Kids—and some adults, expect children’s ministry leaders to offer some type of snack during their ministry time. What used to be an occasional treat or a tasty party extra is now practically a must-have in some children’s ministries. Of course most kids want snacks and treats—just ask them. But what about teachers? For many reasons, […]
Should Children Be Dancing in Church?
A recent post on the Ministry-To-Chilren’s website had quite a few people talking. We’re always glad to hear your feedback and we welcome discussions about the various topics we write about. This particular post asked the question, “Should children be dancing in church?” I’ve been in ministry for over 20 years and I’ve seen questions […]
Dear Ministry Volunteers – Kids Will Always Remember Your Love
Once upon a time, a scared ten-year-old girl rode a church bus to attend a Sunday School class at a church she’d never visited all because a stranger knocked on her door and invited her the week before. Her mother didn’t want her to go at first, she was against “organized religion” but the little […]
5 Lessons Teachers Can Learn from Nickelodeon
Okay don’t hate me but Nickelodeon inspires me, or at least it used to. You know the channel I’m talking about, the one where everything is geared to kids and there short attention span, or least it was. Now I know fully that Nickelodeon is about as holy as the MTV channel but nevertheless, kids […]
DIY Bible Board Game Activity
Have extra time in summer camp that you need to fill? This exciting activity is great for small groups of kids. When the kids finish this project, they will also have a fun game to play. Kids come up with a game name, a concept and design. They get to decide what to include on […]
Exciting Ideas for the Kids Church Intro Segment
Do your kids walk into the ministry facility looking bored and uninterested? Maybe they look sleepy or if they are new, they might even look scared. All of the above reasons are why you need a good intro segment! As a children’s leader, I love starting service with a heart-pumping activity or ice breaker. Introduce […]
Baby Chick Bible Object Lesson
Watching a baby chick hatching from an egg is like watching a life transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. And since it’s spring it’s the perfect time to talk about this transformation and of course use cute and cuddly baby chicks to make the point come to life. First of few verses to explain […]
The Golden Egg Easter Object Lesson
Easter is just around the corner and I am so excited! In celebration of my favorite holiday I have a few object lessons to share with you. It won’t take but a few supplies to teach but the end result should make a powerful impact on your class. In this “golden egg” object lesson, I […]
Teaching Kids to Worship With Flags
Children can’t get enough of active worship and for some churches, this means teaching kids to worship with flags. With flags, kids will learn to worship God creatively, both individually and as a church. However, any children’s pastor worth his or her salt knows you can’t pass out flags to a bunch of kids with […]
Kid Volunteers: The Welcome Table
Kids speak “kid.” When a new child walks into the children’s church for the first time they rarely feel brave. If he’s greeted by a group of adults giving him directions and talking to him all at once, he can feel nervous–even afraid. However, when you have children working the door, you’ve got a whole […]
He Is Risen Object Lesson Using Eggs
Introduce your class to the wonder of the resurrection using this “He Is Risen” object lesson. This visual aid will help kids “see” that Christ is risen from the grave, alive again just as Acts 3:15 describes: “You have killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of […]
Is Your Easter Hollow? (John 7:24) Chocolate Rabbit Object Lesson
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” John 7:24 NIV Is your Easter hollow? That’s the question I asked myself recently and I plan to ask my kids this coming Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, folks. I love Easter decorations and candies and all the activities that come with this time of year. […]
Kids In Leadership: Training Kids to Serve
Next time you stand in front of your children’s church, take a good look around the room. Instead of seeing future leaders, think the way God does—these are leaders, now! Some people think you need to be a born leader but that’s not true. God has placed unique gifts in all of us but for […]
Teaching the Gospel with Cereal Boxes
Kids make great evangelists! They can often go where we can’t. Still, when a child isn’t confident in their relationship with God or how to lead others to Christ, they may be reluctant to share. Still I am committed to discipling children and part of that responsibility is sharing and teaching the gospel with others. […]
Salvation Sundays in Kids Church
Teaching salvation to children is usually a first priority when you begin leading a children’s ministry but over time the desire to lead kids to the cross can get pushed to the back burner. We want to “keep it interesting” and opt for relevant lessons to help children deal with common problems or life situations. […]
“Dirty Shoes” Bible Object Lesson (1 John 1:7-9)
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess […]
How to Host a Pokemon Go Outreach at Church
Whether you love it or hate, or have strong misgivings about it, we can all agree that Pokemon Go is here to stay. At least until the next “Go” game comes out. (Which by all reports will be a Harry Potter rendition but let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.) Here’s my attitude […]
The Benefits of Rebooting Your Children’s Ministry
Don’t you love the phrase “do over?” I do! Especially when it concerns children’s ministry because I’m a bit of perfectionist and I always fall short. A few times in my life I’ve had the pleasure of heading up a reboot for children’s church. On one occasion, we had an abrupt change in pastoral leadership; […]
“Baskets of Love” Bible Object Lesson for Kids (Luke 7:47)
Remember this verse? I do! So many times I’ve felt like the woman described her. Before I encountered Jesus, I was a chronic sinner so I can relate to this. And Jesus’ words here encourage me. “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–as her great love has shown. But whoever has been […]
Let’s Talk About Self Care for Ministry Leaders
Today let’s talk about self-care. I know, it just sounds bad doesn’t it? (It has the word “self” in it so it must be bad, right?) I’d like to challenge that thinking–it’s a fallacy and one that can hurt you. Since I’m not comfortable using my ministry friends for this example (although there are quite […]