Articles about ministry situations or themes.
A few years ago I wrote a letter to the parents of my church to inform them of our head lice policy. While head lice is not a glamorous topic, it can present very real problems. And I don’t simply mean the head scratching kind! If one or more children show up to church with head lice infestations in their hair, … More Children’s Ministry Resources
He was a scrappy little guy. Hair disheveled, quick with his fists, faster with his mouth. Teachers branded him grades before he ran into my class. I was never very fond of those heads-ups, but I suppose they got me prepped. Upon stepping into my fourth grade classroom, I practiced a little rebellion of my own. There were encouraging notes … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Late in 2010 I resigned as Children’s Pastor from the church where I served for fifteen years. It concluded thirty years of being involved in some form of children’s work, mostly in the local church. In my previous church, one of only two where I have been on staff, I was an elder and Children’s Ministry Director for four years, … More Children’s Ministry Resources
If you’ve ever paid attention to my email signature line, then you’ll know about 3 John 1:4. It’s a greatly under appreciated Bible verse, especially overlooked when talking about kids ministry. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4 ESV One of my Sunday School teachers surprised me this … More Children’s Ministry Resources
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 time to see how things … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This guest post is from Amy Fenton Lee of the Inclusive Church blog. Many churches are working to better include children with special needs. Whether or not a church has taken steps to welcome children with learning differences or disabilities, parents can proactively prepare the children’s ministry team for their child’s successful inclusion. #1 Contact the church in advance When planning … More Children’s Ministry Resources
I often take for granted all the formal Bible training I’ve had. But when I talk with Christians from around the world I realize my days in seminary were a real privilege. I often recommend online theological training to help these believers. So, let me introduce a few online training tools to help you deepen your understanding of God’s Word. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s been a few years, but I still remember the first time I read this encouraging poem about children’s ministry. It came in an email to me from a friend. It really spoke to me about the struggles and joys of being a kids pastor. Later I learned that poem was written by Roger Fields of Kidz Blitz ministries. It’s been available on their … More Children’s Ministry Resources
With all the buzz about the new year, I wanted to offer some insights from God’s Word as we look forward to the new year. I hope this will be encouraging for you. Click here to share on Facebook. #1 The Bible will have all the answers (that we really need) The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The weeks after Christmas are some of the toughest in your ministry year. Long winters bring discouragement and dull the passion of even the most devoted. Let me share a few ways I am preparing my heart to make it through discouragement in the ministry this winter. Feel free to comment and add to the list. 1. Focus on the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Children say the cutest things. I have a long list of memorable questions and statements which children have made during my ministry career. Most are hilarious. Others, quite sad. Still others probe the depths of Christian spirituality, often retaining characteristics of humor and grief. All of them reveal the innocence of childhood in a way no Hollywood script writer can … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What is Autism and what issues does it raise in real world ministry? That’s what I wanted to talk about in this latest episode of our podcast. So I invited back Amy Fenton Lee who runs a popular blog about special needs children’s ministry. You’ll remember her from our very first podcast and her guest post about adapting curriculum for … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This guest post is from Michael Chanley, founder of CM Connect and author of the book Collaborate. Find him on facebook & twitter. Churches face a difficult task when searching for paid staff. Many Senior Pastors will admit the hardest role to fill on their staff is that of a Children’s Pastor. The challenge can even be more daunting when … More Children’s Ministry Resources
These coloring pages are meant to help children learn to pray. They can be used in a variety of Sunday School activities or simply at home as prayer cards. Often times teachers can have children write out their prayers as a response to the Bible lesson. This coloring page can make that an even better option. This is another contribution … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Missional is a term which is gaining traction among church planters and senior leaders. It borrows its root meaning from the more familiar word, missionary. Chances are, your senior pastor is familiar with it. The expression is far less known among children’s ministry leaders. This is unfortunate. I have read many books introducing me to the concept of being missional. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Kids love stories, but sometimes us grow-ups take all the fun out of the retelling. One of my Sunday School teachers sent me this video link tonight. At first I thought it was just another cute kid telling a bible story, but it’s really much more. This young girl tells a Bible storybook version of Jonah with such skill that I had … More Children’s Ministry Resources
I’ll admit that I groaned as we drove to the conference. You know the kind of grumble which smiles on the outside? Yes, that kind. It was way too early for one thing. For another, I had taken the day off of work to come. Days off can be hard to come by. Though I have always been an advocate … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s happened to all of us. We spend hours and hours and hours preparing for Sunday morning (at least I hope you do). We study our Bibles, we outline the lesson, we plan the crafts. During the final days, we put on the finishing touches, get the props together, and plan the transitions and “special effects.” We practice our delivery, … More Children’s Ministry Resources
“One of Those Days” Have you ever had one of those days in Kidmin? You know the kind, the day where you can feel yourself losing all semblance of patience. The kind of day where you find yourself praying during your lesson that the Holy Spirit will give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Today … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Is it worth leaving the church? We’ve been in the new church building for three years now. When we first moved in, I was excited to start decorating the Children’s Ministry rooms and make them an exciting and welcoming place for kids. However, we had to wait….wait to see how the rooms will all end up being used. Make sense. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Teaching in today’s world is a challenge but when you are teaching kids about God and His love, the pressure is really on. It is hard to be the perfect example of love and charity when little Johnny stands on the table and refuses to come down. Broken homes and a broken society have all contributed to the lack of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
At the 2010 Desiring God National Conference, Francis Chan gave a moving talk on humility and loving people. As part of that presentation, he listed seven question that he asks when preparing to teach the Word of God. I think they are the critical questions any children’s minister should also consider as they prepare to teach God’s kids. Those questions … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Volunteers are needed! How many times have we seen this sign or posted it ourselves? Too many! We lose good volunteers and sadly ministry helpers do come and go. Sometimes the volunteers quit for reasons we could have prevented. While that is not always the case, leaders should know the five reasons why this most commonly occurs. Retain one of the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Sometimes we assume ministry leaders outgrow their need for training. I don’t think that’s right, as this video below points out. Even your very best people need to review procedure and recall the why behind the what. Special thanks to Courtney and Bill from the LifeWay kids blog for making this lesson come to life! Even if you’re the kids ministry leader, make … More Children’s Ministry Resources