Before:

ASK:

-Why do we do this event? 

-What are our wins?

-What excites me about this event?

-What scares me about this event?

-How can I leverage the fun?

-How can I leverage the sacred? 

-How can I resource parents to continue the ministry at home? 

DO:

-Gather your team.

-Spend some time dreaming big.

-Determine where in the church calendar this event should go. It’s not helpful if your event collides with other church ministries, holidays, or community events. 

-Create a list of what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done.

-Create a budget of what needs to be purchased, and when it needs to be purchased. 

-Create a marketing plan. (This is just a fancy term for “tell people about it!”) 

-If your event is outdoors, have a plan B. 

-Scatter the team.

During.

-Prepare early.

-Be ready early. 

-Take notes during the event. ASK: What’s going well? What needs to be noted for correction moving forward? 

-Take pictures. Post pictures. 

-Love on your team. You can’t do it without them! 

-Don’t miss opportunities to resource parents! Parents are the Biblical leaders of their children! 

After.

ASK:

-In what ways was this event memorable? In what ways was it meaningful?

-What went really well?

-What went really poorly?

-What went okay, but can be improved upon?

-Who do we need to follow up with to thank? 

-Is there anybody else I need to follow up with?

DO:

-Create a file system to keep notes about the above questions for future events. Store this somewhere that’s easily accessible, just in case somebody inherits your ministry sooner than you plan.

-Hold a debrief meeting with your core team to ask the above questions. Give your team the freedom to ask the hard questions and say the hard things. This is how we grow!

-Take some time to talk to the children or parents that experienced your event first hand. What did they think? Was it meaningful and memorable for them?