The temperature is dropping, pumpkins are appearing at grocery stores, and Walgreens flu shot commercials are airing—Fall is here! An event we hold at our church every October is Fall Festival. Planning meetings are starting up and we are beginning to line up the details for this event. Here are a few tips if you […]
Messy Game Ideas: A Cheap Way To Splash Into School
At the beginning of the summer, my elementary teachers had the idea of having water games one Sunday morning for our elementary aged children. We decided to plan it after VBS with the intention of inviting our VBS attendees. “Splash Into School From VBS” took place during the Worship Service hour. Our kids loved it and […]
Potlucks: The Meeting Idea Volunteers Will Love
That’s right, I said potlucks are a great ministry resource. Some churches call this a pitch-in dinner or covered dish supper. Whatever the name, this could be the key to your next children’s ministry training. I am at a smaller campus of our church and potlucks fit the informal atmosphere. It just feels right when everybody brings […]
How to Plan a Kids Ministry Camp
Every summer my church holds a Kids Camp for our elementary aged children. This is one of the most fun events we have and I always look forward to those 3 days every year. Here are a few suggestions in getting your own kids camp up and running. Decide length of time and ages: Our […]
“Children’s Ministry in the 21st Century” with Art Murphy
Recently, my church hosted a conference which was open to our children’s ministry volunteers, as well as other local churches in the area. The conference was intended to not only encourage volunteers, but to train them as well. The Friday night through Saturday morning trainings focused on material entitled, CM:21, Children’s Ministry in the Twenty […]
5 Tips for Volunteer Recruitment in Children’s Ministry
I think one of the biggest challenges anyone faces in ministry is recruiting (and keeping) volunteers. Particularly as a children’s director, it sometimes feels like pulling teeth to get church members to even consider stepping foot into the children’s department! I think there are several things we can do as preschool and elementary directors to […]
Learn this One Skill and You’ll Become a Better Ministry Leader
A couple of months ago I scheduled a time to meet with my Sunday morning elementary volunteers. Having become the director of preschool through elementary at this church last summer, I had been taking my time to observe what was taking place and look for ways to improve the ministries. After taking a bit of […]
Connecting Church & Home: Closing Questions
Here are the notes from the final panel discussion. These are a rough summary and partial paraphrase of what the speakers said. For more details, be sure to watch the video from the Seminary website. Speakers included RANDY STINSON, SALLY MICHAEL, DAVID MICHAEL, JAY STROTHER, STEVE WRIGHT, RYAN RUSH. Watch it here: Closing Panel Discussion […]
The Spiritual Impact of Mothers: Sally Michael
Here is my rough summary and paraphrase of the breakout session with Sally Michael. She and her husband, David, currently serve as the directors of Parenting and Children’s Discipleship at Bethlehem Baptist Church located in Minneapolis, MN. Sally is best known for her her role in writing curriculum for Children Desiring God. For more coverage […]
Gospel Parenting in the Home: Timothy Paul Jones
One of the breakout sessions I attended during the Connecting Church & Home Conference was lead by Dr. Timothy Jones, who currently serves as the Associate Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Dr. Jones has written a number of books on the subject of family ministry […]
Four Tasks To Do After Vacation Bible School
Your VBS has come to a conclusion. After all the “de-decorating” has occurred one may think all he or she is left with are some traces of hay or sand, that yellow tacky left behind on the walls from posters, snack crumbs under the chairs, and all that leftover craft supplies that seem to always […]
Review: Joey Allen’s “Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers”
One of the members at my church recently asked me if I knew of any good books for young children who were asking questions about spiritual matters. There is a plethora of books and curriculum geared towards older children, but it can be difficult to find foundational materials that invest in younger children. A series […]
Does Teaching Babies and Toddlers at Church Matter?
For several years I served as the “baby wing” coordinator at my local church and oversaw the infant through one-year-old rooms on Sunday mornings. Part of my responsibility was to ensure my volunteers were teaching the curriculum provided. I found that most of my volunteers, upon entering the job, assumed that these rooms just provided […]