Several times each week, I jump over to the Big List of Children’s Ministry Blogs. I always find something worth reading and often some helpful ideas for my own ministry. But like everything kids ministry related, these blogs don’t get the respect they deserve. So, here is my attempt to set things to rights. I give you the Top 10 Children’s Ministry Blogs!
Update: We’ve compiled a larger list of the best children’s ministry blogs.
These rankings were determined by a number of objective and subjective standards. To first narrow the field, I compared Technorati reactions, Google Page Rank, and the age of the blog. I also considered posting frequency, statistics from Google Reader, and general design aesthetics. Finally, I took a peek to see who is famous for #kidmin on Twitter.
The Top 10 Children’s Ministry Blogs
#1 Jonathan Cliff’s Blog
Jonathan Cliff’s blog is the overall number one. This blog features a great design and even better content. His insights into ministry and life are always helpful. One recent example is his post on overcoming the fear of our own weakness.
#2 Jim Wideman’s Blog
Jim Wideman blog is an open book of leadership advice. His blog is very active, and you can find something fresh almost every day. Most of his posts are short and direct, check out what he wrote about leading through encouragement.
#3 The Kidologist by Karl Bastian
The Kidologist.com has been slow this month, otherwise he could have taken the top spot. I love the design and the encouraging posts. His blog is fun to read, check out this recent post about his shocking experience.
#4 Children’s Ministry Online by Kenny Conley
Children’s Ministry Online is the blog of Kenny Conley, who is also very active on Twitter. His blog has been going strong since 2007 and has a solid following. Check out his recent reflections on the Lock-in.
#5 Children’s Ministry & Culture by Larry Shallenberger
Children’s Ministry & Culture is another great blog that has been slow lately. But when Larry & co-writer Keith Johnson post about cultural trends that impact kids, it’s always worth reading. Check out their great posts on Children’s Ministry and the Great Commission.
#6 Kid Inspiration by Dave Wakerley
Dave Wakerley has been blogging about Kids Ministry since 2004, which makes his blog the most established in the niche. Plus he’s from Australia, which makes him cool by definition. I did like his old blog design better, but the new dark theme is growing on me.
#7 Sam Luce’s Blog
Sam Luce’s blog is a great place to get creative children’s ministry ideas. His recent series on Kids Ministry resources is worth checking out. You can also see a good sample of his writing on his tag archive about parenting. He is also one of the top #kidmin Twitter users.
#8 Children’s Ministry Magazine Blog by Christine Yount Jones
Children’s Ministry Magazine’s blog is just as good as you might expect, since it’s written by the editor of you-know-what. I would love to see them use the blog to showcase some of their older back issue content. Maybe they will read this post and give it a try.
#9 Elemental Children’s Ministry by Henry Zonio
Elemental Children’s Ministry is written by Henry Zonio. I like the way he adds humor to most of what he writes. I’ve seen his name on different the lineup for different children’s ministry conferences, but I have never met him in person. Check out this recent post on the importance of children’s ministry.
#10 Children’s Minister Blog by Don Stott
Children’s Minister BLOG at number ten beat out several other top contenders. But last is not always least. The whole field could have made a case for being higher up in the top ten. Be sure to check out his “games” categories.
What Do You Think?
There you have it, the top 10 children’s ministry blogs. Feel free to leave a comment below or refute my list on your own blog. Which of your favorite bloggers did I leave out? Who is did I over rate?
If you have a children’s ministry blog, I’d love to include you in my Big List (aka blogroll). Jump over to that page for more directions.
I would agree with you on all of those, but would also have to add Gina McClain. I have gained so much from her posts, she is not only a heart to heart writer she has a way of saying it like it is…or should be.
Tony,
What an honor to be listed here. It’s an honor to be a part of what the Lord is doing today! To Him be the glory! Thanks for including me!
Blessings to you all
bj
Tony,
I am honored to be in your list of CM blogs alongside some great CMers. I had not checked out Don Stott’s blog, but I will! I hope to run into you sometime. Thanks for the posts you have and sharing your thoughts and experiences to the CM world as well.
I have to second (maybe third) the mention of Gina’s blog. Great resource. Glen’s blog is also one of my favorites. In addition to those, some others that I find extremely interesting, useful and insightful are:
Free CM Stuff (http://freecmstuff.com/)
CM Buzz (http://cmbuzz.com/)
Sojourn Kids (http://sojournkids.com/)
Brenna Phillips (http://www.brennaphillips.com/)
Anthony Prince (http://westcoastcm.wordpress.com/)
Thanks for all the feedback. I do have Gina on my blogroll, and she just missed the top ten. Same for Glenn.
Hey great list only one I would add for sure is Gina McClain. She’s great, her stuff is awesome. Always learning about #kidmin from her!!!
I think everybody on that list is doing great things for the kingdom!!!
Ha, thanks for the mention. Last week my wife, son and I had the honor of spending the night at Jonathan Cliff’s house. He served us pizza and three different flavors of Blue Bell ice cream (however, he didn’t get up to fix us breakfast the next morning). So, not only is he a terrific blogger, he’s a great host. If you’re in Lubbock ask him if you can come over for dinner and sleep in his guest bed, you’ll be glad you did. :)
Thank you for bringing these to our attention. I learned of one new blog, so I will check that one out and revisit the others to see what’s up. Great post!
Thanks for the mention, I appreciate it. I am honored to be mentioned in the company of so many great kids thinkers. Thanks for your site and all you do for #kidmin.
keep it real
“emo spidey”
WOW! What an honor to be so high on the list. I hope this helps me get something free in the mail from some curriculum publisher looking to capture some of my internet power! :)
Thanks Tony, for showing some love for my blog. And I’d also put M-T-C.com somewhere on this list.
Tony,
I have a huge bone to pick you my friend. You left out one of the best Children’s Ministry blogs out there. You can find it at:
http://ministry-to-children.com
You might have heard of it. :) Seriously though, if you let me do the subjective part (I’d put it no lower than #4 on the list for subjective factors), where would that have put you overall when combined with objective factors?
Just curious! Keep up the great work.
I left it out for two reasons – I didn’t want to toot my own horn & we have a staff of writers now. That puts us in a different class.
Just with the objective factors it would have been at the top, but subjective wise I really love the site too. Thanks for your encouragement!