Kids’ ministry refresh
Question: My daughter’s church is doing creative and effective children’s ministry, while our church is doing the same old thing with the same old results. No one here will even consider change. How can I get them to explore the options, without either taking over the kids’ program (which I do not want to do) or making people mad?
Answer: This may be a perfect time to offer “required” cutting-edge training for children’s ministry workers. Enlist an effective children’s ministry leader from outside your church to introduce some innovations that can be implemented in small increments. The changes don’t have to happen all at once. After they hear the fresh ideas, encourage your children’s director and workers to set goals, put strategies into place, and make plans on how and when to start working the new ideas into the ministry.
Pastor search: Help wanted
Question: We got more than 300 applications for our vacant pastor position through an online service. There were barely a handful that might have been a match for our church, and ultimately none worked out. Before we start round two, is there a better way to search for a pastor?
Answer: The Southern Baptist Convention has six seminaries and thousands of trained men looking for the Lord to open a place of service. Contact the schools (go to sbc.net to find their info) and let them know about your leadership vacancy. IBSA’s Church Resources Team has also created a manual to aid your church’s search process. Email AubreyKrol@IBSA.org for more information.
Throughout the process, make sure the search team has clearly defined the expectations for your pastoral candidate. Draft a copy of questions you would like answered and sent back prior to inviting him for an interview. Be patient. It’s important to remember that God has the perfect person to meet your need. Wait on the Lord!
Pat Pajak is IBSA’s associate executive director for evangelism. Send questions for Pat to
IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.