ABOUT CMRC
MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Children's Ministry Resource Commission to facilitate effective ministry to children worldwide by networking the AGWM children's ministry efforts.
Interaction, networking, and conferences will inevitably emerge as important factors in the development of a united, comprehensive strategy for children's ministry resources through AGWM. The CMRC will purposefully encourage appropriate forums for these activities to occur on the national, area, regional, or multi-regional level, under the guidance of appropriate AGWM and national church leadership.
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CHARTER OBJECTIVES
The CMRC will work in conjunction with the AGWM Executive Committee:
- To eliminate redundancy in the creation of materials.
- To encourage quality children's ministry.
- To assist missionaries and nationals in the acquisition and development of quality resources.
- To assist leaders in evaluating requests for children's ministry projects.
- To provide an overall mission statement for ministry to children through AGWM.
- To assist regional and area directors in developing children's ministry strategies for specific countries.
- To provide resources that will encourage national churches to pursue ministry to children in close collaboration with local church leadership.
- To maintain a comprehensive database of resources and personnel.
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COMPLETE CHARTER
Children's Ministry Resource Commission
FOUR BASIC MINISTRY TRACKS
As we consider how this commission would serve Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), we must look at the basic tracks of children's ministry that we are currently involved in. They are:
- Children's evangelism
- Church ministry/discipleship
- Compassion ministry to children
- Children's ministry workers training
These tracts have unique needs and often operate independent from one another. As we seek to network ministries together, we must also tailor our services toward them individually.
MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Children's Ministry Resource Commission to facilitate effective ministry to children worldwide by networking the AGWM children's ministry efforts.
Interaction, networking, and conferences will inevitably emerge as important factors in the development of a united, comprehensive strategy for children's ministry resources through AGWM. The CMRC will purposefully encourage appropriate forums for these activities to occur on the national, area, regional, or multi-regional level, under the guidance of appropriate AGWM and national church leadership.
OBJECTIVES
The CMRC will work in conjunction with the AGWM Executive Committee:
- To eliminate redundancy in the creation of materials.
- To encourage quality children's ministry.
- To assist missionaries and nationals in the acquisition and development of quality sources.
- To assist leaders in evaluating requests for children's ministry projects.
- To provide an overall mission statement for ministry to children through AGWM.
- To assist regional and area directors in developing children's ministry strategies for specific countries.
- To provide resources that will encourage national churches to pursue ministry to children in close collaboration with local church leadership.
- To maintain a comprehensive database of resources and personnel.
PERSONNEL
- Chairman: The chairman will coordinate activities of the commission. a. Secretary/administrative assistant
- Administrative Committee: The AdCom will consist of a representative from each region to be appointed by the regional director for that region. (The chairman does not represent a region.)
- Creative Caucus: A group of individuals* who represent the creative force of children's ministries will be called together for a specific event to:
- Focus on "big picture" items.
- Strategize for children's ministry in the AGWM.
- Think tank (new ways to do it / think outside the box).
- Tackle specific challenges presented by the regions. e. Cast vision for ministry to children internationally.
Nominations will be presented to the AdCom by the regional representatives for ratification. Once ratified by the AdCom, the regional representative would contact the area director for approval.
*It is the understanding that the CC and CMRC will focus on AGWM personnel. However, key national children's ministry workers will be included at the discretion of regional leaders.
- Missionaries: Active children's ministry workers* who are involved in children's ministries would be members of the larger Children's Ministry Network. As such, they would be invited to participate in activities sponsored by the commission and take advantage of all services the commission offers.
* The CMRC would define an active children's ministry worker as anyone who senses a call to minister to children and is actively involved in doing so. However, this would not exclude other ministry involvement. Example, a missionary assigned as a Bible school teacher may have an active, outside children's ministry commitment on a consistent basis. This definition therefore includes those in full time children's ministry, majority time children's ministry, and others with a viable children's ministry involvement. Ultimate inclusion in the Children's Ministry Network will be determined upon this definition by the CMRC AdCom in consultation with the area and regional directors.
FUNCTION
- Administrative Committee Meetings
The AdCom will meet on an as needed basis, not less than twice per year to deal with administrative duties including the following:
- Dissemination of information to missionaries and AGWM leadership regarding ministry of the commission.
- To serve AGWM leadership with council and recommendations concerning children's ministry issues.
- To serve as an information and resource conduit for missionaries and nationals with regard to children's ministries.
- To identify potential Creative Caucus members and Review Panel members. (See above and below.)
- Creative Caucus
The AdCom will identify potential Creative Caucus members who will join the AdCom to become the creative impetus for the commission. (See above.)
- Regional Meetings
To influence the development of children's ministry, these meetings will b~ held regionally and focus on children's ministry issues specific to that region. These meetings will involve nationals as well as AGWM children's ministry personnel. These meetings will be held at the discretion of regional directors who would also, with the assistance of the regional representative, set the agenda for those meetings. .
- Product Review Panels
Panels will be established by the AdCom to review children's products and materials. These panels will be made up of individuals, from three different regions, with a high level of practical experience in the area under evaluation.
Honest reviews are essential if our missionaries are to make good decisions about a product. The identity of the reviewers will never be published to encourage an honest review. A minimum of three reviews will be published so as to provide a broad view.
- Panels will be formed to cover the following areas:
- Evangelism materials
- Discipleship materials
- Curriculum (Sunday school and children's church)
- Training materials
- Compassion ministry materials
- Specialized ministry materials (Hearing impaired, literacy & blind)
- Ministry supplies
Each panel will be made up of a minimum of three people. These will be recommended by their regional reps for placement. If ratified by the AdCom, they will be contacted by their regional reps. The AdCom will invite people to serve on these panels for a term of one year at a time. One person could serve on a maximum of three panels at any given time.
Review Guidelines:
- Though reviewers will take a balanced approach .in their critiques, published reviews will accentuate the positive aspects and stress the viability for specific usage.
- A broad usage review: This curriculum can be used anywhere, anytime, by anyone.
- A narrow usage review: These lessons may be useful in some rural settings where art and simple story telling methods are appropriate.
- Reviewers will also evaluate the product from the perspective of value for the money and redundancy. This will mean that the panel members will need to be thoroughly acquainted with what is available on the market.
- As reviews will be published in the CMRC Resource Catalogue, they need ,to be submitted in a timely manner and may be edited for length.
These panels will serve the AGWM leadership as well. When a children's ministry project is proposed, these panels, through the commission, would be available to lend their expertise.
It will be entirely up to the director whether they request input from these panels. In that some materials will fall under more than one ministry tract, directors will also have the option of submitting the materials to more than one of the panels. For the convenience of the director, contact with the panels would be channeled through the commission.
- Resource Catalogue
In order to provide a detailed description of all materials produced by AGWM personnel for children's ministry, a catalogue will be created. Every product currently available for use or reference, whether currently in print or not, would be given space in this catalogue It would be available in print, on CD Rom, and online.
- Details and information would include the following:
- Picture and description of the article proposed usage
- Testimonials as to usage cost
- Usage guidelines/copyright issues
- Recommendations for usage
ACCOUNTABILITY AND RELATIONSHIPS
This commission will not engage in establishing policy or granting approvals. In no way will the commission ever be perceived as a controlling body. It will serve the AGWM in the following ways
- The Regional/Area Directors.
The CMRC will serve the regional and area directors as they evaluate project approvals. The commission will be available to give recommendations pertaining to requests they receive from their missionaries or national churches. Each regional director will place a representative on the AdCom. Area directors will identify missionaries who will join the Creative Caucus and control missionary attendance at CMRC events.
- Missionaries
The CMRC will serve the missionaries as they minister to children by supporting their efforts in every way possible. Missionaries will be encouraged to attend the CMRC Children's Ministry Caucus at AGWM School of Missions where they will be introduced to the latest ministry tools, strategies for ministry, and successful models of ministry.
- National Children's Ministry Workers
The CMRC will not relate directly to national church ministry efforts unless specifically directed to do so by regional or area directors. Though at no point would the CMRC attempt to exclude nationals from events or resources, the CMRC will relate to nationals through missionaries as they are directed by their AGWM leaders.
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