I was excited to be chosen as a contributor to another awesome new book in the Kidmin Nation Library: Lean In: Leverage Your Influence for Ministry Impact. A huge thanks to Tina Houser for working so hard to edit and put together this incredible tool for kidmin leaders. This is the fourth book in a line of books Tina Houser has been working on to help kidmin leaders in all different aspects of their ministries. The first three books would be a great addition to your kidmin leadership library as well: Home Grown: How to Equip Parents for Spiritual Leadership Irresistible: How to Engage Kids and Point them to Jesus, and Inspired: Unlocking Your Creativity. I was a contributor to the second and third books as well and you can check out my reviews on them here.
Each of the 20 chapters of this book is written on different topics by kidmin leaders from all walks of life and experience levels. Leadership is a huge part of any ministry job, especially in kid’s ministry. We lead so many different groups of people: volunteers, paid staff members, parents, families, and of course kids. Within those groups are all different ages and genders as well. That might sound overwhelming, but it is possible to lead well in all of these areas with time, patience, and a lot of prayer. I had the privilege of writing Chapter 5: Let it Go! Release Control and Grow.
My Favorite Chapters:
Chapter 2: High Impact: Leading Up by Amy Goble
Chapter 5: Let it Go! Release Control and Grow by Corinne Noble
Chapter 7: A Pirate’s Life for Me: Setting Objectives for Your Kidmin by Brittany Nelson
Chapter 9: Where’s the Remote? I Need to Press Pause! When to Listen, When to Ask, When to Respond by Shayla Hale
Chapter 11: Bears, Bottles, and a Good Thinking Cap: Get a Handle on Stress by Stephanie Chase
Chapter 14: When No One Else is Wearing Skinny Jeans: Leading a Generation Older than You by Julia Ball
Chapter 17: Turn the Key: How to Use Personality Assessments in Leadership by Angela Sangalang
Chapter 18: Looking for Timothy: Engaging Kids in Leadership by Carolyn Norkus
Takeaways:
1. Lead up for the highest impact. (Chapter 2) Even though you may not be in charge of the whole church, you have the opportunity to influence your lead pastor who is in charge by leading up! I love Amy’s 7 keys to leading up she offers in her chapter.
2. Turn your goals into objectives. (Chapter 7) “Objectives are clearly defined, measurable steps to help you achieve a larger goal.” Think big and start small!
3. Stress is unavoidable, but can be handled. (Chapter 11) Take every thought captive by making a list of God’s promises. I needed this chapter personally and will definitely be stealing the list of promises from this chapter to use in my personal prayer time.
4. You can lead the generation older than you effectively. (Chapter 14) You have to gain their trust and prove you are a leader worth following. Get to know them personally and show them you care about their opinions. Sell your vision and give them something they can own!
5. Have your team take a personality test together. (Chapter 17) I love taking personality tests so this might have been my favorite chapter. I have taken any personality test I can get my hands on, but I had never thought about having my team take one together. The biggest benefits of taking a personality test with your team are that you will get to know each other better and learn how to work together more effectively.
If you are a children’s ministry leader, you need to pick up this book and read it this year. This book is for anyone in kidmin trying to lead ANYONE! I’m sure we could all use some improvement in one or more of the areas addressed in this book. You can grab your own copy here.
I’m giving away 2 copies for free to two amazing kidmin leaders on Wednesday, March 13. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on the KidMinCorinne Facebook page and share the group of people you would like to learn more about leading well. You can receive bonus entries by liking KidMinCorinne on Facebook and following kidmincorinne on Instagram.
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