Reggie Joiner's Blog, page 6

Maximizing Ministry Impact: Navigating Your New Budget Season with Intentionality

It’s new budget season! Maybe not exactly when you’re reading this, but you’re at least thinking about your new budget season.

New budget years feel like new calendar years to me. Once I’ve gotten over the financial mistakes and mishaps of last year, I transition my attention towards the hope of a better planned and executed upcoming financial year.

Maybe you’re the person who has the final say on your kids or student ministry budget this year. Maybe somebody else or some committee has the fi...

The Young Adult’s Guide to Leading a Ministry (and Yourself)

Vocational ministry is weird. Vocational ministry in next-gen is extra weird. 

It’s weird when . . .
Your shopping list often includes pool noodles or goldfish
Going to students’ sporting events or band concerts is part of your job
You may be free at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday but can’t go on a random weekend trip with your friends.

All of the oddities and complexities of your jobs are worth it because we get to influence the faith of the next generation. 

But life can feel extra weird if you are a ne...

The Ministry Leader’s Guide to Elevating Your Volunteer Strategy

The Ministry Leader’s Guide to Elevating Your Volunteer Strategy

It’s no secret that next-gen ministry can’t happen without volunteers. 

We need people to . . . 

Prepare snacks and meals,
Check-in kids and students,
Communicate messages,
Run sound and slides,
And lead small groups.

And, truthfully, even if your ministry doesn’t involve all of those elements or you could do all of those things yourself, you shouldn’t. However, that doesn’t mean finding and keeping volunteers is easy. 

In fact, as...

The Ministry Leader’s Guide to Engaging Parents

If you are a next-gen ministry leader, chances are you have heard the phrase “partner with parents.” And it probably sounds like a good idea. After all, parents have influence with their kids and they often make great volunteers. 

 

So. . . 

We send emails. 

We have parent meetings

We send more emails. 

We call/text/DM parents nearly every day. 

 

And while all of the communication is good, it can also feel overwhelming—like maybe we need more of a strategy or a plan for how we do things and how...

Helping New Kids Feel Welcome

For all of us Kidmin leaders, there’s nothing better than seeing a brand new child step into our ministry.

 

As soon as we see those new bright and shiny faces, our excitement begins to build. We just can’t wait for them to jump right in and see all the fun and exciting activities we have in store for them! We know they’ll have the time of their life learning an amazing and engaging Bible story, maybe get a little wild and messy with a fun large group game, spend small group time with adults who...

How to Get Your Senior Leader to Come to Orange Tour This Fall

As a leader, you’re constantly seeking opportunities to grow, learn, and expand your leadership horizons.

 

But you’re also likely trying to figure out how to get your entire team on board. If you’re a Next Gen, KidsMin or Student Ministry pastor, one of the hardest struggles you face is getting your senior pastor on board. 

 

That’s why I love Orange Tour. Normally, kids and student ministry people flock to Orange Conference and Orange Tour by the thousands, but it’s actually a great event for ...

Toni Collier’s Favorite Resources to Help Fight Comparison as a Leader

If you work with teenagers, you know they have a tendency to compare themselves to others. The grades they’re getting, the people they’re dating, the friends they have, the clothes they wear, the highlight reel on their social media–it all feels like one long list of what others have that your students just don’t! 

 

That’s also why we partnered with our friend and Founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, Toni Collier, to talk about comparison in our new series, “Caught Up” for XP3 Middle School a...

The Leader’s Guide to Choosing Curriculum That Actually Engages Kids

For every leader choosing a curriculum for their children’s ministry, you’ve got an important decision ahead of you. There’s price, theology, media, customizability, and then the question of whether you’ll still end up pounding coffee on a Saturday night to locate and wrangle documents and media together the next day. 

 

But then there’s the most important question — will this actually engage the kids in my ministry? 

 

Will it help them develop a better faith and future because they can underst...

How Does Orange Curriculum Equip You To Produce Great Large Group Experiences for Kids?

As a ministry leader, chances are you are passionate about helping kids grow in their everyday faith through encountering the story of God and the truths of Scripture. One of the reasons you turn on the lights every Sunday is for kids to experience the Bible. After all, when it comes to crafting large group experiences for kids, we have important things to say. But over the years, we’ve found this to be true:

 

No matter how important our message is, if we don’t say it well, it’s probably not go...

Five Ways a Church Bookkeeper Can Save Senior Leaders Time, Money, and Energy

Few people are comfortable talking about money. Even fewer are comfortable handling the bookkeeping of it, especially church leaders.

 

Now, sure. You aren’t the only people in the position of handling the task of managing finances–a Herculean task if we’re being honest–but for many church leaders, it’s often so far beyond your scope of work, passion, and calling that we know it can prove downright painful.

 

We’re not trying to be hyperbolic, but ask any pastor you know if they got into ministr...