Shows
Next Gen NowPreteens: Let Go and Run BesideSean Sweet is a 25-year passionate advocate for preteens and Community Director at FourFiveSix.org which educates, trains and resources preteen ministry leaders around the world. Listen in as Sean shares what's different developmentally in 9-12 year old and how they are primed to move toward a faith in God that is theirs, a love of God's Word that is theirs, and a walk with Jesus Christ that is theirs. Especially if the adults around them "let go and run beside". FourFiveSix.org LetGoAndRunBeside.com Reach out to us at nextgennow@thehills.org and...
2024-12-0240 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS400: EVENT IDEA: Event Packs and SuperStart@ (with Rob Watson)Are you looking for a way to ramp your RE-ENGAGEMENT of Volunteers and Preteens. One great way to re-engaging your preteen ministry is through special events. Today on the podcast, Rob Watson of CIY's preteen division Superstart! talked with Sean about the power of events to re-engage and energize a group of preteens and their leaders. In response to the shutdowns and restrictions that exist for many ministries, CIY has altered its preteen event strategy this year to provide a great preteen event that you can do at your own church. As part...
2021-03-1907 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS390: DISCIPLESHIP IDEA: Breaking the Cycle in Boys (with James Powell)Today on the podcast, Sean speaks with James Powell from the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. James is part of the FourFiveSix Leadership Council and has worked with preteens in Brooklyn for many years. James shares with us the new calling on his life developed a vision and a mission for his ministry which involves “breaking the cycle” of the fatherless home. 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.
2021-01-1306 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS389: DISCIPLESHIP IDEA: A to Z Scripture MemorizationIf 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 on the podcast, Sean discusses the new scripture memorization strategy that Destiny Church unveiled for their preteens in 2020. It is built upon the memorization wall, an idea discussed in Episode 135. With the A to Z memorization wall, preteens have a strong hook to remind them of the Scriptures they have memorized, and a built in method to keep the preteens reviewing the vers...
2021-01-1204 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS384: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Authority vs. Power and Control, part 1If 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 on the podcast, Sean talks about something he’s been learning during 2020. With the governors of states closing churches and, in California, singing being banned from all church gatherings, many people, including Sean, have struggled with understanding how to and when to submit to authority. In this podcast, Sean shares different Scriptures that have guided his thinking about this topic, and he...
2020-09-1807 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryLEADERSHIP IDEA: Learning From COVID and S.I.P. (with Rob Quinn)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 on the podcast, Sean talks with Rob Quinn, a preteen ministry director in Saginaw, Michigan about lessons he learned about preteen ministry and ministry leadership in 2020 during COVID-19 and Shelter In Place orders. Rob and Sean discusses the difficulties of this season and how his church has redefined the role of ministry to be a support for families who are navigating this seas...
2020-09-1807 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS382: PRETEENS IN LEADERSHIP: Let the Preteens Lead (with Heidi Winters)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 on the podcast, Sean talks with Heidi Winters from Eastridge Church in Oregon. While many have talked about preteens “checking out” on ZOOM meetings lately, Heidi has been using a technique which has engaged preteens during this time in a unique way. By placing elements of the ZOOM services in the preteens’ hands to lead, she has discovered a way to engage them....
2020-09-1706 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS381: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Learning From COVID and S.I.P. (with James Powell)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 on the podcast, Sean talks with James Powell from the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York about lessons he learned about preteen ministry and ministry leadership in 2020 during COVID-19 and Shelter In Place orders. James’ church has been touched profoundly by the effects of COVID as they are located in the heart of NYC. On the podcast, he discusses how the unique challenges of thi...
2020-09-1706 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS 380: PRETEENS IN LEADERSHIP: Online JobsToday on the podcast, Sean speaks about the idea of keeping your preteen leadership involved in your ministry while churches are unable to meet in person. Due to Covid-19 we are unable to meet in person and have moved to an online format of meeting. By continuing to engage and finding meaningful ways for the preteens to serve, we are able to continue our leadership program online. Part of preteen ministry, be it in person or online, is keeping preteens engaged in the process of discovering how God has wired them up to serve the church.
2020-05-0905 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS 379: TEACHING TIPS IDEA: Online ServicesToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Pastor Preston Plentl from The House of Modesto about collaborating online with other churches. Sean and Preston talk about how their relationship started before the unprecedented state our country fell into. Preston had just launched his preteen ministry and decided to film the Deeply Rooted Curriculum lessons to send out to his students. Sean saw this video and reached out to Preston about the idea of using Zoom and teaching the lessons to multiple churches. Over the last 8 weeks Sean and his team along with Preston as the...
2020-05-0907 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS 378: EVENT IDEA: Family Game Night (with Chris Santos)Today on the podcast, Sean speaks with Pastor Chris Santos about Family Game Night: Quarantine Edition event. This was a very easy event to put together, and an event that can be done repeatedly. Using Zoom and the Kahoot App, Sean and Chris facilitated the night which included 3 games for the families. Families earned additional points right off the bat if they came to the meeting matching somehow. For the first game they used the trivia game from DYM, only using 10 of the 20 questions. This was played with the whole group together. After...
2020-05-0606 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS 377: EVENT IDEA: “Nailed It” Event (with Luke Clifton)Today on the podcast, Sean speaks with Luke Clifton, a Children’s Minister out of Martinsville Virginia about an event, “Nailed It”. The idea for the “Nailed It” event came from the show. After inviting families to participate and determine what baked goods they wanted to make, it got rid of the issue of allergies, as well as getting the supplies to the families. Since the families decided what they would create they already had or were able to get the needed supplies. The basic idea of the event is that the families pick a cake and t...
2020-05-0605 min
Nick Blevins Family Ministry Podcast: Children | Youth | Students | NextGenEpisode 187: Preteen Ministry with Sean Sweet
In this episode, Sean Sweet shares about preteen ministry and his specific experience helping his own church develop a thriving preteen ministry. Sean also gives some specific insight into FourFiveSix, a ministry of Destiny Church in Rocklin, CA, focused on community, training, and resources for preteen leaders around the nation.
Sean Sweet
Connect with Sean by Email or at FourFiveSix.org.
Ministry Boost
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Notes
What is FourFiveSix.org?
Community, Training platform, Resources
Letting go of the...
2020-04-2136 min
FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen MinistryFFS 371: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Come to Preteen HQ (with Ryan Frank)Today on the podcast, Sean speaks with Ryan Frank regarding MegaCon and the Preteen HQ. R Ryan, the leader of KidMin, speaks about his heart behind the Preteen HQ that was added to MegaCon at the 2019 conference. Have you ever wondered what conference to attend as a preteen ministry leader? Children’s conferences just don’t seem to have the necessary resources you are looking for. Maybe think about attending next year’s MegaCon 2020 which will occur October 6-8. This is a conference you don’t want to miss. Last year, KidMin introduced the Pret...
2020-02-1405 min
MELLOW WAVEFFS 332: LEADERSHIP IDEAS: No More CompetitionToday on the podcast, Sean shares an excerpt of Melissa McDonald’s session at the Preteen Leaders Conference.
Melissa discusses the idea of building a team in your ministry. Not only building a team among the leaders but also with the preteens. In her ministry they stopped playing competitive games and started doing team building with the students. She wove it into the schedule, the first 20 minutes was set aside to build a team. It was never again one team against another it was, “We are all a team”.
One example of a great team building game she gives is having...
2019-03-0807 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 331: Connecting with Preteens: Recap YearbookToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Zach Matchett about the Recap Yearbook.
Zach and his team have created a memento of the year for their students to reinforce what they learned over the year. It is a devotional and a yearbook all in one. They started from the very first meeting of the school year and recapped all the lessons into a devotional for the summer. Using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer) they created the devotional. They also included pictures from events, retreats and all the fun stuff from the year.
This would be a great...
2019-03-0707 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 330: Connecting with Preteens: Family DevotionalsToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Michael Grady regarding a family devotional that he has created.
Michael has a passion for what the Bible has for families and the knowledge it can offer when you really know it. He took this passion and created a devotional to allow families to spend time in the Word together. The title of the devotional is Making God Part of Your Family. This allows for a conversational element to occur between the parents and preteens.
"If you are like most families, your schedule is probably busier than ever...making it difficult to find...
2019-03-0606 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 329: Delivery Method: The Value of Memorizing the MessageToday on the podcast, Sean talks about the concept of memorizing your lesson.
The benefit is greater when you have the ability to memorize the message you will be teaching. Memorizing your message removes the barrier between you and your audience. It allows you to focus on the people you are speaking to rather that constantly looking down at a piece of paper. You are able to stay on track and not lose your place while teaching. Additionally, you have a greater peace when you are able to get into the message. You don’t nee to fear skipping over or...
2019-03-0505 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 328: EVENTS: Family Framework EventsToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Zach Matchett about the Family Framework Event.
Zach is from a multi-site church in Indiana, Northview Church. The framework is a series of mile marker events that students and families go through from when they are born to when they graduate. Discipleship is a partnership between the family and local church. An example would be that in 2nd grade every kid gets their first Bible. They are brought up on stage and it is a big event. With the preteens they do what they call the Blessing. There is a separate events for...
2019-02-0106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 327: LESSON IDEA: Prayer KnightToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Pastor Chris regarding Prayer Knight.
Recently Elevate had a service, which was called Prayer Knight. It is a play on words to give the night a medieval theme. The whole night carried this theme even to the point of having a cardboard castle set up on stage. Preservice was themed the same way and was easy and the preteens enjoyed it.
The message is what made the night so impactful. The service discussed the concept of prayer. Beginning the message with the Armor of God and transitions nicely into prayer. By breaking down...
2019-01-3106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 326: OTHER: Worship CurriculumToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Yancy and Robert Quinn regarding Heartbeat Worship Curriculum.
Heartbeat worship curriculum is a bi-weekly curriculum meant to help preteen and younger kids engage in worship. Yancey explains the background behind the curriculum and her mindset regarding what she wanted the curriculum to do for ministries. Looking at Psalm kids are able to see what the scripture specifically teaches them how to worship. Additionally, it can also teach the leaders how to guide and lead the preteens in worship.
Robert is currently using the curriculum and discusses how it is working with his preteens...
2019-01-3007 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 325: DISCIPLINE: Anticipating Preteen Behavior…NOT!Today on the podcast, Sean speaks with Makenna about anticipating their behavior.
You can’t expect preteens behavior. Recently in one of Elevate’s services, the preteens were given two choices of what they wanted to learn. As a leadership we felt that they would choose “A” but when it came down to it they choose the other and it left us with too many kids in a smaller class. When we think we have it all figured out for preteens we realize that we don’t. You may do an event for several years and on the fifth year, you get co...
2019-01-3006 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 324: Other: Going to a ConferenceToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Amanda Davis and Kathy Pitrat from Mt Zion UMC in Bel Air, Maryland about learning at conferences and implementing that information.
A conference is not like anything else you might do to get ideas for your ministry. By setting aside time away from distractions you are able to take in so much more. They started by thinking it was a luxury to be given the opportunity to attend the conference but later realized it was really a necessity. They came away from the conference with a bunch of ideas that were very doable...
2019-01-1706 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 323: Lesson Idea: Transformation, Application and the magic wordToday on the podcast, Sean talks about sanctification in the preteens in your ministry.
What can we do to come along side of our preteens and help them to become sanctified? When we teach the preteens lives, we tend to want to see the application that the lesson can be used in their lives. There are benefits to application, but his hope is more for transformation. Transformation is a more holistic response because it applies to all aspects heart, mind and soul. It is deeper and more meaningful for them to be transformed by what they learn.
Sean has seen...
2019-01-1607 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 322: Lesson Ideas: The Spiritual Need of Preteens in 2019Today on the podcast, Sean shares a portion of the Peer Group Level 2 discussions recently regarding their most engaging lessons.
During the most recent Peer Group Level 2 meeting, Patrick Snow asked the attendees what their most engaging lesson was recently. Through the groups discussion there were some interesting ideas of the needs of our preteens these days. Some ideas you wouldn’t even think about like, the basics of the bible or boys having self-esteem issues. Hopefully some of the ideas that you hear in today’s podcast will offer you some direction on lessons you might think about doing with...
2019-01-1520 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 321: Lesson Idea: Two-Colored PrayerToday on the podcast, Sean talks about an activity to use with your preteens, the two-colored prayer.
At a recent pastoral meeting the pastors were given a journal and two different colored pencils. The pastors were directed to write down their questions, thoughts or needs to God in one color and then sit a listen and try to perceive the Holy Spirit’s voice and write that response in the other color. It is great if this response is in the form of a scripture but if not still write down what is perceived and then go back and see if...
2019-01-1505 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 320: CONNECTING WITH PRETEENS: Preteens Making an ImpactToday on the podcast, Sean talks with Makenna about the idea of offering preteens a place where they can make an impact in the ministry.
Preteens are at the age where they can begin to make the decision about how they want to give back to the church. They are at the age where they can make the choice to serve or just continue to be an audience like in children’s ministry. By giving the preteens and opportunity to take ownership of the ministry it is allowing them to feel like they are contributing to it.
Makenna explains how in...
2018-12-1406 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 319: EVENTS: Going Big Just not all the TimeToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Jaime about the idea of alternating big events with ones less taxing.
Jaime’s favorite thing from 2018 was the Friendship, which required the putting up and tearing down of a giant spaceship every week in Elevate. Although this was a lot of work it was fun for her because it brought joy to the preteens to walk into a giant ship for service. The problem is when you do big events like this it brings about stress which is good, but when you continue week after week having these stressful events is creates di...
2018-12-1304 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 318: LEADERSHIP: 6th Grade ChampionsToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Pastor Chris about the 6th grade leadership program in Elevate.
Having Pastor Chris join the Elevate team as the 6th grade pastor has allowed us the opportunity to expand our current leadership program. Chris has found that these oldest preteens are able to take on more responsibility and are ready to expand their service to the church.
The 6th grade champions program allows them a chance to see what best suits them and their personalities and strengths. It gives them an opportunity to get plugged in and engaged in a ministry in the...
2018-12-1306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 317: DELIVERY METHOD: Changing Up the NormalToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Zach Matchett about the idea of changing up your normal.
The idea of changing your normal routine in your ministry can bring about so many positive results. It is the idea of what can be done during our normal service that isn’t normal. For Zach it is his different special events like the “Pre-winter Party” or “Breksgiving” which are done during there normal service time. These are themed events that allow the preteens to invite their friends to a light-hearted fun event.
These events are a great opportunity for your ministry to build comm...
2018-12-1206 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 316: LEADERSHIP IDEAS: Learning from FortniteToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Dan Istvanik at Victory Church in Lancaster, PA about learning from Fortnite.
Dan recently wrote an article about Fortnite. It wasn’t the standard discussion about whether you should be using Fortnite in your ministry. Instead Dan asked the question of why is Fortnite so popular. Like anything that is popular in the preteen population it is a great idea to ask the question of why it is so popular. That question can help us to meet the needs of our preteens better.
Dan writes for ministrytoparents.com. Two things stuck out to Da...
2018-11-1506 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 315: SERVICE ELEMENT: Video AnnouncementsToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna talk about video announcements.
When ministries have announcements, there are two basic ways during service to go about this: video announcements or live announcements.
The problem with live announcements is they can quickly use up a ton of time. A plan for 2 minutes of announcements can quickly turns in to a lot more because we want to make sure the information is clear and that the students know everything about everything.
Here are 3 reasons why video announcements are better:
1. It takes less time,
2. You can make sure ahead of time that everything you want to say...
2018-11-1406 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 314: LESSON IDEA: Filter of HopeToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Scott Santee from Indiana who works with churches and organizations to bring water filters to poverty-stricken places around the world.
Getting preteens involved in raising money for those in poverty around the world can be an abstract concept for them. Having something that makes this idea more concrete allows them to understand it better.
Allowing your preteens to see a water filter in action could fire them up to raise money to fund a water project in another country.
Scott explains how the practicality of the filters allows preteens to see how they...
2018-11-1306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 313: LESSON IDEA: Clean-Up ServiceToday on the podcast, Sean talks about having a service focused on cleaning up the church.
To clean up a giant cardboard maze which was spread over 5 different locations with 40+ preteens during a Sunday morning service sounds like an awful idea. It turned out to be an amazing service with every preteen being fully engaged in the activity. The service began with a short message about being “Doers of the Word; not just hearers.”
Allowing the students to put into action what they heard allowed them to see how the Word comes to life.
Has anyone else done a service Sunda...
2018-11-1306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 312: Connecting with Preteens: Do SomethingToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Dan Scott the author of “Caught in Between: Engage Your Preteens Before They Check Out” and is on staff with Orange.
Children’s pastors across the country are seeing a decrease in number of students when they reach 4th and 5th grade. Dan discusses the practicalities of adding a preteen ministry into your church even if you don’t have the resources, you can DO SOMETHING! Doing nothing, is helping no one. Doing something can be just an event focused on the preteens or having a small group leader who can facilitate the hard and...
2018-11-0107 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 311: Event: Dry BonesToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Chris Santos the 6th grade, Pastor in Elevate regarding the production of Dry Bones.
One of the visions of the 6th grade ministry was to get the 6th graders more involved in the process of the ministry. The 6th graders were part of an illustrated message, which was only part of the actual service. This is taking the idea of having students act out a portion of your message when you call them up front, to having the students dance, sing and speak after weeks of practice and rehearsals.
There are so many...
2018-10-3106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 310: Other: 3 Keys to Multisite Preteen MinistryToday on the podcast, Sean talks with Zach Matchett about having a multisite preteen ministry.
Zach runs the preteen ministry for a church that has 11 sites of which 7 have preteen ministries. Through consistency, ability to work for any size environment, and adaptability the same information can be used at all of the preteen ministry at the various sites. By making the information fit for whatever the environment the leader might encounter, be it a portable (shared) facility or a set space, having the resources that they will need to succeed is most important to the success of a multisite preteen...
2018-10-3005 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 309: Other: Persistence in PrayerToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Eddie Aviles from Washington about persistence in prayer.
Two years ago, Eddie and Sean met at the Northwest Ministry Conference in Washington. At the time Eddie’s church offered no preteen specific ministry but Eddie had a passion for preteens. Coming up on November 29, Eddie’s church is launching their preteen specific ministry.
Eddie began as a volunteer 5-years ago at the church working in the K-5th grade ministry. Eddie could see that there was a difference in the learning and conversations with the 4th and 5th graders. The preteens have always been...
2018-10-3006 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 308: EVENTS: Bridge 45 PanelToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Louie from Morningstar Community Church in Oregon about a Q&A Panel he does in his ministry.
Once a quarter Louie brings in pastors and leaders from the church to answer serious and silly questions from the 4th and 5th graders.
This allows leaders in the church to see how deep the 4th and 5th graders are thinking. It also allowed the preteens to see different leaders and levels of pastors and leadership coming in to invest in them.
Louie has done this for the last couple of years once a quarter and...
2018-10-1806 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 307: EVENT IDEA: Small Group NightToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna discuss small group night that took place in Elevate recently with the 4th and 5th graders.
Over a couple weeks leading up to the event the Small Groups discussed ideas of things they would like to do together as a group on this specific night. For example, Makenna’s small group decided to go to John’s Incredible Pizza which is a all you can eat pizza and arcade type place. Other groups did the mall, ice skating, frozen yogurt and arcade/ Each group chose something they all wanted to do together.
Sean’s grou...
2018-10-1705 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 306: LESSON IDEA: Sleuth It UpToday on the podcast, Sean shares about a recent lesson idea he used in Elevate called Sleuth It Up.
As part of an ongoing preteen series called 30 Pictures of Jesus, Sean’s preteen group is taking a look through the book of Luke at various pictures of who Jesus is. Part of this journey was a lesson called Sleuth It Up. The students were invited to come dressed as detectives or spies.
During Preservice time, there was a mystery needing to be unraveled.
After the service started, preteens played a visual mysteries game with two buzzers.
Then the message began wi...
2018-10-1707 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 305: VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT: Helping Small Group Leaders WinToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Zach Matchett from Indiana, regarding the Small Group Tool Kit that his team has created.
Sean first heard about this tool kit that Zach’s team created during a peer group meeting. Zach held it up and showed it off during the peer group video conference. This is one nice thing regarding peer groups, it allows you to see what others are using and get ideas that can help you in your own ministry. If you want more information about peer groups click here.
The tool kit is a product brought about by th...
2018-10-1606 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 304: GAMES: Preteen Created GamesToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Mark one of the camp directors for Elevate last summer, about making up your own games.
In Elevate over the summer, one of the camps had an element, which required the preteens in their groups to create a game. They created their game and then everyone participated in the game and voted for which one they liked the best. Mark actually created a game as well that sounds like it would not work but actually had great success with the preteens.
The game was called “Gauntlet”. It is a mix of dodgeball and an e...
2018-09-2907 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 303: DELIVERY METHOD: Divide and ConquerToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Makenna about dividing and conquering in ministry.
In Elevate this is done a lot on Sunday’s. In Elevate’s first Sunday service they divide out the 6th graders and send them to a separate room and Pastor Chris and his wife Jaime lead them. In Elevate’s Step Up service, discipleship service, the preteens are split 3-ways. The preteens in leadership go into their own space and then the remaining preteens are offered two other choices, like memorization or being a part of the church (All Time Greatest Team, Deeply Rooted Curriculum). Some o...
2018-09-2706 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 302: SERVICE ELEMENT: Prayer PartnersToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Kaye Allen, regarding the idea of prayer partners between the preteens and the adults of the church.
Once a month the adults active in Kaye and her husband Harley’s class come in and partner up, 1-1 sometime 2-1, with the preteens in Elevate. The students each are given a simple prayer journal with a spot to write a prayer request and a spot for the partner to write a response back to them. The preteens, before the partners come in, write down their prayer request. When the adults come in they partner up...
2018-09-2606 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 301: SERVICE ELEMENTS: Doorframe PrayerToday on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea of doorframe prayers.
This was an idea thought up by Chris Santos, the 6th grade pastor in Elevate. The doorframe in the 6th grade ministry space is metal, and magnets will stick to it. Chris bought magnets and stuck stickers to them and invited the preteens to put a name on a magnet of a friend from school, the neighborhood, or sports teams that they would like to see walk through the doors of the ministry space. This is a great hook to get the preteens involved in the message of evangelism...
2018-09-2605 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 300: EVENTS: Water WarsToday on the podcast, Sean talks about an event Elevate had recently, Water Wars.
This is a great idea that you could use when the weather is warm. Elevate was doing a lesson on Jesus being baptized and started the night off with a great preservice time, “Water Wars”. As the preteens arrived the kids they were put into groups of 12-15-18 and then pulled aside and assigned a team (blue, green or orange). Now that they were in their color teams the teams would travel around together to the different stations and compete against each other to earn poin...
2018-09-1406 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 299: EVENTS: Community Wide VBSToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Jacob Horn the children’s pastor from North Madison Christian Church out of Madison, Indiana, regarding the community wide VBS they offered.
Jacob has 10-15 preteens at their church and have come up with a way to host a VBS for their kids without having to send them to another church. This concept of a community wide VBS has a long history in Madison. It started back in the 60’s when two different churches came together to do VBS for the kids. Today, much like then people contribute in many ways to the succ...
2018-09-1306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 298: SERVICE ELEMENTS: Successful Preteen VolunteersToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Patrick Snow regarding the successful use of preteen volunteers.
Patrick has successfully chosen preteens for years and brought them up on stage as volunteers while working with Superstart!. The ability to bring a preteen up on stage and interact with the lesson has been a very successful tool. The risk of bringing a preteen on stage to help demonstrate something in the lesson is a risk that has to be taken because it will make the lesson that much more successful.
1. Be incredibly clear what you are asking a preteen to come and do bef...
2018-09-1306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 297: DELIVERY METHOD: The Importance of FramingToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Pastor Chris, regarding the importance of framing things.
The idea behind framing is setting up a message or a game so that your explanation allows the audience to know what is going to happen. It is the concept of setting the tone for what you are expecting to happen. This can be helpful for some students because their mindset it is helpful to know ahead of time what the plan is. It also allows preteens to know what they might be volunteering for because in their eagerness to be involved they don’t re...
2018-09-1207 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 296: CAMPS: Virtual Lost and FoundToday on the podcast, Sean talks with Makenna about the use of virtual lost and found to let parents know what stuff was left behind from camp.
After the very first summer camp this past summer Elevate had so much left behind items from campers. This could have either cost a headache for the whole summer or bring about a fix, because lost items and preteens just goes together. Makenna wanted to come up with an idea of how she could let parents know how much the kids were actually leaving behind. Unfortunately, she didn’t think that a long em...
2018-08-3104 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 295: SERVICE ELEMENTS: Scraping Small Groups…Kind ofToday on the podcast, Sean speaks about the idea of scraping small groups…kind of from your service.
Sunday mornings used to be all about the small groups for Elevate. Recently there was a change to that. Elevate still uses small groups on Wednesday night but Sunday’s there has been a shift away from that. Sunday mornings had a weird thing that continued to happen, a group would have 6 or 7 preteens one week and the next week would have 1 or none and there was no consistency to the numbers that would attend from the roster. The inconsistency with the pret...
2018-08-3004 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 294: LESSON IDEA: Salvation Building BlocksToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Patrick Snow about the use of “Salvation Building Blocks” to teach the salvation message.
Patrick discusses how Superstart, this last season, began using three building blocks (blue, red and yellow) or as they call them “Building Blocks”. These three building blocks have different words written on them, Blue = God, Red = Jesus & Yellow = Us. He explains how using the blocks they were able to show 1000’s of preteens the salvation message with some they could physically hold in their hands. By explaining that we were meant to be connected to God and having the preteens c...
2018-08-2906 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 293: LEADERSHIP: Limits are OKToday on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea that we all have limits and those limits are necessary and OK.
You have big dreams of what your ministry can be and how God can work through you. Unfortunately, God did not give us no limits in our lives. This might seem contrary to what scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) When you look at these scriptures you don’t see it suggesting that God is writing us a blank check saying you have no limits. There are limits in the number of hours in a d...
2018-08-2906 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 292: DISCIPLINE: Enforceable StatementsToday on the podcast, Sean talks with Jaime Santos a psychologist, who alongside of her husband Pastor Chris run the 6th grade ministry in Elevate. She was on today to discuss the concept of enforceable statements.
Enforceable statements are a great disciplinary technique that will help ministries. This is a concept that comes from Love and Logic, and it has been successfully used by many parents. Basically, an enforceable statement is something that you as the leader says that you will allow a student to do. For example, a simple statement like “the car leaves at 8” just means that the car...
2018-08-2405 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 291: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Renewing Your PassionToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Hannah Bush, a pastor at a church in Texas and a writer for Deeply Rooted Curriculum, regarding the idea of renewing your passion for preteen ministry.
By stepping out of the leadership role and stepping down into the trenches and being on the level with the students. For Sean that meant giving up all his leadership roles at camp this summer and passing those off to other leadership and becoming a cabin leader. It was an amazing week of ministry, allowing him to walk away with a renewed mindset of why he is...
2018-08-2306 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 290: LESSON IDEA: THP – Take Home PointToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Zach Matchett, 5th/6th grade pastor, from a church in Central Indiana, called Northview Church a multi-site church.
Zach discusses this concept known as T.H.P., short for Take Home Point. This is one statement, one question, or one commandment that the students will take away from the message and be a springboard for a discussion as a family.
During their message using part of the teaching time to get some interaction from the students helps them to be engaged in the lesson. Northview uses a table group/small group model for...
2018-08-2206 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 289: CAMPS: Lessons From CampToday on the podcast, Makenna discusses four lessons she learned as Camp Director for Elevates day camps this summer.
Lesson #1: People Over Program. When camp is really about the campers you will do just about anything to serve the campers. Maybe that is rescheduling the day because it is too hot out or offering a camper an extra snack because they are so hungry. Remembering that program and schedule is great, but the most important element of camp is the campers.
Lesson #2: Swimming vs. Lifeguarding. Being “in the water” with the campers is a great way to build relationships but bein...
2018-08-2206 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 289: CAMPS: Lessons From CampToday on the podcast, Makenna discusses four lessons she learned as Camp Director for Elevates day camps this summer.
Lesson #1: People Over Program. When camp is really about the campers you will do just about anything to serve the campers. Maybe that is rescheduling the day because it is too hot out or offering a camper an extra snack because they are so hungry. Remembering that program and schedule is great, but the most important element of camp is the campers.
Lesson #2: Swimming vs. Lifeguarding. Being “in the water” with the campers is a great way to build relationships but bein...
2018-08-2106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 288: CONNECTION IDEAS: Reaching the Sporty Kids for ChristToday on the podcast, Sean talks about a way to connect to preteens who are sporty or athletic.
By being relevant about what the preteens life is all about and helping them make a connection between what their lives are about and God who created all of life. There are preteens in our ministry that come and we aske them to do crafts and sit or walk around the room and have discussions but are athletically minded kids. So, the question then becomes how you help them know that church is a place for them.
Sean gives some ideas to...
2018-06-0807 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 287: LEADERSHIP: The FourFiveSix Ministry Community Facebook PageToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Robert Quinn who is involved in the FourFiveSix Level 3 Peer Group.
Robert just started a week ago, a Facebook community page for FourFiveSix. This came out of the thought that community and communication among ministries was a necessary aspect that the peer group felt was needed in preteen ministry. After just one-week people have already started sharing curriculum ideas and sharing summer VBS ideas. It offers a place to share pictures of things that are happening in your ministry. It is all about community.
The vision behind it was a place for preteen...
2018-06-0706 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 286: LESSON IDEA: Elevating GodToday on the podcast, Sean shares a lesson idea that was used in Elevate this last Sunday.
This was a lesson that Sean used as the new 4th graders started this last Sunday. The ministry is called Elevate which is for 4th, 5th & now 6th graders. Sean wanted to share this lesson because there might be some ideas that you could use in your own ministry.
The lesson was all about how we are all elevaters. In fact, everyone elevates something. As part of the lesson Sean showed pictures and videos of people elevating something. One of the pictures was...
2018-06-0606 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 285: LEADERSHIP IDEAS: L.I.T. Leaders in Training ProgramToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Clint May out of Benbrook, Texas about the L.I.T. program that he created.
Clint describes the history of what brought him to start the L.I.T. program. Through his years in ministry, he has seen such a change in the preteens and their families and as a result of giving them opportunities to lead in ministry. The LIT program now takes multiple churches on missions trips each year and has resources for 1st-6th grade. Clint is most proud of the preteen devotionals and how well they work.
All this...
2018-06-0607 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 284: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Mutiny! The Preteens Are Running Kids Church!Today on the podcast, Sean shares an excerpt from Karl Bastian’s session at the 2018 Preteen Leaders’ Online Conference.
Karl explains how adults in churches are reluctant to serve, only about 20%. On the other hand, if you ask the preteens in your ministry to help, the numbers are much higher; Karl has even seen 100%.
Preteens want to help.
If we don’t train up kids and teens to serve, then why would we expect them to serve as adults. We train them to come to church and sit and watch versus training them know to serve, get it in their DNA wh...
2018-05-1906 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 283: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Handing it Over to the Next GenerationToday on the podcast, Sean talks about a teaching method he learned when he was a public school teacher.
This is a strategy which will help you to “let go of the bike and run alongside”:
Step 1: I do, you watch.
Step 2: I do, you help. In this step we are still doing but allowing the preteens to step in and help us do those things.
Step 3: you do, I help. As an example, a capable adult leader sits in the tech booth with two preteens who are learning to run the tech booth. They are running the tech booth and...
2018-05-1904 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 282: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Struggling in MinistryToday on the podcast, Sean, Heather Dunn and Paula Mazza share some wisdom from a conversation they recently had with a ministry leader who was having difficulties.
Many of us are willing to get in there and get it done no matter the cost, with a tendency to take on everything and overwhelm ourselves. Those of us that are the “worker bee” type are not good at setting boundaries. When we step back and admit that we have taken on too much and that we are exhausted, that is when we are taking a positive step in ministry. When we say...
2018-05-1807 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 281 Leadership IDEA: Using Your Authority for the Good of OthersToday on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea of using the authority you have been given in your ministry to encourage and build up others.
Most of us would prefer to shy away from confronting someone because we don’t like confrontation. That is one of the hardest parts of our position as authorities in our ministries. Instead we need to look at this opportunity as a means of building up others in a loving manner not a confrontational manner. Sean discusses the idea of wasting our authority if we do not use it to encourage others. If we are no...
2018-05-1606 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 280: LESSON IDEAS: Mirror of SanctificationToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna speak about how you can begin to discuss lofty theological ideas with preteens.
They specifically are discussing this illustration that Elevate used to talk about justification, sanctification and glorification. The illustration uses a mirror and dirt and spray bottles to discuss the idea of these two theological concepts. Makenna shares what she used recently during the message to explain justification, sanctification and glorification to the preteens. During the message she used a wardrobe style mirror that was covered in coffee and dirt and it was pretty nasty. To explain justification, she noted that G...
2018-04-2106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 279: LEADERSHIP: Preteens Serving is a Great First StepToday on the podcast, Sean speaks about the idea of having preteens serving the younger students as a means of serving and ministering to preteens.
Sean believes that this idea of having the preteens serving the younger students is a great FIRST STEP of beginning a ministry to preteens, especially when you don’t have the resources to have a separate ministry for the preteens. FourFiveSix has lots of great information about how to start a preteen leadership program.
Sean emphasizes that this is a great first step, but it is definitely not the last step. Sean explains there is mo...
2018-04-2004 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 278: PURPOSE: Intentional Power of PlayToday on the podcast, Sean shares a portion of Paula Mazza’s breakout session at the 2018 Preteen Leaders’ Conference entitled Power of Play.
Paula discusses the emotional issues that preteens suffer from that swing all over the place. Preteens emotions can become very evident during game time. Preteens have so many changes going on in their bodies that cause these can cause huge emotional swings. They begin to think like adults but lack the experiences to help guide them. They are striving for independence from their childhood. What we see on the outside isn’t always what is going on inside...
2018-04-1908 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 277: GAMES AND ACTIVITIES: Diamond Collector CardsToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna discuss the new Diamond Collector Card Game developed by FourFiveSix.
The card game was developed to help preteens talk about the pressures in their lives. There are three different colors that focus on specific pressures:
red cards focus on pressures from God,
green cards focus on pressures from peers
blue cards focus on the pressures from authorities.
These cards can be used a couple different ways.
The Diamond Collector Game, where you are trying to create diamonds by using the pressure cards and the rock truth cards in your caves. In addition to...
2018-04-1805 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 276: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Being a Constant Drip in a Student’s LifeToday on the podcast, Sean shares an excerpt from Patrick Snow’s main session at the 2018 Preteen Leaders’ Online Conference.
Patrick explains the change that occurred for him in ministry two and a half years ago. As a consistent preteen leader Patrick was always there as the groups of preteens rotated through the ministry. Two and a half years ago everything changed when his pastor asked him to follow a group of boys, starting when they were in 5th grade and staying with them until they are seniors in high school. This was a step out of Patrick’s comfort zone f...
2018-03-1605 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 275: EVENT IDEA: A Spring RetreatToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Louie Schmitz about the idea of a spring retreat for your preteens.
Louie explains the idea of their 4th and 5th grade retreat. They take the preteens away for one night and bring in a guest speaker. They are going to a campground not too far from the church on the church bus and bringing in a speaker, the worship is provided by the middle/high school band. They have three breakout sessions with a driving theme and small groups following each one. This schedule creates intentional time for the leaders to connect...
2018-03-1507 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 274: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Start With The “Who”Today on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea of focusing on who you teach rather than what you teach.
Sean spent some time with Chip Henderson this last weekend and they discussed the concept of using a church wide study so that parents and children can go home and discuss the same things they both learned. The problem in this is that there are things that need to be taught that won’t be taught anywhere else to the younger generations, like preteens or junior higher.
However, these topics will be talked about when you start with the “who” first. By sta...
2018-03-1406 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 273: ACTIVITY IDEA: The Donut Whodunit MysteryToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with Hannah Bush from Metropolitan Baptist in Houston Texas, about a mystery activity called the Donut Whodunit Mystery.
Hannah needed an activity for the Plug n Play time during Superstart!, and that is when the Donut Whodunit Mystery was born. It is a fun activity on a limited budget. It is set up kind of like a live game of Clue, and the leaders and staff act as the characters in the story. The preteens are the intelligence agency (the P.I.A.) sent out to solve the mystery. After performing tasks and receiving...
2018-03-1407 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 272: DISCIPLESHIP IDEA: Buttons and BadgesToday on the podcast, Sean speak with Armando Flores, an elementary/preteen pastor out of Southern California, and an interesting idea he has using buttons and badges for his preteen leaders. Armando explains how he intentionally disciples to certain students in the large crowd. With the use of badges, he is able to distinguish between regular attendees and those students they are trying to disciple. The students receive a laminated badge (similar to the volunteers) and a lanyard. These students no longer have to wear the computer printed name badge which is the first differential. The badge is also used...
2018-03-0206 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 271: DISCIPLINE IDEA: The Invisible ContractToday on the podcast, Sean shares a little bit of Katie Anderson’s breakout session at the 2018 Preteen Leaders’ Conference. Katie Anderson discusses how we as leaders should be teaching content, procedures, and behavior. She notes that kids want to learn appropriate behavior. Think of it in this way, every student that walks into your ministry has an invisible contract in their hands. Their contract states that they would like you to teach them appropriate behavior in a safe and structured environment. On the flip side our part of the contract says that we will promise them that we will teac...
2018-03-0106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 270: LEADERSHIP IDEA: 5 Ideas from IndianaToday on the podcast, Sean discusses his recent visit to a preteen ministry in Indiana, where he led a leader training. Sean recently visited Vicki Murello’s ministry in Indiana and was able to watch their service in action as well as do a leader training class for their volunteers. He brought back 5 great ideas from his trip that he wanted to share with everyone. The first one is “The Impossible Shot” and fun opening game for service. The second one is a U-Line store display with iridescent ribbon weaved through and an LED light shining on it. It was a grea...
2018-03-0106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 269: LEADERSHIP IDEA: No Blame...ChangeToday on the podcast, Sean speaks about a crisis averted that happened in one of Elevates’ recent services and what they learned from it and how they will change from it. When crisis occur in your ministry there is a spectrum of how you can handle it. You can, on one end of the spectrum, blame someone for it and on the other end shove it under the rug because it is so rare it will never happen again. But in the middle, there is a place where we can learn from it and prepare a plan in case it do...
2018-02-2806 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 268: DELIVERY METHOD IDEA: New Year New KidsToday on the podcast, Sean discusses how the shape of your ministry should match the driving purpose so you are not trying things that don’t match your ministry.
Sean discussed how ministries can change because the preteens attitudes are different. After doing a karaoke night for the girls two years ago with great success, it was decided to do it again. Unfortunately, there were completely different outcome this time because the girls currently in the ministry are more shy. The lesson learned from this was that your ministry needs to be fluid and able to change based on the pr...
2018-02-1705 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 267: CONNECTING WITH PRETEENS IDEA: The Jesus-Preteen ToolboxToday on the podcast, Sean shares some great resources for you ministry from Mike Sheley.
During the 2018 Online Preteen Leaders’ Conference Mike Sheley offered up some great resources for your preteen ministry. The best start is getting your preteens in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Preteens have no idea what a chapter in the bible really is, so showing them this initially will give them a great base. Although most preteens probably don’t have access to mobile app version bibles they are a good tool when they are available. Another great resource is the Bible Project which uses...
2018-02-1607 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 266: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Prepare for Spiritual BattleToday on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea of recognizing there are potential spiritual battles taking place in the hearts of everyone walking in to service.
Sean discussed a battle that he recognized this last Sunday in Elevate. He spent some time in the Word and praying that morning before service. He walked into the room and could sense something taking place that he could not visually see. There are many Sundays and Wednesdays that he doesn’t feel anything but this specific day he knew there was a spiritual battle taking place. Sean delivered a salvation message, went completely aw...
2018-02-1406 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 265: SERVICE ELEMENT IDEA: Everyday Items to Make a PointToday on the podcast, Sean speaks with the new Pastor Sean who is the early elementary pastor at Destiny regarding using everyday items to make a point during a lesson.
Pastor Sean Marshall discusses how everyday objects used during a lesson can be helpful because kids with associate things or ideas to objects. The goal is then that every time they see that object in everyday life it will remind them about a biblical truth. Everything on earth is designed to give God glory, therefore everything has a message than can be applied to it.
Have a question about preteen m...
2018-02-1305 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 264: CAMP IDEA: VBS/Camp ScheduleToday on the podcast, Sean shares the schedule of Elevates’ Destiny Summer Day Camps.
If you are willing to share, in the comments section, your schedule so that we can bounce ideas of each other. Elevate did six day camps from 9am – 5 pm Monday through Friday. Sean runs through the standard schedule that Elevate had each week for camp. This included check-in and set-up of camp, morning gatherings, activity times, excursions, afternoon gatherings, and clean up. Knowing that camp season is just around the corner Sean would love to get your ideas as Elevate prepares for their second year of day...
2018-02-0205 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 263: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Take Some RisksToday on the podcast, Sean discusses the idea that no matter what risks he takes, and how much he may fail, God is still sovereign and Sean is still saved.
Sean woke up January 2, with a plate so full of things to be done, the pile seemed impossible to accomplish in the time he had. Curriculum needed to be written and produced, preparations for CPC and the Preteen Leaders Online Conference, along with building a large spaceship in the ministry space. The stress was overwhelming.
While on the way to the church that morning he felt God’s peace come over...
2018-02-0106 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 262: EVENTS IDEA: Pajama PartyToday on the podcast, Sean shares discusses a pajama party event that Elevate held back in November.
The topic for the night was resting in God. The main point was to put your trust and hope in God and resting in him above all else. Using the pajama party idea made it a fun and memorable way to bring this message to the preteens. The set-up of the room was different allowing for a caged pillow fight for the opening game. The lesson set-up for the night asked the kids about resting, specifically the question “It’s hard to rest when...
2018-01-3107 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 261:CONNECTING WITH PRETEEN IDEA: Friend-To-Friend InvitesToday on the podcast, Sean shares some information from Jake Morgan's breakout session during the Preteen Online Leaders Conference last week regarding how shape and design can change the effectiveness of your invitations to preteen events.
Postcards are not an exciting way of inviting people to special events. According to Jake, preteens need a baby step to help them invite their friends to special events in your ministry. We need one simple thing that is valuable that they will be willing and excited to pass on to their friends.
For their special event, they gave their regular attending preteens postcards w...
2018-01-3006 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 260: EVENT IDEA: Special Events Linked to Sunday Morning ServiceToday on the podcast, Sean discusses linking special events to your Sunday morning service rather than holding it on a Friday or Saturday.
When Sean first began in ministry they recognized that a Friend’s Day was a great opportunity to get preteens to bring their friends to church. They initially would hold something on Saturday night, like a bowling night or an event at a trampoline park. They thought that by holding the event on Saturday night the kid would spend the night and they would come back with their friend to church on Sunday. Unfortunately, there was limited im...
2017-11-1005 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 259: SERVICE ELEMENT IDEA: The Cube and Other ThingsToday on the podcast, Sean discusses a game show called The Cube that included games very similar to minute to win it games.
Get ready to discover a treasure-trove of games you can play in your preteen ministry!
Sean gives some ideas for short minimal supplies needed games that can be played in front of the group or in some cases allowing everyone to play. These include Minute to Win It blueprints that you can get from YouTube. Go to YouTube and do a search for m2wi blueprints, or search for thecubeuk.
The great thing about these games is...
2017-11-0904 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 258: LEADERSHIP IDEA: Money Saving IdeasToday on the podcast, Sean and Dayna talk about money saving techniques when buying things for your ministry.
They discuss how saving money can allow you to extend the money that you have allowing you to do more with what you have as well as being good stewards with the churches money. Dayna explains that familiarizing yourself with the needs of your ministry so that when you find things on sale you can buy it even if it is a couple months out until you need it. If you wait until it is to late you will pay whatever to...
2017-11-0807 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 257: EVENT IDEA: Carnival Themed VBSToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna discuss the carnival themed VBS that Elevate ran this last summer.
During the week long VBS preteens created their own carnival booths, took a trip to a real-life carnival – the California state fair, and held their own carnival at the end of the week. Sean and Makenna discuss the details of the week including a clown university that didn’t go as well as they would have hoped.
The week ended with a fundraiser on Sunday after church where the kids were able to show off their carnival booths. It was a great oppo...
2017-11-0705 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 256: DISCIPLINE IDEA: Classroom Management versus DisciplineToday on the podcast, Sean gives details on classroom management versus discipline. Two very different and highly important elements for a successful preteen ministry.
Discipline is a way of helping the preteens grow. Discipline comes from the root word “Disciple”, which means: “to teach.”
On the other hand, Classroom Management, like sending a kid out of the room for being disruptive, is not teaching them much of anything or showing concern for their development.
With Classroom Management, you are simply communicating to preteens that their current behavior is not acceptable. Classroom management is ok but it needs to be combined with dis...
2017-10-2706 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 255: EVENT IDEA: Superhero VBSToday on the podcast, Sean and Makenna give details about this past summers' day camp that had a successful "Superhero" theme.
The week started off with the preteens going through Superhero University to receive their super powers. The camp directors acted as professors for the preteens and handed out grades as the groups moved between the different activity stations. Each group of campers became their own superhero team with their own world. This was carried throughout the week as the preteens created comic books about their specific hero they thought up.
Makenna discusses how it was great to see the...
2017-10-2607 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 254: LEADERSHIP IDEA: The Rule of ThreeToday on the podcast, Sean gives more details about the policy that Elevate has in place called "The Rule of Three.” A great policy to protect not only your preteens, but your leaders, too.
The Rule of Three is a simple concept that requires that there always be three people together. What this means is that a leader is never alone by themselves with a preteen. There is either one preteen and two leaders or two preteens and one leader at all times as a minimum requirement.
Maybe you don't have any policy regarding this and this is an easy po...
2017-10-2504 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 253: TECH IDEA: Light-Up ThingyToday on the podcast, Trenton gives more details about how he created this exciting design element for Elevate's ministry space. If you would like to actually see a tour of the Light-Up Thingy, you can watch the tour Trenton gave.
Built with some simple supplies that can be purchased at your local hardware store. Pick up some corrugated plastic, some form of really bright colored light like LED can lights, some felt and Velcro and you can create any design that you can think up. This is an inexpensive project, most corrugated plastic can be found for a large 2'x3...
2017-10-2405 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 252: CAMP IDEA: Day Camps for Working ParentsLast summer, Destiny Christian Church introduced 6 weeks of day camps for the preteens (entering 4th-6th grade). Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about these 9am-5pm M-F camps, and how they were an incredibly positive experience for the campers, the leaders, and the parents in the community.
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/.
2017-10-1207 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 251: PRESERVICE IDEA: Drawing TableToday on the podcast, you’ll hear an idea shared with us by Rachel Johnson: the drawing table. You’ll hear a couple of ways of creating a drawing table, and few ideas of uses for a drawing table.
This could be a simple element to add to your ministry space that your artistic preteens will appreciate.
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/
2017-10-1104 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 250: DISCIPLINE IDEA: Let Them Be WildToday on the podcast, Sean shares about something he heard about at Kidmin Megacon. Many children’s ministry leaders want to “tame” the preteens in their ministries and make them be well-behaved. Instead, give preteens a chance to mess up, be who God created them to be, and take steps to own their faith. Give them a chance to be a little bit wild instead of just sitting quietly during the service. Sean gives ideas of how to let preteens be wild in a productive way.
Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can fe...
2017-10-1004 minMELLOW WAVEFFS 249: SERVICE ELEMENT IDEA: Lip Sync Storytelling-A Creative Storytelling MethodIn today’s podcast, Sean talks about a creative way to tell stories that engages students, especially the musical ones. He shares two songs as examples of songs that can be used for Lip Sync storytelling, which you can link to below:
“Fishers of Men” by Seeds Music
“You are Here” by 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/.
2017-10-0905 min
Brilliantly Brave ParentingWhy Middle School Grades Matter Most Ep#16 Sean Sweet FourFiveSixBRILLIANTLY BRAVE Episode #16 - "Why Middle School Grades Matter More Than Any Other" with Sean Sweet, Founder of the Preteen Leaders Conference and the Onference, co-founder of FourFiveSix, Preteen Pastor at Destiny Christian Church, and more importantly, a husband and father of 3 beloved kids. We discuss how critical grades 4, 5, and 6 are in the development of our kids faith and values. We also learn to understand the 'Bike' model of ministry. Find our blog at BrilliantlyBraveParenting.com or on Facebook at #BrilliantlyBraveParenting
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2017-05-2333 min