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History Church (Oak Hill, VA) is planning some incredible things for their children’s ministry. Among their plans is a new portable preschool environment.

They are also planning on utilizing a new technology to create digital puppets. These digital puppets are created using Logitech’s QuickCam Orbit MP and some software called Logitech Video Effects that together can follow your movements and a give you animated costumes. With these tools, you can become the puppet and add digital accessories to your appearance such as facial hair or hats. You can even control various digital characters (sharks, bunny rabbits, etc.) with your facial expressions and head movements. To see the software in action, check out this YouTube video.

This technology can revolutionize the way children’s ministry is being done. I would have loved to use this when I was teaching five year olds.

A Millennial is someone who was born between 1977 and 1994. Want to know what makes them tick?

Chief Marketer has an interesting article listing some defining characteristics of Millennials in America. They are a generation that has been raised and coddled by the baby-boomer generation. They were taught that they deserve the best, and they believe it. What has emerged are a number of defining habits, trends, and characteristics that define their generation. Consider the following excerpts from the article:

• Personal Creativity. Millennials are expansive and creative people who demand far more from a career than just a job. They feel entitled to high pay and interesting work, and they seek freedom in their schedule. Who says you can’t run a surf shop, DJ, and do graphic design?
• Volunteerism. Giving back to the community is a priority.
• Stress. Even the younger Millennials suffer from a level of stress we typically attribute to adulthood; these are overscheduled, heavily monitored young people. And these kids may well be more medicated than any previous generation.
• Team Players. Highly social, Millennials greatly value time with friends and place great emphasis on working with people they like. They also tend to be very inclusive and proud to be accepting of all ethnicities.
• Authenticism. Millennials hold sacred the freedom to just be who they are. While they pay close attention to fashion, they simultaneously seek to surprise and stand out.
• Technology as Sustenance. Millennials associate high-tech with cool.
• IQ Rules. Millennials admire individuals who are street smart. Wisdom and experience are equivalent to sophistication and stylishness.
• Life Quality. While they embrace a go-go-go lifestyle, they want quality of life and are not willing to sacrifice social time just to get ahead.
• Optimism. Millennials hate Gen X angst; they’re sick of hearing that the world’s gone to pot.
• Conservativism. Millennials are more conservative than their parents. They are stand-up people, not rebellious; they hold the moral center.

They a certainly are an interesting generation. These are the students in today’s youth groups. They are the college and career crowd. Many are beginning to visit children’s ministry again but for their newborns and toddlers. How well does your church understand this generation? Are you equipped to handle their heightened level of expectations? Most importantly, can your ministry provide the spiritual nourishment they need to mature as Christians but also as a generation?

It always fascinates me how a nation as culturally diverse as the United States can continue to produce generations that can fairly accurately be put into a box. Television and movies have largely become the glue that holds it all together. PBS’s Frontline has a great report by Douglas Rushkoff titled The Merchants of Cool (watch :: read) that does an excellent job explaining how marketing and media channels define and redefine cultures such as the Millennials.

For more reading on Millennials, read Church Relevance’s earlier post: The Next Generation

Pastors.com has published a great article on thirty-five ministry skills you will need in the 21st century. Written by Sam Simmons of the Rockbridge Seminary, the article divides the thirty-five skills into five categories - worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. Some highlights include:

Worship - Educates the congregation in personal, family, and corporate worship.
Fellowship - Leads the church in developing a process for connecting new members into the life and purposes of the church.
Discipleship - Leads the church in planning, conducting, and evaluating a comprehensive program of discipleship and Christian maturity.
Ministry - Assesses the needs of the ministry community, designs appropriate actions to meet those needs, and effectively markets the church’s ministry in the community.
Evangelism - Leads the church in an effective program of evangelism; plans and conducts a program of community witness.

That still leaves thirty more skills that you can read about in the full text of the article. I highly encourage anyone who works in the church to take the time to read this short article and self-evaluate their ministry’s performance regarding each skill.

Special thanks to Monday Morning Insight for highlighting the article.

Behind every lasting church is a maintenance man (or woman). He is the unsung hero who battles rust and busted pipes so that the church can keep opening their doors every week.

Odds are he will love Vypar’s X-Treme Tape. Originally created for the military, X-Treme Tape has no adhesive but is composed of a silicone compound that bonds only to itself. Features include:

• Forms a permanent air and water tight seal 
• Can insulate up to 8,000 volts
• Will not melt up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
• Stretches to 3x’s its length

A 1″ wide 10′ roll can be bought at McFeely’s for $5.95. Having worked maintenance, housekeeping, and groundskeeping for a couple of ministries, this seems like a great resource for any church’s toolbox.

Special thanks to Kevin Kelly Cool Tools for highlighting X-Treme Tape.

The mailman has been a partner with countless churches. The benefits of postcards, newsletters, and flyers have made direct mail the marketing tool of choice for many churches. After all, it is reasonably affordable and allows for the church to target specific demographics and cultures.

However, mere existence of a postcard doesn’t make it effective. More than likely, it makes it junk mail. With the enormous amount of clutter vying for people’s attention each day, a direct mail piece requires a good deal of thought invested into its creation in order to be noticed, let alone effective.

Direct Magazine published an article last month that discussed what it takes to create effective direct mail. Consider these main points from the article:

• We like mail meant for us. Know your audience and make it relevant to them. This means you must understand their needs, interests, and wants.
• Direct mail is an element of customer service. Church begins when someone first receives your postcard. It may be that person’s first impression and encounter with your church. Make that touch point count.
• Too much of anything causes problems. If you mail too many pieces or do anything too much, it will lose its effectiveness. People will ignore it.
• Junk mail is
  -mail sent too frequently to the same audience.
  -mail that is uninteresting, poorly written, poorly designed, or poorly done
  -mail that does not grab the prospect’s attention
  -mail that arrives too late for a special event
  -mail that is confusing or too difficult to read
  -mail that offers no benefit
• Effective mail requires thought and planning. When creating a direct mail piece, ask yourself if it will get the recipient’s attention, clearly communicate, cause interest, and ultimately, create action. Of course, you must honestly answer this question.
• It’s a communication. Pastors spend many hours planning their sermons. Excellence in communication should not be reserved for the pulpit. Invest planning into your direct mail or any other type of communication.

If you are involved in your church’s direct mail efforts, read Direct Magazine’s article for more insights. Happy mailing!

Consider the following excerpt from the story of Moses and the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt: 

Exodus 13:17-18 (NLT)

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army.

Although the path through Philistine territory was shorter, God did not lead them this way because the Israelites were not yet ready for a battle. God will not lead us into something we cannot handle. This might mean having to take a longer road to get to where He wants us to be.

God wanted the Israelites to possess the Promised Land, but He knew that they must first mature as a culture and a nation before possessing the land. In fact, they still needed to catch the vision of what God had in store for them.

Quite often Christians are not aware of the magnitude of the plans God has on their lives. It is for good reason. God knew that the Israelites would be able to conquer the Promised Land, but if they had known that they would have many battles, they would have much rather stayed in Egypt. It is important that you learn to trust God and follow His leading. The steps by which He leads you will lead to a bigger picture than you ever could imagine.

Even if you know where God is leading you next, it is important that you wait for his timing. Learning to recognize when God has you in a season of preparation is vital to maximizing your potential. Preparation always pays off.

Church Relevance’s March 2006 newsletter, Passion and Priorities, has been added to the site.

We will be posting articles from Church Relevance’s newsletter a few months after we send them to subscribers. If you would like to receive the latest issues of Church Relevance’s newsletter as soon as possible, you may sign up to begin your free monthly subscription to our newsletter.

Lifehacker highlighted an interesting website about motivation that lists seven rules of motivation. They are:

1. Set a major goal, but follow a path.
2. Finish what you start.
3. Socialize with others of similar interest.
4. Learn how to learn.
5. Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates.
6. Increase knowledge of subjects that inspire.
7. Take risk.

Motivation is important in ministry. Burn out is a quick way to kill your effectiveness. That is why I want to add three commandments of motivation to the above seven rules.

1. Make time for God. Ministers cannot last if they constantly give of themselves but never spiritually refresh themselves. Reading the Bible, prayer, and worship are all important keys to staying spiritually refreshed and avoiding ministry burnout.
2. Make time for yourself. Remember that God rested on the seventh day. It is important that ministers make time for resting and being with their family. It will keep the enthusiasm and excitement in their ministry.
3. Marry your passion and priorities. God gave us specific gifts and designed us to be passionate about using them. Passion motivates and can be a key to superior results. Prioritize to do what only you can do. Do what you are passionate about. For more, read our March 2006 newsletter, Passion and Priorities.

I believe that you cannot have an effective ministry without motivation. There are plenty of other great tips for staying motivated, but these are ten great ones to keep in mind as you continue to grow your ministry and minister the Gospel.