Mike Johnson

February, One of My Favorite Times of the Year

I realize it might not be what you expect someone to say.  But February is one of my favorite times of the year.  When I was growing up in rural Montana, February meant snow forts, snow ball fights and the occasional hookie bobbin'. (If you know what hookie bobbin' is you're probably from the north central U.S.) But as an adult, February is one of my favorite times of the year for a different reason. February means C3!

C3 is a great time to sit under some amazing teaching while discovering how God can bring fresh creativity to your church. At C3 you will get the opportunity to connect with pastors from all over the world and develop relationships that will last a lifetime. I cannot tell you how I have been inspired and equipped over the years at this conference. Ministry change AND life change happens at C3.  I can testify because I have been to every one!

I am especially looking forward to February 2010 because in 2010 we have partnered C3 with our C3 Kids Conference.  Beginning February 16th-17th Fellowship church will be hosting children's pastors and volunteers from all over the world as they gather to learn how to reach and grow the next generation. Then, all attendee's of C3 Kids will have the opportunity to stay for C3 (February 17th-19th) and hear from some of the greatest leaders in ministry today. Ed Young, T.D. Jakes, Jentezen Franklin and Ed Young Sr. are just a few of the powerful speakers on the menu.

Okay, I'm promoting, and I'm not really trying to hide it. C3 is a GREAT time! If there is any way you can be here, make it happen. I promise, you will not regret a single minute of it. Check out the details at c3conference.com.

Hope to see you here!

Volunteering - Do It For (Your) Kids

When a parent volunteers it is a huge benefit for their kids. When kids grow up in a household where mom and dad serve every week they are much more likely to begin serving themselves when they get into 6^th, 7^th, 8^th grade. The reason for this? Because that is what is normal to them, it's all they know. When they leave high school and go off to college, the first thing they are going to do is look for a church where they can be plugged into serving. Their thought will be, “Doesn’t everybody do that? It’s just the way I was brought up, the way I do church.” What greater gift can we give to our kids than that?

Now serving as a family is not a magic bullet, but in all the years I’ve been doing children’s ministry, the majority of families that have orbited their lives around church and served are the strongest families. Divorce and discord is down. Children going south and getting into drugs and alcohol is down. Rebellion against parents is way down.

Parents look at many things for the benefits to their children: sports, ballet, music and assorted other extra-curricular activities. Now, there’s nothing wrong with those things, but only if they’re following in the footsteps of serving in the church. Obviously those other activities can help you become well rounded as a person, but they cannot replace church and service and living an others-oriented life. Our family's priorities should center around service to the church.

We need parents to see that. If I want my child to grow up to be a morally responsible adult, if I want him or her to grow up to be a force for Christ who leads others to Him and is a productive person in society, then I'm going about it the wrong way if I'm not incorporating church and service as a huge part of what I'm doing as a parent.

What can I do with a blog?

Over the past couple of years I have struggled with the question, "Should I, or shouldn't I, do a blog?" I mean, after all, what can I do with a blog? Well, after much deliberation I have decided that, with a blog, I can share my thoughts on life, on family, on church, on volunteers, on ministry, and on being a Children's Pastor in today's world. And because I love connecting with people and I get excited about the conversations we all could have, I have decided to give it a whirl. 

At mikejohnsonblog.com, I am going to share the insights of 16 years as Children's Pastor of Fellowship Church. We will get into the nitty gritty, the ups and downs, as well as the challenges and victories of ministry today.

Some of the things I will share are:

• Leadership strategies.
• Tackling and overcoming the challenges of ministry that happen Monday-Friday.
• Video of strategy meetings and conference planning sessions.
• Behind the scenes looks at the production of our curriculum, Elevate/Elevate Jr./Elevate Family.
• A peek backstage to look at the jam sessions of Cloud Nine, the band behind all the music for FCKids and Elevate.
• Concept art.
• First hand knowledge of new releases from FCKids.
• Insights from the FCKids staff in all areas of children’s ministry: nursery, preschool, and elementary weekends, large events, discipleship, and curriculum development.
• Thoughts on curriculum essentials.
• Team building ideas.
• Behind the scenes of our C3Kids conference planning.
• Building/sculpting tips.
• Set design.

In a nut shell, if it makes FCKids go, we'll talk about it here. God is doing many exciting things in Children's Ministry today. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and hearing your ideas!