Ministry-To-Children.com » Reviews

Grace Based Parenting: A Summer Must Read

Kristin Charles — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:32:34 +0000

Preview this book on Amazon.com

I really hope that I’m not alone when I say that parenting is the hardest thing that I have ever done. I say that in honesty and humility. I am ashamed to say that I have misrepresented a loving God to my children with impatience, fatigue, fear, control, or manipulation at times. This is not how God parents me.

God parents me with grace. God parents me with love. God parents me with freedom.

Grace Based Parenting, by Dr. Tim Kimmel, explores these foundational truths. Using God’s parenting style as a guide and His word as our directive, Grace Based Parenting allows us to see our children as God sees them. They are flawed and forgiven, as are we.

Dr. Tim Kimmel states that every child has the following inner needs: to be secure in love, to have a significant purpose, and to have a strong hope in Christ. These particular needs are met through the four following freedoms:

The freedom to be different
The freedom to be vulnerable
The freedom to be candid
The freedom to make mistakes

After reading this book, I had to confess that I often take these freedoms away from my own children. I balk at my son wearing a batting helmet into the grocery store and I cringe when my daughter covers herself in mud and worms for the fun of it. I need to allow my children to be the individuals that God designed them to be, even if that looks like daily helmets and too many loads of laundry.

Besides allowing for the quirks, I also learned that I need to allow for their weaknesses. As a girl raised with a strong New England work ethic, I grew up learning that weaknesses were not acceptable. You try harder, you work harder, or you do things smarter. Granted, hard work is its own reward and we need to teach our children the value of it. However, we also need to teach them the value of weakness.

Dr. Kimmel writes, “Sometimes God deliberately puts things in our children’s lives that make them feel extremely fragile – and He doesn’t take them away.” Much like Paul’s thorn in his flesh, our children will grow up with an area of vulnerability. It is our responsibility to respond to that weakness with grace. In fact, grace will make all of the difference in the world. It will either allow them to identify with the weakness and be condemned by it. Or, it will allow them to identify with Christ and know that His power is made perfect in that very vulnerability.

I would highly recommend Grace Based Parenting to any parent, grandparent, children and youth ministry worker, teacher, whomever. It is one of the best books I have ever read on championing children. It is not a book of impossible lists, formulas, and/or do’s and don’ts; nor is it a book that licenses sin. It is a book that challenges the way you see the children in your homes, communities, and churches. It challenges you to see them through the lens of Christ, who parents us with grace; that we might partner with Him to do the same.

If you’re looking for a book to read in that long car ride or at the pool this summer, this might just be the one! What other books on parenting would you recommend? We would love to hear your comments, thoughts, and suggestions.

For more Dr. Tim Kimmel, visit his website or follow on Twitter.

10 Non-Kidmin Books that Every Kidmin Should Have

Wayne Stocks — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:42:50 +0000

There are lists of Kidmin books that every personal in children’s ministry should have. They include titles from people like Jim Wideman, Sue Miller, Reggie Joiner, Dale Hudson, Ryan Frank and many more. Chances are that you have some or all of them on your shelves already. The purpose of this post is to give you a list of books that have little or nothing to do with Children’s Ministry that you should also have in your library.

1. A Good Study Bible

Just because we are teaching kids doesn’t mean that we should sacrifice the depth and breadth of scripture in our teaching. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are going to teach kids, you should prepare just as much, if not more, than you would to teach a room full of adults. That means having a good study Bible to study with. I really really like the ESV study bible. The translation is top notched, and the notes in this Bible will inform and challenge you in your reading. If I were to pick only one Bible to read for the rest of my life, this would be it. I am also partial to NASB MacArthur Study Bible and the HCSB Study Bible. I understand there is also now an ESV MacArthur Study Bible which, though I haven’t seen it, I imagine would also be a great resource.

2. A Good Bible Commentary

You should have a good Bible Commentary as well. There are many good ones out there. Look around a little bit and find one that suits you. Before you invest a lot of money though, make sure to do some research to make certain you are comfortable that the commentary is grounded in biblical truth. Personally, I have a couple of commentary sets, but one I really like is the The Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Abridged Edition. This two volume set is an abridged version of the 12 volume Expositor’s Bible Commentary which is also really good and goes much more in depth, but is also a lot more expensive. I know this is a non-kidmin listing, but there is also a really good “commentary” with a kidmin focus. It has all of the useful information of a commentary but is geared towards those who teach kids. It is called The Bible Story Handbook.

3. A Good Devotional Book

I am a huge fan of Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening. That said, there are tons of good devotional books out there. Find one, or several, that work for you and start to read through them. Make this part of your daily quiet time with God.

4. Books on Child Development and Educational Theory

As those who work in children’s ministry, we should be students of children. Part of that involved knowing how they develop and how they learn. Find a good book or two on childhood development and educational theory and read up. It isn’t always the most riveting reading, but it will further your knowledge of kids and how they develop. One I’ve read that was pretty good was Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychologyby William R. Yount.

5. A Good Book on Church History

Like other categories of books in this listing, there are a number of decent books on church history. One that I really like is Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley. The book covers church history from Jesus through 1996. It’s not a short book, but it is manageable, and it will give you a very thorough history of the church.

6. Counseling Books

There are many good resources out there on biblical counseling. There is a really good series that includes books geared specifically to men, to women and to youth. While there is not a book geared directly to children, I would advise getting the other three to have a handy scriptural index when it comes to counseling the kids in your ministry. The three volumes are:

7. Rose Charts Books

I have become a fan of Rose publishing. Their charts and graphs have a way of taking complex Biblical concepts and information and presenting them in a simple easy to understand format. I have personally reviewed the first three books of charts, maps and timelines and highly recommend them:

They also have a selection of smaller books called “Bible Basics” that compile many of their most useful charts and information in easy to use resources. I have several of these and refer to them often:

8. Jesus Storybook Bible

There is no hiding that I am a big fan of the Jesus Storybook Bible. In my listing of best Christian Books for Kids, this book came in second only because I felt like a Bible had to be #1. In fact, the ESV Children’s Bible came in #1 in that listing. I believe that every child, and everyone who works with children ought to have a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a book that clearly lays out the story of the Bible (God’s story) in a way that kids can easily understand and clearly point every story back to its main point – Jesus!

9. Come Ye’ Children

This is the closest thing to a “children’s ministry book” in this listing of non-children’s ministry books. It is so much more than that. Come Ye’ Children was written by Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, to explore the importance of children and speaking God into their lives. I promise that you will refer to this book over and over again – at least you should! You can also hop on over and check out a very detailed synopsis and review of the book on Dad in the Middle.

10. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

This may be the “oddest book” in this list, but I have had more people tell me that this book really impacted them than virtually any other book I know of. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story was written by Donald Miller. It is the story of how he discovered that he was not living his life to the fullest in the way God had intended. This book will challenge you in terms of how you lead your life.

KidMin Leadership Book by Jim Wideman

Jenny Funderburke — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:41:39 +0000

This new book offers 20 principles for leadership in ministry.

There is a brand new resource that you need to order today, if you haven’t already.

Children’s ministry pioneer, Jim Wideman, has released Kidmin Leadership. This book is unique because it is filled with leadership lessons for children’s ministers written by children’s ministers, based on what was learned in two years of mentoring with Jim.

I was privileged to be a part of this awesome group and contribute a couple of chapters. Here is why I think you will like it:

~ It’s very practical. This isn’t pie-in-the-sky philosophy. It is stuff that can impact your leadership right now. It deals with the same topics you deal with: caring for volunteers, dealing with tough times, priorities, discipline.

~ It is filled with God’s Word. Nothing we say matters, but God’s Word never fades. The principles are based off of Scripture.

~ It’s written by people just like you. At the time of the writing, we all were serving in local churches of varying sizes and denominations and locations. We all deal with volunteers who don’t show up and parents who make us nutty.

~ It was filtered through Jim’s leadership and training. I’m a little biased, but I think Jim is the best of the best. He has served in the local church for several decades and has helped shaped children’s ministry. His wisdom about kidmin is invaluable.

So, I highly suggest you add KidMin Leadership to your bookshelf. You can order it at jimwideman.com or from Amazon.

The giveaway on this post is over and the winners have been notified by email. Thanks to all who shared their leadership tips below.

Counterfeit Gospels: An Important Book about the Good News

Tony Kummer — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:18:43 +0000

Click above to look inside "Counterfeit Gospels" on Amazon

Most of us in kids ministry get excited about sharing the Gospel with the next generation. In fact, telling about Jesus and his love is the #1 motivation for me. But sometimes in the busyness of church work, our message can become compromised.

There are forces in the world at work to marginalize, distort, and replace the biblical good news with counterfeits. The scary part is how many sincere believers have accepted these impostures as the real thing. The Church today needs to examine the scriptures and verify afresh that we’re actually telling the message of our Lord.

My friend Trevin Wax has written a new book with exactly that goal. It’s called Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope. I’ve been reading this book and want to recommend it to you. Below is my short video review and an introduction to the book from its publisher.

If you want to learn more, you can look inside this book on Amazon. Even if you’re not in a place to buy this book, you should check out Trevin’s blog. He often shares insights and selections of his best writings there without charge.

New DVD series based on Spiritual Parenting

Emily A Mullens — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:49:09 +0000

On the heels of her incredible book Spiritual Parenting, author Michelle Anthony has a new DVD resource series now available through David C. Cook Publishing.

Dr. Michelle Anthony is Pastor of Family Ministries at ROCKHARBOR Church in Costa Mesa, California. A former professor at Biola University and Talbot School of Theology, Dr. Anthony has written over a dozen resources for Christian Education and Family / Youth Ministries. She is also the Family Ministry Architect for David C. Cook.

Spiritual Parenting unravels the “good behavior” style of parenting and unveils in its place, parenting that allows the Holy spirit to work in both the children and the parent. As God does His work, we see children grow into a transformational spiritual life. Who wouldn’t want that for their child?

This is a 6 session series that takes us step by step through the book. Each session is led by Michelle as she presents in front of a small audience of parents and kid min leaders as she very casually leads us through the book, Spiritual Parenting. Occasionally, there are is an activity that the tape pauses for, obviously, that we should stop and start it as our group does the activity. Other times, there are activities that are done alongside the DVD.

As I only received the video to review, I was left with a few concerns, that might simply be answered by the curriculum itself. First, I felt the video segments were very long, to the point where I lost focus on the topic being discussed. I would have liked an occasional bullet-point or outline on the screen to draw my focus and keep me on task. I assume that there are supplemental workbooks or worksheets included as they are talked about by Michelle. This alone may have kept me engaged. Secondly, after having read the book, I felt that the video was repetitive. Possibly, changing up some of the stories from the book would keep it crisp.

Those things aside, the content of this series is remarkable. Michelle takes us to a new dimension in parenting through an old approach – Montessori education. By preparing the environment (both physical and spiritual), and giving the presentations (setting the example, using life situations as learning moments) , the exploration and resulting discoveries are organic and raw and completely embedded in the soul of the child. Although, this world renowned education philosophy has successfully educated the likes of Ann Frank and Yo Yo Ma, as well as Prince William and Prince Harry, and the founders of Google and Amazon, it has not been famously integrated into faith education. Yet, the Montessori method of education is so successful for setting children on the right track to a deeply rooted love of learning, it deserves more attention in the methods we use in Sunday School. Attention, that it receives, in Spiritual Parenting. Michelle teaches us that “good behavior” on the outside, may look good to the “outside”, but God is looking deeper. We as parents and teachers need to follow God’s lead and look deep inside the child, for it is there, that God is doing His work and where we can truly help a child find a transformational life long faith. See our review of Godly Play for a similar approach to Sunday School.

The DVD could be used by individual parents, as a parent workshop, or as a small group curriculum. But don’t let the title mislead. It needs to be used as a training tool for kid min leaders to revisit how we “parent” the kids we see each week. If we want children to truly know transformational faith, life long commitment to Christ and a deep rooted desire to follow Him, this is an eye opening approach that is easy to implement and may even rekindle the passion in the most tired of Sunday School teachers. I encourage you to give it a look.

Spiritual Parenting can be purchased through David C. Cook and Amazon.com

Review Prayer Pups Christian Comic for Kids

Emily A Mullens — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:30:48 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Jeffery Smith, author of Four Panels: A Prayer Pups Compilation and creator of the Prayer Pups, a Comic strip starring 5 adorable pups each sporting their own unique personality. This Christian comic is a fun way to introduce Bible truth to children.

Several years ago, Jeff was working on a comic strip idea called “Stinky Shark.” But as he doodled, he felt the nudge of God to to use his comic strip format to spread His Word. So he began working on “Noah’s Critters”, but when a friend mentioned that all of his animals looked like dogs, the Prayer Pups were born! The star was to be Con, the pug based on Jeff’s own little pug named Bubu! Bubu is the leader and the character who passes on the Biblical instruction. But it became clear to Jeff early on that Nim, the Chihuahua, would be the one stealing the show.

Jeff was quickly adding new strips everyday to the Prayer Pups website www.prayerpups.com and the Pups’ audience quickly grew around the world! People would send emails and messages everyday telling Jeff how much they enjoyed the Pups and what they meant to the children in their churches. Jeff personally reads every note. The prayer pups comic strips can even be emailed to you! My boys have already signed up!

“Four Panels” is compilation of Jeff’s strips. Here’s a sample!

Nim: My friend says Christians have to be perfect.
Con: Not True.
Nim: She said that if we weren’t, then we’d all be hypocrites.
Con: That’s Crazy!
Con: We know we aren’t perfect. It’s so clear that without Jesus, we’re nothing, that we came up the saying: “Not perfect, just forgiven.”
Nim: Phew! That’s a big relief. I usually don’t make it past breakfast without messing something up!

Each strip has one single sentence underneath like, “Wouldn’t be great if we were all so filled with the spirit that we cheered for Jesus?” or “You can read about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.”

What a fun book for upper elementary boys, little girls who love puppies, or kids who don’t enjoy reading.

I must admit, I was unaware of The Prayer Pups, but now I am definitely a fan – on both Facebook and Twitter! This book is available at Amazon for $19.59 with free Prime shipping.

But God didn’t stop there. Jeff took his drawings to his pastor and it was suggested that he create some church bulletins based on the Pups, thus the Good Newz Children’s Church Bulletins were born. A CD that includes customizable bulletins for your kids! The CD includes bulletins for 3 distinct age groups, comic strips starring the Prayer Pups, puzzles and word searches, weekly devotionals, jokes and riddles, and coloring pages for a full year!

But this is more than just a church bulletin. It could be used as a weekly connection for home. Using the customizable feature, you can add a personal devotional or memory verse. The comic strips can be used before church up on the “jumbotron”. They could be printed, customized, and delivered to hospitals for children to use while waiting in the ER or after having been admitted. They could be easily slipped in letters to your Compassion or World Vision kids.

These comics are a lot of fun, true to the Bible, and very contemporary. I especially liked the modern day themes and the playful approach to “teaching” truth and loved that kids have to crack open their Bible to get answers to the crossword puzzles. I am most excited about using the customizable feature on the bulletins to create a newsletter for our kid’s ministry! It can even include a calendar of events! I would love to see Jeff and the creators revamp and put in a monthly newsletter template. Maybe next year? I’m always looking for another way to effectively communicate with families, and this is definitely an option.

Visit their website at www.TheGoodNewz.com purchase the Good Newz CD today! A reasonably priced resource with many possibilities, and honestly, just plain fun!

Review: 24 Hours That Changed the World Curriculum

Emily A Mullens — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:21:38 +0000

24 Hours That Changed the World is Adam Hamilton’s acclaimed study, taking us through Jesus last week on Earth. A church-wide study available for adults, youth, 9 – 12 year olds, and 4 – 8 year olds. In this review, we will take a look at the 7-lesson curriculum for the 4-8 year olds.

The lessons are broken down into 7 separate lessons as follows. Palm Sunday, Jesus Washes Disciples’ Feet, The last Supper, The Garden of Gethsemane, Arrest and Peter’s Denial, Good Friday, and The Resurrection. Having received this just a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to review it by trying it out in a real classroom. We are on our third week.

Each lesson begins by the children being greet at the door and steered toward interest activities that have been set up in advance. It comes across very “Montessori” You allow children to explore the different stations of interest, but it didn’t quite work that way for us. The first activity was making palm leaf crosses. The children this age couldn’t do them without a lot of help. It also suggests that you photocopy the instructions for each child, but the younger children had trouble reading them. The next activities were palm leaf poundings, impasto paintings, and a game where children place cloaks down. All of these seemed liked fun, but didn’t work as stations. The second week we picked one activity and did it as a group and it worked out great. The ideas are very creative, but take a lot of supplies, volunteers, and prep work. They were also very messy. My volunteers were not real excited about the work, expense, and mess. Don’t get me wrong the ideas are GREAT! There is one where the kids make grape juice from grapes, and another where they plant a dish prayer garden. They were just bigger than we could pull off on a Sunday morning in an hour. They may work ideally for a Wednesday night program where you may have more time.

The next section, large group, was great! The kids began with a Palm Tree game, that they enjoyed, was simple, and age appropriate. Then, we transitioned into the Bible Story, and everyone helped tell the story of Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. They loved it, and really enjoyed being a part of the story. It then moved into a lesson about “why a donkey” that included learning to sign the word “peace”.

The two are tied together with a hands-on movement activity that adds the bible verses. Well done!

Next, kids move into small groups. This great activity had the children trace their hand and cut it out, then write something they can do this week to show peace. Then, the hand prints were made into palm branches. The bible verse was repeated again. The children come together again for a large group worship time to finish the lesson.

This is a well thought out curriculum that offers very creative hands on activities to help kids really understand the lessons. I look forward using it again next year.

You can purchase the book and curriculum from Amazon.com or Cokesbury. For more about the author visit his personal blog.

FLYTE – An Exciting New Bible Study Series for Preteens

Emily A Mullens — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:12:46 +0000

Click above to learn more about this curriculum

Flyte, the new preteen curriculum from Lifeway is described by Lifeway’s Jeff Land on their website as “a curriculum to call their (preteens) own. If you ask them, preteens would tell you they’re not “in between” anything. They are facing puberty, drugs, sex, acceptance, and self-esteem issues every day. They do not need a “sophisticized” children’s curriculum, nor do they need a simplified teen curriculum.

Flyte is a curriculum that’s all theirs, one that speaks to what they’re dealing with right now-not what’s past or in their future. Preteen experts-namely, preteens themselves-weighed in on the energy, movement, and excitement of Flyte during its development so that key biblical concepts are not only grasped, but applied, to issues like eating disorders, puberty, sex, bullying, emotions, family relationships, and more.”

Having been sent by Lifeway a sample lesson of the curriculum, I thought I would try it out on my own “experts” – the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade critics I teach every week.

But first, a brief outline of the curriculum. Lifeway’s website explains “Each session of Flyte is centered on a particular question. The full 2 year scope and sequence can be found on the website, but the following from the website lays out the map well.

During the faith. portion of the session, preteens will learn GOD’S ANSWER to the question through a blblically-rich study. Preteens are encouraged to dig deep into God’s Word to discover His answer.

During the life. portion of the session, preteens will learn the WORLD’S ANSWER to the session question. It became clear to the preteen team that most of the time in church, we tell preteens God’s answers, but never tell them that most of the world is going to disagree. This section will help preteens learn about how the world views a particular question or topic.

During the together. portion of the session, preteens will develop their OWN ANSWER to the session question based on the God’s Word. Hopefully, now, not only will they know God’s answer, they will OWN it and DO it. They will be prepared to respond to the world about the session topic with several simple, easy-to-remember statements. Prayerfully, over the course of two years, preteens will develop their own biblical worldview based on God’s unchanging word!

This was very impressive to me. They really seem to be empowering these kids to think and understand and own their faith. I am very impressed with the idea that kids will be equipped with responses to the world about the topic! Way to cover them in the armor of God!

The class is set up well and easy to follow. The topics are unified from week to week, but can be used as a stand alone unit. Each session begins with an overview and bible study for teachers that includes the memory verse. The “Getting Started” section starts with a countdown, intro video, and game followed by an activity to introduce the question. The Faith. section has the bible study and the memory verse, both using the learner magazine. The lessons seem to go back and forth between activities and the magazine, keeping the magazine edgy and exciting for them. The life. section involves activities, discussion, and usage of the magazine to discover the world’s view. The together. section then challenges them to discover their personal response to the question. Finally, giving them the statements needed to support their position on the topic. There is a column on the side of each page that tells you exactly what you need to have prepared for the class everything is included in the kit, no searching high and low for props.

The video and graphics are awesome. There is plenty of “cool” teen like stuff and some “silly” kid like stuff. A good balance for kids this age who vacillate between being a kid and being a teen. One video is a rock song to scripture and looks like a graphic novel. Another, is a stop motion about a family of rocks and a family of cell phones, a mixture of pop culture, and silliness. There are plenty of videos as well, 35 total for the 13 sessions!

The leader kit is $89.95 and includes the leader guide, a learner magazine, the CD-ROM and the DVD. This could be a little pricey for some churches. The learner magazine is $4.95 per student. Again, with 4 quarters a year this could be pricey for some churches. Additional leader guides sell for $9.95, but there is a free app for the leaders guides for ipad and iphones — huge bonus!

Finally, here it is some comments from our experts.

“The cover of the magazine is “awesome.”

“The video was really “awesome.”

The lesson was “fun” and “awesome.”

I guess I will have to listen to the experts and say this curriculum is “awesome”. To read between the lines, I watched them as they engaged in the relative questions, and worked through the lesson coming away confident in their conclusion. They laughed and got silly, had a good time working together, and seemed to really enjoy the videos as well as the magazines. Seems most preteen curriculum doesn’t give ownership to the kids. But Flyte truly allows them to understand God’s answer, the world’s view and their response – their OWN response, to the question. What more could we ask for than to have our preteens OWN their faith!

You can learn more about FLYTE on LifeWay’s website.

Godly Play: A Review & Introduction

Emily A Mullens — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:20:20 +0000

As I walked into the classroom, I noticed the simple white shelves that blended right into the walls. I was drawn like a magnet to the materials on these invisible shelves. The different hues of the natural woods, the heft of the brass, the richness of the velvet. Each material was placed on its own tray, organized and respected in their placement. As I walked the perimeter of the room, I realized that each of these were one of God’s glorious stories. Noah and ark, the birth of the Baby Jesus, and Sarah and Abraham. The room was set up with deliberate order. All of the old testament stories together, the new testament together, the parables together, and the lessons about worship.

Then, It was time for the children to arrive. Two Godly Play guides were in place to lead the children through their worship for the day. The “greeter” stood at the door to welcome the children. She got down at their level and welcomed them by name in a quiet and peaceful voice. She invited them to meet the others at the circle for the story. Children who were not yet “ready” to become a part of the circle were allowed to stay with her. The storyteller began to share through actions words and teaching artifacts, the story of Sarah and Abraham. She placed a large sand-filled box in front of her and began, ” The desert is a dangerous place…” She did not make eye contact, allowing the children to get lost in the presentation of the lesson. All of the wiggles disappeared, there was not a sound in the room, and not one child interrupted. The child at the door, hesitant to enter, felt the pull of God’s Word to the circle and joined the other children. As the story ended, the wondering began, “guided” by the storyteller. “I wonder what part of the story you liked best?” “I wonder what part of the story is most important?”

View photos of Godly Play on their Facebook page.

As the wondering discussion faded, the children were then quietly invited to choose a work. One little girl said, “I want to work with The Creation.” Another child went to the art shelf to paint the story from the circle. They all quickly went to work. One young boy gave me the complete presentation of Noah! After work time, everyone joined together for their “feast” . During this time, the community comes together to share prayers, food, and each other. After the feast is distributed, the children prayed around the circle, some out loud and some quietly, some with their own words, some with prepared prayers. The children share juice and bread, muffins, etc. This is a foundation for communion. During this time, the story-teller asks about each child’s week. After, children came back to the circle for the “goodbye”, each child was called up by the storyteller who acknowledged a work or art expression the child had done that day.

They then said goodbye, and the child was dismissed. Children had placed the materials back on the shelves in the same organized manner in which they had taken them off the shelf. The art materials had been messy, but cleaned up by the children who used them. The whole group had cleaned up the feast. As the last child left, the classroom looked exactly as it had before 15 four-year-old children had arrived! Yes, four-year-old children.

Here are links to learn more about Godly Play and available resources. There is also a book from Amazon.com that outlines the approach.

In an age where we feel we need to meet children in their high-tech world, Godly Play is a unique way to present the beautiful and eloquent truths of the Bible in a very simple, natural form with no bells or whistles. “In most religious education, children are told who God is. In Godly Play, children discover who God is.” Using the principles of learning in the Montessori method, we respond to the child’s request to ‘help me do it by myself.’ It shares spiritual education in a beautiful, peaceful, intimate manner, demonstrating the power and richness of God through meaningful and intentional presentations of His Word. This puts the teacher in the role of spiritual supporter or guide who fully accepts that each child has his or her own relationship with God already.

Godly Play Bible stories are told gracefully and beautifully using simple hands on figures, made of natural and meticulously designed materials The storyteller, serves as a “guide” to the truth being told. Then, sits back and asks, “I wonder …?” allowing the children to find their own way. Children are encouraged to explore their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the story through expressive art following the presentation. One child, continually drew himself playing soccer. Frustrated by the irrelevance to the story and the repetition of is work, the teacher asked how the picture showed him God. He replied, Sometimes I am scared to play soccer out there by myself, but then I look at the great big sky and remember that God is with me.” She smiled and moved on.

The full Godly Play curriculum has several books and training videos that direct the roles of the teachers, lessons, the mood of the classroom, the dialogue, scripts, and presentations of the stories as well as the placement of the materials in the classroom. The room layout is intentional, and well thought out as are the presentations that are given to the children. Godly play materials are beautifully crafted from wood, bronze, and other natural materials that add “visual, tactile, and emotional dimensions to play.” These can be purchased or handmade. The training books are detailed but not in a step by step fashion. There is considerable work to be done on the part of the guides. I also found the reading to be deep, with much effort involved to explain philosophy, something I enjoyed, but volunteers may not have time for. Godly Play is definitely a philosophy of teaching not a quick curriculum. Everyone must understand it at its core and agree with its foundation for it to be successful. Also, the materials can be time-consuming to make and extremely expensive to buy, so I would not make the decision lightly to begin this program.

I wanted to “test” Godly Play resources on my toughest critics – 5th grade boys. They were captivated and awed by a story they had heard tens of times before, brought to silent reflection as the story unfolded. Maybe children don’t need the bells and whistles to make a connection to God’s truths. They need simplicity and relationship. This just might be the curriculum to help get that back.

9 Things They Didn’t Teach Me about Children’s Ministry

Emily A Mullens — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:31:52 +0000

9 Things They Didn’t teach Me in College about Children’s Ministry promises “practical advice, inspiring stories, and interesting interviews with others involved in children’s ministry.”

This pocket-sized composition book look-alike is a cute little package, but inside, it’s spot on and sobering. Author, Ryan Frank, strikes a chord with statistics like “the probability of five-to-twelve-year-old children accepting Christ as Savior is 32 percent. That number drops to 4 percent between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.” He then hits it out of the park with,

“The million dollar question in children’s ministry leadership is not about a program, model, or leadership style. It’s this: are kids being changed to become like Jesus?”

Nine easy to read chapters and 125 pages of meat and potatoes stuff, tackle the definition of success in ministry, polishing people skills, working in harmony with the senior pastor, networking, recruiting, training, conflict resolution, budgets, and family ministry.

Each chapter ends with an interview or thoughts from well-known names in children’s ministry. This alone makes the book worthwhile as you feel you are not alone in the trenches. The chapter on networking may be the best information out there on this topic. The first half of the chapter talks about networking for our spiritual development. Just when I thought networking meant filling slots in the nursery, Ryan reminds me that connection refreshes, restores, and renews. The second half of the chapter is about connecting online. I’m a little old-fashioned in thinking that it has to be a phone call or a hand-written note. However, the author shows us creatively how we can use Twitter, Facebook, and text to connect.

Cover to cover, its packed full of information and ideas, resources and encouragement. Little asides, like, 15 ways to pray for the kids in your ministry, are nuggets of gold woven throughout each chapter. The chapter on Staff Infections is invaluable. With suggestions like, “Stay in tune with your senior pastor’s vision for the church … and be sold out to it.”, you feel the passion Ryan feels. This passion resonates through every chapter, every interview and every aside. This is what makes the book a must-have resource: the passion and desire Ryan has for making us all better leaders.

As I read , I felt that this book was not written by an “expert” who wishes to rain down his expertise on us, but by a humble servant who wants us all to work together, share together, lift up together, and get us all to say “yes” to that million dollar question.

We received a free copy for our review. You can purchase this book is available from Amazon.com