MAR/APR/MAY 2015

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ipSOLUTIONS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL & SMALL GROUP LEADERS

What would it be like to shake things up in your regular routine? You’ll be amazed at what happened to pastor Rod Loy. He decided to start instantly obeying every prompt from God. Every day. All day. See page 4-5.

Many young people are hungering for a family connection. Jeanne Mayo shares creative ways your youth ministry can be an affirming second family on pages 6-7.

You are the best person to choose children’s church curriculum for boys and girls in your church. See some helpful tips on pages 12-14.

Yes, you can attract more unchurched kids to your next Vacation Bible School or community outreach with MEGA Sports Camp®. See the incredible testimonial on page 10.

AS YOU ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SPRING EDITION OF DISCIPLESHIP IDEAS, MAY YOU FEEL ENERGIZED AND INSPIRED IN YOUR MINISTRY TO CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND ADULTS.

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For more information about all the resources featured in Discipleship Ideas,

visit MyHealthyChurch.com or call 1-855-642-2011.

My Healthy Church, through resources as well as relationships,

seeks for God to breathe life into new ideas—ideas that are

expressed through a variety of mediums such as printed

form, mobile app technology, or what we would say is the

most important, a simple conversation.

For centuries, the church has served as a laboratory of ideas that has

not only shaped culture, but has enabled God’s people to steward His

Kingdom one conversation, one individual, and one story at a time.

Generation after generation has served to offer the world the message

of God’s heart. Justice, compassion, mercy, and grace.

You will find in My Healthy Church a viable partner to express both God’s

generous heart and His creative mind to and through your church and,

ultimately, throughout the earth.

4

Busy, tired, and confused. That’s an accurate description

of many people in our culture — including Christians. At

the end of the day, we’re exhausted, yet we wonder if we

accomplished anything meaningful at all. There’s another

way, a better way to be assured that our lives matter. It’s by

making a commitment to obey God immediately, no matter

what He tells us to do. Every moment (no matter how

ordinary) might be a “God moment.”

BY ROD LOY

IMME DI AT E OBE DIE N C E :

T HE A DV E N T UR E OF T UNING IN T O GOD

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IMMEDIAT E OBEDIENCE In my book, I issue a 90-day challenge as an experiment. For three months you read the Scriptures, pray, and expect God to lead you. Like any new habit or skill, obedience has a learning curve. As you practice immediate obedience, you’ll get some things right, and you’ll miss the mark sometimes. I’m still learning, and I expect to keep learning for the rest of my life.

Your journey, though, isn’t designed to end after 90 days. I hope you’ll make it a central priority of your life to listen and obey. There are no guarantees that God will speak at a certain time about a particular person or situation. We simply open our hearts to the fact that God longs to communicate His heart and intentions to us. If we listen and obey, a world of possibilities opens up before us.

People who practice immediate obedience are the ones we love to hang around. We listen to their stories and marvel at how God uses them. You can be one of those people. Give it a shot, and see what happens. You have nothing to lose — and everything to gain.

THE CHALLENGE OF NINETY DAYS · DAY 1 OF 90 · LUKE 5: 1-11

SIX STEPS TO IMMEDIAT E OBEDIENCE1. Prayer: “God, I’ll do what You tell me to do, I’ll give what You tell me to give, and I’ll go where You tell me to go. Even before you ask, my answer is, ‘Yes, Lord!’ I am listening, Lord…”

2. Read the passage. What is God saying to you through this passage of Scripture?

3. Is God telling you to obey Him in a specific way today? If so, how?

4. From yesterday (or the past week), what did you hear God tell you to do? How did you respond? How did you feel after you responded?

5. Have you experienced any resistance or misunderstanding of God’s directions during the past 24 hours? If so, describe it.

6. Pray: Ask God for humility to hear Him and courage to follow Him today.

ROD LOY, senior pastor, First Assembly of God, North Little Rock, Arkansas, and executive presbyter for the General Council of the Assemblies of God, Springfield, Missouri. First Assembly of God, North Little Rock uses Radiant Life curriculum. This article is adapted from Immediate Obedience: The Adventure of Tuning in to God (Influence Resources: Springfield, MO 2014).

Immediate Obedience: The Adventure of Tuning in to GodWhen your heart is aligned with God’s, you’ll delight in doing His will—fully and immediately—and seeing Him use you to touch the lives of those around you. Also available in Spanish. Visit MyHealthyChurch.com for more information.

Each Sunday we open with, “How have you lived out God’s Word to your life this week?” Members of the class are encouraged to share how they have obeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading.

R O N ’ S phone rang early Sunday morning. An old friend had run out of gas and had no one to turn to. He hadn’t eaten for days. So Ron took him to breakfast, church, and lunch that day.

PAT went to the bedside of a critically ill family member from whom she had been estranged for years. She really didn’t want to go, but felt that God had told her to. God softened hearts and a beautiful reconciliation took place.

JE A NNIE saw someone crying in an aisle at Wal-Mart. She stopped and offered to pray for the individual. Right there, next to the green beans, God touched hearts. God started working that day, and continues to draw her to himself through Jeannie’s friendship.

The stories go on. Every week, the Holy Spirit prompts someone to share how they have been immediately obedient. What an encouragement to others on the journey!

HOW ARE SUNDAY SCHOOL CL ASSES PRAC TICING

IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE?

6

T H E YO U T H

M I N I S T RY

YO U R

S T U D E N T S

R E A L LY N E E D

You don’t have to be a clinical psychologist to know the “why behind the what.” Today’s youth culture is surrounded by broken families, broken friendships, and broken hearts.

So the unspoken message is, “I need a FAMILY ROOM more than I need a CHURCH AUDITORIUM.” Unfortunately, that’s a little tougher than it sometimes sounds. So let me share with you a few key principles that have helped to build a sense of “family” in our youth church.

1 TALK “FAMILY ”Talk “family” on a consistent and purposeful basis in front of your students. Your words really are creative. I’ve lost track of the number of ways we reference “family” in 212 (our local youth ministry), but let me give you a few of the phrases you would hear around here often:

• “Here in 212, we’re more than just people who show up in the same room a couple of times each week. We’re family.”

• “In 212, none of us are perfect, but we’ve got each other’s backs because we’re family.”

• “Our life groups (small groups) are the way we make the larger family feel more personal.”

Though those words may stick in your throat the first few times you say them, they are more powerful than you could realize. They are especially powerful when stated from a man because of this generation’s emotional hunger for an adopted dad or big brother they can look up to and feel connected with.

2 E AT TOGE T HERI think I’ve maybe changed the Scripture just a little, but I often quote,

Remember watching

re-runs of The Waltons? It’s

a great exercise for youth

leaders in our era. Why?

I think The Waltons still

captures the essence of

what many teenagers

crave for today, FAMILY.

BY JEANNE MAYO

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“Where two or more are gathered together in His Name, there is food.” Don’t make this too tough. It can just be a stop together at the “Golden Arches” on the way home from a trip or a picnic on the 4th of July.

Jesus modeled this concept as He created His discipleship family. The New Testament is filled with times that He “broke bread with them.” It’s no coincidence that His last bonding time with the disciples before the Cross was not “The Last Teaching,” but rather, “The Last Supper.”

3 PL AY TOGE T HERIf you don’t have time to occasionally “play” with the students in your youth ministry, you might want to re-think your priorities. I often say that the youth ministry that “Prays together and PLAYS together, Stays together.”

Playing together is more than fun sports competitions. It’s creating fun in spontaneous ways all along the youth ministry journey. I often remind my students that, “Fun is not an activity, it’s an attitude.” So create a party in the unexpected moments of life.

4 SMALL GROUPSConsider launching some form of small group strategy within your youth ministry. Even if your youth group has no more than 15-20 students, a small group approach would make a world

of difference in creating family and the larger the youth outreach becomes, the more vital a strategic small group approach is.

Launching a small group ministry is not as challenging as it might sound. In “Thriving Youth Groups,” I devote an entire chapter to this topic entitled, “Small Groups Made Easy.” That chapter alone makes the book truly invaluable to the most sincere youth leaders.

All in all, this business of creating a sense of family in youth ministry is one of the most vital components to any significant ministry. Truth be told, it’s a challenge for many of us in youth ministry because we never had anyone do it for us. Yes, it’s tough to give away what you never experienced yourself, but I will tell you personally that there is a mountain of fulfillment in giving away to others what you perhaps never had yourself.

JEANNE MAYO is the director of youth and young adult ministries for Victory World Church in Atlanta, GA with more than four decades of proven ministry success. She’s a popular author, blogger, international youth ministry speaker, and the head of Youth Leader’s Coach - a non-profit ministry organization that provides encouragement, training and resources for youth leaders. She currently serves as a strategic partner with My Healthy Church. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 Jeanne Mayo. All rights reserved.

Thriving Youth GroupsCreating a friendly youth group can be a challenge for youth pastors in today’s cliquey culture. Bringing you over four decades of youth ministry expertise, Jeanne Mayo introduces practical ways to transform your youth group from exclusive to inclusive. Thriving Youth Groups helps churches produce growing groups. Visit MyHealthyChurch.com for more information.

8

Check out our Spring 2015 unit themes. Radiant Life curriculum provides a proven way to systematically disciple and educate believers of all ages.

NURSERYO N E -Y E A R C YC L E

· The Little Boy Who Shared His Lunch

· Heaven Is a Happy Home

· Creation

PRIMARYT H R E E -Y E A R C YC L E

· God Chooses Moses

· Jesus, Our Savior

· God Watches over Jacob and Joseph

HIGH SCHOOLF O U R -Y E A R C YC L E

· Successful Living in God’s Family

· Money, Money, Money

· Watch Your Language

KINDERGARTENT W O -Y E A R C YC L E

· Bible Kings

· Jesus Defeats Death

· Bible Heroes

YOUNG TEENT H R E E -Y E A R C YC L E

· Turning the Tide of Emotions

· Jesus’ Last Days

· Choices Matter

TODDLERS & TWOST W O -Y E A R C YC L E

· Stories about Elijah

· Jesus Lives

· Stories about Joseph

· The Bible Is God’s Word

MIDDLERT W O -Y E A R C YC L E

· Jesus, Our Savior

· Future Events

· Growing Spiritually

YOUNG ADULT Graduates & ProfessionalsS E V E N -Y E A R C YC L E

· Life of Samuel

· The Early Church (Acts, Part 1)

PRESCHOOL & BEGINNING EXPLORERST W O -Y E A R C YC L E

· Jesus Tells Stories

· Jesus, My Savior

· Jesus, My Healer

PRETEENT W O -Y E A R C YC L E

· Pictures of Jesus

· The Books of Poetry

· Life in God

ADULTS E V E N -Y E A R C YC L E

· Life of Samuel

· The Early Church (Acts, Part 1)

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Revise los títulos de nuestras unidades de marzo a agosto 2015. El currículo paralelo Radiant Life/Vida Nueva provee el mismo discipulado de excelente calidad para alumnos de habla hispana de toda edad. Para una descripcíon de cada unidad, visite www.MyHealthyChurch.com/VidaNueva si necesita ver la tabla de esquemas temáticos de Vida Nueva.

PRIMEROS PASOSCICLO DE DOS AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· Jesús cuenta historias

· Jesús, mi Salvador

· Jesús, mi Sanador

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· Cuido del mundo de Dios

· Ayudo a otros

· Ayudo y escucho

TESOROS DEL REYCICLO DE DOS AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· Reyes de la Biblia

· Jesús triunfa sobre la muerte

· Héroes de la Biblia

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· La primera iglesia

· Crecimiento de la iglesia

· Historias de Pablo

MIS AMIGOSCICLO DE TRES AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· Dios escoge a Moisés

· Historias de la Pascua

· Dios cuida de Jacob y José

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· La Iglesia

· Mujeres de fe

· Daniel y sus amigos

EL EXPLORADORCICLO DE CUATRO AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· La vida exitosa en la familia de Dios

· Dinero, dinero, dinero

· ¡Cuidado con las palabras!

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· Las religiones y la globalización

· Seguir al líder (1 y 2 Reyes)

· Consejos para las buenas relaciones

EL COMPAÑEROCICLO DE CUATRO AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· Ilustraciones de Jesús

· Los libros poéticos

· La vida que agrada a Dios

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· Dios, el Espíritu Santo

· La armadura de Dios

· Los profetas mayores

EL EMBAJADORCICLO DE CINCO AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· Lecciones de 1 y 2 Corintios

· Edificando familias sólidas

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· Los viajes misioneros de Pablo

· El reino sobrenatural

· Pequeñas joyas

EL MAESTROCICLO DE SIETE AÑOS

MARZO A MAYO 2015

· La vida de Samuel

· La iglesia primitive (Hechos, parte 1)

JUNIO A AGOSTO 2015

· Los diversos tipos de Salmos

· Santiago: el cristianismo práctico

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We Love MEGA Sports Camp®!!We have held a MEGA Sports Camp event at our church for two summers

now. We love it! It has given our church the opportunity to provide something different than the traditional VBS offered in many other churches in our community. Attendance has increased significantly from

previous years of VBS, including many more unchurched children. One of my favorite aspects about a MEGA Sports Camp event is that it gets the children moving instead of sitting in a classroom. This makes

bringing friends easy, building relationships natural, and virtually eliminates

much of the discipline problems. Many of my leaders have commented that

they are emotionally and spiritually energized by their time with the children.Another favorite of ours is the huddle time that is placed after the first

sports session. We have been very intentional to make the MEGA Sports

Camp huddle time all about salvation. We strategically put tools into our

huddle coaches’ hands to share the gospel in a fun, creative, and simple way.

We want to empower them to share Jesus with kids.After the second day of camp this past year, I got an email from a visiting

family that said, “My son is having so much fun at VBS. Can we come to

church on Wednesday night?” Then, on the last day of our camp, one new

mom that I met throughout the week was gathering her children, getting

ready to leave. She looked up at me with a huge smile and said, “Thank you

for allowing our kids to come this week. We will be here this Sunday for

church. ” Praise the Lord!For us, our MEGA Sports Camp event has been a hit with the kids, the parents, and the leaders. Did MEGA Sports Camp do all this work for us? No, it was the leaders who showed incredible love and ministered all week long who made the difference. The MEGA Sports Camp resource, however, was the tool we used - and we have found it to be a very effective tool. We plan on using it again!

Pastor Dan Dangerfield Williston, ND

Read children’s pastor Dan Dangerfield’s powerful

testimony on how MEGA Sports Camp events

have impacted his church and community.

11

GET READYMEGA Sports Camp® — Four-time winner!

Children’s Outreach Resource of the Year by Outreach Magazine

» www.MEGASportsCamp.com

12

Choosing the Right Curriculum for Your Children’s Church

BY STEVE ADAMS

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Of all the many responsibilities that come along with your new role, the most critical one is the responsibility to impart spiritual truths to the children who will come to you each week. With this in mind, you want to do more than just buy curriculum that fits your budget; you want to reach kids for Christ and impact their lives.

It can be overwhelming to know which children’s church curriculum is the best fit for your ministry. To make that decision, you need a good idea of where your kids are spiritually and determine a goal for their spiritual development. Here are some tips to help you pick the right curriculum for your kids.

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE AND CULT URE

Each church is different and each church has its own culture. To choose a curriculum that best fits your church, it is imperative to know your kids and the culture they live in by connecting with them on a personal level. This is what it means to be relevant. You can do this by utilizing an ancient secret technique that I will share with you now...ask questions. I know what you are thinking. It sounds too simple. But the best way to know your audience and culture is to ask questions:

• Ask the kids—What games they are playing, problems they face at school, movies they are watching, music they are listening to, etc.

• Ask the youth pastor—What are junior highers dealing with at school and at home? This will give you a picture of what your elementary kids will soon be facing.

• Ask the parents—Are there struggles you have

noticed with your kids that would be helpful for me to know as I think and pray about how to effectively minister to them?

2. SEEK GOD FOR DIREC TIONIn kids’ ministry, your role is that of a shepherd. Your kids are your flock. Ask God to show you what your flock needs to hear and learn. Each year, I find a time to put everything else aside and connect with God on what these kids need in the coming ministry season. I call it my Mt Sinai retreat. It sounds super dramatic, but the reality is I need to hear from God and the Scripture says that when we call on Him, He listens and responds. There is nothing complicated about this process. Sometimes it is one full day; other times it is two. It may even be several half days. The key point is to intentionally find time to connect with God on behalf of the flock you will be teaching.

3. CHOOSE A CURRICULUM T HAT IS RELE VAN T, SIMPLE, AND E ASY TO USE

A relevant curriculum will utilize multiple elements and options for teaching such as object lessons, visuals, engaging stories, and media. However, even though we are in a media-driven culture and the use of media is an absolute must, be cautious not to overuse media. Good curriculum embodies a collective approach of

Picture this scenario, you have been selected to be children’s ministry

director and you are looking for the best resources for children’s church.

Above all, the curriculum needs to be unashamedly connected to the Word.

14

different elements that meet the learning needs of everyone. Remember that some kids learn with boisterous activities, and some learn with quiet activities.

An effective curriculum will also be simple to understand and implement. It should provide a clear and simple scope and sequence of the teaching objectives.

If a curriculum is too complicated, you will spend as much time adapting it as you would if you wrote your own curriculum and frustrate volunteers who are probably not spending as much time studying the lessons as you are.

Above all, the curriculum needs to be unashamedly connected to the Word.

4 . FIND A CURRICULUM T HAT INVOLVES PAREN T S

Look for children’s church curriculum that provides opportunities for parents to get involved in the discipleship process. You want it simple enough to inspire parents who are new to the discipleship process while giving the long-term Christian parent deeper options for reinforcing

the teaching. If it is too involved, some parents will not follow through. Churches often do not consider the perspective of parents who are new Christians and who do not understand how to be the primary source of discipleship in their family or long-term Christians who know they should be the primary source of discipleship but do not follow through and simply need a boost. A curriculum that involves parents on both an entry level and deep level can create a win for parents and the kids.

What happens when you have found the curriculum that is a perfect fit for your ministry and now it is time to convince the pastor or board that your church should invest in this curriculum? You look for the closest phone booth and you run in as a meek and mild children’s director, but you walk out as “Captain Visioneer.” Ok, maybe that is not how it happens but, as the advocate for children’s ministry in your church, you have to help the decision makers see the importance and necessity of the curriculum you have chosen.

One of the ways to do this is to frame the reasons for your choice around the mission, vision, or goals of your senior pastor and the church. Help them to see how this curriculum will move the kids of your church along the same pathway as the adults. You are selling them on a long-term investment that will affect the future of the church. Ask them to recount the last 5, 10, 15 years of their life. It goes by quickly, so it is our obligation to do whatever we can to effectively reach these kids while they are in the most pliable and teachable stage of their development.

If that does not work, throw yourself on the floor and begin to kick and scream. You never know; it might work.

STEVE ADAMS has been the Children’s Pastor at Saddleback Church since 2007. He has served as Children’s Pastor for over 20 years and is a leader and mentor to many children’s ministry leaders around the country and into the world. @stevenjadams. Reprinted with permission. © 2014 Steve Adams. All rights reserved.

A curriculum that involves parents on both an entry level and deep level can create a win for parents and the kids.

MyHealthyChurch.com

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Build the Next Generation on a Strong, Biblical Foundation.

Visit MyHealthyChurch.com for these essential ministry tools.

PLANETSHAKERS™Fun, easy-to-use curriculum, incorporates video sermons,

praise and worship clips, games, and object lessons.

BUCK DENVER ASKS… WHAT’S IN THE BIBLE?

Foundational DVD series takes kids on a powerful journey through the entire Bible,

discovering answers to some of your kids’ biggest questions.

FAITH CASE®DVD-driven children’s church

curriculum featuring fast-paced, easy-to-lead sessions

that unlock faith in kids’ hearts. Five themes available.

FOUNDATIONALINSPIRING EMPOWERING

Discover how solid relationships are the foundation for growth in every aspect of life. Through six sessions, explore how Jesus brings life to friendships, marriage, faith, generosity, ministry and mission.

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