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Performance Skills 102

Specific training to increase your on-stage professionalism

Catchy Title huh?

For some it could be intriguing and they are instantly hooked in, but for the most part I would predict that the title is confusing as the topic of on-stage professionalism is not usually talked about in the world of Children’s Ministry. In our preaching we focus a lot on content, our MC-ing being energetic and making our kids scream, and our performances either being funny or very heavy with the topic we want to teach on. It is not often you will get someone stand up and say “let’s get more professional”.

Now we are not talking about sub-contracting writers, hiring actors and a catering truck. Instead we are talking about working with what you have and taking what you do in your ministry, and sharpening your skills to make it more professional.

Today we are going to talk about something that affects the communicator – the preacher, the MC and the performer (especially on film). There is a phenomenon out there that can plague these people’s performances and most of the time they have no idea it is there. This is not something that makes the difference between a good or bad performance but it is the difference between a great and professional one. This phenomenon I have taken the liberty to call “The Glorified Um”.

When we were children and trying to communicate, a lot of the time we didn’t know what to say. So as we were talking there would be a lot of pauses and because we didn’t want to lose the attention of our audience we filled that pause with an “Um”.

“Mum… um…. can I ….. um…… can I….. um…… because i’m hungry…….. um…………… can I …… um…………have… um…a um…cookie……. um?”

As a child we believe that pauses are not good so we foolishly fill the spaces with that wonderful word “Um”. The word “Um” communicates that we are unsure of what to say next and/or we are not confident in what we just said. This habit is tolerated as a young child but as we grow it is often corrected by parents and teachers because they know that you will disadvantaged in areas of life, especially when it come to job interviews.

“Um…..I ….think…..um that …I….um….. I…..would ….um….be very good as um……….ummmmm…..a…um…..car salesman…um”.

Fast-forward to now and you are in Children’s Ministry and you are happy to report that your days of umming are now behind you. Or are they? Over my years of performing and being in ministry I have realised that the ‘um’ is not behind us but in fact it has evolved and it plagues our preaching, performing and MC-ing. The Glorified Um is in full force.

So what is the Glorified um?

The Glorified Um is a word or a phrase that you the presenter (the word presenter covers all aspects of preaching, performing and MC-ing) will use over and over again whilst presenting. This usually will not be in your script or notes but will come out when you are adlibbing or slightly deviating from what was rehearsed. This phrase or word will not just be in the presentation but stem out from the performers life and be heard in their everyday conversations. For example I once worked for a youth pastor who used to say at the end of many sentences “do you know what I mean?”

This is a classic example of The Glorified Um. Like an um it communicates that he does not know quite what to say next, he is not confident in what he just said and he is cheapening what he is saying by filling his presentation with a habitual saying. I can guarantee on his notes he did not write that phrase once, yet he said it over 10 times.

Now that must not be confused with The Confirming Phrase that is a specific phrase designed to give the audience a chance to confirm what they just heard. An extremely experienced preacher I know always says “Are you getting this?” The difference is that the second presenter deliberately chose to say this, whereas  with the first it just came out without thinking. You can also tell because the first also slightly slurred the phrase and didn’t deliberately pronounce each word.

The Glorified Um is not just phrases at the end, it can be words at the start. Phrases such as: ‘It’s like’ or the word “but” are common examples of this. This can also be found in duel presenters when they start their sentence by acknowledging the other person with the same “it’s true” or “that’s right”. Finally it can even make our way into our writing and you can have a whole play or video with the whole cast using the same Glorified Ums as you do and you won’t even notice.

So what do we do to fix it? The cure is very simple but involves a lot of work and some help.

1. Recognise that a Glorified Um is a problem that is not a part of a professional presentation. I said before you can still be a great presenter with one but you will not reach that level of professionalism with it.

2. Find out if you have a Glorified Um. Look out for it, listen and watch old presentations you have done and look at the people you are leading because if you have it most likely they will have the same one. The best way is to ask a close and truthful friend to find out.

3. Fix your general conversation. A glorified Um is your normal speech creeping into your presentation. Get those close friends to pull you up on it constantly until you realise how often you are using it. This is where it gets frustrating but the effort is worth it.

If you have a platform to present to children on behalf of God then you have a privileged opportunity and I believe you are expected to work on your talents to increase them. If you do the hard yards you will put yourself a cut above and I look forward to seeing where it takes you.

Have Fun

FMD

Discouragement comes at the oddest of times for those who are in the ministry.  Often it’s right after a major victory – wanna know why?  The devil would like you, in your own mind, to accept the idea that what just happened is now null and void, due to the crisis, or event(s) that showed up afterwards.

Other times, discouragement comes when nothing seems to be happening in your ministry – or, things haven’t been going right for a longer period of time.  In this case, the devil would like it very much if you felt useless, under-qualified, or obsolete in your position as a leader.

Don’t think for a moment that this wasn’t planned.  Our enemy is very strategic and is an expert at planning ahead.

Here are a few suggestions of how you can kick it into gear.  Why?  Because, kicking it into gear will get you out of your office chair, off the sidelines – or in some cases: up off the floor.

1. 1. 1. Pray
      2. Go back and redraft the vision God gave you in the first place
      3. Make an appointment with someone you respect and tell them your vision – sell it to them!
      4. Revisit the victories your CM has won in the past year – now make a list of victories to win from this point on
      5. Go to every classroom and imagine something new that could happen in the next month
      6. Go to that bigger church in town and take notes, pictures and promo pieces and list what you could “borrow” and start doing it.
      7. If you are the bigger church in town – here’s an edgy idea: Go to the smaller church that is on it’s way up and see the drive, determination and vision that’s there.  What can you “borrow”?
      8. Talk to a mentor in CM
      9. If you don’t have a mentor is CM – get one!
      10. Get with your Pastor and get his fresh perspective on the vision for the church
      11. Have kids in your church do a survey to tell you what they really like about church and what they would like to do.
      12. Pray

After much trevailing and consideration – ok… not really that much; “The children’s ministry blog with jamie doyle “- which was hosted at a free blogger site- has moved to it’s new home here at jamiedoyle.com.  It’s all still being developed and I’m still undecided about the theme as of yet – but rest assured, some new posts will follow (I have several in the hopper at the moment that need refining).

you can still follow me on twitter @jamie_doyle.com to find out when this thing will be updated – otherwise change your bloglines subscriptions and I’ll see you then.  Thanks for joining me!

Why 16?  Because, it’s what I came up with.  Perhaps this will inspire you for tomorrow’s opportunity to give kids the Word.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Pray
2. Study so you’ll know what you’re talking about
3. Have a plan. When you don’t – they do.
4. Make the stories come alive
5. Meet their level of intensity… and then, go beyond it a bit (or – a lot)
6. Be animated with your body
7. Be animated with your words
8. Be animated with your voice
9. Make eye-contact
10. Get kids to respond verbally
11. Get kids to respond by cheering
12. Use kid-volunteers to help you
13. Use visual aids
14. Teach like Jesus (like one who has authority)
15. Expect results – ask the kids for a response (See my blog series on Making Time for Response)
16. Say “thanks” to God for the victory won

Three Things That Might Help

Use Music

It can be live – someone playing a guitar, piano/keyboard or a live band.

It can be recorded music – I use iTunes. So, I have an entire playlist of Altar/Prayer Time Music. I’m a huge fan of Brian Dollar’s High Voltage Kids Ministries Products – their entire CD “Quiet Times for Kids” is on that playlist, along with music from a Randy Christensen CD called “A Time To Reflect” …and a few of my own compositions (with help from GarageBand)

Either way, music will help to create a mood. It helps to “cue” the children that it’s time for prayer or a response. It can make kids feel comfortable when they don’t want other’s to hear what they are saying to God.

Eliminate Distractions

If kids are uncomfortable, they are not attentive. Make sure the room is the right temp. Close doors and windows to eliminate outside noise. Fix, replace or throw-out broken chairs or furniture. Anything that is distracting has the potential to pull kids away from recieving

Don’t Do The Same Thing!

Use a variety of ways for kids to approach a time to respond. Never make it boring or predictable. Here are few ways I’ve had kids respond:

• Call the kids forward and have them kneel
• Call the kids forward and have them stand
• Call the kids forward and have them group-up and pray for one another
• Have them pray, standing at their chairs
• Have them kneel at their chairs
• Have them stand on their chairs
• Have them gather in groups to pray for each other in their rows
• Have them move to each corner of the room to pray for each other
• Have them gather around and pray for the leaders
• Get them out in the hallways or different part of the church building to pray
• Have them respond by singing a song together
• Have them write something down and leave it at the altar
• Get them to March around the room Jericho-style and shout praises

I think you get the picture here.

Strength in Numbers

“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19

Make sure that children have someone that will pray for them as they come to respond. Whether it’s you, another adult, or a friend…

• If they are responding to salvation, Have people that will take those children aside, to the back of the room or to another room and instruct them on what has just happened.

• Have people who will come and pray for children as they respond to the message or as they lift up requests and needs. And guess what? Some of those who come to pray for the children are children. Encourage it… teach and instruct on it – you will be surprised.

• Have those who pray with kids use the old education model to affirm and seal what has just happened. The old education model says: “Tell them what you are going to teach them… teach them… tell then what you just taught them”. OK, just adjust it to a prayer time. After you know what the lesson emphasis is or what their needs are – “Tell them what you are going to pray about… pray with them… tell them what they just prayed about”.

Something that I think is a good idea is to give several different times to respond during various services. These times are as follows… but no limited to:

Salvation

• First, how will the children in your church ever get saved unless you give them a chance to respond? Jesus wants your kids to know Him! I never want to be known as the guy who taught a lot about Jesus and was entertaining – only to have the children I’ve encountered pass on into eternity without knowing Christ. My time and their time is too short – and God’s time is too valuable.

• Second, I have found that God will send more unsaved and searching families to the churches I’ve been, when I put a regular emphasis on Christ’s saving power. That’s the goal of the church, isn’t it? In Acts, it says that they added to their numbers daily. We’ve got to get ahold of that!

• Third, my Pastor, no matter what topic or message he is speaking on, always brings it back to Jesus Christ and the price He paid for us. When it’s all said and done, It’s all about Jesus – enough said.

Message Application

This is a special time for you to make sure that your children are really having a Jesus-experience that drives home the topic or emphasis for the day. This can be an amazing moment that happens… and I usually find that it happens immediately after I sense the kids have “gotten” it. (see this blog post for my short essay on this topic). Sometimes, I will have kids pray about these things on their own, other times, I’ll have others pray with the kids. Sometimes it calls for worship and singing, other times we need to lead the kids in a prayer of commitment.

Felt Needs

I hear the jokes – not the need you have for some Betty Lukens felt-board stories. This will be an important time for children to lay before the Lord’s feet their needs and requests. Kids have needs and they need the power of God to intervene! You might think that a lost puppy or a cat that died isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. But that’s the grand scheme in “your world”. In a “Kids’ World”, the grand scheme is different. In a “Kids’ World”, their economy is different. In a “Kids’ World”, what speaks to them is different. If we are called to reach kids, we’d better have a greater understanding of “Their World” After all, Jesus understood it, called the kids to Himself and regularly entered it. He still understands it, calls kids to Himself and regularly enters it.

Enough to chew on?

Timing is EVERYTHING!

Give them an opportunity when the atmosphere is right. Deliver a message and invite children to respond. Don’t expect them to go home and respond. Yes, some might do that too. But I’m not going to take the chance. The Holy Spirit will begin to prepare the hearts of the children as the Word of God is presented. If you don’t give children a chance to respond to the work that’s being done in their heart, then the Holy Spirit is being held… or bound from doing what He wants to do. Remember, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman – He will wait for you to invite Him to intervene and operate.

The timing and types of altar calls must fit the purpose and message in your service in order to determine how effective the time at the altar will be. In developing my children’s services, I start on an “up” note… put the serious things in the middle… and then progressively build the excitement and end on an “up” note.

In this way the intensity of the service comes to a very serious point about half way to two thirds of the into the service. Then it will pick back up again from there to the end.

The reason that I put the altar call toward the middle and then more stuff at the end is simple. The altar time needs to be given as much time as the Holy Spirit needs. We have already covered the other bases of a children’s service… Prayer time has now been allotted a block of time – with some wiggle room.

We keep the remaining events for after the altar time. But I always try to be strategic in choosing the last items for the service: review questions/review games, related story and closing songs can be sacrificed. Yep, that’s right – I plan stuff that may never happen. Because that will give the “right of way” to the Holy Spirit’s moving and timing to another 15 minutes if we need it. So now we have a lot or time for prayer and response. And those last items aren’t just time-fillers because we can throw them out. Children can still benefit from review and another Fun song that emphasizes the theme for the day.

Part three is going to deal with an item that I actually thought about just before lecturing about the same topic – I ended up discussing the item during the lecture and got a positive response – it was not in the lecture notes, but I thought I would add it anyway because it’s a point of discussion:

Today – this thought ran through my head: