http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/forum/ practical help for your kids ministry en-US Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:56:57 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/search.php http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/win-5-copies-of-mighty-acts-of-god-a-family-bible-story-book#post-783 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:28:43 +0000 TonyKummer 783@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Last week's giveway was a lot of fun, so let's do it again. Here is how you can win.</p> <p>&gt;&gt;If you're new to our forums you have to <a href="http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/register.php">register first</a> (it's free) &lt;&lt;</p> <p>◦Reply to this post and share something "mighty" that God has done in your life lately.<br /> ◦I'll use random.org to pick a winner Wed 24 March 2010<br /> The only catch is I can only ship to US addresses, so if your outside the States you'll just need to give me a US drop point (or send it to a friend). </p> <p><a href="http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/6660/nm/Mighty_Acts_of_God_A_Family_Bible_Story_Book_Hardcover_" rel="nofollow">http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/6660/nm/Mighty_Acts_of_God_A_Family_Bible_Story_Book_Hardcover_</a> </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/advice-for-people-getting-into-kidmin#post-798 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:07:21 +0000 stocksohio 798@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>What one piece of advice would you give someone interested in getting into Children's Ministry? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/where-can-i-find-used-or-discount-childrens-ministry-material#post-630 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:31:24 +0000 TonyKummer 630@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>We've had some recent questions about finding older VBS themes to use for children's ministry. Does anyone know where you can find stuff like this online. Here is what I've come up with so far:</p> <p>Kidology Garage Sale<br /> <a href="http://kidology.org/store/start.asp?category_id=95" rel="nofollow">http://kidology.org/store/start.asp?category_id=95</a></p> <p>Ebay and search it<br /> <a href="http://www.ebay.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.com/</a></p> <p>Publisher's VBS forums - most have a "buy, sell, donate" area<br /> <a href="http://ministry-to-children.com/vacation-bible-school-forums/" rel="nofollow">http://ministry-to-children.com/vacation-bible-school-forums/</a> </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/kidmin-book-recommendations#post-690 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:09:28 +0000 stocksohio 690@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I asked this over on facebook, but I thought I would ask it here too:</p> <p>I'm waiting to receive my copy of the new Collaborate book:</p> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Collaborate-Family-Church/391474385213" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Collaborate-Family-Church/391474385213</a> </p> <p>which I am anxiously waiting to read and review. In the meantime, what other books are you reading about or related to Children's Ministry that you would recommend? What about books on elementary education that would be useful for teaching kids in a church setting? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/using-story-in-ministry#post-800 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:32:03 +0000 stocksohio 800@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I posted on article today called <a href="http://waynestocks.com/2010/03/18/shaped-by-the-story/">Shaped by the Story</a> about getting kids engaged in the stories of the Bible.</p> <p>What do you think? What do you do in your ministry to get kids excited about the Bible and get them engaged in the story?</p> <p>Regards,</p> <p>Wayne<br /> aka <a href="http://waynestocks.com">Dad in the Middle</a></p> <p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <em>Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12</em> </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/free-holy-land-images#post-796 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:01:02 +0000 LinPearson 796@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Check out this site<br /> <a href="http://holylandphotos.org/" rel="nofollow">http://holylandphotos.org/</a></p> <p>It is just what is says it is! A super resource. </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/win-5-copies-of-the-jesus-storybook-bible#post-713 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:08:26 +0000 TonyKummer 713@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>It's been a while since we've done a forum giveaway, so let's make this one simple.</p> <ul> <li>Reply to this post saying why you love Jesus.</li> <li>I'll use random.org to pick a winner Wed 17 March 2010</li> </ul> <p>The only catch is I can only ship to US addresses, so if your outside the States you'll just need to give me a US drop point (or send it to a friend). </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/sneak-peak-at-kidmin-blog-madness#post-744 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:41:11 +0000 TonyKummer 744@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I'm working on a really fun &amp; massive contest for all kids ministry bloggers. I'm going to launch it this Sun/Mon. But I wanted to give forum readers a sneak peak. It will basically work like an NCAA tournament, but with readers voting on who moves on to the next round.</p> <p><strong>NOTE: This is my draft ordering, some lower seeds will change before Sunday.</strong></p> <p>I welcome your feedback on the seeding, but it's going to be subjective. This is the best of the 100+ feeds in our blog list. You can see my more editorial ranking from a few months back <a href="http://ministry-to-children.com/top-10-blogs/">10 ten rankings</a></p> <p>This will be different because the voters will decide.<br /> <strong>Midwest Division</strong></p> <ol> <li><a title="jonathancliff.com : Life, Ministry, and Life Again" href="http://www.jonathancliff.com/">jonathancliff.com</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Ministry &amp; Culture - Larry Shallenberger" href="http://childrensministryandculture.wordpress.com/">Children's Ministry &amp; Culture - Larry Shallenberger</a></li> <li><a title="Kidologist.com - Karl Bastian" href="http://kidologist.com/">Kidologist.com - Karl Bastian</a></li> <li><a title="Elemental Children's Ministry" href="http://www.elementalcm.com/">Elemental Children's Ministry</a></li> <li><a title="matt mckee live" href="http://www.mckeelive.com/">matt mckee live</a></li> <li><a title="Lemon Lime Kids" href="http://lemonlimekids.wordpress.com/">Lemon Lime Kids</a></li> <li><a title="It's a kids ministry Revolution baby!" href="http://kidsministryrevolution.com/">It's a kids ministry Revolution baby!</a></li> <li><a title="Dick Gruber" href="http://www.dickgruber.com/">Dick Gruber</a></li> <li><a title="Pastor Lori's Blog" href="http://lorieilers.blogspot.com/">Pastor Lori's Blog</a></li> <li><a title="Ragsstudio" href="http://www.ragsstudio.com/">Ragsstudio</a></li> <li><a title="Mike Johnson" href="http://www.mikejohnsonblog.com/my_weblog/">Mike Johnson</a></li> <li><a title="Victory Circle" href="http://victorycircle.wordpress.com/">Victory Circle</a></li> <li><a title="Julie's Journal" href="http://juliecantrell.wordpress.com/">Julie's Journal</a></li> <li><a title="Thoughts on Children's Ministries at Morning Star" href="http://morningstarkids.blogspot.com/">Thoughts on Children's Ministries at Morning Star</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Ministry Blog" href="http://ceministry.blogspot.com/">Children's Ministry Blog</a></li> <li><a title="Bible Drive-Thru" href="http://bibledrivethru.blogspot.com/">Bible Drive-Thru</a></li> </ol> <p><strong>South Division</strong></p> <ol> <li><a title="Children's Ministry Online" href="http://www.childrensministryonline.com/">Children's Ministry Online (Kenny Conley)</a></li> <li><a title="Orange Leaders" href="http://www.orangeleaders.com/">Orange Leaders</a></li> <li><a title="Ryan Frank" href="http://www.ryanfrank.com/">Ryan Frank</a></li> <li><a title="JC is ONLINE" href="http://jcisonline.com/">JC is ONLINE</a></li> <li><a title="Revival Fire For Kids Blog" href="http://revivalfire4kids.com/">Revival Fire For Kids Blog</a></li> <li><a title="childrensministry.com blog" href="http://blog.childrensministry.com/childrensministry/">childrensministry.com blog</a></li> <li><a title="iTODD" href="http://www.toddmckeever.com/">iTODD</a></li> <li><a title="JamieDoyle(dot)com" href="http://www.jamiedoyle.com/">JamieDoyle(dot)com</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Ministry Monthly" href="http://cmmonthly.com/">Children's Ministry Monthly</a></li> <li><a title="West Coast CM" href="http://westcoastcm.wordpress.com/">West Coast CM</a></li> <li><a title="Effective Childrens Ministry" href="http://effectivechildrensministry.org/">Effective Childrens Ministry</a></li> <li><a title="apPARENTly blogging" href="http://www2.awana.org/cs/blogs/apparentlyblogging/default.aspx">apPARENTly blogging</a></li> <li><a title="Acacia in the Desert" href="http://acaciainthedesert.wordpress.com/">Acacia in the Desert</a></li> <li><a title="Adventures in Children's Ministries" href="http://sirxroam.wordpress.com/">Adventures in Children's Ministries</a></li> <li><a href="http://battitude.wordpress.com/">P.B. &amp; J.</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Moment" href="http://childrensmoment.blogspot.com/">Children's Moment</a></li> </ol> <p><strong>East Division</strong></p> <ol> <li><a title="sam luce" href="http://samluce.com/">sam luce</a></li> <li><a title="GinaMcClain.com" href="http://www.ginamcclain.com/">GinaMcClain.com</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Minister BLOG" href="http://childrensministerblog.com/">Children's Minister BLOG</a></li> <li><a title="Justyn Smith" href="http://justynsmith.wordpress.com/">Justyn Smith</a></li> <li><a title="Dad In The Middle" href="http://waynestocks.com/">Dad In The Middle</a></li> <li><a title="krazy kidmin life" href="http://kidminlife.wordpress.com/">krazy kidmin life</a></li> <li><a title="Glen Woods- Children's Ministry Conversation" href="http://glenwoods.wordpress.com/">Glen Woods- Children's Ministry Conversation</a></li> <li><a title="Scripture Lady" href="http://scripturelady.com/">Scripture Lady</a></li> <li><a title="Kid Crossings" href="http://kidcrossings.blogspot.com/">Kid Crossings</a></li> <li><a title="CapCity Kidz" href="http://www.capcitykidz.org/">CapCity Kidz</a></li> <li><a title="IDEAS UNLIMITED" href="http://childrensministryideasunlimited.blogspot.com/">IDEAS UNLIMITED</a></li> <li><a title="The LOGOS Ministry" href="http://thelogosministry.wordpress.com/">The LOGOS Ministry</a></li> <li><a title="Kidmin360.com" href="http://kidmin360.com/">Kidmin360.com</a></li> <li><a title="DiscipleBlog.com" href="http://www.discipleblog.com/">DiscipleBlog.com</a></li> <li><a title="Children's Ministry &amp; Culture - Larry Shallenberger" href="http://childrensministryandculture.wordpress.com/">CM Buzz</a></li> <li><a title="West Side Kids" href="http://westsidekids.org/">West Side Kids</a></li> </ol> <p><strong>West Division</strong></p> <ol> <li><a title="Inside Northpoint Kids" href="http://insidenorthpoint.org/kids">Inside Northpoint Kids</a></li> <li><a title="Jim Wideman" href="http://store.jimwideman.com/Blog/tabid/143/BlogId/1/Default.aspx">Jim Wideman</a></li> <li><a title="[Kid Inspiration] - Dave Wakerley" href="http://www.davidwakerley.com/">[Kid Inspiration] - Dave Wakerley</a></li> <li><a title="SojournKids" href="http://sojournkids.com/">SojournKids</a></li> <li><a title="Evan Doyle" href="http://www.evandoyle.com/">Evan Doyle</a></li> <li><a title="Smalltownkidmin Blog" href="http://smalltownkidmin.wordpress.com/">Smalltownkidmin Blog</a></li> <li><a title="A Heart After Children - Children's Ministry" href="http://www.iheartchildren.com/">A Heart After Children - Brittany Sky</a></li> <li><a title="JUST PUDGE" href="http://www.pudgehuckaby.com/">JUST PUDGE</a></li> <li><a title="Phil Vischer" href="http://www.philvischer.com/">Phil Vischer</a></li> <li><a title="Free CM Stuff" href="http://freecmstuff.com/">Free CM Stuff</a></li> <li><a title="Compassion International - Christian Blog on Child Poverty" href="http://blog.compassion.com/">Compassion International Blog</a></li> <li><a title="brennaphillips.com" href="http://www.brennaphillips.com/">brennaphillips.com</a></li> <li><a title="Childrens Ministry 1234" href="http://childrensministry1234.com/cmblog/">Childrens Ministry 1234</a></li> <li><a title="Raising Modern-Day Josephs" href="http://www2.awana.org/cs/blogs/rmdj/default.aspx">Raising Modern-Day Josephs</a></li> <li><a title="Life2gether" href="http://life2getherblog.com/">Life2gether</a></li> <li><a title="Ministry Idea Studios" href="http://ministryideastudios.com/">Ministry Idea Studios</a></li> </ol> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/giveaway-brent-weber-dvd#post-775 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:21:38 +0000 TonyKummer 775@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>FYI - Kids Worship artist Brent Weber is the focus of our Wednesday Give Away this month. Brent is kind enough to give away 2 of his worship DVDs.</p> <p>Right now there are only a few people entered, so check it out and there is a good chance you'll win.</p> <p><a href="http://freecmstuff.com/2010/03/wga-brent-weber-dvds/" rel="nofollow">http://freecmstuff.com/2010/03/wga-brent-weber-dvds/</a> </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/how-do-you-reach-out-the-families#post-774 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:14:35 +0000 stocksohio 774@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>With this year's Orange Conference coming up and the new Collaborate book (which is great by the way and a must read) coming out in April, what have you found the most effective way to reach out to parents in children's ministry? What resources do you provide them to keep them up to date on what you are doing in your ministry? How do you empower parents to be a spiritual force in the lives of there kids? What practical ideas and suggestions would you offer? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/backyard-bible-clubs#post-769 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:10:08 +0000 stocksohio 769@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I've read a lot about the idea of Backyard Bible Clubs for kids. I know that some people use them instead of VBS. Does anyone have experience with them? What are the positives? What are the negatives? Thanks for your input. </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/apologetics-and-children#post-653 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:03:01 +0000 stocksohio 653@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Henry Zonio from <a href="http://elementalcm.com">Elemental Children's Ministry</a> recently wrote an article for Children's Ministry Magazine on <a href="http://www.elementalcm.com/2010/02/26/formational-apologetics/">Apologetics for children.</a> It is an interesting article, and definitely worth a read.</p> <p>One of his conclusion is, </p> <p>"When we unintentionally give children the message that their faith in God needs to be defended, we imply a faith that’s wimpy at best and devoid of truth or power at worst."</p> <p>What do you think? How do you approach apologetics with kids? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/bigsby-books-of-the-bible-sheet-music#post-770 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:15:21 +0000 Kim Sullivan 770@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Hi there - </p> <p>Does anyone know if sheet music exists for the Bigsby Books of the Bible song? Our Sunday school band wants to perform it for the end of the year Sunday school show, but I can't find any music. Thanks!! </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/biggest-cultural-trends-affecting-childrens-ministry#post-515 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:21:06 +0000 stocksohio 515@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I've asked this in other forums (maybe this one too - I can't remember), but I haven't really gotten any good answers before. The conversation usually seems to get side-tracked.</p> <p>Here's my question:</p> <p>What do you think the biggest cultural trends are facing the children of America today? How do we deal with those trends in our ministries?</p> <p>Here's the beginning of my list, but I'm curious what other people think:</p> <ul> <li>The access to and use of electronics by kids at younger and younger ages.</li> <li>The growth in social media.</li> <li>Immediate access to vast amounts of information.</li> <li>Divorce and related family issues.</li> <li>The pressure to grow up quicker and remain in adolescence longer.</li> <li>Increased exposure to other cultures and people. The world is literally at their fingertips.</li> <li>The relative immaturity of the preceding generation. I'm not quite sure how to phrase this one, but so many parents are so interested in being "cool" and reliving their youth through their kids, that I am certain this impacts younger people.</li> <li>Economic Issues</li> <li>Entitlement mentality</li> <li>Shortening Attention Spans / Increase in multi-tasking</li> <li>Changing definition of family</li> <li>Post-modernism</li> <li>Increasing hostility / ridicule towards Christianity</li> <li>Increasing sense of pluralism amongst kids</li> </ul> <p>It's a bit stream of consciousness, but it's what I could think of off the top of my head. What do you think about these issues? What other issues would you add? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/most-embarrassing-kidmin-moment#post-759 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:01:13 +0000 stocksohio 759@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Time for a little levity here in the forums (and perhaps an element of confession). So, what was your most embarrassing moment related to children's ministry?</p> <p>The more people who share, the better we will all feel! :) </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/printing-design#post-761 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:25:04 +0000 rldulin 761@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I wanted to let everyone know about my company, ApostolicPrint.com. I provide printing and design solutions for children's ministries and churches on a budget. Using a streamlined, minimlaist business model I am able to provide printing and design solutions for, in some cases, 75% less than leading competitors. </p> <p>We can help you by printing and designing:</p> <p>Business Cards<br /> T-Shirts<br /> Outdoor Banners<br /> Fliers<br /> Postcards<br /> Posters<br /> and just about anything else you could print something on</p> <p>We also can work with you on getting a book or curriculum published and also mass production of DVD's and CD's.</p> <p>check out the site or email us at <a href="mailto:production@apostolicprint.com">production@apostolicprint.com</a>, I think you really will be impressed with how cost effectively we can help you </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/laws-about-adult-to-child-ratios-in-vbs#post-701 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:50:51 +0000 TonyKummer 701@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Here is a great question from a reader via email:</p> <blockquote><p> Question: Is the church regulated by any laws that determine what the adult to child ratio has to be? In otherwords, if you have 10 kids, you need one adult, 20 kids needs 2 adults, etc... This question came up at our recent VBS meeting and it caused some concern among our volunteers. We want to follow the law...if there is one. But we do not believe that the church is governed by the same laws as the public school or daycare centers. Thanks for your advice on this matter. </p></blockquote> <p>My Response:<br /> I am not aware of any laws in my state in regards to churches. I think the legal risk would be there if something bad happened and they could show an unsafe ratio of kids in the program. </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/sunday-school-contests#post-640 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:08:24 +0000 cerwin 640@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Has anybody run any Sunday School contests that you feel were beneficial? Please include any ideas you have for prizes and what they must do to win. I have run a few and I am always looking for some new ideas. Thanks! </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/childrens-ministry-on-youtube#post-741 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:01:39 +0000 TonyKummer 741@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I've been uploading about 2 videos a week to YouTube. My primary goal is to use their service to embed those videos back on my website, but I have seen a few people discovering those videos through YouTube directly. </p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TonyKummer" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/TonyKummer</a></p> <p>Do you know of any others Kids Pastors who are using YouTube with success? I'd love to subscribe to their channel and learn from them too.</p> <p>Here are a few that I already subscribe:<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CullensAbcs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/CullensAbcs</a> -- Cullen (preschool stuff)<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/amyedolan" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/amyedolan</a> -- Amy Dolan<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/stocksohio" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/stocksohio</a> -- Wayne Stocks (needs more vids)<br /> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/kidologist" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/kidologist</a> -- Karl Bastian </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/easter-plans#post-677 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:01:13 +0000 stocksohio 677@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Who has church wide / community / outreach activities planned for Easter this year in their Children's Ministry? What are you planning? What have you done in the past that was successful? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/skits#post-657 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:24:56 +0000 Paige 657@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>We just began something new in our children's ministry. On Wednesday evenings, our children all meet together for 15 minutes, before going to their classrooms. We have themed nights. For example, puppet night, skit night, video night, etc.... My problem is that I am running out of ideas for skits on my own. I did not purchase a "skit book". I need some ideas for some funny skits or puppet shows, with real biblical teaching! Any ideas? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/promoting-your-vbs#post-709 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:33:58 +0000 LinPearson 709@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Great post with a round up of ideas how to get the most kids possible along to your VBS.<br /> <a href="http://victorycircle.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/promoting-vbs/" rel="nofollow">http://victorycircle.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/promoting-vbs/</a> </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/small-group-curriculum#post-661 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:36:16 +0000 rmorris 661@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>Hey, I am at a large church outside of Columbus, OH. We are adding a community group aspect to our educational ministries. We have Sunday School and Community Groups now. The issue is that we have people who are in community groups and not sunday school, which we are encouraging. BUT, there kids are now not at church for Sunday School. To tackle this we are adding a kids teaching time to the Community Groups called Kids Community. Is there any good curriculum that would be easy to teach in a house setting with multiple aged kids.</p> <p>Ryan </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/should-vbs-programs-have-a-missions-component#post-253 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:52:32 +0000 sara 253@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>I have been talking to different VBS leaders, wondering if VBS should have a missions component. If not, why? And if so, how can we get our children involved in the work of the Kingdom, and how can we make it meaningful? </p> http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/topic/what-are-you-doing-to-get-families-involved-in-your-ministry#post-562 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:29:54 +0000 stocksohio 562@http://ministry-to-children.com/forums/ <p>What specific steps are you taking as a ministry to partner with parents in the spiritual development of their kids? </p>