Family Ministry

Getting Families Connected on Facebook

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Everyone has a Facebook page. I knew when my Dad, retired Navy Seal and lovable curmudgeon, created a personal Facebook account that social networking could work miracles (not literally, of course). In a practical sense, connecting to families through a social networking site just makes sense when you operate a children’s ministry. You can send reminders, make announcements and interact with families with just a few clicks. That’s helpful when you want to build stronger ties and

Raising Christ-Like Families in a Secular World

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We live in a society that has tarnished biblical parenthood.  Our society has slowly taken males out of the equation of the family. Men, as shown by comic strips, TV, etc., are shown to be ignorant, immature and unable to do simple tasks. Both the husband and wife have a responsibility to the development of children as well as the structuring of the home–though, the responsibilities will look differently. Unfortunately, fathers have been made the inept individuals

Children's Devotional Guide from Philippians

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This kids devotional was created for older students to enable them to have a daily Bible study.  There are 7 lessons in this series and each lesson has 6 days of questions regarding the book of Philippians.  The daily questions also can be used as a take-home page if you use the Bible Lessons on Philippians that encourage students to develop a daily quiet time. It could also be the basis of a family devotion time. Please

Choose Joy (Week 1) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. First Day:  Read Philippians 1 How many times did Paul say joy

Choose Joy (Week 2) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Day One: Read Philippians 2:1-4 How has Jesus comforted you? Who can

Choose Joy (Week 3) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Day One: Read Philippians 2:12-16 1. From verse 12 what did the

Choose Joy (Week 4) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Day One: Read Philippians 3:1-3 1. Why did Paul not mind writing

Choose Joy (Week 5) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Day One: Read Philippians 3:15-16 Note: It is important to always pray

Choose Joy (Week 6) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Memory Verse: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

Choose Joy (Week 7) Devotions from Philippians

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This devotional guide is one part of our larger series based on the book of Philippians. Click here to browse all the guides in this series. You can also leave a comment below to share your ideas with other readers. [print_link] a copy of this for each child or adult participating in the study. We recommend they also have a personal notebook for the study. Memory Verse: Philippians 4:11b-13 NIV For I have learned to be content

Should We Compare Our Children?

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Recently I became a mom of two.  My oldest son just turned seven and my newborn is now eight weeks old.  They are both joys in my life, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I was chosen by God to be their mother. It has definitely been challenging adding a new baby to the mix.  My son was an only child for nearly 7 years so I was used to giving him all the attention.  He

"Training Your Children" Devotional on Deuteronomy 6

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In a way, this post is more for those who lead children than for children themselves, however, allow the words of Deuteronomy to reach into your heart.  Placed in the post is a deep, heartfelt discussion about raising children.  Also, there is a great Bible verse for children and parents to memorize.  May the words of Deuteronomy bless you today. Ministering and discipling to one’s own children is incredibly important, and also a command from God.  A

10 Fall Fun Ideas for Families

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Fall is a favorite time of the year for many people.  We see God’s handiwork in the changing of the leaves and the relief of cooler weather after a warm summer.  We get to decorate with pretty wreaths and fun pumpkins.  We can pick up our favorite fall flavors at the coffee shops and put on a pot of soup to enjoy with our family.  These are just a few of the reasons that many of us

Helping an Older Sibling Adjust to a New Baby

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Seven years ago, I gave birth to a son.  My husband and I knew almost immediately that he would be our only child.  We felt content with one child and didn’t think we would ever want another one. When said son was about 4 years old, and we had committed to go to the mission field to serve, we begin to feel the desire to have another child.  We felt that it would be good for our

4 Ways to Build Relationships with Parents

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The name of my ministry, “children’s ministry” misleads me sometimes. I get so immersed in the spiritual lives of my kids that I do forget that it’s the whole family that God wants. I spend a lot of time on outreach and thankfully, I’ve had a good harvest for my efforts. I’ve found that reaching kids is easy, generally. It’s the adults that require some work. Here’s where relationship-building comes in. Parents want to know that you

How to Partner with Parents in Kids' Ministry

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Great success in evangelism brings big challenges for kids’ ministries. One of those is working with parents, many of whom choose not to come to church – at least in the beginning. The church today is often the only moral voice in the life of a child; at this critical juncture, it’s easy to fall prey to a dangerous mindset. We give so much love and attention to our ministry kids, sometimes; we seem more like replacement

The Bible Bee Program for Families

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**This guest post was written by Heather Easterday How much time do you as get to spend with the kids of your church each week?  One hour?  Two hours?  Maybe three hours?  It’s overwhelming as a ministry leader when parents count on you to be the one discipling their children.  You need parents leading discipleship at home. Sure, it can feel intimidating to think about providing Biblical learning at home.  Parents feel unqualified, too busy, or that

Printable Child / Baby Dedication Certificate (Free Template Download)

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Download this printable baby dedication certificate to use in your church to commemorate your next parent-child dedication service. It’s ready to go directly from the free PDF printable, but you can download the WORD doc version if you need a template to customize it for your church. Just use the links below and print on a heavy card-stock or certificate style paper. Baby Dedication Certificate (PDF or Word) For my church, I wanted a traditional bulletin style

How to Get Kids to Behave in Church

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Every parent and teacher knows, if given a choice, kids would rather get up and play than sit still for long periods. However, some children have difficulty behaving even if attending a fast-paced, exciting children’s church. There are plenty of reasons why a kid would feel a compulsion to behave badly but a frazzled parent doesn’t have time to stop for counseling sessions in the middle of a service. If you are having difficulty getting kids to

How to Plan a Fall Festival

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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 are thinking about having a Fall Festival: 1) Picking the Date: Do you want your festival to serve as an alternative for

Simple Bedtime Prayers for Children

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Teaching children to pray often includes learning a few sample prayers by memory. Use these evening prayers for kids every night at bedtime. Download and print this list of children’s prayer to keep beside your child’s bed or inside their children’s Bible. You should teach kids to pray using their own words, but these route prayers are powerful tools to help children build confidence in their talking with God. When possible, I prefer biblical prayers. For longer

Podcast #14 The Legacy Path with Brian Haynes

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In this fast moving interview, I talk with Brain Haynes about his new Christian parenting book titled The Legacy Path. Among other topics, I asked how these principles can help the non-traditional and broken families our churches need to reach with the Gospel. Update ~ Brian also responded specifically to one of my questions on his blog. Directions: To listen to this audio recording, simply click the play button below or download the MP3 audio file. You

Family Devotions with a Kid-Friendly Pirate Theme

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I can’t say that I understand the fascination with pirates, but it exists!  Kids love pretending to be pirates!  They adore the ideas of ship travel, the anchor drop, a hook for a hand, buried loot, and treasure maps. You will love these devotions for kids based on that theme! If your little one has a fascination for playing the part of a pirate, why not teach some Biblical truths while you’re at it?  Here are some simple

Grace Based Parenting: A Summer Must Read

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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