Leadership Leads
YOU AS THE LEADER
    Maintain your relationship with God – devotional life, quiet days, reading and prayer.
    Understand your leadership style and value it.
    Do things you are good at- find and develop others to do those things you find harder.
    Develop a support network – mentors, friends, parent support group, administrators, prayer team.
    Limit the number of programs and ministries you are involved in.

YOU AS THE LEADER TO LEADERS

    Know your vision, mission, values, strategy and goals
    Communicate these to the Church and your leaders -continually evaluate these with   your teams -  reports to Church Board or Council. Newsletter items, reports to other staff  members, meeting notes or email.
    Develop a structure of carers for your teams (80/20 principle)
    Encourage your volunteers – hold celebrations, write notes to them, phone-text email. Give them chocolate and lots of it!

FINDING, RECRUITING AND DEVELOPING LEADERS
When recruiting leaders -
    Pray for the right leaders.
    Some people have the gift of recruiting. Find them and use them well.
    Know the task you are asking them to do.
    Spend time getting to know your congregation well
    Work out whether you are a phone, letter, email or face to face recruiter.
    As you ask them to be involved remember you are doing them a favor not the other way around.
    Describe the task in way that appeals to them and is also truthful regarding time commitment, skills needed etc..
    Are the right people in the task already or is it hindering you finding volunteers?
    What is the environment like you are asking your leaders to work in?
    Have job descriptions
    Encourage leaders to fill out an application form and code of conduct form
    Provide training and support for your leaders
    Liase with other staff members so that you all have a balance of leaders.
    Put people in the right ministries
    Include your leaders in the decision making process.

Check out his website with free Sunday school programs for younger children.
​https://sundayschoolzone.com/

Here's a link to a short Easter Talk I gave at a school assembly using a newspaper.​
​http://childrensministerblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/easter-talk-good-news.html

Here's an activity which I did with students aged  10-12 but could be used with teens or adults.  After reading Psalm 23 from the Bible and underlining and or coloring in key words or phrases, the students were asked to write their own version of the psalm using the template below.
.
 FILL THE GAPS WITH YOUR VERSION OF THE PSALM  
PSALM 23  
 THE LORD THE ………………………….. 
         
A song of  …………………...

​23 The Lord is my ………………….
    I have everything I need.
2. He gives me rest ………………………..
    He leads me to …………………….
3. He gives me new strength.
For the good of his name,
    he leads me on ……………………….
4. Even if I walk
    through a very ……………………….,
I will not be afraid
    because you are with me.
Your ………………..    and your ………………..     comfort me.
5. You prepare a meal for me
    in front of …………………….
You …………………………………...
    You give me more than …………………….
 
6. Surely your ………………………….. will be with me
    all my life.
And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

FURTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What part of this Psalm-poem do you like? Please explain why.

2) Have you ever lain down on green grass or in a field?
​What do you think it would feel like?

3) Is there a part of the Psalm that scares you? Why?
 
4) Is there a part that you find comforting? Why?

5) What do you think David thought God was like?

6) What do you think God is like?

7) Why do you think it is sometimes hard to describe who God is?

8) Why do you think people have different ideas about who God is and what he does?

I found a wonderful series of pictures which tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. They are free to download and use.
Free Easter Pictures set (16 pictures)
Biblestorycards.co.uk
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