Have you ever done an outreach event and seen your numbers double, triple, or even more. BUT THEN…the next week…the numbers in your group go back to what they were before?
Where did those preteens go? They came to the event…maybe they even accepted Christ…but now they’re not coming back to church.
Maybe you’ve experienced that and begun to wonder if you should even do large outreach events at all.
Today on the podcast, Michelle Gregory and Sean Sweet talk about this issue, and coming to some conclusions about the real “WHY” behind these large outreach events.
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/.
Today on the podcast, we hear from Michelle Gregory about their outreach event, Breakout. Each year at this event, they see their numbers swell from approximately 150 preteens to 400-600.
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/.
A year ago, the Facebook page for Elevate preteen ministry wasn’t doing much at all. Then, “Crazy Chris” took over, and started exploring how to make a Facebook page for preteen ministry really shine.
Today on the podcast, he shares some secrets that he’s discovered to having a vibrant, effective Facebook page for your preteen ministry.
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/.
If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.
Today, you’ll hear some ideas for dealing with homesickness at camp, through both preventative and responsive measures.
Before Camp:
At Camp:
How do you deal with homesickness at your camps? Let us know in the comment section below.
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/.
Do you have Sundays when there is no preteen ministry? Do you want to intentionally connect the preteens to the main service? Here’s an idea to help you with either of these: a “big church” scavenger hunt.
Today on the podcast, Sean talks about this concept and gives suggestions for making a day in “big church” a meaningful way for preteens to connect with the adult service, and for the preteens to connect with the preteen ministry even on “big church” days.
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/.
Today on the podcast, we hear from Laura Karr and Rachel Warren from Normal, Illinois. They took a trip to the West Coast to check out preteen ministries.
Visiting other ministries around the country (or even just around your city) can be a great way to pick up some great ideas for your ministry. It’s the reason we have “Space Tours” at FourFiveSix.
Whether you travel across states, or take a Saturday night to just visit another ministry in the area, visiting another ministry can be a really great idea for your preteen ministry.
Laura Karr is one of the curriculum reviewers for the Blue Ocean Quarter of the Deeply Rooted Curriculum.
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/.
Last week in Elevate preteen ministries, the lesson was based on Romans 1:21-23, where it talks about men replacing God with things other than God. During the lesson, a marshmallow was the example of a thing that was replacing God.
So the team in Elevate put together a pre-service time with marshmallow themed activities, and which culminated in a boys vs. girls marshmallow war.
The marshmallow war was one part “Capture the Flag”, one part “Dodge Ball”, and one part crazy preteen chaos.
The field was split in half with cones. Boys on one side; girls on the other. Two hats were placed on the boys’ side in a “safety zone”, and two hats were likewise placed on the girls’ side.
The object for everybody was to get the hats from the opposite side and bring them back without being “tagged” by a marshmallow.
In the four corners of the field were leaders with a bucket of flour and a bag of marshmallows, two on the boys’ side and two on the girls’. Students could run and get a marshmallow from the leader whenever they pleased, dip it in the flour, and throw it at an “invader” from the opposite team.
If anybody was on the opponents’ side and got hit by a marshmallow, they had to return immediately to their own side and touch their “safety zone” before returning to the game.
It was a blast!
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/.
Being a volunteer at camp can be tough! Today on the podcast, Sean and Jaime share 3 ways that they make sure to take care of the volunteers at E-Camp:
A two-hour break each day – Check out: “Give Cabin Leaders a Break” to find out how that works.
Daily Surprise Gifts placed on the Volunteers Sleeping Bag
An Oasis at Camp – ours is in the Camp Nurses’ Cabin
In what ways do you take care of the volunteers at your camp? Let us know in the comment section below.
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/.
Preteens enjoy engaging their brains with silly tasks and games. This is one such game.
It’s a very simple idea, but it makes for a challenging game.
How quickly can you put your eye on your elbow?
Imagine if the names of your body parts were suddenly switched. Now your finger is your eye, and your eye is your finger. Now your elbow is your ear, and your ear is your elbow.
Now, how quickly can you put your eye on your elbow?
Using only sticky notes, this silly game will get your preteens laughing and having fun as they play “Eyes on Everything”.
This game is a small part of the Blue Ocean Quarter of the Deeply Rooted Curriculum.
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/.
Today on the podcast, we hear from Desi Ash, a “Next Generation Associate” at a church that provides student booklets for preteens, junior high, and high schoolers to engage and involve them in the lessons being taught.
Find out how these booklets help them to engage and involve the students in the services, and see examples (below) of what these “Student Booklets” look like.
Desi is one of the curriculum reviewers for the Blue Ocean Quarter of the Deeply Rooted Curriculum.
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/.
Volunteers can be anywhere on a spectrum of serving, from barely doing anything for the ministry to sold-out die-hard committed.
What should be our goal, then, as a leader of volunteers when it comes to their commitment level? Should our expectation be that the entire team be 100% committed…or at least moving in that direction?
Today’s podcast takes a look at some of these questions, and proposes a more responsive approach to the leaders who are everywhere on that spectrum of commitment, including those who are stepping forward, and those who are stepping back.
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/.
Today on the podcast, Robert shares about the 24-hour camp/VBS that he and his wife have put together for the preteens at their church.
Robert Quinn is one of the speakers for next week’s Online Conference.
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/.
Today on the podcast, Mike shares an idea to help you connect preteens with your Sunday message all week long.
Mike Sheley is one of the speakers for next week’s Online Conference.
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/.
Today on the podcast, Gregg Johnson, founder of J12 Ministries, shares an event idea that could be a great launching event for your church’s ministry to preteens.
Gregg is one of the speakers for next week’s Online Conference. Learn more about having J12 at your church: www.j12.com
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/.
Today on the podcast, Heather Dunn shares an idea to help you strengthen your volunteer team: resourcing them.
Heather is one of the speakers for next week’s Online Conference.
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/.
It’s fun to have prizes at camp, and a few years back, the team at Destiny Church discovered an AFFORDABLE way of doing more prizes for their campers. Unknowingly, they also stumbled upon a type of prize that is not only cheaper, but also more desirable to the preteen campers: Experiential Group Prizes.
Listen to today’s podcast for examples of this type of prize, which the preteens love, and which helps make camp more memorable.
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/.
If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.
Today, Sean talks about taking “The parable of sower” and making into something that can be seen (and tasted) in your preteen ministry.
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/.
Jarrod, from Gilbert, Arizona, shares an idea with us that he developed with his wife: a mother/daughter tea for his preteens.
Although Jarrod wasn’t too sure about this idea at first, he now sees that it’s had many benefits for the preteens and families that he ministers to! Listen to the podcast and hear all about it.
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/.
“The power of darkness.” sounds like a phrase from a Star Wars movie, but it’s actually something that Jesus spoke in the book of LUKE.
The scene that surrounds this phrase also seemed to Sean like something from a Star Wars movie (Luke 22:47-53), and since he works with preteens, the only thing left to do was to create a fun-filled and meaningful evening called “Star Wars Night”.
Today on the podcast, Sean gives an overview of this lesson 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/.
If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.
Free time at camp is a BAD idea for preteens, unless it’s done correctly – then it can become a great idea.
Preteens are moving from early childhood (where free time at camp is a recipe for disaster) towards adolescence (where free time at camp is a necessary ingredient).
How do we balance preteen’s felt need for free time and the safety issues involved in giving preteens free time?
Today on the podcast, Sean shares 4 ideas how they’ve made free time work for their preteen camp:
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/.
Laura from Normal, Indiana, shares an idea with us that her preteen ministry has been doing for a while now: Nuts and Bolts incentives.
The Foundry is a preteen ministry with an industrial theme, so nuts and bolts (actual nuts and bolts) are handed out at check-in to students for a variety of activities, including:
These nuts and bolts are placed in a tube. Each small group has its own tube. Once the tube is filled, the group earns a prize of their choosing from the catalog.
A simple idea, and a great idea! Thanks Laura!
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/.
Today, Jaime White talks about how she built a prayer wall for the preteens in Elevate. You’ll also hear a few different ways that the prayer wall is used in this preteen ministry.
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/.
If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.
Have you considered having your midweek evening service for preteens outside? Today on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea of having a campfire night, which his preteen ministry does twice a year.
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Check out the Deeply Rooted Curriculum, made especially for ministry to preteens.
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/.
One of the first things people decide when planning a camp for their preteens is “What’s the theme going to be?”
Today, Sean talks about connecting the theme of your camp to both the activities and chapel messages. He also shares two of the four themes that Elevate Preteen Ministries uses in their summer camps in order to spark your own creativity.
Listen to part 1 of “Camp Themes”.
We want to hear from you – what themes are you planning to have for camps this summer?
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/.
If a ministry leader holds on to every aspect of a service, they are really stunting the growth – not only of their ministry, but of other people’s ministry, too.
Today on the podcast, Sean talks further about a concept he introduced in another podcast: “It’s Better Because You Didn’t Do It”. This time, Sean talks about handing off entire elements of your service to volunteers and student leaders. This concept helps people to have a greater commitment to your ministry, and helps them to develop their ability to minister as well.
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/.