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FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen Ministry

Looking for great (game, object lessons, worship, volunteer celebration, etc. etc.) ideas to take your preteen ministry to the next level? This podcast is created and curated by FourFiveSix.org, a community of leading voices in preteen ministry. Our goal is simple: a short (4,5, or 6 minute) podcast a few times a week (4, 5, or 6 times) that gives you a quick, easy, free idea that you can use in your preteen ministry THIS WEEK. Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Want to get more great ideas right now? Come join the community of preteen leaders at fourfivesix.org
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Now displaying: November, 2015
Nov 28, 2015

Making space for students to pray, and to lead their peers in prayer, can create powerful and meaningful moments for your preteens. Today, Sean shares 5 different ways to give students a chance to LEAD and prayer.

Mentioned in today’s podcast was the 5th Grade Helper program. We have a podcast episode giving an overview of this program, and are planning to record 4 more episodes giving more details about this discipleship program.

The audio clip on today’s podcast is from Elevate’s Live Preteen Worship CD.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 27, 2015

How many battle stories can you think of in the Bible? How many spiritual battles will preteens face as they get older? How much fun would it be to shoot all of your preteens with a Nerf Gun?

In light of the answers to these questions, Elevate has put on a Boys’ Night Nerf War for the past three years. It’s been a blast! Listen to today’s podcast to hear how Elevate has organized their Nerf War and gather ideas for your very own simple, free, fun event.

Mentioned in today’s podcast was The Onference and The Launchinar. Check both of those out at www.fourfivesix.org.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 25, 2015

A conference can be such a great experience for ministry leaders. You have the opportunity to rub shoulders with like-minded people, get new ideas for your ministry, refresh and renew your vision for what God is calling you to do, etc. etc. etc. etc.

The benefits of a good conference can be GIGANTIC! So, today’s great idea is to plan to attend one next year and start pitching the idea now to your board and senior pastor.

INCM has a new commitment to preteen ministry, which is so exciting! They also wanted to get the word out about a Black Friday Deal they are offering – check it out here.

Rental car, hotel room, and airfare costs can make a conference too expensive to attend. If you’re in this boat, check out FourFiveSix.org’s online conference for preteen ministry leaders. It’s going to be awesome!

Whatever you do, plan to attend some kind of gathering of preteen ministry leaders in 2016. It’s a really GREAT idea.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 23, 2015

Week after week, the preteens come into your classroom setting. And while predictability and stability minister to preteens, the consistency of how your services are structured may become boring or may be causing your services to be forgotten (because they’re all so similar).

Today, Sean talks about one way to shake things up, in a way that doesn’t distract from your lesson, but actually enhances your lesson: Going outside.

You’ll hear 4 examples of how going outside during a service has created memorable ministry moments for the preteens in Elevate.

“I can’t take the preteens outside. I’ll lose control.” Today’s podcast will help you think again about this.

“I’ve got too many kids to take them outside.”   Today’s podcast will help you think again about this.

All of this jammed into a 6 minute podcast. Check it out! And share your ideas of outdoor object lessons in the comment section below.

 

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 21, 2015

Today, a very simple and effective object lesson for demonstrating how powerful the effect of influence can be on the lives of preteens (and chickens).

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 20, 2015

Does the point of the lesson and the focus of the preteens get lost somewhere between the large group time and the small group time? Are the first few minutes of small group spent refocusing the kids before jumping into the small group activity or discussion?

Today, Sean talks about an experiment they’ve been doing in Elevate for the past few years which is helping to remedy these issues. Instead of closing the chapter on large group and then sending them to small group (and vise verse), the preteens are preparing for small group time DURING the large group time….and preparing for the large group time DURING the small group time.

Listen to today’s podcast and hear the details of this great idea, and see how your preteens can connect the dots from large group to small group and back again.

 

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 17, 2015

Sometimes when preteens misbehave, we are responsibility (in some measure) for the misbehavior. If we haven’t set up our environment as a place where preteens can thrive behaviorally, then how can we expect that behavioral excellence from them?

In this episode of the podcast, Sean shares 4 ways to set up the space and program of your ministry for success. He discusses:

  1. Environment (There’s a whole podcast about this idea here)
  2. Programs that match preteens
  3. Addressing problematic program elements
  4. Structuring lessons around engaging topics

 

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/

Nov 17, 2015

Sometimes when preteens misbehave, we are responsibility (in some measure) for the misbehavior. If we haven’t set up our environment as a place where preteens can thrive behaviorally, then how can we expect that behavioral excellence from them?

In this episode of the podcast, Sean shares 4 ways to set up the people in your ministry for success. He discusses:

  • Set expectations (See Karaoke Night for an example)
  • Show you care
  • SMALL groups
  • Give leaders relational positions, not task positions

 

By the way…

The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.

Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.

Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 16, 2015

Today Sean’s mom, Carol Sweet, gives tips on a very effective discipline technique: REDIRECTION. Instead of directly addressing a behavior issue in the moment, Carol suggests simply redirecting the student to something else and then revisiting the behavior at a later and more appropriate moment.

Today you’ll hear more about how redirection works and a couple of examples of how this might work in your preteen ministry.

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 13, 2015

Imagine trying to teach a bird to climb a tree. Do you think you might have some “behavior issues” from the bird? Would they succeed? Would you, as the teacher, be frustrated? When we don’t consider where preteens are developmentally, we are setting them up for a similar failure, and setting ourselves up for a similar frustration.

Sometimes what we think is a behavior issue in a preteen is just an outflow of where they are developmentally.

Understanding preteens’ development can help to approach their behavior with empathy and peace, as opposed to judgement and frustration. It can also help us to structure our events, environments, and services in ways that set them up for success.

Here are three ways you can begin the journey of understanding preteens:

  1. Read the research paper by the AMLE.
  2. Read a book about developmental stages, like Yardsticks.
  3. A Google Search for “Developmental Stages” will help you in further understanding this age. Notice especially the work of Piaget and Erik Erikson.

Do you have a great resource for understanding preteens? Share with us in the comment section on the bottom of the webpage where this episode is posted. Please. :-)

By the way…

  • The Launchinar, with Patrick Snow, is coming up on December 1st. Get the details HERE.
  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 11, 2015

The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Yes, but the squeaky wheel is the one that NEEDS the oil. OK, but how do we balance that with the fact that there is a room full of students with needs?

Do you ever find that one misbehaving student is getting all of your attention? Do you think to yourself, “That’s not fair to the rest of the group.”? But then you think, “Well Jesus told me to leave the 99 for the 1.”

Relationship Based Discipline takes time, energy, and focus. However, if we focus on one student who is having issues and misbehaving, to the point of ignoring the rest of our group, we’ve allowed that student to become a thief. Today’s podcast is about balancing our compassion for the individual with our responsibility to the whole group.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 10, 2015

Part of good discipline involves consequences. Today on the podcast, Sean discusses three types of consequences, and why people use each.

By the way…

  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 7, 2015

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Pick your battles”. But how do we pick our battles? Sometimes, we fight a behavior that is simply annoying in the same way we’d respond to a student committing a sinful, hurtful, or unsafe act.

Today on the podcast, Sean and Chris encourage us all to consider the behaviors we are disciplining, and whether they are “crimes against humanity”, or simply annoying.

By the way…

  • Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.
  • Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 6, 2015

Consequences can be a good and necessary part of your discipline plan, but are systems-based consequences (i.e. first infraction, you get a warning, second infraction, you get a time-out, etc.) consistent with the concepts of relationship-based discipline?

Today on the podcast, Sean talks about why you should throw out systems-based consequences, and instead focus on consequences that are specific to THIS preteen and THIS situation.

By the way…

Are you signed up for FourFiveSix’s 2016 Online Conference yet? Get all the details HERE.

Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 4, 2015

Heather Dunn took some time out to sit down with Sean today to talk about looking beyond the behaviors of our preteens to what’s REALLY going on.

Listen to today’s podcast and find out why “good discipline begins with questions.”

This is part 2 of a 10 part series about Relationship Based Discipline. Check out the whole series starting with episode 1: “Punishment vs. Discipline”.

By the way…

Are you signed up for the “Onference” yet? Get all the details HERE.

Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Nov 2, 2015

Today we begin a 10-part series about Relationship Based Discipline, which really is a GREAT idea for preteen ministry. To start off the series, we take a look at punishment vs. discipline.

In this podcast we’ll cover:

  • Two key differences between punishment and discipline.
  • Why punishment is most people’s “go to” method of dealing with behavior issues.
  • Why discipline is a much better method of dealing with behavior issues.

By understanding the difference between punishment and discipline, you can start to identify your interactions with the students in your ministry and begin to think about how to adjust course.

By the way…

Are you signed up for the “Onference” yet? Get all the details HERE.

Are you receiving the weekly newsletter yet? Get added to the list HERE, or by texting “preteen” to 66866.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to podcast@fourfivesix.org. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

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