I am a
Children’s Pastor turned consultant who served in Children’s Ministry for over twenty
years.
My experience includes:
- Nine years of full-time hands-on experience as
a Children’s Pastor
- Managed a paid children’s ministry staff
- Recruited, trained, and managed a team of
approximately 200 teachers
- Responsible for supervision of all children’s
ministry departments including elementary, preschool, special needs, VBS, summer camps, festivals
- Responsible for restructuring children’s
ministry programs, doubling attendance in Sunday School in the first
year
- Designed and created many new Children’s
programs and curriculum for Sunday worship, midweek discipleship,
pre-teen, special needs, themed summer camps, and more
- Designed and taught parenting classes on
childhood behavior and development
- Successfully established outreach events for
children and families attracting over 7,000 people annually
- Designed a Teacher’s Resource Center containing
supplies, teaching resources, information area, refreshments area
- Consultant for churches seeking to improve their
Children’s Ministry
Currently, I am a consultant, speaker, writer for
Kidz Blitz Ministries, and curriculum developer in regards to Children
and Families’ Ministries. I have a strong leadership style, exuberant
personality, and ability to organize projects. My desire is to prepare
children for a life-time of serving God and having a relationship with
Jesus Christ as their Savior.
My Biological Background
I grew up an only child in
Southern California. I have a wonderful husband, Denny, who is in the
insurance industry and three incredible children – Ryan (22), Meghan
(20), and Jordan (12).
My Salvation Experience
I grew up in a home where Christ
was the center. God blessed me at an early age with a tender heart
to love Him and a desire to please Him. At three years old, I can
clearly remember sitting at the Sunday School table asking Jesus to come
into my heart.
Regularly, my family talked
about God and what He meant to them. I recall my dad placing memory
verses on the bathroom mirror and memorizing a new verse each week.
I recall my mom reading
her Bible daily. I can hear my grandmother crooning gospel hymns while
washing dishes. I remember
revivals lasting six nights in a row…and we didn’t miss a service. I
recollect special teachers along the way who shared their life
experiences with me on trusting God to be in control. These factors
made a lasting impact on me in developing my personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
If my life were to be described in one point, I
would want it to be said that Michelle lives a life full of joy and
passion that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
My Call to Ministry
Although my physical vision is 20/20, my spiritual
vision sometimes can be very nearsighted. As I look back over my life,
I remember the times that I thought God was working on one single
circumstance in my life - handling one problem at a time, taking care of
one person at a time, or giving guidance through one difficult time.
I'm
sure God has chuckled at me when, through each circumstance, I am
finally able to say, "Oh, I see now, God, what
You were doing all along.” Typically, what God was working on for
my life was not anything I had imagined. Praise the Lord.
Being reared in a Christian
home, I had the typical upbringing of a kid who did not understand its blessings. I did
not know the “other side of the tracks” where there was not love,
guidance, acceptance, and dependence on God in the home. Often times,
we need to experience difficulties before we can appreciate what
we have. 
I grew up in a Christian school
with every benefit of making God’s Word a daily part of my life. I
must admit, there were those times in high school when I thought the
grass was greener on the other side.
As I left for college, my plans were to become a
CEO of a major corporation (can you hear the Heavenly laughter?) I
wanted to attend a University in Southern California, but my parents
insisted on sending me to the opposite coast to a Christian College in
South Carolina. Again, my nearsightedness could not comprehend this
change in plans. But God was leading.
While in college, I had wonderful opportunities to
work with special needs children and teach them in Sunday School. Upon
graduating and being married, I continued teaching Sunday School, VBS,
etc. for various age groups. I thought I was just a “volunteer”, but
God had me in training for something much larger.
There were times I tried to go back to “adult
Sunday School”, but it just didn’t fit – I couldn’t sit still. I wanted
to do motions to the songs, and I kept thinking of ways the lesson could
be so much more fun if we would play a game. I was destined to be a
children’s teacher.
At one point my family attended a church that
needed a new Children’s Sunday School and Worship program. I
volunteered to design this and subsequently became the Director.
Shortly after, due to Staff changes, I was asked to be the new
Children’s Pastor. As I sat in the Sr. Pastor’s office, flashes of my
life (I believe we call this hindsight) began going through my mind –
Christian upbringing, Christian grade school, Christian College, desire
to teach children. It was an epiphany – God had been leading me to this
point my whole life, but I just hadn’t seen it.
As we seek to
develop our lives, we are only able to do it a few people at a time.
For example, if we are moving to a new location, we begin to fit the
pieces together for our spouses, children, and ourselves, and maybe a
few others along the way. However, God is working out a whole world of
people at the same time. Little did I know that when we moved to the
new church, God was working in my family’s life, the staff’s life, the
congregation’s life, and so much more. It all had to fit at one time
and only an omniscient being who has great far sided vision could
orchestrate that plan – Of course, that is our God!
It’s no wonder my life verse is Romans 8:28, And we
know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose.
God has continued to work in my life directing me
to various milestones in my ministry. He has brought many experiences
and opportunities to my life to help me minister and encourage those
involved with Children’s ministry – parents, teachers, or Pastors.
My Vision for Children’s Ministry
When I first began as the Director of a Sunday
Worship program, I decided to write a manual to guide in the development
of the program and the training of the teachers. I wanted to have a
vision statement that I could share with others so they knew the purpose
for my ministry.
I drew from my experience as both a parent and a
teacher – what would I like for my children to know, feel, and do about
a relationship with Jesus Christ.
My vision for Children’s Ministry is to see
children lead to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, challenged in
learning the Bible, excited about coming to worship, and motivated to
evangelize and serve.
The path I take to reach this goal is a partnership
of
- Equipping parents to spiritually nurture their
children in the home
- Involving other church staff members in all
aspects of Children’s Ministry
- Encouraging and enriching volunteers to
understand how to be the most effective in their ministry
- Building relationships with children by having
applicable and experiential ministries for them to be involved.
