WHY DOES KIDTREK DO WHAT IT IS DOING?
WHY IS KIDTREK DIFFERENT FROM AN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM OR DROP IN CENTER?
WHAT WILL THIS COST MY CHURCH?
WHAT ARE KIDTREK'S BASIC THEOLOGICAL TENETS?
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN KIDTREK'S BASIC TRAINING?
WHO ARE THE ROLE PLAYERS AND WHAT IS EACH OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES?
WHO ARE THE KIDS AND HOW ARE THEY SELECTED?
WHEN CAN A KIDTREK CENTER OPEN IN MY CHURCH?
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TIMELINE FOR GETTING STARTED?
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TIMELINE FOR SETTING GOALS/OUTCOMES?
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TIMELINE FOR SEEING CHANGE?
HOW DOES KIDTREK ASSIST OUR LOCAL MINISTRY?
WHAT ABOUT FUNDS FOR MY MINISTRY?
HOW I CAN PERSONALLY CONNECT TO A LOCAL MINISTRY?
WHO ARE AT-RISK KIDS?
KidTrek’s ultimate purpose is to equip (model, train, coach) the church to reach families in crisis.
Our desire is to see at-risk kids become Christ-changed, hope-filled, productive adults by connecting them to the local Bible teaching church through the presence of committed, consistent, long term Christian adults in their lives.
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KidTrek is not a program, but a
philosophy of ministry. KidTrek cannot be explained in a five minute conversation because it is “caught, accepted and believed” as a
way of
life. It is a person's paradigm, or way of thinking, about how to raise up Godly adults.
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The cost of running a Center will ultimately depend on your Level of Assistance.
KidTrek Associate
For the Associate, the cost will vary depending on available facilities and whether using paid staff or volunteers. We help each ministry think
through all of the costs that will best serve their needs (including providing specific training on fund development), but the Associate ministry is ultimately responsible for it's own fund development and program costs.
KidTrek Center
The annual operating cost of a KidTrek Center is free to the local church. KidTrek will assume the responsibility for raising the needed funds to be sure the Center is operational, including providing two Frontline Staff (KidTrek employees).
This does not mean the local church cannot contribute financially if they so desire, but it is not a mandatory requisite to become a KidTrek Center. The local church will already be contributing through the use of its facilities, and eventually, participation of its congregation (through the GAP Ministry).
Both KidTrek Center & Associate
- Financially
KidTrek is an investment; it will involve commitment and sacrifice. Investments are typically not cheap, and at the very least they cost us something. KidTrek, as an organization, is committed to excellence for God, the Church and the children, for which we are prepared to pay what it costs. As King David told Araunah in 2 Samuel 24: 21-24,
"And Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’ David said, ‘To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.’ Then Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offerings
and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.’ And Araunah said to the king, ‘The LORD your God accept you.’ But the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.’
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver."
- Commitment
As stated earlier, KidTrek is not a program, but a philosophy of ministry; it is a way of life. Whether a KidTrek Center or an Associate, each church will need to weigh the cost of their commitment; this will involve sacrifice and trust in the LORD to truly be effective in doing His work in the children’s lives.
While Associates may have more "direct" financial responsibility, they will also have many challenges dealing with commitment (e.g., staff vs. volunteers). But it will also mean, based on their source of funding, their commitment may not need to be as in-depth as KidTrek trained them to do, concentrating more on drop-in-centers, outreach nights, and after school programs.
The church with the KidTrek Center on the other hand,will have less financial responsibility, but their commitment level will be higher as each KidTrek Center will be
equipped with Frontline Staff committed to a long term relationship with 5 children and their families.
KidTrek, as an organization, will make the commitment to walk through life with these children well into their 30's by providing the consistent long term adults in their lives. The church itself will be committing to supporting and participating in the GAP program. Though this will be directed by the KidTrek Frontline Staff in the beginning, the eventual goal is for the church to take this over.
Please contact us regarding specific costs (both financial and commitment) for your Christian Ministry (i.e., church or parachurch) to attend the next Basic Training, purchase curriculum, or questions about operating a Center.(Click to contact us)
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Due to KidTrek's desire to reach as many children as possible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have adopted the
Lausanne Covenant as our statement of faith in an effort to be more eccumenical.
“The Lausanne Covenant is a declaration agreed upon by more than 2,300 evangelicals during the 1974 International Congress to be
more intentional about world evangelization. Since then, the Covenant has challenged churches and Christian organizations to work
together to make Jesus Christ known throughout the world.”
KidTrek Associate
KidTrek will expect Associates to understand where KidTrek is coming from theologically before they attend
Basic Training. All training and curriculum will be taught and used in a manner reflected by the Lausanne Covenant. But due to Associates running their own programs, KidTrek will not require adherence to our theological tenents.
KidTrek Center
KidTrek is committed to working with any and all churches to open KidTrek Centers on their campuses, regardless of theological tenents, as along as they can agree with and acknowledge the Lausanne Covenant.
KidTrek is not seeking to indoctrinate or change churches core theological tenants. But we believe we need to be sure the biblical message being communicated from its Frontline Staff is the same as what is being communicated from the pulpit.
KidTrek’s Frontline Staff will be members of your church and adhere to the church leadership’s desire for incorporating these families
into the local church. Frontline Staff must be able to agree with submitting to the church's mission statement, values, doctrinal statement.
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ANYONE interested in changing a child’s life by introducing him/her to Jesus Christ and connecting him/her to a local bible teaching church.
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- Church
- Can choose to be either a KidTrek Center or partner with KidTrek as an Associate Ministry
- KidTrek Center
- Church considers the cost to congregation
- Works with KidTrek to develop a Memo of Understanding which defines partnership unique to that church
- Has a commitment to fold community families, regardless of economic/social status, into congregation
- Commitment of church staff to train congregation to fold families into church
- Associate Ministry
- Sends individuals to KidTrek Training
- Runs own after school ministry
- As able (Deuteronomy 16:17) will assist in the raising of funds to support ministry
- Partner Church
- A church may choose to partner with another church who is going to have a KidTrek Center
- This partner church will not have any direct partnership with KidTrek
- Church may provide volunteers and/or funding for ministry at KidTrek Center
- More than one church may choose to partner together to have an Associate Ministry
- KidTrek suggests Partner churches have a MOU between them to avoid misunderstandings
- KidTrek
- KidTrek Center
- Works with church to develop Memo of Understanding which defines partnership unique to that church
- Works with church to develop a plan for training congregation in regard to folding KidTrek families into church
- Will take the lead in the raising of funds to support ministry
- Will recruit two Frontline Staff to equip (model train, coach) church members
- Will supervise the management and implementation of the center
- Associate Ministry
- Training
- Limited coaching
- Para-Church
- Can only be an Associate Ministry
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The missionaries will begin by visiting the local elementary school, getting to know the principal, counselors, and teachers.
Kids are selected based on “at-risk” needs/criteria and the probability of living long term in current location.
Experience has shown
that the younger kids are when you begin to work with them the greater the possibility for generational family brokenness
to be stopped. KidTrek staff will have a rubric to help them hand pick five-ten kids living near Church/Center. An example of
what this rubric may look like:
Five first graders:
- 1 student from extreme poverty
- 1 student with extreme behavior issues
- 1 student with “learning disabilities”
- 1 student considered “moderate”
- 1 student considered “gifted,” but not achieving
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- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
- KidTrek and Church leadership workout details of partnership and put in writing
- Funds Raised
- Frontline Staff have raised their first year of support
- KidTrek, along with church if able, have raised money for first year operating cost
- Training
- Church congregation taught
- Frontline Staff trained
- Church members who will serve as volunteers trained
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- Church leadership makes a decision to become a KidTrek Center
- Church works with KidTrek to develop MOU – 1-3 months
- Frontline Staff are recruited – 3 to six months
- Raise support – 1 year
- Training – can happen during time of raising support
- Report to church – 1 year after recruitment
- Recruit kids – 1 month
- While recruiting kids prepares facilities and materials
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The following must happen before we can talk about outcomes:
- Initial presentation
- Brainstorming expectations
- Writing out of MOU
- Signing of MOU by KidTrek and Church
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- Change in kids’ grades seen in first three months
- Change in attitude and behavior of kids in first year
- School acceptance in second year
- Community awareness of results in second year
- It takes three years minimum before families will trust a church enough to begin attending
- Kids remain in home of origin who otherwise may have been placed in foster homes
- Visible signs of community change-ten years
- Fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ-twenty years
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- Basic training (at a minimum investment)
Eight day intensive training, including Child Development, Programming, Administration, and Staff Development.
- Curriculum (at cost)
Bible centered, character based curriculum with material showing how to minister to the whole child/teen. The
biblical theme weaves through all activities. The curriculum: Bible Focus/Bible 101, Life Skills, Crafts/The Arts, Read A-Loud, Recreation, Christian Biographies from the five primary ethnic origins, and Music.
- Coaching (no cost)
Regional Facilitators
are available for a minimum of
twice a month contact with each KidTrek Director - answering questions, giving
support, finding resources. Regional Facilitators visit on-site, a minimum of twice each year.
- Provide yearly training for all Directors.
- Assist churches in developing a do-able plan to equip primary nurturers.
- Coaching in fund development.
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We will provide coaching by a professional fund developer.
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To minister in a local church in your area, please click on Partners Spotlight and contact them directly.
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At – Risk Kids Defined
(a partial list)
- Have experienced abuse or neglect—safety issues
- Live in low income homes
- Substance abuse in the family
- Mistrust/disrespect of authority
- Absence of one or both parents
- Live in court-placed homes
- Involved in the juvenile court system
- One or more siblings involved in gangs
- Poor language skills
- One or both parents unemployed
- Poor communication in the family
- A physical or emotional disability
- Retained in school grade level one or more times
- Family annual income less than $20,000
- Absence of role modeling
- No consistent participation in a church community
Multiple At-Risk Factors
(2000 U.S. Census data)
- 80% of children in low-income families or where
no parent works have at least one other risk factor.
- 56% of children in low-income families have three
or more risk factors.
Probable Outcomes as Adults when mentoring does not occur
(a partial list)
- Teen pregnancy
- Crime/violence leading to incarceration
- Public dependency
- Chronic unemployment
- No spiritual dimension—unaware of God’s love and presence
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