What's New In Renovation Kids
It has been a full year since we have been able to gather for corporate worship. During that time, every ministry area has undergone assessment and change to facilitate more discipleship. Renovation Kids is no exception. We sat down with our new Director of Renovation Kids, Dr. Sam Crowley, to learn more about what is on the horizon.
Q: As the new Director of Renovation Kids, tell everyone a little bit about yourself.
A: Whelp, hi everyone! You all might know me already from various aspects of my life and ministry over the years. The most visible examples are worship leading and guitar playing. I joined Renovation right at the beginning (summer 2010) during pre-launch meetings, and since then, I’ve served in some capacity. Since 2016, I have been on staff in some capacity. I am a physical therapist, and I remember that being quite a transition–the medical world to the church. Dang. I was pretty good too… But knowing the Lord was calling me gave me a lot of peace. In 2019, the Lord called me to take another step out of the Worship Director role (the place where most of my tangible skills apply) and into other capacities of ministry here at Renovation. Again, it was the peace and leading of the Lord that made that transition possible for me. Now I find myself as the Director of RKM, and still with so much peace. If I look at my life at a snapshot, it’s like “How did I wind up here?” But if I follow the breadcrumbs of the Lord’s leading, it makes all the sense in the world.
But I digress. That’s more of a story of my ministry at Renovation, isn’t it? Here’s a bunch of facts that actually answer your question a bit better. I’ll mix in serious and non-important things interchangeably… I love baseball, and I was pretty good in high school. I love lifting weights; not running. I love Dawn and I had to basically chase her for a year to get her to date me. We’ve been married almost 12 years. I love extremely ridiculous or extremely dry, sarcastic humor. I love all the Marvel stuff and Star Wars (I loved Star Wars before Disney bought them, so there). I love my two little ones. Waited for over seven years for Ry; had a miscarriage along the way. Experienced God’s faithfulness in her coming. My boy Caleb is crazy and kind of quiet. His head is >99th percentile. Really big.
Q: What have you found to be the most exciting aspect of Kids Ministry?
A: Number 1 is the team. There are a lot of humble, dedicated leaders already in place. Yeji Ock, Jerry Jones, The Woodwards, Amanda Matlock. Those Bergs, man. Pastor Holben and Sylvester Johnson. Megan McElroy Moore. Just to name a few. I also love the possibilities. It’s insane to be given something so precious at a time when we somehow have this ridiculous opportunity to focus on the important rather than the urgent. Dude, kid’s ministry is urgent. Everything I’ve read and everyone I talk to will tell you that. So to be given this position during a pandemic creates this weird situation where we can focus an inordinate amount of time on dreaming together. Like a renovation show, “We could bust out that wall, maybe add an outdoor kitchen…”
The other thing is this: with worship, I always had to do so much heart work to know if I was leading and serving from the right place (I’m a 1 on the Enneagram. Sooooo 1). With kid’s ministry, there’s still much heart work to be done, don’t get me wrong. But the “morality” of it is a lot simpler to me, personally. Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” When the enemy whispers in my ear that I’m not actually doing that, that it’s really about my ego or something, deep down, I can find the right response a lot faster than usual. “Mmmmmm… Yeah though, but that’s like, what we do. Feeding lambs. Yeah. I think you’ll have to try again later, devil.” With kid’s ministry, you likely don’t have to worry as much about guarding your heart against a desire for glory, praise of people, or thirst for fame or something like that. I mean, I’m sure there are other temptations, but it probably won’t be those...
Q: What areas from the previous years of Kids Ministry set you up for success in the future?
A: Again, Number 1 is the team. It’s the people. I love, love, love creative, awesome systems and structures. That’s one of my things that applies, whatever team I serve on, but the people are the ones that bring the heart of the ministry forward. Everything passes away (except the Word of God), but systems really do. They have to if a vision is to be constantly pursued in a changing world. But the heart of a person who is called to a place/ministry? Man, that’s precious. If we were starting from scratch, the people wouldn’t be there! But everywhere I look, there are these people who are passionate about the mission of this place, this ministry. Not only that, they have skill, experience and–I believe–godly endurance. Anyone who continues serving somewhere through multiple iterations and systems really believes in the heart of the ministry, the vision, the dream. They’re specially equipped for the work by their unique experience. Experience and endurance ain’t cheap. The expertise of my team and of previous team leaders like Vivian Vaughan have been instrumental in setting the tone for what our future will be. I lack a lot of the tangible, ground-level skills, but with their joyful assistance, I believe we’ve made the most of this opportunity to dream. My strengths (systems, innovation) are negated without theirs (godly endurance, applicable skills, deep love for the ministry’s soul).
Q: What challenges and opportunities have the pandemic presented you as a parent in discipling your children, as well as, partnering with parents in the discipling of their children?
A: Ooh, man. My kids are really little. One challenge is the fact that they’re a bit undersocialized because of COVID. Too eager or too standoffish. The opportunity has been reorienting more of my life around being present with them. I never would have dreamed that I could do this many things with them right there (pause for effect) throughout the day (Show of hands if you feel the same way as a parent). It has been… ahem… challenging at times. But in this new normal, my patience and tolerance are increased, and I can do so much more with them right beside me. I love that. It’s the gift of presence where I least expected it. A precious thing, actually. I would have never discovered it.
For RKM, I think I mentioned the biggest opportunity above. We get the chance to expend less energy on the week-to-week and to dream. We can even reevaluate and rework some foundational things that would be almost impossible to do amidst the weekly grind (or at the very least, they’d be way, way harder to do). One thing we’ve always wanted to do is partner with parents in the discipleship of these little ones. One of the things we’re working on is thinking through what partnership looks like beyond Sunday, throughout the week.
Q: Tell us some more about the changes and additions that will help RKM partner with parents.
A: I’m excited about this question. Number 1 is communication. When I came on staff, I would say communication was my greatest weakness. It’s hard, man. We’re all inundated with so much, so it’s actually really understandable that the answer is more complicated than just sending out a big email with all the important information. We are currently in the process (with the skilled assistance of one Molly Berg) of building a “Parent’s Hub” where all things RKM are posted and updated constantly. We’re also reworking databases and creating a parent’s-only communication lane. Part of the overarching “Communication Machine” will be the incorporation of some new curriculum elements, with some things that are specially designed for that day-to-day partnership. Even though none of these things are especially new or innovative by industry standards, together, I believe they are quite innovative. I’m a creative at heart, a songwriter. But I’ve learned that true innovation often comes from unique pairings rather than original creation outright. Now that I’m outside my wheelhouse, I’m relying on our unique team’s perspective and excellent, established resources to cultivate what I believe will be a truly special thing.
This is the part where I’d turn to the camera (if there was one) and stare deep into the lens. Man, if this excites you, and if you haven’t yet found a place to uniquely use your gifts to serve on God’s mission, in God’s church, we’ve got a place for you. No matter your gift set, there’s probably a special contribution you can make to this ministry. We are in a unique place to fulfill so many of Jesus’ commandments as a team. But that means it won’t be easy. It’ll take commitment. It’ll take bearing a cross. But in doing so, we’ll find ourselves. That’s the promise.
We serve those who are often forgotten. The weak. Those who can’t fight for themselves. We “feed lambs.” That’s what we do. We are on mission, evangelizing to a future generation, almost as if we were travelling through time to share the good news with a people group we know very little about. Come learn what it is to sacrifice and serve. We know it’s Jesus’ way, and if you struggle to find your avenue for obedience to His calls, I can sure offer you one.
Beyond that, if we fail here but make the most of other opportunities, have we really succeeded? I don’t think so. Maybe a precursor to the further extension of the gospel in our community is its extension throughout our own home. Come be a part of that. Email me at sam@renovationchurch.com.