Microtrends—from “Trend Quakes”
microtrend #1 : Video Curriculum
“Churches are putting all the kids together in one big room. This isn’t the
best way to develop relationships. Relationships are key to helping kids (or
anyone) to develop a growing relationship with Jesus…We need some of our
ministry to be in small groups for kids with loving adults so relationships
can be built with teachers and peers.”
—Becki West, co-founder KidZ At Heart International
microtrend #2: Age MicroSegmentation
“Historically, groupings for children’s ministry have been driven by
curriculum designers who attempt to reflect developmental needs. Today,
though, churches are narrowing the bull’s-eye target to more efficiently
meet kids where they are in tighter age breakdowns. That’s certainly a
legitimate strategy, especially as we consider the reality of a traditional
group like ‘primary.’ In a single class, we end up with students with a huge
range of skills/interests/abilities. This type of age targeting is only
realistic, of course, for larger churches. We can anticipate that
congregations with smaller student populations will continue to segment in
traditional ways.”
—Mary Manz Simon, author Trend-Savvy Parenting
microtrend #3 : Simple Church
“There’s a trend toward ‘simple church’—less programs with more focus on
doing what’s effective. We’ll see more churches moving away from non-Sunday
programs so they can do Sunday programs well.”
—Dale Hudson, elementary pastor Central Christian Church in Las Vegas,
Nevada
microtrend #4: Digitization
“The iTunes, Rhapsody, and Wal-Mart model for online delivery of music and
video may soon impact the book, curriculum, and magazine market…Audio books
and magazines, especially those that can reinvent themselves visually (not
just with word content) will surely mark the future. Who knows, but in a few
short years, you’ll listen to this article through MP3 or view an MPEG
movie—created by a children’s pastor, ala YouTube—that explains visually
what was formerly just the printed word.”
—Rick Chromey, professor of youth and family ministry Kentucky Christian
University
microtrend #5: Diving Deep
“Parents and children’s ministry leaders have to respond to the parents who
wants their child to dig deeper! By deeper, I think ministry leaders mean
challenging! Discipleship for kids is important.”
—Keith Johnson, Aha Architect Group Publishing
microtrend #6: Themed Environment
“Creating ‘kid-friendly’ environments is still a big wave. Lots of churches
are realizing how much it can help to have an environment that has been
decorated with kids in mind.”
—Dale Hudson, elementary pastor Central Christian Church in Las Vegas,
Nevada