Here are a few tips on how to make a request to begin DC4K at your church.

Schedule a 30-minute appointment

This is key. Otherwise, you’ll ambush your pastor with information he may not be ready to process. Plus, during an impromptu meeting, you’ll likely feel rushed and forget to make key points. Remember to include your children’s minister in this meeting. Even though DC4K may not fall under your church’s children’s ministry, it will be important to have this minister’s support.

During the meeting

Here’s what you’ll want to communicate during your meeting:

Explain what DC4K is

If your church leadership isn’t clear about what DC4K is, they probably won’t give you a green light. So communicate that:

• DC4K is a Christ-centered ministry. It helps children whose parents are divorced and separated.
• DC4K is designed to reach and help children and single parent families inside, and outside, the host church.
• DC4K does not encourage divorce. It helps children who’ve been hurt by it.

Explain what DC4K consistently does

• DC4K helps churches grow. This is due to the fact that DC4K draws people from outside of the host church. These “guests” often join the host church.
• DC4K introduces children to Christ. About half the participants in a typical DC4K group are not active churchgoers and are not followers of Christ.
• DC4K empowers your church to minister to multiple children and single parent families simultaneously.
• DC4K leads to healing and coping skills, and it teaches children how to identify and communicate their emotions and worries.

Explain why you want to begin this ministry at your church

• Share why you have a passion for this ministry, and what you think could happen if your church supports it. Be sure to articulate your vision and commitment. Church leaders need to know that you will be around to follow through and build the ministry.

Share your plan

• Explain that you’d like to form a team to lead DC4K at your church.
• Let your pastor know what you think your role will be on the team, the number of other people you’ll need and what you envision their responsibilities to be (a person for publicity, someone to be a greeter, a person to co-facilitate the group with you, etc.).
• Give your pastor a proposed budget for running DC4K at your church. Remember that DC4K parents typically pay for the activity books, so make sure that your leadership understands that you will generate income to offset the cost of the books.

Explain why you think the program will be a success

• The kit comes with a free training video and detailed Leader’s Guide. Plus it comes with a Quick Start Guide and video to put you on the fast track for starting a successful DC4K group.
• DC4K offers free phone support and an online LeaderZone to help you troubleshoot potential problems. So even though you’re doing something new, you won’t have to bombard the church leadership with questions about how to make it work.
• DC4K comes with publicity materials (posters, promotional videos, press releases and more).

Tell your pastor what you need

• Support: Let your pastor know that if he allows you to begin DC4K, you’ll need the church to provide an adequate meeting space, and the time and resources to promote your group inside and outside the church.
• A kit: Ask your pastor if it’s possible for the church to purchase the kit and your initial order of activity books. (Be sure to have an idea of how much that would cost before your meeting with him.) Let your pastor know that many churches charge a registration fee to offset the cost of activity books and refreshments for meetings.
• Ask your pastor if he can give you a date as to when he’ll let you know of the final decision.

What to leave with your pastor

The “Introducing DC4K” sheet — Make sure you leave this with your pastor. It contains a summary of what you’ll have shared with him, plus instructions on where he can go to find more information on DC4K.

Need more help?

Contact us. We have DC4K consultants standing by to answer any questions you have about DC4K and to help you begin this ministry at your church. Just give us a call at 1-800-489-7778.