The Future of #Kidmin

Thanks to @Kidmin360 I was able to write in the series going on right now on their site.  Many great Kidmin leaders are writing for this series and you should check each article out at http://Kidmin360.com.

Here is my article.  Let me know your thoughts, and if you agree or disagree.

What’s New? What’s next? Are they even the right questions?

Friends, colleagues, neighbors, stock brokers, writers, and even kids seem to be united by the questions, “What’s next?” or “What’s new?” There is something about being new that catches all of our imaginations.  Or, better yet, knowing what is coming next makes us feel better.  The unknown can scare us and most of us have a huge fear of being left behind or not having the latest knowledge.   If we can only figure out what’s next or what’s new then we’ll be ready for the future, right? Not necessarily.  I don’t think asking the questions of “What’s new?” or “What’s next?” will help us get to the future.  The question I think we should be asking is, “How do we leverage what’s new to help connect with others and build relationships?”

We know that technology is changing at an ever-increasing speed.  Mobile app stores, web based operating systems, and televisions run with the Internet were only dreams 5 years ago.  Now we have solutions with hardware and software that make it easy for even the novice to grasp and use.  But, just having an iPhone or Android phone doesn’t make us more effective or efficient.  Those tools are vehicles that can be utilized to help us communicate faster, easier, and sometimes better.  They answer the question of what’s next but not the question of integration into the family or the community.  To me, the question of integration has less to do with the technology or the vehicle but more with leveraging that medium for something that will never change.  Our need to connect with others and build community will always be made new and should always be what’s next.  The iPad 7 will be incredibly cool and I’m sure I will want one but if we can’t figure out how to leverage this device to help build community then we are doing ourselves a disservice. The next TV will be able to download apps and stream media from anywhere.  But can we make it a place where Mom and Dad don’t have to ask the question, “What did you learn today?” Maybe we could have real life application and teaching points on their TVs ready for them when they get home, and accessible at all times.

It’s not about what device is next.  It is our ability to integrate with technology for the sake of building relationships, not just for the sake of being cool.  Relationships will always be the key.  We need to learn quickly so that we can teach passionately that God loves us and wants to spend eternity with us, no matter what comes.

What’s keeping churches, ministries, and others from being able to solve this integration or leverage problem? I believe the two biggest hurdles churches will face in the future are funding the vision and filtering information.  New technology and advancements in technology are never cheap.  It will take funding that is outside of the normal day-to-day. But, realize that it is about reaching new people in a new medium.  I don’t think a church has to develop the next iPad killer but it does have to make a killer app for it.  Those apps will need to be as excellent and creative as possible, and that will take funding.

Filtering will be the other huge hurdle.  As a society, we already have plenty of information.  We are bombarded with it every day.  Simply having information is useless until we have developed ways to filter and integrate it into our lives.  Let the end user decide how they want to receive your mission, vision, and message.  We no longer live in a world that says “I am going to deliver content in only one form and everyone has to deal with that.”  We have the greatest message of all time and we have to be willing to share that message on whatever platform will let us.

The future of ministry, not just Children’s ministry, is the answer to the question, “How do we leverage what’s new to help connect with others and build relationships?”