player special. It is what all those fans show up to see. And they are disappointed if they don’t get to see it. In children’s ministry, how do we know when we are (or are not) showing up for the game? What is it and how do we know when we are bringing it? Take another look at our basketball player. Let’s say that he is a quick outside shooter, who typically scores 20 points a game. His shooting ability is what people show up to see. They’re not looking to him for slam dunks or rebounds, fancy assists or turnovers. They want to see him do his thing. They want to see him bucket some three- pointers. There’s no disappointment when he doesn’t perform in his peripheral skills. But fans are disappointed when he doesn’t deliver on the things he can do well. This player is judged according to his giftedness. You show up when you approach ministry with your giftedness. You bring it when you take your unique God-given personality, interests, and aptitudes into the classroom and allow your Creator to work through you. A few years back we had a junior high ministry intern who was under my supervision. He was usually high-energy, fun, passionate, and engaging. But something happened when he got up in front of a group to speak. He became cool, laid back, and low-key. I asked him why this was, and he replied that this behavior is what seemed appropriate for that particular setting. I explained that he was doing himself a disservice. Instead of attempting to fit a mold that he had defined in his own mind, he needed to embrace his strongest and most valued characteristics and amplify them both off and on stage.
Embrace Your Strengths
If you know anything about current trends in management, education, and organization, you have probably heard of the Strengths Movement. This “groundbreaking” and proven “new” paradigm is based on the fact that your greatest potential to grow and to do significant things lies not in your areas of weakness, but in your strengths. Popular culture is beginning to embrace this “cutting-edge” idea that was first revealed in the Bible over 2,000 years ago: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8, NIV). If you’ll notice, the Bible doesn’t say, “If his gift is serving, he needs to learn how to teach.” Instead, it says, “If it is serv-
ing, let him serve.” Let’s look at several examples to put some skin on this idea. Rosie is a true Sunday school teacher in the traditional sense. Sixty-five years old, she loves to plan and organize lessons. She loves to set goals for her students to memorize Scripture. She creates her own reward systems. She prepares everything a week in advance and shows up with a plan in place. She does this well, and her students benefit from it. Students think of Rosie as a great teacher. Kelsey is 22 years old and not very organized. She is creative and passionate about the performing arts. Each week
Kelsey glances over her lesson plan and thinks about ways to interject more creativity. She’ll set the Bible memory verse to the tune of a song, or she’ll write a skit based on the Bible story so her students can act it out. Students see Kelsey as a kind and passionate mentor. Pete is a new dad at 32 years of age, and he is very relational. He loves to work with kids, but he can’t organize his way out of a paper bag. Pete usually scrambles to look over the lesson just before leaving for church, if he can find his teacher book. When the kids show up, Pete asks them about their week. He remembers who had a soccer game and what their prayer requests were, so he follows up with each student. Pete hangs out with and talks to the kids for 15 minutes before getting into the lesson. Kids think of Pete as a friend.
So which approach is correct? They all are. If Rosie didn’t prepare and plan, she wouldn’t be showing up. If Kelsey didn’t insert her own creativity and love of the arts, she wouldn’t be bringing it to the classroom. If Pete didn’t relate to the kids on a personal level, he wouldn’t be doing what God made him to do. Often, the problem is that those who are lead- ing ministry tend to value one gift set over another. Many leaders try to turn the Kelseys and Petes into Rosies. Ministry leaders sometimes think that they need a whole team of Rosies because her style makes sense to them. But that way of thinking doesn’t make any more sense than a basketball team putting five point guards on the court at once. To succeed, a team needs players with different gifts and different skill sets. And the players need to be allowed to do what they do best under the direction of their coach. Consider your best qualities, skills, and interests. Embrace them. Be who you are and let God use the unique personality He made and loves dearly in you.
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