What can you learn from "snooping" in the business, retail, and
amusement world that could refresh and inspire your children's
ministry team? Schedule one of our 13 Snoop Trips to find out for
yourself.
If your volunteer training needs a little life breathed into it,
jump on the Snoop Trip wagon. There are phenomenal lessons waiting
to be discovered just doors away from your church. That's what the
Children's Ministry Magazine staff figured out recently.
Because "branding" is the buzz word in business today, the
Children's Ministry Magazine team went to a Starbucks coffeehouse
to learn about one of the strongest brands around. Then team
members discussed how to strengthen their "brand." On another Snoop
Trip to a factory, they learned about the importance of quality
control and discussed how to improve their work processes.
The benefits of these Snoop Trips? Snooping is free. And the
training is easy. Who could ask for anything more!
That's why the editors of Children's Ministry Magazine asked me
to come up with more Snoop Trips. The following 13 Snoop Trip ideas
are complete with discussion questions to help you and your team
get the most out of your snooping.
Our Ministry Zoo
Take your team to the zoo to discover how to improve your
ministry habitats. Form groups of four. Give each group a map, and
have people take notes on the unique features of each habitat they
visit. Designate a time and location for everyone to meet.
Once everyone returns, give each group a list of the following
questions to discuss. When each group has had time to discuss the
questions, ask people to report their major discoveries about
creating the best need-meeting habitats for children.
1. Describe what's unique about three habitats in the zoo, and
explain how each habitat properly cares for the animal that lives
in it.
2. What are the similar elements of each habitat?
3. What are the different elements of each habitat?
4. Name the different habitats in our ministry to children.
5. Which zoo habitat best represents your particular classroom?
Explain.
6. What should be consistent elements in all our ministry
habitats?
7. What habitats in our "zoo" need improvement?
Pruned In
Take your leadership team to a nursery or greenhouse to explore
how to nurture spiritual and numerical growth in your ministry.
Have a gardener demonstrate how to prune a flowering bush or tree
to get the desired shape. Ask the the gardener these questions.
1. Why is it important to prune bushes and trees?
2. What's the outcome if a flowering bush or tree isn't
pruned?
3. Why is proper soil conditioning important after pruning?
Then using the following questions, discuss with your team the
desired shape for your ministry.
1. How can we prune our ministry?
2. How can pruning help our ministry take shape and grow?
3. What elements or programs in our ministry need pruning?
4. How can we condition our ministry's "soil" and make our "root
base" stronger?
5. What pruning and conditioning do you need to do personally to
grow in your relationship with Jesus?
The Real Thing
Invite your team to enjoy Coca-Cola floats, or visit a Coca-Cola
bottling plant as you spend time sharing insights that can be
gained from the marketing campaigns of the Coca-Cola company.
1. Why is the Coca-Cola brand the most widely recognized in the
world?
2. Name five slogans or ad campaigns you can remember from the
Coca-Cola company.
3. Which one of these slogans or ads most resembles the overall
brand statement for our ministry?
4. What can we do to strengthen our ministry brand?
5. What can we do to help children see that only the "real
thing" can guarantee that "life tastes good"?
Back To School
Take your volunteers on a field trip to an elementary or middle
school to learn how to get the name of Jesus to show up at school.
Tour the building, and have people make notes of places they see
brands showing up. Notice clothing, shoes, backpacks, scooters,
school supplies, vending machines, and more. Then discuss these
questions.
1. Name all the places you see brands show up.
2. What can we do to get the Jesus brand showing up at
school?
3. Which things should we do now? later?
Sending Your Very Best
Send your volunteer team to a Hallmark card shop. Form groups of
four, and have each group select four different cards bearing the
same message but from different Hallmark product lines. For
example, the message could be Thinking of You. Use the following
questions to discover how the same message can be communicated in
different ways to reach people at different stages in their
lives.
1. How is each product line meeting the different life stages of
people?
2. Why do Hallmark cards offer different product lines?
3. How do the messages in the cards help people connect with one
another?
4. What can we learn from Hallmark cards about helping children
and their families connect with God through our ministry?
5. How can we offer options to families who are at different
stages? Identify some of these stages.
6. What can we learn from Hallmark cards about how to
communicate the same message at an adult level and at a child's
level?
7. What do we need to do to communicate biblical truths at
levels children can easily understand?
8. How have we demonstrated in our ministry that we "care enough
to send the very best" when we communicate the good news of Jesus
Christ to children?
Fishers Of Men
Schedule a fishing outing with your volunteers. Form groups of
two to four. Give each group different bait while giving only a few
groups the correct bait for catching the fish in your area. After
about 30 minutes of fishing, give all the groups the correct bait,
and enjoy the big haul. Then discuss these questions.
1. Why doesn't the same bait catch every kind of fish?
2. How do you know what kind of bait to use?
3. How did it feel to have the wrong bait?
4. How did it feel to catch a fish?
5. Jesus calls us to be "fishers of men." What equipment and
"bait" do we need to be fishers of men? fishers of children?
6. What bait and equipment are we currently using in our
ministry?
7. What bait do we need to add or remove?
8. What can we learn from our experience that'll help us be
fishers of children?
Afterward, give each of your fishers an Ichthus bumper sticker
or key ring.
Test Drive
Schedule a "car-shopping" outing for your team. Visit the
nearest Volvo dealership to have a salesperson explain the safety
features in Volvo cars. Use the following questions to discover
what's important to parents about car safety and the safety of your
ministry.
1. Why is each of the safety features in Volvo cars
important?
2. What peace of mind do these features give consumers?
The Scoop Snoop
Visiting an ice cream shop will be a real treat for everyone.
Use the following questions to discover the quality of your
ministry as you enjoy ice cream treats.
1. Why is the quality of the ice cream ingredients so
important?
2. What happens to the overall flavor and texture if someone
skimps on the quality of just one of the ingredients?
3. Why is a variety of flavors important?
4. What are the basic ingredients or values of our ministry?
5. What is the quality of our basic ministry ingredients, and
where do we need improvement-if anywhere?
6. What "flavors" do we need to add?
A Well-balanced Menu
Take your leadership team to a cafeteria to discover how to
balance your ministry buffet. Have people tell which food item most
resembles their role in children's ministry and why. For example,
someone may say she's most like the salt because she makes children
thirst for Jesus.
Once everyone has finished eating, reflect on the overall
experience with these questions.
1. How is the ministry programming we offer like or unlike a
cafeteria?
2. How easy or difficult was it to make food choices?
3. How is this like or unlike the choices families must make in
our ministry?
4. Is our ministry's buffet of options for families
well-balanced? Why or why not?
5. What items should be added to or deleted from our ministry
menu?
6. What improvements do we need to make to ensure that our
children are being well-fed?
7. What do you need to add or delete from your life to add or
delete from your life to maintain balance?
Home Improvement
As the need for family ministry continues to grow, take your
visionary team on a Snoop Trip to the nearest home building supply
store. Form groups of four, and assign each group three to five
aisles to explore as group members discuss these questions. After
about 30 minutes, bring the groups back together to share
discoveries.
1. What tools are needed for home improvement?
2. How could any tools here represent tools we could offer in
our ministry to families?
3. How would these tools be useful in spiritual "home
improvement"?
4. How are the employees in this store as important as the
products?
5. How can our ministry be a one-stop supplier of home
improvement tools and advice?
King-size Ministry
Take your team to the nearest Burger King restaurant. Over
Whopper sandwiches, use the following questions to discover what
Burger King restaurants do to entice children and their parents to
develop lifelong loyalty to their products and services. For
additional insights, visit the Burger King Big Kids Web site at
www.bk.com/bkbigkids.
1. What do Burger King restaurants offer kids?
2. What are Burger King restaurants doing to hook kids?
3. What's in our ministry that's like a Kids meal? like a Big
Kids meal?
4. Do we offer a one-size-fits-all kids ministry, or do we offer
options for our kids?
5. What are we doing to hook kids to be lifelong followers of
Jesus, our king?
Hog-wild Over Relationships
Take your volunteers to the nearest Harley-Davidson retailer.
Learn what the sales team does to develop long-term relationships
by interacting with clients.
1. What can our ministry learn from the Harley- Davidson
customer service approach of developing personal relationships with
each client?
2. What does the Harley-Davidson company learn from interactions
with clients?
3. Describe the loyalty that's created as a result of the
relationships and client friendships that are formed.
4. What can we do to interact in the same way with the kids we
serve?
5. Describe the benefits of developing relationships with
children.
Easy To Prepare
Take your leadership team to your nearest grocery store for a
scavenger hunt. Form pairs. Assign each pair a part of a meal, such
as the salad, main dish, vegetable, bread, dessert, or beverage.
Pairs must choose and purchase their items for the meal.
Return to your church kitchen or a home. Before preparing the
meal, have partners read the preparation instructions for their
items. Then prepare the meal. Over the meal, discuss the following
questions.
1. Why did you choose your item?
2. Did you put any items back after reading the preparation
instructions? Why or why not?
3. Why are preparation instructions important?
4. What "preparation instructions" do we need for our volunteers
who are leading children?
5. What can we do to improve our preparation instructions so
people don't think the instructions are too hard, too long, or too
vague?
6. What can we learn from preparing our meal to help us with
preparation instructions for teaching children?
Debi Nixon is a former children's minister in Leawood,
Kansas. Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and
prices are subject to change.
