Ever since I watched the documentary Food Inc, I've been challenged to change my diet and my food purchasing habits. "Buy local, eat organic" is the mantra I hear when I head to SuperWalmart. If I did it, I'd be healthier. Cultivate is a locally grown conference. It's all about meeting the needs of children, youth, and adult ministry leaders. So often church leaders desire to develop their volunteer or staff team to the next level but they are limited by time and resources. National conferences are expensive and require hotel stays and airfare. Cultivate is locally hosted by a cooperating church and led by Rhonda Haslett, a graduate of Bethel Seminary's Children's and Family Ministry Masters Program and veteran children's pastor. Rhonda has assembled a team of incredible presenters to help guide Cultivate participants through the 1-day conference. I'm proud to be part of the Cultivate team because I share Rhonda's passion for empowering local leaders to grow.

I love the game of soccer. While many people find soccer boring to watch or play, I find it fascinating. Today, the World Cup begins and 32 countries will vie for the championship. The World Cup is a great way to talk with kids about other countries. In my ministry context, we are always looking for ways we can ratchet up global awareness and give kids opportunities to locate other countries on a map and pray for those countries. This summer, we'll be using the World Cup to integrate international impact into our K-5th summer programming. What about you? Click here for great links to get started...

I want to continue our series of posts about What Matters Now in Children's Ministry with a few posts about the answers that really resonated with me. The final submission to be turned in was by my friend and mentor Byron Ragains. If you do not know Byron, who ministers with David C. Cook, just wait - he'll find you. And when Byron finds you, he'll never forget you. Byron writes, "My word is MORE I am almost 50! I recall the days when my two sons were babies. Occasionally, I got the call to feed them a nutritious meal from a jar. I can still hear the click noise once the lid is opened! I creatively tried everything to magically force the boys to eat: Pickled squash, sweet potatoes and even some peas! R

In my house, I'm the cook. I cook. I asked to cook. Before we had kids, my wife and I used to share the cooking responsibilities. When we had kids I was given the choice to come home from work and watch the kids or cook. I chose to cook. Please, don't judge me... I really enjoy cooking, mostly because I enjoy eating and compliments. And the more I cook, the more I am reminded of children's ministry. Cooking is an apt metaphor for kidmin. It taxes all five senses It requires adventure and a little creativity, subtle changes, and constant input and feedback You can get burned (like I did tonight) and be surprised about it It could easily fall into the Mike Rowe "Dirty Job" category because it's messy When you get it right, it is pretty dang tasty

There are only a few things that really rip me apart, bullying is one of them.

So often our ministry and leadership can be characterized by constant movement, action, and focus on what is going to happen next. Are there any dangers to leading with velocity?

I've been using Twitter, email, and cmconnect to ask churches to share their special needs leader resources. Shockingly, I received zero responses back from ministries who have a written handbook or formal leader resource for those who work with children with special needs. Even those with established special needs programs had no such resource. Help me understand: why not?

As I prepare for the fall, I’m reviewing a document that I go back to often titled “Busting Barriers and Mindset Changes.” I’ll share some of that document with you because that’s what I am, a sharing kind of guy.

What is the foundation of really incredible ministry?

Over the past several weeks I have been working almost full-time to prepare and execute the large group environments for our summer camps, Hot U Jr (for 3 year olds - entering Kindergarten) and Hot U (entering 1st grade - entering 4th grade). Summer camps are fun and exciting but they pose a challenge for me because I do not spend the summer preparing for the fall. I have been carving out additional time early in the morning or when I'm eating lunch to think through some fall training materials for my elementary small group leaders. Here's four C's that I think will help shape those materials.

As a pastoral leader, it's part of my calling to offer comfort, support, and care for the families who are acutely affected by loss and tragedy. When I started out in ministry, I really did not know how to approach families in these tough situations. But after 6 years in ministry, I've learned a crucial lesson.

The context where you place a volunteer will dramatically effect their ability to grow as a leader in the same way that the soil conditions, irrigation, and sunlight affect the way a seedling will grow. The rules of real estate apply to volunteer placement: location, location, location!

Increasingly, churches are adopting and redesigning business models for ministry. As businesses start developing new kinds of positions and roles, should the church follow suit? I think it might be worth a shot with the advent of the Learning CEO.

Kids these days are bombarded by a world that tells them what to think, what to wear, who to love, and how to live. It’s a nightmare for parents who want to influence their child’s life without being controlling. So how does a parent successfully build into the lives of their kids to produce children of character?

Our memories of those who teach us are powerful - these memories should inform our leadership and recruitment strategy.

For many of us, we are in the season of preparation for next year’s crops. Take time to till the soil, level the field, and grind out the weeds.

A simple way to support parents in your church!

What is the best thing we can give to our kids?

Conspire 09 continues with an interview of Ivy Beckwith and Donald Ratcliff, performed by Amy Dolan. I did my best to sum up the questions and responses!

How are we setting up kids to hear the Gospel? What can we learn from messaging professionals in other fields?

The symbol of a tree with deep roots is powerful. Paired with wings or a bird in flight, even more so. How can ministry in the middle of a recession stay strong when asked to do more with less?