Staff - staff circle!

Fit for Kids - the staff circle

What do children need today? How can the Gospel of Jesus Christ be effective as a joyful and liberating message? Where do girls and boys today feel the friendship and help of Jesus up close and personal? Who shows them the Father heart of God and helps them to discover their vocation as a child of God and to practically shape it in everyday life? What does church look like as the family of God in a society where families are breaking up more and more? Where are there credible role models and reliable orientation in the midst of the loss of all values and in the glittering glow of a dazzling media world? Where can we find co-workers who put their hearts on the line, who go out to look for children who have been shaken by life and to offer them living spaces of hope? And who provides for these children's workers who are in many places on the front "lines."

These are all questions that a responsible young adult ministry will have to deal with very intensively in the coming years. Situation analysis alone is not enough. It needs people with fire, with dreams and visions. But also clear concepts and well thought-out strategies are necessary to maintain a successful youth work. This is often lacking. Therefore a few strategic cornerstones, which are crucial for Jungschar work in the third millennium.

Fit for Kids- the staff team

Fit is all about friendship, inspiration and training.

Friendship
A and O of any ministry is a creative, dedicated and successful staff team. These are not functionaries doing a specific task. These are people who are friends with one another and whose diverse gifts encourage and complement one another. Therefore, such teams need special times of fellowship, clear leadership, support and encouragement from their respective congregations and associations. It is important to have a focus on one ministry, not multi-functionalists.

Inspiration
Inspiration is needed. For once, it's a willingness to learn from others. To be curious to ask what other interesting ways of working for and with children there are in the kingdom of God. Musical impulses from TenSing, Kings Kids; scouting elements from the Royal Ranger work - many things can be integrated well into existing youth group work.
But above all, inspiration requires help from above, inspiration through the Holy Spirit. The common question: "Jesus - how do you see our place, the children entrusted to us? Father in heaven, what is in your heart for these people here. Holy Spirit, please give us good ideas, release creativity and imagination, keep us from routine and functioning, and help us to tailor solutions to our particular situation here."
Prayer together is therefore indispensable. A perspective weekend with special prayer times, prayer sponsorships for staff and children are also helpful and continuing models. Test it!

Training
Without diligence no price, without training no master. Training employees is an important factor. Musical, athletic, Bible study, educational practice, group leadership, personality maturation.... Where are talents and how can we promote them is one of the leading questions for people in leadership responsibility. Regular training, which builds on one another, helps staff to stay on a "growth path" and to be able to grow concretely again and again through new challenges.

A few more tips:

• Try to recruit people from your group. The older Jungscharler, who have already decided for Jesus, you can use if necessary as mini-leaders in younger groups.
• All staff should meet regularly in a staff circle

The staff circle should be led by one person/team. This person/team needs a love of working in groups, an overview of what is going on, foresight, experience in group work, pedagogy, and pastoral care, organizational experience for camps, events, and inter-group actions. A clear position towards Jesus, a clear proclamation as well as a position of trust towards the co-workers is also very important.

Aim of the staff circle:

• Praying together for the youth groups and for individuals
• Refocusing on Jesus
• Talking through problems
• Invite theory questions / training topics speakers if necessary
• Planning inter-group activities, camps, etc

Source Notes:

• Content: Evangelisches Jugendwerk in Württemberg; http://www.praxis-jugendarbeit.de/jugendleiter-schulung/mitarbeiterkreis.htm - top
  
  © 2002 - 2004 by Praxis-Jugendarbeit; http://www.praxis-jugendarbeit.de/jugendleiter-schulung.html
• Title image: Clipart courtesy of buch+musik ejw-service gmbh, Stuttgart - www.ejw-buch.de