In less than a week I will be headed to Chicago for the very first Kidmin Conference hosted by Group. I am over the top excited to get together with others in Children's Ministry for this time of conversations and learning.
Several of my friends are speaking and I wanted to take this time to learn more about them and what they will be sharing at the conference.
Have you met Jonathan Cliff?
One of the things that I love about Jonathan is his passion for families. He is a huge advocate for the family and believes that the family is God's primary way of reaching the world. He and his family have begun a wonderful journey in being a foster family.
Jonathan is the Next Generations Pastor at Trinity Church in Lubbock, Texas. He leads a fantastic team that's committed to creating an intentional strategy for reaching the next generations of the church through children's ministry, student ministry, and college outreach.
Here are Jonathan's answers to my 20 questions:
Rollercoaster or merry-go-round?
---RollerCoaster...but nothing spinning please.
Do you like your own handwriting?
---I do like it. I'm an all-caps, block letter man.
What would your superpower be if you could choose one?
---The Ability to read books just by holding them against my head for 5 seconds.
What is one of your favorite quotes?
---"The irresponsible will always be at the mercy of the responsible."
What do you collect?
---Nothing
What movie would your friends be surprised that you like?
---Does "Dexter" count?
What are your favorite smells?
---steak off the grill
Coffee or Tea?
---Coffee
What is the best thing you've ever eaten? (Where?)
---Anytime I eat fresh seafood while looking out over the ocean.
What are you listening to right now?
---Future of Forestry
What career would you pursue in another life?
---Sports beat writer
What sound or noise do you love?
---garage door opening when my wife is coming home late at night.
Mountains or Beach?
---Beach all day long!
What would you tell the 13 year old you?
---The pimple will go away one day.
What is your favorite cereal?
---Count Chocula
What book are you reading now?
---Radical, by David Platt
What was your favorite toy as a child?
---baseball
Where did you spend your last family vacation?
---Surfside Beach, TX
Jonathan will be leading a workshop at the conference called Under New Management: Gaining Influence in a New Place and here is a bit of what he will be sharing there.
Change happens! You've unpacked the suitcases, set up your new office, and introduced yourself to those now on your "new team." Now what? How do you lead people you've just met? How do you start day one of this new journey? How can you begin to gain influence in a new place?
Transitioning to a new place is a carefully orchestrated dance--and you're dancing lead! In this workshop, you'll learn how you can start fresh and give yourself the best chance to grow a healthy, alive, and vibrant children's ministry with new leaders! And just as importantly, you'll learn what to avoid and how you can keep from getting into an unhealthy pattern quickly!
Take some time to chat with Jonathan at the conference. I think he might be a baseball fan, so you could definitely mention the Rangers to break the ice :) You can learn more about Jonathan and from him on his blog and you can connect with him on Twitter.
Looking forward to seeing you in Chi-town!
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