In the years that I've led children's, youth, and family ministry in the context of the church, I found that the beginning of the new school year was a time to bring people together, clarify and reinforce our vision and mission, and remind ourselves why we're doing what we're doing.
One helpful way we accomplished this was to identify a theme verse—what we call a “banner verse.” A banner verse is like a flag flying over the year. It shows up in various places and activities, reminds us of who we are, reinforces our mission, and helps unify us for the task at hand. It answers the question: Why are we doing what we're doing?
Typically, at a new ministry year launch, we would gather people—nursery workers, teachers, volunteers serving in various children's ministries—and introduce the banner verse. We would also include parents and grandparents, to inspire them to partner with us in a shared vision and mission as we begin the new year together.
While I’m no longer leading next generation ministry in my local church, I now lead an organization committed to the discipleship of the next generation. As we start our new ministry and fiscal year, we’ve chosen a banner verse to rally our team and partners--Isaiah 46:8 "Remember this and stand firm..." If you’re trying to think of a banner verse, you're welcome to join us in embracing this one. We’ll be offering tools along the way to help reinforce it throughout the year.
I will be sharing how you can use Isaiah 46:8 as a banner verse in a webinar on July 29 (at 3 PM ET). I hope you'll register for that webinar.
You can find previous banner verse examples here:
