Planning a Serving Others Summer (SOS) can be a fun way to connect to the community, serve others, and bring the church family together. These are very simple ideas you can carry out quickly. Print water bottle labels with a bible verse and your church information and pass out at a local parade or little league game. Serve a free hot … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This spring I experienced one of the most life-changing and ministry-changing weeks ever. We had the opportunity to take several families, including kids ages 7 – 14 on a mission trip to Belize. We partnered with David and Karen Rhodes of Kidz Konnect 4 Jesus to minister at Light of the Valley school, a school we have been sponsoring for … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Two weeks ago, our family sat around the breakfast table and opened our first “Resurrection Egg.” I was so excited to break open these nifty little teaching tools, with elements of Christ’s journey to the cross, tucked inside. I had visions of dreamy devotions for kids and sweet little children soaking in every word. Well, it didn’t quite happen like … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The circle of blessing is a fun way to illustrate the promise God makes to children in the 5th commandment. Use this for a fun children’s sermon on mother’s day or father’s day (or in any lesson on the 5th commandment. Supplies Needed: Circle of about 3ft diameter. I used a piece of rope attached to the floor with masking … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Welcome Spring with this collection of family devotions ideas. You’ll be searching for treasures, playing in the mud, creating artwork, spring cleaning, and planting new life. Grab your rain boots and allow the Word of God to speak anew. Enjoy! 1. New Life Treasure Hunt Grab a camera and entrust it to your child if you’re brave. Take binoculars and/or … More Children’s Ministry Resources
My friends at LifeWay have offered to giveaway some subscriptions to help promote their parenting magazine. Here are a few details about this magazine from their excellent Parent Life blog. ParentLife brings a Christian worldview to today’s top parenting and cultural issues, covering topics related to health, development, education, discipline, and spiritual growth. Each issue of ParentLife gives practical ideas … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Will new interest in family discipleship somehow distract churches from doing kids ministry? Does embracing family ministry require your church to add new programs? These are common concerns for many church leaders. This podcast explores those issues with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. He is a teacher and writer who has studied these topics in depth. You can learn more about him … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This guest post was contributed by Lynda Freeman who blogs at About the Children’s Department. Children’s Ministry versus Family Ministry – there is so much debate about this. Should we focus on the children or the families? I wonder why we have to make a choice between the two. I believe in Deuteronomy 6 God clearly instructs families to: “Love the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This guest post was contributed by Lynda Freeman who blogs at About the Children’s Department. Bible Journeys provide unique opportunities for families to work together to provide special events where church and community families can experience God’s Word together and come to understand what it means and how to live it in their everyday lives! Resurrection Sunday Bible Journey is an event with four … More Children’s Ministry Resources
I don’t know about you, but here in the northeast we have gotten hammered with snow. Now I am not a cold weather person in the least, but I do adore the affect that snow has on kids. The sheer thrill of snowflakes falling makes every limb of theirs dance stubbornly in their too big for them snowsuits. Because they love snow, … More Children’s Ministry Resources
For years, I’ve been recommending Age of Opportunity as an excellent and Gospel-focused book about Christian parenting. Now that same author has a whole parenting conference on DVD called “Getting to the Heart of Parenting.” Each of the 10 sessions last for about 25 minutes. That makes it an excellent tool for a small group, church seminary, or private study. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
“It’s hard enough to train kids to behave, but good behavior isn’t what Jesus calls for in the Bible.” In Spiritual Parenting, author Michelle Anthony calls us as parents to “depend upon God for our children’s spirtual and moral development, urging us toward a heart posture of surrender and faithfulness. The end goal is a vibrant faith that is passed … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Group Publishing has something new for families. Their Fun-for-the-Whole-Family Hour is exactly that – an hourlong event for families to interact, share, discover, laugh, and explore together. This particular theme includes clips from the upcoming Narnia film “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. Not just cost effective at $19.99, it is extremely efficient, with just the essentials necessary to host a … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Enter into our home and you’ll see a play kitchen set with a birthday cake on the counter, waiting the daily baby doll birthday. You’ll trip over a stray Cinderella shoe and find a ballerina coloring page in-transit, ready to be mailed to Mimi. Pink is the only color in existence that we know of. We live in a five … More Children’s Ministry Resources
A few weeks back, Group Publishing sent me a new toy for families called “Gabbit.” It’s a handheld game that can be played almost anywhere. We tried it out in our home and has become one of our favorite. It’s really a simple concept. Just press the button and answer the question. We liked to pass it around and let … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s no secret that kids often struggle to pay attention during the sermon in big church. Sometimes the problem is comprehension, other times it’s just listening skills. This post features a downloadable resource to help the children in your church. It was sent to us from Rich Shipe, who first posted it on his church website. Directions: To download this … More Children’s Ministry Resources
In our home, we have a thing for bugs, spiders, and the like. I don’t mind them and all, but my kids LOVE them. It’s almost disturbing how my daughter can have seven worms climbing up her arms simultaneously. She giggles as I gasp…. Yuck! Though you would never catch me covered with creepy crawlers, I would have to agree … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s almost inevitable. If you’ve spent any time with toddlers and preschoolers, you’ll get to diffuse a temper tantrum. I suppose you can view it as one of the perks of the business… responding creatively to little challenges who may or may not be thrashing on the floor. Though tantrums typically peak around 2 or 3 years of age, preschoolers … More Children’s Ministry Resources
In my last article (posted quite a bit ago), I presented the biblical or theological imperatives for intergenerational (IG) ministry. This article will begin to cover the practical imperatives for IG ministry. The practical imperatives include uniting the fragmented family, embracing the scriptural role of the biological family as well as the family of faith, promoting the unity of the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
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 For more coverage of the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
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 of the 2010 Connecting Church … More Children’s Ministry Resources
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 and is one of the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Here is my rough summary and paraphrase of the session with Dr. Mohler. I will post the audio when it is released so you can listen for yourself. Albert Mohler never disappoints in his communication ability. His wise discussion of parenting was seasoned with humor and personal stories. This session helped me better understand what it means to be a … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What follows is my rough paraphrase and summary of a talk from the 2010 Connecting Church and Home Conference. In this break-out session, Randy Stinson assumed a basic understanding of Ephesians 5:22-33. This message was more about an application for husbands as they lead their families. There are nine applications that build on one another. Randy Stinson is the Dean … More Children’s Ministry Resources